The Gun Trade World podcast

Firearms for self-defence are nothing new, but what about when the situation means one cannot use them? Let’s say the regulations of your country or region don’t allow it, or the specific place you’re in doesn’t permit carrying a firearm. What about for those people who want to protect themselves but don’t necessarily want to carry or use a real firearm? In those situations, less lethal solutions come to the fore.

The less lethal market is on a growth curve – both for public citizens and also law enforcement professionals – as people seek ways to protect themselves in an increasingly volatile world that are perhaps more morally acceptable than regular firearms. Riding this wave is Vesta Defense, a company created by airsoft industry stalwart Armen Ekmekdje. He turned more than 20 years of experience working for Cybergun into a new market that has grown considerably in the few short years he has been working in it.

Assessing the current state of the market is a vital part of running a successful business in this industry. No matter whether you sell shotguns, rifles, airsoft, clothing, or accessories, it pays to know what the current trends are, what issues are impacting the market, and where the opportunity lies.

Of course, you can gather much of this information yourself from your sales figures, market research, or your partners in the sales chain, but another fruitful way to do it is to attend a trade show.

Meeting with peers, partners, and professionals across the global hunting and shooting industry is an ideal way to get a true feeling for what’s going on in the market and pick up insightful information that may have otherwise passed you by.

For the 30th episode of the Gun Trade World podcast, host David Guest did exactly that and spoke to a wide range of industry leaders on the show floor of IWA Outdoor Classics 2026.

Featured in this episode:

• Melissa Schilling, Vice President, Exhibitions and Events at NSSF 
• Louis Field (UK Sales Executive) & Brandon West (Head of Export) at Air Arms
• Abdussamed Güzel, Commercial Director at Huglu
• Mark van Giesel, Brand Manager at Tacstack
• Gerd Walther, Managing Director of Lothar Walther
• Tsvetan Zahariev, Business Development Manager at ATN Europe.

Pete Brownell is the CEO of one of the firearms industry’s most iconic and enduring brands – but how has Brownells lasted the test of time for more than 80 years? And what is it doing to ensure it stays ahead in a fast-changing future?

In this episode, sponsored by Topple, we sit down with Pete to talk about his huge experience in the industry, how he helped modernised the Brownells business, and what he believes the most important future trends are in the coming years.

Even with more than 80 years behind it, Pete and Brownells are looking toward the future and innovations to come.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by Topple — the world’s first digital advertising platform built specifically for brands that face restrictions on mainstream ad networks. Whether you're in firearms, hunting, outdoor gear, or defense, Topple helps you reach your audience across a premium network of content-rich, enthusiast-driven publishers like GunBroker, AR15.com, Gun Digest, RECOIL, Ammoland, Sniper Country, Major League Fishing, and more.

Topple is a one-stop solution that lets you reach your target customer, access real-time performance data, build rich retargeting audiences of high-intent site visitors, and track sales, revenue, and ROI with precision.

Listeners to today’s podcast can receive a free Strategy Session and a Dedicated Account Manager with any Ad Spend Plan — just mention the Gun Trade World Podcast during your intro call or email.

First Breach is a family business, and that might seem like nothing new in this industry. However, it’s a family business with a unique blend of experience from the high-precision medical environment and the military. Jeffrey Low, who has an extensive background in numerous outpatient ambulatory imaging and surgical centres, is the company’s CEO and co-founded it alongside his son Jordan.

Following a commendable career as a sharpshooter in the Israeli military’s prestigious Golani Brigade on numerous tours of Gaza and Lebanon, Jordan left the military with two things on his mind: he wanted to start a business in the defence industry, and he wanted to work with his family.

The duo started First Breach in 2018 with the aim of becoming a leading manufacturer of match-grade ammo components in the United States. The company now produces a wide range of high-quality brass cups, brass casings, full-metal-jacket projectiles, lead projectile cores, and lead wire from its facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, and has even expanded into complete rounds in recent years.

Jeffrey joins us on this episode to give us the full rundown of First Breach's past, present, and future.

In this special episode of the GTW podcast, we were joined by Adam Anthony and Richard Hefford-Hobbs, the co-owners of historic English gunmaker Gallyon, to talk about the brand and Richard’s involvement in the iconic Worshipful Company of Gunmakers.

Gallyon has been trading continuously since 1784 and has been through six generations of the Gallyon family in that time. In 2018, the company was acquired by Adam Anthony and Richard Hefford-Hobbs – an enterprising pair of country sport and gun-making enthusiasts who decided to take the brand on and drive it forward into the future while still remaining faithful to the ethos of six generations of Gallyon family stewardship.

Richard is the Immediate Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers – the oldest chartered firearms authority in the world. Founded in 1637, this livery company oversees the London proof house in England, which, alongside its counterpart in Birmingham, remains responsible for the legal proof of every gun sold in the United Kingdom.

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This episode is brought to you by Topple — the world’s first digital advertising platform built specifically for brands that face restrictions on mainstream ad networks. Whether you're in firearms, hunting, outdoor gear, or defense, Topple helps you reach your audience across a premium network of content-rich, enthusiast-driven publishers like GunBroker, AR15.com, Gun Digest, RECOIL, Ammoland, Sniper Country, Major League Fishing, and more.

Topple is a one-stop solution that lets you reach your target customer, access real-time performance data, build rich retargeting audiences of high-intent site visitors, and track sales, revenue, and ROI with precision.

Listeners to today’s podcast can receive a free Strategy Session and a Dedicated Account Manager with any Ad Spend Plan — just mention the Gun Trade World Podcast during your intro call or email.

Coming from a military career back into the world of ‘regular’ work can be a challenge for many people. But for some, the lessons learned from military service can actually help improve the companies they go on to work for.

A fine example of that is the Executive Vice President of Magpul, Duane Liptak. Duane’s career in the Marines included infantry, flying F-18 Super Hornets, as well as serving as a forward air controller in special operations – a background he believes helps bring him and his company success today.

Duane joins Gun Trade World podcast host David Guest and co-host Brian Aitken from Topple on this action-packed episode.

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This episode is brought to you by Topple — the world’s first digital advertising platform built specifically for brands that face restrictions on mainstream ad networks. Whether you're in firearms, hunting, outdoor gear, or defense, Topple helps you reach your audience across a premium network of content-rich, enthusiast-driven publishers like GunBroker, AR15.com, Gun Digest, RECOIL, Ammoland, Sniper Country, Major League Fishing, and more.

Topple is a one-stop solution that lets you reach your target customer, access real-time performance data, build rich retargeting audiences of high-intent site visitors, and track sales, revenue, and ROI with precision.

Listeners to today’s podcast can receive a free Strategy Session and a Dedicated Account Manager with any Ad Spend Plan — just mention the Gun Trade World Podcast during your intro call or email.

Sometimes, the most influential people in the industry are the ones who don’t hog the limelight.

The guys and girls who go about their work diligently and believe in fighting the good fight for the firearms industry. One such man is Larry Keane.

Larry is the Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs, Assistant Secretary, and General Counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) in the United States.

For the last quarter of a century, Larry has been putting his legal skills to work alongside an expanding team to help defend the interests of the shooting industry and give it the best opportunities possible to be prosperous.

In this fascinating interview, Larry gives us his highlights from 25 years at the NSSF and talks about some of the issues facing the shooting industry today and how we combat them.

We also briefly preview the 2026 edition of SHOT Show, which is fast-approaching. While it remains an essential B2B show for the industry, it's also a vital fundraiser for the NSSF and the great work it does for the firearms trade in the United States.

In our latest episode of the Gun Trade World podcast, we are joined by mountaineering-mad Rob Gearing – a Brit whose passion for hunting and the outdoors led him to build one of the industry's biggest cult brands.

Spartan Precision is an expert in shooting bipods, tripods, and other accessories with humble origins, and Rob takes us through the company's story from its formation on mountain tops to its present-day expansive product range.

“I can’t take much credit for what you see now at Spartan,” says Rob. “I have surrounded myself with my cleverer people than me who make things happen in terms of design and product. But the whole ethos behind the company has always been about finding you a support system that gives you an opportunity to shoot things well.”

Listen to this enthralling chat with Rob, regular GTW podcast host David Guest, and co-host Brian Aitken, the CEO of Topple.

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This episode is sponsored by Topple — the world’s first digital advertising platform built specifically for brands that face restrictions on mainstream ad networks. Whether you're in firearms, hunting, outdoor gear, or defense, Topple helps you reach your audience across a premium network of content-rich, enthusiast-driven publishers like GunBroker, AR15.com, Gun Digest, RECOIL, Ammoland, Sniper Central, Major League Fishing, and more.

Topple is a one-stop solution that lets you reach your target customer, access real-time performance data, build rich retargeting audiences of high-intent site visitors, and track sales, revenue, and ROI with precision.

Listeners to today’s podcast can receive a free Strategy Session and a Dedicated Account Manager with any Ad Spend Plan — just mention the Gun Trade World Podcast during your intro call or email.

With more than 100 years of gun manufacturing under its belt, Mossberg is a name that needs little introduction.

We go behind the scenes of one of America's most prestigious hunting and shooting brands with the company’s senior director of marketing, Richard Kirk, and international sales manager, Erica Basile, in our latest podcast.

Richard and Erica give fascinating insights on how to innovate without alienating your customers, strategies for international growth, monitoring and maximising market trends, and what the future holds for Mossberg and the industry as a whole.

"When looking at market trends, it’s about figuring out what the customer wants and trying to give that to them without changing the product platform too much.” – Richard Kirk, senior director of marketing at Mossberg.

Tatonka has been making high-quality outdoor gear since the 1980s and has built up a strong reputation in the industry since then.

The German company’s growth has come about due to a dedication to products that people can rely on to help them in tough environments.

It was this very notion that led the company to found a brand specifically for the military market. Tasmanian Tiger was that brand – founded in 1999 – with Tatonka’s owners deciding that they had the capabilities and know-how to make high-quality gear for the requirements of soldiers, police, and defence professionals.

In this episode, we speak with Lukas Treffer who handles marketing at Tasmanian Tiger.

Lukas explains how the brand markets its products in a specialist sector, how it’s benefitting from growing demand among civilian shooters, and what the future holds.