Tackle and Gun Show 2009 at Stoneleigh Warwickshire

Went to the tackle and gun show at Stoneleigh Warwickshire the other week to see all the new goodies that were on display to the trade. Many companies were there showing prototypes and new versions of their older models.

Walking into the hall I was stopped and asked to hand over my camera! Nice one I thought, so the following pictures were taken with my phone so apologies for the rather poor quality.  Many famous names were there but I had in my mind’s eye on a few that I wanted to see.

I made a bee-line straight to the Thomas Jacks stand. They always have new products in the pipeline amongst their vast range of opticals and night sights, but this time they've really outdone themselves. They have a new digital image intensifier called the pulsar. I'd been told quite a bit about this sight by Ashley Beard, one of the main men at Thomas Jacks. He said that this model 'would blow my socks off!. He wasn't kidding! What a bit of kit. It has two electronic reticules built in and you can actually download other rets off the net! Blow my socks off? Blew me bloomin trousers off more like! My good lady knows just what to get me for Christmas now, all I gotta do is convince her that £900+ is really a bargain.

Next port of call was the A.T.E.O stand to have a chat with my old mate Dave Mills. If you've never heard of the A.T.E.O then shame on you! Dave and his gang are the unsung heroes of the airgun world, taking the voice of us all to parliament and the press when they decide to make crazy decisions or tell lies about us. Please take time to look on the organisations website to see the fine work they do for us. He was busy as usual talking to all people and making notes. Never enough hours in the day for Dave.

I left Dave and a short walk along the aisle took me to the Sportmarketing stand. I chatted to John Nash for a while and he proudly showed me the new generation of rifles he'd imported. The finish and design of these guns are truly amazing value. Honestly, the finish is as good as anything that you could buy from Europe but half the price.

Next port of call was the A.S.I stand where I had a banter with old Rog. I can't honestly remember how long I've known Rog, but he was as enthusiastic as ever showing me the new Crosman NPSS gas-ram rifle that had just come in. I won't lie to you, and anybody who knows me knows I'm not a fan of these type of rifles so it will be interesting to see what Crosman have done to improve the design. They had the usual parade of Crosman rifles and pistols on display and a small collection of pink guns! Enough said!

Armex had a good display of their goods to show me and the new pistol by big name Browning was something to behold.

Geoff cooper and the gang from Prestige were there also; sadly they were tucked in a corner where not many people could see them. Hopefully next year they'll get a better pitch.

Air Arms and Falcon were just round the corner from Prestige and I had to have a laugh with mad Chris who assembles the Falcon rifles. These guns have really caught my eye lately, they are a million miles away from the Falcons of old and so reliable to boot. I could sell these guns all day and not have any fear of any of them coming back with any problems. Yes I am a fan!

BSA was represented well at the show with one of the biggest stands there. They showed me their new single shot mag for all their multi-shot rifles. I said I’d seen it a few years ago, I should have, I invented it and gave the prototype to them because it was too expensive for me to put into production! Webley showed off their new single stroke pneumatic called the Paradigm. We'll see if it actually goes into production because the past track record of the out of house designer leaves a lot to be desired.

It’s nice to see so many British companies well represented at the show and proves just how buoyant the market is even in this current climate. Next year can't come quick enough!