Hunting shotguns: New products, tests, experience reports

HIT Show, the most important Italian hunting, shooting and personal defense trade show for the public, will take place in the pavilions of the Vicenza Fair from 9 to 11 February 2019. As always, conferences, technical stages, canine contests and plenty of passion will make this event unmissable.

Audrey Watson got into deer stalking while working as an ecologist for the National Forest. In 2004, she met her husband through a deer management group, and part of their honeymoon included a stalking trip to New Zealand. Now a Deer Officer for BASC, she inspires others to try deer stalking.

F.lli Piotti, manufacturers of elegant guns for 50 years, enchant us with their unique, personalized and perfect shotguns and rifles. Here are some of their new models for 2018 that were also presented at IWA in Nuremberg last march. 

The UK is popular destination for hunters and shooters from around the world. There is a wide selection of quarry species including game birds and five types of deer. Each species has an open and closed season and being prepared and equipped to hunt over a diverse and challenging of habitat is essential.

From July 27th to 29th the world’s largest countryside show will take place in UK with around 1000 exhibitors – from world famous gunmakers, to clothing brands and gamekeeping supplies – and many events, demonstrations and competitions.  

Two models are available, one with a standard-size receiver scaled for .308 Win and similar cartridges and another with a shorter receiver optimized for .223 Rem and similar cartridges. The new bolt-action rifle features a three-lug bolt.

The Scout Rifle series adds a new powerful chambering. The .450 Bushmaster version features a stainless steel finish, a lightweight synthetic stock and a conspicuous muzzle brake to reduce recoil and blast.

Cara Richardson was 18 and living on a Scottish Island when she started shooting and hunting. She quickly progressed from small game to much bigger and has hunted in the UK, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Cara is a busy international Sporting Agent and enjoys bringing clients to Scotland to hunt.

It is not always necessary to add features and details to propose something interesting. The Spanish company Bergara knows this well and this year it introduced an essential but interesting hunting rifle, the B-14 Ridge.

IWA 2018 / New from Falco Arms, Alpine 1 Kipplauf Stutzen rifle. In Marcheno (Italy) there is a company that is known for 40 years for its skill in the production of small-caliber rifles and Kipplaufs for hunting ungulates.

IWA 2018 / New from Voere: S16 & K15A rifles. The Austrian manufacturer of precision and hunting rifles showcases the new S16 bolt-action rifle and its “small brother”, the K15A match-grade rimfire model. A unique version with integrated suppressor was presented as well. 

IWA 2018 / Chiappa Firearms celebrated its 60th anniversary at IWA OutdoorClassics at the booth, presenting the new products for 2018. The italian company was founded in 1958 by Ezechiele Chiappa.

At IWA 2018 CZ exhibited its products, ranging from handguns to hunting rifles and accessories. CZ also created its IWA 2018 “top five”: some are new products and others new versions of already well-known models. Here is an overview of CZ's “top five” products that we saw in Nuremberg.

IWA 2018 / New from Blaser: R8 Silence rifle. From the popular R8 series, a hunting rifle with integrated silencer. Where allowed by law, a useful solution to protect the hearing of hunters as well as the hearing of their dogs.

IWA 2018 / New from F.A.I.R.: the Iside Vintage Safari Prestige. A double barrel Express rifle with a very aristocratic look, chambered in the classic 8x57 JRS Mitteleuropean cartridge

IWA2018 / New from Merkel: Helix Speedster. A new model is added to the large Helix family, one of the best hunting rifle series on the international market today: it's German, beautiful, fast and accurate.