Gun Trade News Issue 82

Cartridge brand loyalty reviewed

According to the 2022 Game Shooting Census, no less than 46% of Guns profess loyalty to a favourite brand of cartridge. And so what are these brands?

Gamebore continues to lead the field with 29% (down 1% from 2021) of those who said they were loyal to a particular brand choosing to shoot Gamebore cartridges. Questioned further about their preference, Gamebore buyers cited consistency and reliability, as well as the cartridges’ knock-down power, suggesting that these are the cartridge of choice for high bird shots.

Buyers of the next two most popular brands—Hull (25%) and Eley Hawk (17%)—also cited consistency and reliability as their main reasons for buying.

In terms of overall market share by brand there have been some small shifts over the past two years.In last year’s review, Gamebore’s overall market share had dropped by 1.76%, while Eley Hawk’s was up 2.47%. This year, Eley Hawk has dropped back slightly, with Hull making a 1.22% gain in overall market share.

These are the big three, with no other brand commanding more than 10% of overall market share. In fourth place, however, is RC (9.93%), closely followed by Lyalvale Express (8.63%). Then, making up the rest of the top ten, come Caledonian (1.94%), Fiocchi (1.08%), Just Cartridges (0.86%), Victory (0.50%) and EJ Churchill (0.43%).

In terms of specific products, the market share percentage for 2022 is as follows: Gamebore Black Gold (15%), Gamebore Dark Storm with Quad Seal (10%), Hull High Pheasant (9%), Hull High Pheasant Extreme (6%), Hull Imperial Game (5%), Gamebore Clear Pigeon and RC SIpe (4%), and Lyalvale Supreme Game, Eley Grand Prix and Eley VIP (3%).