We saw the hottest new shooting products at IWA, Europe’s biggest trade show for hunting and shooting sports.
Ruger Precision .17 HMR
Ruger’s Precision rimfire has been popular in the UK since it arrived in .22LR guise last year, and now it’s available with a larger chassis for the .17HMR or indeed the .22 Magnum.
This one’s threaded ½x20UNF, has the Magpul M-Lok rail system for mounting all kinds of accessories, and the Marksman trigger for a light, safe trigger pull. Loading comes courtesy of Ruger’s BX-15 banana magazine, while the stock is adjustable for both length and cheek height.
Viking • 01423 780810
Extreme Point Copper Impact
You’ll already be familiar with Winchester’s Extreme Point ammo, which sports an extra-large tip for maximum impact and energy transfer down-range.
Now, Extreme Point has been launched in a lead-free version, based around a copper core. Winchester report that there is growing demand for non-lead ammo, and this round fits the bill with its monolithic, 100 per cent copper bullet, made for high penetration and guarantee of exit wound on larger species such as red deer.
Browning • 01235 514550
Sightmark Latitude scope
Hot on the heels of the Wraith day/night scope is the Latitude, a more traditional day scope designed to bridge the price gap between the company’s high-end Pinnacle model and its more regular fare.
Sightmark told us it’s planning on a price range of 600-800 euros for this new scope, so expect a similar price in pounds. Among this optic’s features are a 34mm main tube, red dot reticle with 1/8 MOA clicks, and double focus ring so you can ‘lock’ and return to a particular focus depth. The model we saw was in 8-32×60 spec.
Sightmark • sightmark.com
Leupold LTO Tracker 2
There’s an update to the LTO Tracker handheld thermal unit. This one’s got a 390×390 pixel display and sharper display resolution, as well as six colour palettes to choose from.
But the real big news is the addition of ‘Beacon Mode’, which allows you to reset the display as temperatures rise. If you’re hunting at midday and find that everything’s reading as warm, just point it at a rock and activate Beacon Mode, and it adjusts its readings so the rock shows up as cooler – but any animals still show up as warm objects.
Viking • 01423 780810
Swazi Kagoule
Swazi’s Davey Hughes used IWA to collect the Great British Shooting Award which the New Zealand company had won for its Rifleman Gen II garment.
And there are also several new designs coming from Swazi this year, including the checkered kagoule pictured here – a versatile garment that functions effectively as a ‘camo’ outer layer on a hunt but won’t look out of place on the high street either. Also look out for an ultra-light version of the Tahr XP.
Swazi • swazi.co.nz
Ridgeline Evolution
Ridgeline were showing off some new garments that should be in the shops in time for the autumn, including the all-new Evolution jacket.
Set to hit shops around June, it’s the successor to the Monsoon Elite 2 smock but in long, New Zealand-style jacket form. There’s a new membrane inside for maximum breathability, and it’s also fully seam sealed for waterproofing.
There’s a new removable hood with three points of adjustment, including back and side, and a full-length, two-way zip on the front. The chest and handwarmer pockets have waterproof zips, too.
Highland Outdoors • 0845 099 0252
FLIR Scion
The rugged Scion PTM and Scion OTM features FLIR’s most advanced thermal imaging core, which allows users to quickly detect objects with greater detail and offer clear vision in low visibility conditions.
Available in 9Hz or 60Hz refresh rates for the Scion OTM and a 60Hz refresh rate for the PTM model, the Scion incorporates 2GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot to record both geotagged video or still images for later playback.
Additional features include picture-in-picture zoom, global positioning system (GPS) functionality, and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities to allow simple file transfer between devices.
FLIR • www.flir.com
Thermowave 3-in-1
Keeping warm is often rather high on stalkers’ minds, thanks to the not-exactly-tropical climate we have here in the UK. And there’s no better way to start than with a good base layer – so check out the offerings from Thermowave, the company that specialises in merino wool base layers and is aiming to get more of a presence in the UK outdoor market.
Shown here is the new 3-in-1 base layer, combining natural and artificial fibres (merino and polypropylene) as well as polyester for all-round protection.
Thermowave • thermowave.lt/en
ATN Mars 4
ATN has become well-known for its day-night X Sight scope, but it’s about to become renowned for thermal too. At IWA we saw the new version of ATN’s Mars thermal, which has had a full body revamp to more closely resemble a traditional scope, much as the X Sight did last year.
Sitting on 30mm rings, it’s got built-in batteries giving an excellent 18 hours of battery life. Also built in is video streaming with recoil activation. Four lens sizes and two sensors are available.
ATN • atneu.com
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