The British Shooting Show has gone from strength to strength since moving to Birmingham’s NEC last year. The event has certainly established itself as an important place for manufacturers to showcase new gear to the press and trade alike.
Although most airgun makers tend to be satisfied to show off one or two new lines at high-profile events, BSA Guns had no fewer than eight new airguns on its stand, from its own brand as well as Gamo and Daisy.
Commenting on the raft of new releases, Jon Hatton of BSA Guns said: “It is a very nice position to be in. As a group, we have several strong brands so we’ve gone for a full assault with various choices at various price points.
“The British Shooting Show is a great place for us to showcase new gear. It’s a brilliant event at a great location in the middle of the country, and the fact that it’s indoors means it can’t be let down by the weather. We are a British gunmaker and it’s the first British show of the year so it really makes sense for us to give it a big push.”
Jon highlighted products at opposite ends of the price scale: the flagship BSA R-10 TH and the super-value Gamo GX-40.
“The R-10 is a brilliant airgun that we have made even better with greater shot capacity and a thumbhole stock. The GX-40 is a brilliant piece of kit at under £400, and shoots as well as a lot of guns costing twice the price.
“Visitors to the show certainly seemed to be impressed with all the new guns. We had a lot of positive feedback,” he said of the business’s airgun line-up.
BSA R-10 TH
RRP: £999
The tried and tested R-10 has been given a makeover to mark ten years of production for this iconic airgun, and the result is a seriously refined sporter with great looks and performance to match. The most eye-catching update is the sleek Minelli thumbhole walnut stock with four-way adjustable butt pad and adjustable soft-touch cheekpiece.
The new edition also has a larger air bottle, increasing capacity by around 90 shots per fill. There’s also a new barrel shroud with enhanced sound suppressing capability.
GAMO GX-40
RRP: £379
When it comes to delivering quality PCPs at competitive prices, Gamo has already set a very high standard with the Coyote and Phox, but the new GX-40 looks set to push the bar even higher.
Made in the UK, the budget-busting PCP is available in .177 and .22 calibres and comes with a tough synthetic stock. It’s equipped with a cold hammer forged barrel, two-stage CAT trigger, on-board pressure gauge and ten-shot magazine-fed loading system that’s driven by a rear bolt.
BSA SILVER STAR
RRP: £699
BSA’s latest sporting target rifle, this neat little PCP features an adjustable cheek-piece and butt pad (which is not only vertically adjustable but also for length of pull) to ensure an excellent fit with the ambidextrous beech or black finish stock.
Equipped with two-stage adjustable match trigger, detachable air cylinder, straight-pull T-handle cocking system, adjustable dioptre sights and BSA’s famously accurate cold hammer forged barrel, it looks set to be a winner.
GAMO VENARI
RRP: £459
Another UK-made Gamo, the Venari is a PCP that delivers even more bang for your buck. The kit is built around an accurate and solidly constructed full-power air rifle with a ten-shot magazine-fed loading system driven by a bolt-action mechanism.
The gun’s robust stock is equipped with an adjustable cheek-piece and the cylinder incorporates an onboard pressure gauge. The complete Venari package includes a sound suppressor, 3-9×40 zoom scope and adjustable and detachable side-mounted folding bipod.
WINCHESTER MODEL 45 & 55
RRP: £229
These two spring-powered break-barrels deliver simplicity and reliability to airgun shooters who don’t want to overcomplicate their sport. Both models are effectively the same – the 45 denoting .177 calibre and the 55 for .22.
Cradled in a simple but elegant beech stock with neat chequering on the forend and pistol grip the guns have an adjustable trigger and rifled steel barrel which is threaded to accept a silencer. Other features include fibre-optic open sights and manual safety catch.
WINCHESTER MODEL 45 RS & 55 RS
RRP: £269
This pair of springers share many of the features of the standard Model 45 and 55, including adjustable trigger, anti-beartrap safety locking system, and steel rifled barrel, plus some slick refinements.
Instead of open sights, these guns come fitted with a sleek low-profile sound moderator to hush down muzzle report. The ambidextrous beech stock on the RS series has also been tweaked to incorporate a fluted fore-end and more stylish lines.
WINCHESTER MODEL 4.5 SPECIAL PISTOL
RRP: £139
Powered by a 12g CO2 capsule and running an eight-shot quick-fire system, this revolver-style pistol promises to be a real fistful of fun.
Solid metal construction provides weight and balance that feels great in the hand, while a rifled barrel ensures accurate shot placement. Other features include a manual safety catch and open sights which incorporate reflective white dots for fast target acquisition.
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