British Shooting Show 2026: What You Might Have Missed - Safe Bets, Surprise Wins & What It Really Means
- Vector Air
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Let’s be honest.
Let’s address the mood first.
Spending across the show felt measured. Footfall does not automatically mean open wallets, and many exhibitors quietly admitted it wasn’t their strongest year for retail conversion.
But what the show lacked in risk-taking, it made up for in signals.
And those signals tell us quite a lot.
Playing It Safe
Across the board, most brands opted for incremental updates rather than bold, ground-up platforms. Tweaks. Cerakote/Compact/Pro editions. Minor spec changes. Parts-bin evolutions.
Even we weren’t immune.
The Cerakote editions of the AGT Manul? Technically a safe play. Existing platform. Loyal following. Controlled risk. When market confidence dips, that’s the rational move.
Manufacturers are waiting for the bigger show - IWA
Manufacturers like UMAREX are clearly holding major launches for IWA, where the audience is more international and slightly less constrained by February timing and Valentine’s weekend spending politics.
No one wants to debut a high R&D flagship into a cautious domestic retail climate. So 2026 felt conservative. Except in a few places.
A Proper Launch: EPIC VISION
One platform that did not play it safe was the EPIC VISION.
Launched on the Friday of the show, this was a ground-up evolution shaped directly by customer and trade feedback.
The brief:
Improve shot count and regulator consistency
Redesign magazines for easier loading
Remove the fill probe
Reduce weight
Trim unnecessary cost
The result was a purpose-built sub-16 joule valve system, redesigned open-top magazines, male Foster fill fitting, simplified construction and a lighter build across the range.
We had two on the range:
300 ALU delivering around 100 shots from a 125cc cylinder under 2.5kg
420 CFB pushing around 900 shots from a 580cc carbon bottle while staying under 3kg
Three days of sustained public use. Zero mechanical faults.
Twenty rifles sold. Cleared out by the final day.
In a year of cautious updates, that matters.
UMAREX Compressors
One genuinely interesting move from UMAREX was the announcement of a new range of PCP compressors.
This signals a push toward accessibility.
Quiet, apartment-friendly units.Larger battery-powered models.Broader entry pricing.
We’ve had early hands-on time with them.
Two standouts:
The tiny “shoebox” style compressor
The tall, ultra-quiet unit
Both impressed us more than expected.
The remaining three models are more conventional. Solid, but positioned in what is already a fairly saturated market without a distinctive selling point.
Still, the direction is clear. Lowering the barrier to PCP ownership is smart, especially if traditional rifle sales are flattening.
A Proper Launch: EPIC VISION Makes Its Debut
While much of the show felt cautious, one platform genuinely launched at BSS 2026.
The EPIC VISION.
Unlike cosmetic refreshes or incremental updates, this was a ground-up evolution built directly from customer and trade feedback. The goal was simple: reduce weight, simplify ownership, improve real-world consistency, and remove the unnecessary extras that inflate cost.
The reaction on the range was immediate.
Three days of constant public handling, heavy cycling, and sustained firing with zero mechanical faults. For a launch unit, that matters.
In a year where many brands chose to play it safe, VISION stood out as one of the few genuine platform-level updates.
Whether that signals a shift back toward meaningful innovation remains to be seen. But it certainly raised the bar.
The End of the Walther Reign M2
This one hurts.
UMAREX has officially discontinued the Walther Reign M2.
In our view, this is a genuine misstep.
The Reign has long been one of the smartest buys in PCP rifles. Compact. Accurate. Reliable. Affordable for what it delivered.
No clear successor has been announced.
Yes, UMAREX-branded SPA rifles are incoming. But they simply do not occupy the same performance space.
We moved quickly and secured the remaining UK stock at exceptional pricing, passing those savings on.
Left-handed shooters should pay particular attention.
If a Reign M3 is not pushed through by the UK supplier, this may quietly mark the end of one of the best-value bullpups the market has seen in years.
And that would be a loss.
Would you like to see the Walther Reign Mk3?
Yes
No
Our Show Successes: What You Actually Bought
While broader retail sentiment felt cautious, our stand told a slightly different story.
You handled the kit.
You shot it.
You bought it.
Quite a lot of it.
Interestingly, the in-house show publication managed to omit any mention of our launches entirely. Perhaps thermals with full-page adverts shout louder than actual rifles. Who knows.
So here’s what actually moved.
EPIC VISION
Cleared out.
Twenty units gone. Range guns faultless. Final-day sell-out.
That speaks for itself.
Vector Optics Tauron Compact HD
Mounted on our range rifles, these quietly dominated.
34mm tube.
Bright glass.
Compact footprint.
Aggressive pricing.
Sold out Saturday.
By Sunday we were selling display units.
In the 34mm compact category, they’re arguably the best buy right now.
Veyron GEN2
The original Veyron shook the compact market.
GEN2 widens the field of view, includes the side wheel and throw lever, and improves usability across the board.
First public outing. Strong response. Plenty moved.
If you’re buying compact optics, this is the benchmark.
Owlset Thermals
We’ve talked about them for months. You ignored us.
Then you picked them up. Four hours later, they were gone.
Affordable. Surprisingly capable. The Nano variant even converts into a thermal scope with the optional mount.
Sometimes, seeing is believing.
JTS Dead Center Pellets
We had these a little while ago and decided to run them on a show deal.
You guys responded by taking nearly all of them!
APOLLO Folding Gun Stand
Affordable. Solid. No drama.
Handle one and the scepticism disappears. At the price point, arguing against it feels slightly unreasonable.
APOLLO PMC Gun Bags
Gun bags are hard to sell in photos. In person? Different story.
The padding, material and build quality converted doubters quickly. The tan colourway was the clear favourite - Good taste.
So What Does It All Mean?
BSS 2026 wasn’t a record-breaking spending frenzy.
It was cautious. Measured. Strategic.
Brands protected margin. Many saved major launches for later. Discontinuations happened quietly.
But here’s the positive side.
When innovation is genuine and pricing is sensible, shooters respond. You proved that on our stand.
So while the overall show may not go down as legendary, it clarified something important:
The market hasn’t stopped spending. It’s just stopped spending blindly.
And honestly, that might not be a bad thing.
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Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments below.
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