Great to hear you had a good time, Phil.
Daughter and I went to the Shooting Show at the NEC for the first time in a few years today. It is well worth a visit for the definite 'fun factor'. Easy to get to, easy to park, excellent shuttle bus all helped. We did not have pre-paid tickets and surprisingly seemed to get in much quicker than those who did because those with tickets had to queue whereas we paid at the counter, got a wrist band and sauntered on in. Altogether a much more professional approach to the show, mostly of trade stands but a very good mix. The airgun 'have a go' seemed to have a good range of guns to try at £3 for 10 shots but there were some free shoots available. The Umarex Boys Club stand advertising free shooting was superb, with an excellent range of reactive targets to be clobbered by CO2 power, The people running the stand deserve a medal for being there all day. Then there was a laser rifle stand to the left of the shooting area .. try and shoot 5 targets in as short a time as possible (no prizes); great fun. Bargains ... it all depends on what you were after. Air Arms had AA Field and JSB at £8 a tin (.177, 500) amongst other types but no saving on a sleeve, another stall had them at £10, but yet another had them at £8 but a request for a reduction for a sleeve of 10 tins was agreed to, nice. Met Terry D, good to see he seems fully recovered from recent ailments and had a long chat with Russ Douglas; what a superbly friendly gentleman Russ is. The new HW bullpup is interesting but at £1100 it should be. The new Sig Air gas ram was available to shoot free in 20 ftlb guise; a bit heavy but very smooth and easy to cock. SRP around £519 but at that price I can see it will have stiff opposition when it appears in 12 ftlb versions later. Food and drink was fair at prices akin to normal retail outlets; we went out of the halls to the concourse for lunch, much quieter, better seating and maybe better value than in the halls.
Overall an excellent time was had by all.
Cheers, Phil
Great to hear you had a good time, Phil.
THE BOINGER BASH AT QUIGLEY HOLLOW. MAKING GREAT MEMORIES SINCE 15th JUNE, 2013.
NEXT EVENT :- May 2025.........BOING!!
Must say disappointed. Not a patch on last year. Some traders not there this year and I feel it's going the way of the Midland!!! I really hope is doesn't. Mach 1.5
It was my first time at this show. My last was five years ago at Stoneleigh.
Overall I was disappointed, and look forward to seeing of the Northern Show is any better
Went today for the first time with a club mate who had been before. He echoed the same thoughts, not as good as the previous year. Personally saw a lot of stuff I found very interesting, Mauser and BSA stands stand out to me
Saw a beautifull SBS on the T W Gunmakers stand and had a bloody good chat with the guy on there.
A few good deals like a bucket of Remington .223, 300 rounds for £130 and a new Armsan CR8 for £315.
Last edited by coburn; 15-02-2019 at 10:16 PM.
We had a good day but I think thats due to it always being good to be out of the office and spend a couple of hours talking to genuine gunsmiths - particularly whilst sitting in Wetherspoons! Nice to see have a stroll around and catch up with mates we’ve not seen for a while and have a look at all the various types of rifles and shooting systems.
But sadly I have to agree with Mach 1.5, if you’re there to buy anything (especially a decent quality, second-hand air rifle), you’ll have a wasted trip. There were tons of identical looking shotguns, if that’s your thing...
Cottage industries and custom houses really do seem to be a thing of the past and for me, looking at their various takes on established rifles and making not such established rifles desirable, used to make these shows worth going to. Perhaps they’ll reinvent themselves one day, I hope so.
Put on heading 270, assume attack formation
Aw thanks Phil, it was a delight to meet you both for a good blether. Really glad you enjoyed the show too, it was my first BSS/Shooting Show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've made some good contacts and perhaps also secured some decent kit to review for Airgun World (and other publications, watch this space).
Thanks again... and I might yet make it back to the NEC tomorrow morning for an hour or two, before heading back north. Maybe see a few more of you there.
Cheers. Russ
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Well I went for the first time yesterday and I didn't go for a bargain.
I went to look at numerous things I cant see in my local shops.
Which I managed to see and handle most of them.
Master Debater
I had a great day on Friday. Managed to get a lovely boxed 1993 HW80K for a very reasonable price - which you will get to see in detail in one of AGW features soon.
Great to meet Dave Barham and Russ Douglas, Russ is it right you are still friends with the first fiver you earned Always a pleasure to see Terry D, although we seem to have a language barrier, as he claimed not to understand anything I said, trouble is I can't talk tidy like what he does.
Lots of bits at good prices Air Arms seal sets for £3, managed to get Ballistrol oil which has eluded me for ages, and some more targets and holders from the excellent Target air.
No question that i will be going again - can't wait.
Went on Friday to pick up my FX Dreamline Lite, agreed was not as good as last year.
Had a good chat with Giles, who is just as funny in real life.
A lot of traders not being there this year was due to inflated prices for stalls/tables compared to last year..
Here's a statement about which I've thought long and hard; overall, this year's British Shooting Show turned out to be the best indoor show I've attended in my life.
For me, and this could well be a personal thing, the fact that the shooting sports are being showcased at this country's premier exhibition venue is a massive step forward for us. I was at the NEC the first time it was tried, and it was nowhere near as successful as this one. Seeing our sport strutting its stuff on the biggest stage in the country, where Crufts, caravans, gadgets, brides, holidays, homes, toys and just about everything that matters to millions of us - including shooting.
Then there was the hardware on show, including new UK releases from BSA, Gamo, Air Arms, Highland Outdoors, Weihrauch, Umarex, Scott Country, Air Force, Brocock, Daystate, Discovery Optics, Hawke, FX and others. Most were available to try and all had their associated experts on hand to talk about them.
Finally, and incredibly impressive in its own right, was the sheer positivity of the show visitors I met, and I met enough to cause me to lose my voice by the morning of the third day. Airgunners of all types and ages either came to the Airgun World / Air Gunner stand, or stopped me on my frequent walkabouts, and I honestly can't recall a truly negative exchange. I left the show on all three days absolutely nackered but smiling the smile of a satisfied man.
Sorry if I missed anyone, but with any luck we can all get together next year for another proper celebration of all that is great in our sport. Well done everyone involved - long may it continue!
If you don't know enough to judge - don't judge
As ever, Terry, what an upbeat, positive slant on things.
And, yes, one of the biggest points certainly has to be the stature of the venue helping highlight our sport in the most positive light.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to attend any shows for a long time - money, time and spouse (she hates anything to do with guns, country sports etc) and this is a situation that I must address sometime soon.
And I'd love to meet you and the gang, having not had the pleasure for so long.
Thank you for flying the flag for our special little sport.
And you must be totally knackered after your exertions and efforts over the weekend, so time to put your feet up a little for a very well-earned rest.
THE BOINGER BASH AT QUIGLEY HOLLOW. MAKING GREAT MEMORIES SINCE 15th JUNE, 2013.
NEXT EVENT :- May 2025.........BOING!!