Whether waiting excitedly in the shooting line cradling a side-by-side in your hands, casting a fly on a crystal-clear chalk stream, or striding tweed clad across the heather, our sporting endeavours are passionately supported by a myriad of British industries whose craftsmanship is inseparably woven into the fabric of our rural pursuits.
Best in class
To be ‘Best of British’ is to bring together celebrated heritage, a spirit of relentless innovationand an enduring reputation for quality. Few brands illustrate this more clearly than shotgun cartridge manufacturer Eley Hawk. The company is renowned worldwide as a leading manufacturer of fine shotgun cartridges and is synonymous with quality, reliability and performance. Few other British brands combine such a depth of heritage with a clear determination to evolve through invention.
Eley Hawk was founded in 1828
Historic beginnings
Founded in 1828 in London by brothers William and Charles, Eley Hawk is one of the oldest shotgun cartridge manufacturers in the UK. The business moved from London to the heart of the British gun trade near Birmingham, and the brand is synonymous with innovation whilst holding true to those traditional values that has made them great. For nearly two centuries, the company has been at the forefront of the shooting industry, creating premium cartridges that deliver exceptional performance for both game and clay shooters. For generations, the report of Eley Hawk cartridges has echoed across Britain’s fields.
A selection of Eley Hawk cartridges
Product development
Drawing on this depth of experience, Eley Hawk has developed a range of products to meet the exacting standards expected by today’s sportsmen and women. Their cartridges are the benchmark by which other companies are judged and a team of company-wide professionals ensure all Eley Hawk ammunition is of the highest possible standard. Every cartridge is designed to deliver dependable performance and cutting-edge technology ensures batch-to-batch consistency and unmatched reliability.
Old and new
With more than 190 years of experience, Eley Hawk’s history is defined not only by longevity but also by innovation. The company pioneered technologies that helped shape modernammunition, from paper cartridges in 1854 to the launch of the iconic Eley Grand Prix in 1903, a cartridge that set the benchmark for decades to come.
Its VIP Game cartridge has long been a trusted choice for game enthusiasts, while Zenith represents the next step in that tradition of innovation. With a wide range of cartridges for all eventualities, they are developing cartridges for the next generation of shots. Eco-components mean shooters can make socially responsible choices, and they lead the way in research and innovation in these sustainable alternatives. They were the first British manufacturer to launch a fully biodegradable and dissolvable wad for steel shot and the company has introduced this cutting-edge Pro Eco Wad technology into it’s wider family of cartridges to become the
perfect choice for the sustainability-minded gun.
A fully biodegradable and dissolvable wad for steel shot
Reaching a Zenith
At the forefront of this innovation is the Zenith, a premium cartridge that uses copper-coated lead shot to deliver superior patterning and consistency. Also available with Eley’s ground-breaking Pro Eco Wad, it hits harder with a consistency that inspires confidence in the field whatever the quarry.
A lead-free future
Alongside their bio-wad, Eley Hawk has developed an extensive range of toxic-free loads in both bismuth and steel shot as the shooting world gradually moves away from lead. Bismuth offers lead-like performance in a premium alternative. Steel is becoming increasingly common, and whilst a complex topic, it is a choice that the new generation of guns require to reflect the changing world of the modern shooter.
Eley Hawk brings together a prestigious past and a forward-thinking approach, balancing tradition with innovation. No other brand of cartridges in the UK has this depth of history, this desire for innovation whilst holding dear to their traditional values, which has made Eley Hawk one of the best-loved cartridges for generations of sportsmen and a truly iconic brand that can be classed as ‘Best of British’.