The Future of Shotgun Sports: 6 Predictions to Help Your Business Prepare

The past five years have been turbulent for the shotgun sports industry. Smart companies stayed flexible and seized opportunities. The future of shotgun sports shows slow but steady growth, new markets and formats, and increasing interest in shotguns. Interest in shotguns surged in the 2010s and post-pandemic. New markets, like South America, and major sports events are driving growth.

Shotgun ammunition at IWA OutdoorClassics 2024 — Shotgun ammunition: A symbol of the growing and changing shotgun sports industry.

The last five years have been a wild ride for shooting sports, as they have for most industries. Many of the major ups and downs have mostly been out of the control of the average business owner. The smart companies have remained agile, open-minded, and ready to pounce on opportunities – they’re the ones who have had the smoothest sail across these stormy seas. Whether you are a shotgun manufacturer, a clay ground, a retailer, or anything in between, it really does pay to have some idea about what the future will look like in the shotgun sports sector. Some things are unpredictable (pandemics and global conflicts), but others are much more foreseeable (changing demographics due to wider interest in shooting sports). With a little research and time spent on big-picture thinking, you can gaze into the crystal ball with some confidence.

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Of course, nobody can know for certain what the future will hold – especially in the modern world where things seem more volatile than ever – but we can make some pretty good guesses about what might happen. By using the data as well as experience, we can attempt to predict future trends in the sporting shotgun market and adjust our business plans accordingly. Fortune may favour the brave, but to borrow another idiom, if you’re not prepared, then prepare to fail.

Growth May Slow But Should Continue

Most would probably agree that the sporting shotgun market has enjoyed a decent growth curve over the last decade or so. Interest in these activities increased steadily during the 2010s and then received a significant surge of interest from new and returning shooters in the wake of the pandemic, as more people sought to take up outdoor hobbies. A recent study by Mordor Intelligence has predicted that the growth in the overall sporting gun market looks set to continue for the next five years – forecasting a 6.38% global growth by the year 2029. While this includes all sporting gun types, not just shotguns, it paints a generally positive picture. This growth will most likely be supported by interest from a wider demographic as more women, young people, and people from different ethnic backgrounds get interested in shotgun sports.

New Markets Could Emerge

While Europe and North America currently dominate the sporting shotgun market in terms of audience size and number of manufacturers and retailers, we could see new markets emerge in the coming years. That same Mordor Intelligence study forecasts that South America is one of the fastest growing regions in the sporting gun industry. Many countries in South America already have strong shotgun markets for hunting, so it’s reasonable to assume sporting disciplines could become even stronger there too. This could also be fuelled by the growing range of entry-level shotguns at more affordable prices – perfect for new shooters. More and more guns are entering the market at price points of €600 or less, which is bound to help attract new people into the sport in new parts of the world.

Major Events Will Grow Mainstream Attention

Each time a major sporting event takes place in which shotgun sports are exposed to a wider audience, there’s usually a surge of interest that manufacturers and retailers can take advantage of. In the summer of 2024 in Paris, shotgun events such as trap and skeet got some major mainstream attention thanks to the interesting characters who competed, the excitement and unpredictability of the competitions, and the stories that came out of them. Some of the biggest stories included Guatemala winning their first-ever gold medal in the women’s trap, as well as British skeet shooter Amber Rutter winning silver just three months after giving birth. Stories like these capture the imagination of the general public and help shotgun sports be exposed to the mainstream. This pattern will only continue in the future and should be something you plan for and seek to piggyback as a business.

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Barbara Fausti, CEO of Fausti Arms, shows a shotgun — A true expert from the shotgun manufacturing side: Barbara Fausti at IWA OutdoorClassics 2024

Barbara Fausti, owner of renowned Fausti Arms from Italy, shares her perspective on this and brings first hand input from a manufacturers point of view: “Major events in shotgun sports not only bring excitement and visibility to the sport but also present significant business opportunities. These events attract new audiences and potential customers who may not have been previously interested in shooting sports. For businesses like ours, it’s crucial to leverage this increased attention by showcasing our products and innovations. By aligning our marketing efforts with or yimply promoting these events, we can reach a broader audience and drive growth in both interest and sales.”

Changing Formats for Changing Times

As more people are attracted to shotgun sports, and the bodies that organise them look to make them more appealing to wider audiences, we may see new formats or competition types begin to emerge. As recently as 2021, we saw the launch of the Super Sporting discipline by the UK’s Clay Pigeon Shooting Association. Without going too deep into the politics around this specific example, the general positive to consider is that the development of new disciplines could open up new sales avenues for retailers. New formats could mean new shotgun types, new shells, new apparel trends, and perhaps most importantly, new shooters into the industry. Could we see even more new formats launched in the coming years? It’s certainly easy to imagine.

Sustainability May Become Essential

We already know consumers are increasingly thinking about sustainability when it comes to buying decisions, and the sporting shotgun market is no different. Presently, we most often see this in the shotgun ammunition sector. In many countries around the world, there is pressure being put on by eco groups and governments to eradicate lead shot in shotgun shells, while there is also an anti-plastic movement. Several solutions already exist on the market, such as Eley Hawk’s Zenith shells with copper-coated lead shot and a Pro Eco wad that’s non-toxic, and biodegradable. We are also seeing more companies produce shells with steel or alloy shot. There are even companies whose whole identity is based on being more sustainable, such as Spanish brand Bioammo. This push to make more environmentally friendly products is a strong trend that will only gain momentum over the next decade. It should be a focus for every business, not just for the sake of the planet, but for the sake of your profits.

Barbara Fausti emphasizes: “Sustainability is becoming a cornerstone of the future in shooting sports. At Fausti Arms, we are committed to integrating advanced technologies and sustainable practices into our production processes. By continuously improving our methods and materials, we aim to reduce our environmental impact while maintaining the high quality our customers expect. This dual focus on innovation and sustainability is essential not only for protecting our planet but also for ensuring the long-term success and competitiveness of our business.

Smart Tech Will Become the Norm

While many shotgun manufacturers quite rightly place huge emphasis on their proud histories and traditions, this sector is not immune from the ever-changing world of new technologies. If you look around, many brands are already implementing smarter technology into their shotguns – examples include Benelli’s Advanced Impact barrel and choke system that has made huge advances in ballistic performance and Beretta’s B-Steady system that dramatically reduces recoil and impact – and this is a pattern that shows no signs of slowing down. In the future, could we see even more smart technology being added to sporting shotguns? Technology such as fingerprint or biometric security features already exist on some other firearms, so it’s easy to imagine how they could translate to shotguns. The same goes for digital shot counters or even technology that can help you assess trajectory in specific wind conditions. Maybe we won’t see an AI shotgun any time soon, but one thing is certain: modern consumers are attracted to smart technology that can help make their lives easier, so expect to see more of this in shotguns.

About Fausti

Fausti Arms is a renowned Italian manufacturer of firearms, known for its exquisite craftsmanship and innovative technology. Since 1948, the company has been producing high-quality hunting and sporting shotguns that are appreciated worldwide. Fausti combines traditional techniques with modern innovations to create top-notch products.