The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

cough cough, NEC, cough cough.

Charlotte the flyer wrote:cough cough, NEC, cough cough.

That's a nasty cough you have there, been spending any time near a certain badger??

I don't wear Tweed so I doubt I'd go.

SevenSixTwo wrote:I don't wear Tweed so I doubt I'd go.

You couldn't be further from the truth 762. Full camo including body armour would be more like it if you wanted to fit in at this show.

Chapuis wrote:

SevenSixTwo wrote:I don't wear Tweed so I doubt I'd go.

You couldn't be further from the truth 762. Full camo including body armour would be more like it if you wanted to fit in at this show.

The air soft boys were a little OTT ,

Charlotte the flyer wrote:cough cough, NEC, cough cough.

Unfortunately, that would move it into a totally different league - we're not quite up to Motor Show levels yet!

Most of the stands at the UK Shooting Show are our dealers and gunsmiths and the like. It would have to have massive support from the really big players - like Remington, Winchester, Savage, Sauer, Blaser, Mauser etc etc. These are the names that 'prop up' the Shot Show, IWA and the like and make it possible for the little man to still exhibit.

It was good to see Schmidt & Bender at Stoneleigh last year - shows it's got some pull - that's why we need to keep it going.

Well I will be going next year and I do hope that they learn from their mistakes but be under no illusions I was pretty unhappy with this year for a number of reasons "The Gun Pimp" and I do not feel that the organisers ever properly addressed the complaints with this year.

I actually attended both days as I was helping out on a stand for part of it and off the top of my head these issues particularly grated:

I pre-paid for the special parking which I didn't actually get to use as they over sold it and I ended up parking on the far side of the ground both days. (Parking management guy was extremely rude when I queried why I was being directed to park nowhere near the show).

Entry management was a shambles, people who paid on the day got in quicker then those who had pre-paid.

THE FOOD! OH THE FOOD! AN UTTER DISGRACE! Expensive, limited, poor choice and outside in the freezing rain! It was the middle of the winter and somebody thought it would be a good idea to site all the food vans outside?!

Still waiting for an apology about the parking, am I going to get a discount this year?

You'd think that a show aimed partially at hunters would be able to get some decent food :-)

I like the idea of tickets that specify which day to attend, that could solve the crowding in the absence of a larger venue.

Also the marshalling needs looking at. Stoneleigh say that they can park 30,000 cars yet it was total chaos, if they have the capacity it must be the implementation.

Probably need to look at a venue with hard standing too if it's going to be held in the winter.

All issues aside, I'll be there next year. (Will leave the digital camo at home this time zzzzom )

I'll give it a miss this time, after sitting in queues for hours last time and not getting in. But if reports are favourable from the next one, I might go the year after.

We've been to other shows at Stoneleigh, and they were organised far more efficiently, coping more effectively with larger attendances. Perhaps next year lessons will have been learned and corners won't be cut. Maybe they'll even put Walt and his airsofties in a quiet corner where nobody sees them.