After SHOT Show in the USA, the IWA Outdoor Classics is the biggest gun/hunting/outdoor trade show in the world. The IWA event, held each spring in Nuremberg, Germany, opened today, March 8, 2019, in the Nürnberg Exhibition Centre. The show runs four days, concluding on March 11th. This is a big event — 1622 exhibitors from around the globe are showcasing their products. In 2018, 46,121 visitors from 121 countries attended the IWA Show. This year, attendance should be even greater.

Photo Credit for this and other images: NuernbergMesse / Thomas Geiger, All Rights Reserved

You don’t see this every day. Exhibition-grade wood and an engraved Walther action on a competition .22 LR position rifle. This handsome rifle is certainly worthy of Olympic Gold.

IWA Show Preview Video

Here are some beautiful shotguns with engraved receivers and stunning wood. You see plenty of exotic firearms like this at the IWA show.

Here a show visitor checks out the sights on a Grünig Elmiger rimfire match rifle.

Along with complete firearms, there were displays of impressive rifle actions.

German gun-maker Walther showcased the new Walther Q5 Match Steel-Frame pistol.

Major German rifle-makers Blaser, Mauser, and Sauer all had large, prominent displays at the IWA Show in the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre.

German Craftsmanship on Display

Along with displays of guns, optics, and hunting gear, the IWA show features workshop areas where skilled artisans practice their trades — you can see engraving, wood-carving, and other skills in action.

In addition to the firearms exhibitors, the IWA show has many vendors displaying archery and bow-hunting gear. IWA has a strong hunting focus — perhaps more so than SHOT Show in the USA.

There was also an AirSoft Shooting Area at IWA where visitors could practice their marksmanship.

The IWA Outdoor Classics trade show, aka “Euro SHOT Show”, opened today, March 6th, in Nuremberg, Germany. For the next four days (March 6-9), 1383 exhibitors will show their products at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. This is a hugely popular event — last year’s IWA Outdoor Classics trade show attracted 39,244 visitors from 117 countries, and attendance should be even higher this year. IWA is Europe’s biggest combined trade show for the hunting, shooting, and civilian/military security industries. And this year, IWA Outdoor Classics was coordinated with EnforceTac, a two-day Law Enforcment/Security trade show held in Nuremberg March 4-5, 2015.

IWA even features an indoor Archery Range. For many years, the Archery Range (located in Hall 5) has been a popular gathering place where exhibitors and visitors can practice their skills and learn about the latest archery products up close and personal.

About the IWA Outdoor Classics Trade Show
What is now the IWA Outdoor Classics trade show began 42 years ago as Germany’s national product show for gunsmiths and gun retailers. That product show started modestly in 1973 with less than 100 exhibitors. Over the past four decades IWA Outdoor Classics has grown into a massive event, drawing the major players in the hunting, security, and shooting sports industries. In the firearm universe, the IWA event is second only to America’s SHOT Show in importance. This video (produced in 2013) shows IWA highlights from the past four decades:

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