Uk gun dealer faces charges in US

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Gary Hyde of York Guns was arrested in the US on suspicion of illegally importing thousands of Chinese manufactured AK47 parts. The story has been reported in the York Press here.

It seems that Hyde was also implicated in an alleged plot to supply 130,000 Kalashnikovs to Libya - he was named in US State Department classified memos released by WikiLeaks. More info on that one here.

York Guns issued the following statement:

We are aware that allegations have been made against Gary Hyde a director of Jago Ltd. by the United States Authorities.

Although Gary Hyde is Managing Director of York Guns Ltd, no allegations have been directed towards York Guns Ltd. and no enquiries have been made of the company by the US authorities.

The company will continue to function as normal in his absence.

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I have seen the future...

...at least, I've seen the products that are going to get shooters excited in the near future - and there's some seriously good stuff coming our way.

I've been at the Tackle & Guns Show at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, where the gun trade shows off its wares to gun shops and retailers. The stuff on show here will be in the shops soon - some of it in time for Christmas.

I'm not generally one to get all hot under the collar about some shiny new bit of kit. I'm more likely to be enthused by some old trick with a hazel stick and a piece of string.

But how could you not be excited about a new hand-held thermal imager from Thomas Jacks? This is the stuff of science fiction and SAS novels - but now an estate with £5,000 to spend can have a gadget which will show up a warm body on a cold hill (fox, poacher, you name it), without any need for lights or lasers. Indeed, if you can scrape together a cool £15,000 you can have a super-duper version which until recently would have been the envy of our special forces (nowadays they have even better stuff - we'll have to wait a bit longer for that!).

And that's not all. Deben were showing a range of new generation lamping gear, based on LED technology. Combined with their superb lithium ion batteries, these lamps really are going to change night-time rabbiting and foxing for good.

Then there's the brilliant Nitewatch range of watches, and their clever glow rings. Plus Fjallraven will be offering a range of hunting clothing in the UK. I'm quite a fan of their gear, even though it's 'old' technology (polyester/cotton and wax, rather than some fancy modern fabric). Fact is, it's hardwearing, it works, and it's comfortable in all kinds of situations.

Other highlights? Well, there's a few things I'm not allowed to mention, but I can tell you about this clever Blaser F3 try-gun, which Rupert Haynes was showing on the Open Season stand. It's the modern version of the old try-gun you might have seen at a shooting school - but this one has all the measurements built-in - so once your instructor has got the fit right, you can just read off the measurements; no need to get the measuring sticks out. A brilliant bit of kit which will make gun-fitting quicker, easier and more accurate.

Brocock Contour

Who needs to go all the way to Florida for the Shot Show when you can stay in the office and people send in stuff like this? Just launched, from £375, 30 full 12 ft lb shots per charge, .22 or .177, 27.5in overall. I want one!

More on Brocock's website...

Webley - a sign of the times

Webley Senior from auction-net.co.uk

I have a special fondness for Webley – probably due to the hours I spent plinking with a Webley Senior air pistol as a youngster. In those days it was generally thought to be a good thing for kids to play with guns, although you were discouraged from actually taking them into school.

So I was sad to hear about the troubles Webley had got into over recent months. And then, like a proper Penny Dreadful hero, with one bound Jack was free...

As a simple journo, and a country one at that, I don't understand the workings of corporate finance and company law. But Webley seem to have pulled a stunt worthy of Paul Daniels.

On 31 Dec, while most of us were either shooting or stocking up at the offie, Webley Ltd – the grand old gunmaking name with a history going back to 1790 – was declared bust and then bought by a company with a very similar name, which plans to carry on trading. Minus, so far as I can see, the debts that were causing so much trouble.

It's all explained in the letter (below) that Webley boss Mike Hurney sent out to the company's customers on 2 January.

I wonder if I could do the same thing to my overdraft?!


UPDATE: Apparently this wheeze is known in the trade as a "Pre-Pack Deal". It's perfectly legal, but the government is said to be cracking down on the practice which has been criticised over its lack of transparency and fairness. New, tighter rules came in on 1 January – coincidentally the day after the Webley deal, under which, for instance, the administrators must "always perform their role in the interests of the company's creditors as a whole". More here... (you may have to register to read the full article) And here. And here. The Insolvency Service has stated they will be clamping down on "any directors who misuse the administration process to disadvantage creditors or seek to gain benefit for themselves"

How much more will your shooting cost this year?

This is the time of year when importers and distributors issue their new price lists - and the news doesn't look good for shooters.

Talking to some of our trade contacts, it seems that last year's price lists were compiled at an exchange rate of around €1.45 to £1. That's now nearer to €1.31 to £1, and factoring in the retailer's margin that means increases of around 10% on guns, ammo and accessories imported from the continent - as so much of our gear is.

And apparently we shouldn't get too excited about the fall in the price of lead. The general view is that cartridges were "too cheap" before the latest rises - manufacturers weren't making a realistic margin. Expect some small price reductions, but it looks unlikely that ammo will fall to what it cost before.