26-Jun-2026
There are gun shops, and then there’s Ivythorn Sporting. I’d heard people talk about the place for a while, the kind of word-of-mouth reputation that makes you a little sceptical, because nothing ever quite lives up to the hype. After spending an afternoon there with Steve, I can tell you the hype is earned. People always say the Ivythorn experience is amazing, and having been through it myself, I can only agree.
Walking in
The first thing that struck me was that this didn’t feel like a transaction. From the moment I walked through the door, it was clear I was dealing with someone who genuinely cares about what they sell and the shooters they sell to. Steve met me with no pressure and no rush to move me towards the most expensive thing on the rack, just a conversation about what I shoot, where I shoot, and what I was actually looking for.
It helps that the shop itself is a lovely place to spend time. Beamed ceilings, timber floors, and walls lined end to end with guns, racks of rifles down one room and rows of over-and-unders and side-by-sides mounted on a beautiful stone wall in another. It’s the kind of setup that tells you straight away these are people who take pride in what they do.
Knowledge you can actually trust
What really won me over was the depth of knowledge. Ask Steve a question, and you get a proper answer, not a sales pitch dressed up as advice. He clearly knows his stock inside out, and more importantly, he knows shooting. The difference between someone who sells guns and someone who shoots and understands them is enormous, and you feel it the second the conversation gets specific.
Whether it was talking through the merits of different actions, calibres, or what would suit my style of shooting, the guidance was honest and grounded in real experience. I left understanding my own purchase far better than I did when I walked in.
High-quality guns throughout
The stock itself is a cut above. The rifle wall runs the full range, from fine walnut-stocked sporters to modern synthetic and speckled-finish stocks, plenty with scopes and moderators already fitted. On the shotgun side there’s a genuinely impressive line-up of over-and-unders and side-by-sides, including some lovely engraved game guns with deep walnut figure.
It’s not just guns, either. Steve carries a proper range of Freyr & Devik moderators in every size you’d want, and the ammunition cabinet is one of the best stocked I’ve seen, Hornady, Federal, Sako, Nosler and Norma across the centrefire calibres, and a deep rimfire selection with Eley Tenex, Match and Subsonic plus CCI sitting right there on the shelf. Whatever you shoot, the chances are he’s got it in.
Test before you commit
Here’s where Ivythorn Sporting really pulls ahead: you can test the rifle. Being able to put your hands on a gun, shoulder it, and actually shoot it before committing your money is something far too few shops offer. It takes all the guesswork out of the decision. You’re not buying on a hunch or on someone else’s review; you’re buying because you’ve felt how it handles and watched how it performs for yourself.
That kind of confidence at the point of purchase is rare, and it’s exactly what you want when you’re spending real money on a rifle you’ll have for years.
Zeroed and ready to go
To top it all off, Steve zeroed the rifle in for me before I left. No going home and spending your first range session chasing your point of impact around the target, the work was done, properly, by someone who knew exactly what they were doing. You walk out with a rifle that’s ready to shoot, dialled in and trustworthy from the first round.
It’s a small thing on paper and a massive thing in practice. It tells you everything about how the place operates: they don’t just want to sell you a gun, they want you to leave with something that works.
The verdict
The Ivythorn Sporting experience lives up to every bit of its reputation. Steve’s knowledge, the quality of the stock, the chance to test before you buy, and a rifle zeroed and ready before you leave, it all adds up to something genuinely special.
I came away understanding my purchase, confident in it, and with a rifle ready to shoot. If you ask me, there’s only one gun shop I’d buy from in the future, and it’s this one. If you’ve been thinking about a visit, take it from me and everyone else who’s been: go and see Steve.
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