Germany hosts largest fair in Europe

The world?s gun trade gathered in Nuremberg, in Germany, last weekend, for the largest trade show in Europe. More than 1,050 manufacturers exhibited at the show, giving some indication to shooters what they should be expecting to find in the shops for next season. The 27,000 visitors had the opportunity to view an array of sporting rifles, shotguns and accessories for a variety of fieldsports.

UK dealers were out in force searching for new products to fill their shop?s shelves before the season begins. One of the most high-profile launches was the new Swarovski Z6 range of scopes. The scope is the first in the world with a 6X zoom, and representatives from the company were on hand to demonstrate the unique magnification range and field of vision. John Brinkley, from Swarovski UK, commented: ?The show has been fantastic and the new scope has been extremely well received.

The illuminated reticule model will be available to the UK market in May. It is a revolutionary telescopic sight with an astonishing field of view from such a narrow tube; the non-illuminated scopes are available from dealers now.? Andrew Young, from Browning UK, was exhibiting the complete range of Browning rifles and shotguns. He told ST: ?Within a few hours of the show opening, D. J. Litts made a brilliant start for Browning by placing an order for the majority of the one-off special handmade B25 guns that were made specially for the fair.

?They also made another order for other B25 models, which came to a value of more than half a million pounds. There were a large number of the big account holders at the show who were all placing orders, so this will certainly mean great things to come for shooters
in the UK.?

Hunting clothing and accessories featured in large numbers at the show, with everything from snow suits and tweed jackets, to camouflage loo roll on offer. A spokesman from Bushwear, suppliers of hunting and stalking equipment, said: ?We found some amazing new products and a new range of innovative Gore-Tex shooting accessories, which customers will be able to find in our new catalogue. The show is a superb place to find the latest kit for shooters. It is well supported by the UK market, and though the show is not open to the public, UK sportsmen will benefit from what is on offer.?