shooting show

Had a look at the website for the stalking show this morning - it’s got a hall layout from last year & exhibitor list for this year.

Was seriously thinking of going for a cabby as I’ve not been before. However, location is a 3 hour drive from me - each way so 6 hours on the road meaning an early start to maximise time at show & then a late return home. Fuel cost circa £65, plus £20 online entry fee plus food = minimum £100 as a starter.

Yes I could get a train but first I’d have to drive to a station & pay to park, no direct rail service from my part of the country - need to go up to London Waterloo, tube across town to Euston then another train, rail fare would likely be in 3 figures, would need taxi to get to/from venue & station. Not really viable to buy & transport large items, eg drag bag for rifle, on train, etc. Not to mention travel time each way of 4.5 hours so an even longer day & likely higher starting cost.

Think I’ll give it a miss tbh ☹️
What a shame the show is centrally located in England & close to a major motorway.
 
What a shame the show is centrally located in England & close to a major motorway.
Yup

3.5 hr circuitous route to get there and the same back

Five mins from a junction

Eight min walk from car park but laughed out loud watching folk get free buses to and from the parking

Maybe they shoot with golf carts
 
I had a good day there. 1.5 hrs each way with no hold ups on the motorway, the car parking was closer to the venue than previous years so an easy walk. Bought myself an Athlon Rangecraft chronograph with £39 saving from Optics World so that paid for my petrol. I did think it was less busy than previous years but maybe it was in a bigger hall.
Quite impressed with the Mauser M25 straight pull, seems good value and quick and easy to use. Be interesting to hear feedback from any owners on this.
 
Yup

3.5 hr circuitous route to get there and the same back

Five mins from a junction

Eight min walk from car park but laughed out loud watching folk get free buses to and from the parking

Maybe they shoot with golf carts
There all the Fanny’s that moan about heavy scopes 😝
 
I had a good day there. 1.5 hrs each way with no hold ups on the motorway, the car parking was closer to the venue than previous years so an easy walk. Bought myself an Athlon Rangecraft chronograph with £39 saving from Optics World so that paid for my petrol. I did think it was less busy than previous years but maybe it was in a bigger hall.
Quite impressed with the Mauser M25 straight pull, seems good value and quick and easy to use. Be interesting to hear feedback from any owners on this.
The downsides to the M25 are that (a) it's still in .308 only and (b) you need the Max version with the adjustable cheek piece to get anything more than a chin "weld". I did see the Picatinny-rail mount for the first time today, however (Mauser only showed the integral rail mount at launch, for some reason), and it was less awful than expected - or would have been if they'd put the scope in low rings.1000040021.webp
 
I went. I spent some money. I enjoyed it. But, I always enjoy it.
I wanted to see accurize, but never found them, gave up.
I needed to see Fieldsports channel, couldn’t miss them.
I went to have a look at the new HIK, I think it looks ok, more importantly, I think it will work well, the screen is massive, but I won’t be changing my Alpexs as I don’t think the increase is worth the money for me.
I went to look at the DNT Zulus 665? As I am thinking about one of them for my foxing rifle. The small one is very focus fussy, the expensive one isn’t. So, maybe.
Loved the trailerable deer box. Landig? Didn’t bother asking the price. I would have one in a heartbeat if it wasn’t so expensive. I know it is going to be more, much more than I would ever pay.
I wanted to buy some new boots. I didn’t want to pay £350 for a pair, so I didn’t buy new boots. I got some from moles in the end on the way home, I had time to kill before I picked up the romantic chinese for valentines evening. Beef with bamboo and cashews if you really want to know.

I have said this before, and I will say it again. Glass is on its way out, think film cameras and digital cameras. Hik and DNT stands, rammed, glass stands, tumbleweed in comparison. You don’t have to believe me, but it is happening.
Lots of other companies there doing digital and thermal, but, unless they have somebody in the U.K. to repair, I would avoid personally.
Ogdens was there, but, I have everything he sells so no need to see him.
Looked at the CF moto quad, £6k + vat. Looked good, but, I don’t need one, and I don’t have 6 k plus vat, and apparently all new quads are cvt, of which I am not a fan. But, unimportant as I said, I don’t have £6k etc etc. yet.

Anything else? Well, I have I need mostly, don’t have a slot for a creedmore, oh, I just remembered, I was quite interested in the Spika gunsafe. Have to look at the specs a bit more.
And I have 2 air bottles that need testing, there was a Wolf pcp compressor. Something to consider.
Looked at clothes, but I have loads, so didn’t bother looking.

I did go to listen to some of the talks, but the place is not conducive to carrying sound clearly, so I wandered off..

SO, will I go next year. Mmmmmmm, not sure, look, I enjoyed the show, I didn’t mind the 2 hours each way, I didn’t mind the cost of the tickets, but, I have everything I need. Well, can you really have everything?
Anyhow, stalking show coming up next. May well go to that, and game fair, definitely going to that.
 
I had a good day there. 1.5 hrs each way with no hold ups on the motorway, the car parking was closer to the venue than previous years so an easy walk. Bought myself an Athlon Rangecraft chronograph with £39 saving from Optics World so that paid for my petrol. I did think it was less busy than previous years but maybe it was in a bigger hall.
Quite impressed with the Mauser M25 straight pull, seems good value and quick and easy to use. Be interesting to hear feedback from any owners on this.

The downsides to the M25 are that (a) it's still in .308 only and (b) you need the Max version with the adjustable cheek piece to get anything more than a chin "weld". I did see the Picatinny-rail mount for the first time today, however (Mauser only showed the integral rail mount at launch, for some reason), and it was less awful than expected - or would have been if they'd put the scope in low rings.View attachment 460665

Other observation I have to add, having shot the demo unit last autumn.

The bolt has quite a bit of wobble when open, that combined with the curved shape underneath results in your nice wooden stock getting scuffed up quite unpleasantly right at the start of the comb...

I pointed it out to the rep at the time, and the reply was along the lines of "it's not blaser money, so what do you expect"... Which yes, at £1700ish (from memory) no it isn't but it isn't "cheap". But I would have hoped the designers and manufacturers had some sort of pride for their work. Especially as the wood stocks weren't exactly a broom handle...
 
I went. I spent some money. I enjoyed it. But, I always enjoy it.
I wanted to see accurize, but never found them, gave up.
I needed to see Fieldsports channel, couldn’t miss them.
I went to have a look at the new HIK, I think it looks ok, more importantly, I think it will work well, the screen is massive, but I won’t be changing my Alpexs as I don’t think the increase is worth the money for me.
I went to look at the DNT Zulus 665? As I am thinking about one of them for my foxing rifle. The small one is very focus fussy, the expensive one isn’t. So, maybe.
Loved the trailerable deer box. Landig? Didn’t bother asking the price. I would have one in a heartbeat if it wasn’t so expensive. I know it is going to be more, much more than I would ever pay.
I wanted to buy some new boots. I didn’t want to pay £350 for a pair, so I didn’t buy new boots. I got some from moles in the end on the way home, I had time to kill before I picked up the romantic chinese for valentines evening. Beef with bamboo and cashews if you really want to know.

I have said this before, and I will say it again. Glass is on its way out, think film cameras and digital cameras. Hik and DNT stands, rammed, glass stands, tumbleweed in comparison. You don’t have to believe me, but it is happening.
Lots of other companies there doing digital and thermal, but, unless they have somebody in the U.K. to repair, I would avoid personally.
Ogdens was there, but, I have everything he sells so no need to see him.
Looked at the CF moto quad, £6k + vat. Looked good, but, I don’t need one, and I don’t have 6 k plus vat, and apparently all new quads are cvt, of which I am not a fan. But, unimportant as I said, I don’t have £6k etc etc. yet.

Anything else? Well, I have I need mostly, don’t have a slot for a creedmore, oh, I just remembered, I was quite interested in the Spika gunsafe. Have to look at the specs a bit more.
And I have 2 air bottles that need testing, there was a Wolf pcp compressor. Something to consider.
Looked at clothes, but I have loads, so didn’t bother looking.

I did go to listen to some of the talks, but the place is not conducive to carrying sound clearly, so I wandered off..

SO, will I go next year. Mmmmmmm, not sure, look, I enjoyed the show, I didn’t mind the 2 hours each way, I didn’t mind the cost of the tickets, but, I have everything I need. Well, can you really have everything?
Anyhow, stalking show coming up next. May well go to that, and game fair, definitely going to that.
Great write up
 
I went. I spent some money. I enjoyed it. But, I always enjoy it.
I wanted to see accurize, but never found them, gave up.
I needed to see Fieldsports channel, couldn’t miss them.
I went to have a look at the new HIK, I think it looks ok, more importantly, I think it will work well, the screen is massive, but I won’t be changing my Alpexs as I don’t think the increase is worth the money for me.
I went to look at the DNT Zulus 665? As I am thinking about one of them for my foxing rifle. The small one is very focus fussy, the expensive one isn’t. So, maybe.
Loved the trailerable deer box. Landig? Didn’t bother asking the price. I would have one in a heartbeat if it wasn’t so expensive. I know it is going to be more, much more than I would ever pay.
I wanted to buy some new boots. I didn’t want to pay £350 for a pair, so I didn’t buy new boots. I got some from moles in the end on the way home, I had time to kill before I picked up the romantic chinese for valentines evening. Beef with bamboo and cashews if you really want to know.

I have said this before, and I will say it again. Glass is on its way out, think film cameras and digital cameras. Hik and DNT stands, rammed, glass stands, tumbleweed in comparison. You don’t have to believe me, but it is happening.
Lots of other companies there doing digital and thermal, but, unless they have somebody in the U.K. to repair, I would avoid personally.
Ogdens was there, but, I have everything he sells so no need to see him.
Looked at the CF moto quad, £6k + vat. Looked good, but, I don’t need one, and I don’t have 6 k plus vat, and apparently all new quads are cvt, of which I am not a fan. But, unimportant as I said, I don’t have £6k etc etc. yet.

Anything else? Well, I have I need mostly, don’t have a slot for a creedmore, oh, I just remembered, I was quite interested in the Spika gunsafe. Have to look at the specs a bit more.
And I have 2 air bottles that need testing, there was a Wolf pcp compressor. Something to consider.
Looked at clothes, but I have loads, so didn’t bother looking.

I did go to listen to some of the talks, but the place is not conducive to carrying sound clearly, so I wandered off..

SO, will I go next year. Mmmmmmm, not sure, look, I enjoyed the show, I didn’t mind the 2 hours each way, I didn’t mind the cost of the tickets, but, I have everything I need. Well, can you really have everything?
Anyhow, stalking show coming up next. May well go to that, and game fair, definitely going to that.
I was fortunate enough to be doing some demos on the @Game Larder stand throughout the show. The High box is a fantastic bit of kit but will leave the full explanation to someone from the team who knows a lot more about it than me.
 
Offer the opportunity for critique and thats what you'll get!

I worked the show for years and this the first in awhile ive not done it, so u didn't go this year, but as a day out for folks I thinks it's great. 🫡
 
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