Northern Shooting Show Today

[philpot 5,005]

Trish (my wife) and I have just got home after visiting the show which was very enjoyable. I went there on a mission with specific things in mind and on that score it was a success.

 

I have been looking at a springer as some of you may have read but could not decide which to go for, the list was Air Arms Prosport and TX200HC or Weihrauch 97k or 77k, Walther Underlever which I cannot remember the model but really was not that interested after owning an RM8 so that was dropped very very quickly. After much discussion with various stands and some test shooting, the TX came out on top in sooooooo many ways just now need to decide if I stay with .177 or get a .22.

 

Whilst talking to Hull Cartridge on the range which was not too busy, I asked to see the HW110...................................seriously wow, fantastic to handle and much lighter than my 100. The balance is nothing short of awsome and a much higher shot count than mine. Everyone there was wanting to have a go with it so my contact at Hull Cart. squeezed me in for a couple of shots as he knew I was attending their open day at Humberside later this month, I am very impressed indeed but as they WILL NOT be available before September and I am in no rush whatsoever, I am happy to wait, I might even have some spare cash by then as well.

 

 

I went onto the BSA stand, the new half Gammo half Ultra effort looks utter sh1te and to be honest the guy on the stand was not comfortable with it carrying the BSA name and we had a little laugh about that. It may sound strange but nobody anywhere near me sells the Scorpion instead they concentrate on the Ultra and R10 with little interest in the poor old Scorpion. I really liked it, nice balance, good to handle with a much better shot count than the Ultra and a lot less money than the R10. I was pleased to just have a play with it as I have never seen one before in the flesh so to speak and the camo stock was nice, my dear wife on the other hand really liked the Ultra so I may need to add that to the wish list for later.

 

I had real good look at the Hawke scope stand as I am going to need a new scope for the springer but after looking around and talking to the staff, I think I will put my Hawke Varmint onto the springer and buy another for the HW100, I LOVE the Sidewinder AO IR but it is a price which makes me think about a second hand unit, I also liked the Airmax range as well so I need to read the info I brought back. I did try to look at the MTC scopes but to be honest there were 3 or 4 blokes there who obviously knew the staff and made it hard to get to the scopes even asking them to move so I just gave up on that one.

 

The Scott Country stand was good with all the kit set for trying although of course it was daylight and I have to say Mitch, I totally understand why you use the Pulsar but that is way out of my budget. I was impressed with the X-Sight 3-14 and again in daylight the quality was not as good as normal scope but plenty good enough for me but the big question with them is that when you do any upgrade, you loose everything within the sight including zero and they suggest writing the values on a bit of paper before downloading new firmware. This company is on the move very rapidly with what these units will do but it is worth watching as they progress.

 

I had a good chat with the firearms stand to see how tricky it would be for me to get a FAC ticket for air rifles and very interestingly, if I apply in October when my shotgun cert runs out, I will only be charged an extra couple of quid to get both so that is something I will go for.

 

I met up with North Cotes Butts, a range not too far from me which caters for clay shooting, rifles FAC and air guns offering indoor 100 and 25mt ranges with a 16 lane 50mt range being done this year. If I become a full member, my wife has free membership and can go every day if we want so that was good for me although not cheap at £140 for the year but what you get is impressive so worth a thought and I was invited to go along and see the place.

 

I am toying with selling my Beretta DT10 shotgun and another, put some cash in the bank and buy another gun without the higher price tag so again I had a look to see what was on offer with one or two that really took my eye.

 

Lastly apart from looking at all the various clothing/general shooting accessory stands, I bought a Deerhunter camo smock and trousers, fantastic quality with a show special price of over £40 knocked off. I am a bit annoyed that I looked at one stand with LOADS of bits like deer calls, hats, decoys and hides etc and saw camo baseball caps for £5 but as we were both needing the loo, I left it until we came back..............only I forgot to go back so buggered that.

 

All in all a good day with cracking weather and red kites flying around the place. I would like to have gone to look at the HFC layout buy us old buggers were getting tired so didn't bother.

 

If you are thinking of going tomorrow, it is worth a visit.

 

Phil

Edited May 7, 2016 by philpot

[steg 609]

What was the traffic/parking like Phil?

[philpot 5,005]

No problem at all and we didn't get there until noon. If you have pre paid, there is a car park closer for those who have tickets. The normal car park is a pleasant 10 min walk. It is worth taking a jumper as the wind blows a bit there although I was fine, my wife got a little cold.

 

Phil

[Rez 4,961]

Any images Phil?

[philpot 5,005]

To be honest Rez, I left the camera and phone in the car which really annoyed me as I wanted to put some photo's up. One very good point was that you got a 30 page free show guide, a great help to find who is where and a refreshing change from most shows where they try to rip you off.

 

Phil

[David123 14]

I went to today and was pleasantly suprised.

 

Free parking, free programme and a great atmosphere.

 

Will be going back next year

[villaman 9,983]

Sorry Phil ,did you say the 110 will not be available until September ?

[philpot 5,005]

You got it Mitch and then it is not confirmed, simply that Hull Cartridge are advised the delivery SHOULD be here in September. Also bear in mind that there are over 800 advanced orders plus the stock so we are talking a minimum of 1000 unit required for the UK. Forgive me as I cannot remember the exact numbers involved but trust me when I quote 1000 but I think it is higher than that.

 

Phil

Edited May 9, 2016 by philpot

[villaman 9,983]

You got it Mitch and then it is not confirmed, simply that Hull Cartridge are advised the delivery SHOULD be here in September. Also bear in mind that there are over 800 advanced orders plus the stock so we are talking a minimum of 1000 unit required for the UK. Forgive me as I cannot remember the exact numbers involved but trust me when I quote 1000 but I think it is higher than that.

 

Phil

Well i was told by Hull cartridge to day that within the next few weeks ,as they are running about month late from the April release date

[philpot 5,005]

I hope you are right Mitch, I simply repeated what I was told by Hull Cartridge, sounds like a lot of people would prefer what you have been told rather than what I was told. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see when they actually become available.