Hull Cartridge Company

What Hull Cartridge Company does

Hull Cartridge Company Limited is a UK-based, family-owned manufacturer of shotgun cartridges founded in 1947 and headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, England. The company produces a full range of 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410 gauge cartridges split across two primary lines: clay-target competition cartridges (Sovereign, Pro One, Pro Twenty/28/410, Comp X, DTL 300, Subsonic, Sporting 100, Superfast) and game/hunting cartridges (Imperial Game, High Pheasant, Partridge, Ultimate Twenty, Bismuth, Steel Game, and the Hydrowad non-toxic range). Manufacturing is anchored in proprietary components including CX2000 primers, bespoke propellants, competition-grade hardened shot, and the Hydrowad 100% plastic-free biodegradable wad system for lead-free steel loads; all output conforms to CIP / UK Proof House regulations. The business is controlled by the founding Bontoft family (3rd and 4th generation), with David Bontoft serving as Managing Director and Faye Hawksworth-Bontoft as Operations Manager.

Hull operates a trade-only distribution model, selling cartridges through a network of 255+ UK dealers, shooting grounds, and agricultural merchants under a Head of Sales-managed trade-account process. Direct-to-consumer revenue is limited to a WooCommerce e-commerce store carrying shooting accessories, branded clothing, luggage, and Weihrauch airguns. The company has been the official UK importer of Weihrauch air rifles and pistols since 1977, with each airgun bearing a Hull stamp denoting factory-approved warranty. In 2025, Hull entered the US market through an exclusive distribution agreement with Clay Shooters Supply in Texas, making Pro One and Sovereign clay loads available to American competitive shooters for the first time. Headcount is reported as 1–10, consistent with the firmographic profile of a niche premium manufacturer.

Marketing is executed through shooting-sports editorial coverage, YouTube factory tours and product reviews, an annual sponsored-athlete program (Team Hull Shooters), social media (#enjoyyoursport, #theconfidencetowin), and proprietary events including the Hull Championships 2026 and the DTL300 Open. Recent commercial milestones include the 2025 Great British Shooting Awards 'Game Cartridge of the Year' for the Partridge Cartridge and the May 2026 launch of the Comp X 20 biodegradable 20-gauge clay load targeting corporate and simulated game-day customers.

Name

Hull Cartridge Company

Legal name

Hull Cartridge Company Limited

Website

https://hullcartridge.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hull Cartridge Company is a family-owned UK manufacturer of premium shotgun cartridges for clay competition and game shooting, founded in 1947 in Hull. It sells through 255+ UK trade dealers, serves as UK importer for Weihrauch airguns, and recently expanded into the US market via Clay Shooters Supply.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sporting Ammunition

NAICS

Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing (332992)

SIC

Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) (3480)

akta.pro primary industry

Ammunition Manufacturing (Small-, Medium- & Large-Caliber) (IMABAHAG)

Keywords

• Shotgun cartridge manufacturing
• Clay shooting cartridges
• Game hunting ammunition
• Non-toxic biodegradable wads
• Airgun distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shotgun Cartridge Sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling clay target and game/hunting shotgun cartridges. Products sold through trade-only distribution network of retailers, shooting grounds, and agricultural merchants.
2. Weihrauch Airgun Sales: Official UK importer of Weihrauch airguns since 1977, generating revenue through sales of rifles, pistols, and accessories.
3. Shooting Accessories and Merchandise: E-commerce sales of shooting accessories including clothing, luggage, gun slips, and branded merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hull Cartridge Company manufactures premium shotgun cartridges for clay target competition and game/hunting shooting in gauges 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410, sold through a trade-only distribution network. The company also operates as the official UK importer of Weihrauch airguns and sells shooting accessories, clothing and luggage through its own e-commerce shop.

Product overview

Hull Cartridge Company is a UK manufacturer of shotgun cartridges established in 1947, producing 'The Finest Ammunition' for game and competition shooting. The product portfolio consists of two main categories: Clay Cartridges (for sport/clay shooting including Sovereign, Pro One, Sporting 100, Superfast, Comp X, DTL 300, Subsonic, and small gauge Pro Sixteen, Pro Twenty, Pro 28, Comp X 28, Pro 410, Comp X 410 variants) and Game & Hunting Cartridges (for hunting including High Pheasant, Imperial Game, Partridge, Extreme Pheasant, Ultimate Twenty, Bismuth, Steel Game, Superfast Pigeon, and Hydrowad non-toxic ranges). The company also distributes Weihrauch airguns as official UK importer. All cartridges conform to CIP/UK Proof House regulations with a focus on ballistics innovation, quality control, and environmental responsibility through biodegradable and non-toxic options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sovereign Fibre (and Sovereign, Sovereign Steel, Sovereign Parcours range) Flagship fibre wad competition clay cartridge family offering extended range performance with high pellet energy and moderate recoil; includes standard Sovereign, Steel and Parcours variants for FITASC and English Sporting disciplines.
• DTL 300 Brand-leading specialist trap cartridge developed for Down The Line (DTL) competition, featuring reduced muzzle flip and fatigue over prolonged competition with exclusive Hull powders.
• Pro One / Pro Fibre (and Pro Steel, Pro Twenty, Pro Sixteen, Pro 28, Pro 410 variants) High performance long range competition clay cartridge family with environmentally friendly fibre wad variants, competition grade hardened shot, and shotshells in 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410 gauge.
• Comp X (and Comp X Steel, Comp X 20, Comp X 28, Comp X 410 variants) Versatile clay cartridge family and previous Clay Cartridge of the Year winner, ideal as club or training load with hard hitting, modest recoil; available in plastic or fibre wad and in multiple gauges including a new 20 gauge low recoil variant.
• Pro Steel (and Pro Steel 20) Standard performance non-toxic steel competition cartridges for 70mm nitro proofed guns with recommended max 1/2 choke; 20 gauge variant features specialist steel wad with protective shot cup.
• Comp X Steel Non-toxic standard performance steel load for nitro proofed guns using specialist single-based steel propellants that deliver maximum performance with minimum pressure and recoil.
• Intercomp HV High velocity clay load developed for Olympic disciplines using competition-grade shot held to tight diametric and spherical tolerances, positioned as a mid-priced ideal training load.
• Pro Sixteen 16 gauge competition cartridge positioned as the new 'Go To' calibre for discerning shots, ideal for simulated game flushes or practice with light comfortable handling.
• Pro Twenty Ultimate 20 gauge competition range with superior ballistics, available with plastic or biodegradable fibre wads and competition grade hardened shot in multiple gram variants.
• Subsonic 12 - VLR and Subsonic 20 - LR Subsonic 12 gauge and 20 gauge low recoil cartridges using biodegradable fibre wadding, designed for closer range targets and corporate/simulated game day use where low noise and ultra low perceived recoil are required.
• Pro Piston High performance close range specialist clay cartridge using a 'shot cloud' wad system for fast shot dispersal and maximum pattern spread, particularly effective on rabbits, loopers and incomers.
• Superfast Pigeon High velocity 12 gauge pigeon cartridge for decoying, hard hitting and semi-auto friendly, with biodegradable fibre wad and available in 29gm and 32gm specifications.
• High Pheasant Steel Hydrowad (and Hydrowad range) Non-toxic steel game cartridge using the Hydrowad 100% plastic-free biodegradable full cup wad system; maintains tight patterns at distance, aids barrel protection for steel shot and degrades in the field over time.
• High Pheasant Extreme Steel Hydrowad High performance steel game cartridge pairing lethal energy at distance with the Hydrowad non-toxic biodegradable wad, for big bag driven pheasant days in 70mm chambered, steel-proofed guns.
• Bismuth 12 and Bismuth 16 Non-toxic extended range bismuth shotgun cartridges in 12 and 16 gauge with density closest to lead, using fibre wadding as a safe, effective alternative for tighter fixed choke guns.
• Steel Game and Steel Game Extra Affordable non-lead steel shotgun cartridges for standard proofed 70mm chambers using a specialist steel wad for barrel protection, ideal for inland duck shooting; Steel Game Extra is the higher performance extended range variant.
• Imperial Traditional Steel Hydrowad Traditional 2.5 inch steel game cartridge with Hydrowad non-toxic biodegradable wad, enabling use of fine English game guns with nitro-proofing for smooth, moderate recoil lowland partridge shooting.
• High Pheasant 16 16 gauge high performance game cartridge with hardened shot reducing pellet deformation, delivering high pellet energy and uniform dense patterns for extended range shooting.
• Weihrauch airguns (UK distribution) Official UK distribution of Weihrauch air rifles and pistols since 1977, including technical support and accessories; offered as German precision engineering with Hull's stamp on every factory-approved barrel.
• Hull branded shooting accessories, clothing and luggage E-commerce range of Hull branded shooting accessories, clothing (polo shirts, sweatshirts, gilet jackets, skeet vests, caps, silk scarves and ties), shooting towels, umbrellas, luggage (clay shooters bag, canvas and leather carryalls, double zip holdalls, leather magazine bag), and Weihrauch gun slips and accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products comply with CIP/UK Proof House regulations with strict quality management systems ensuring shot-to-shot and batch-to-batch consistency.

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WeihrauchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1977Hull Cartridge Company has been the official UK importer of Weihrauch airguns since 1977. Working closely with Weihrauch designers and technicians, they offer German precision engineering. Every rifle and pistol supplied features Hull's stamp on the barrel indicating factory-approved warranty.
• Clay Shooters Supply (Texas, USA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive US distributor for Hull Cartridge shotgun shells. Based in Texas, they supply competitive shooters and discerning hunters in the American market with Hull's high-performance clay range including Pro One and Sovereign.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lyalvale Express: Historic UK shotgun cartridge manufacturer owned by Beretta, producing competition and game loads. A direct UK peer competing for the same clay and game shooting customers as Hull.
• Eley Hawk: UK-based shotgun cartridge manufacturer with comparable heritage, similarly focused on clay competition and game shooting markets. Eley Hawk competes directly with Hull in the British premium shotgun ammunition segment.
• Gamebore Cartridges: British shotgun cartridge manufacturer producing clay and game loads with proprietary wad technology (e.g., Diamond Grade shot). Direct competitor to Hull in the UK premium shotgun ammunition market with similar product positioning.
• RC Shot Shells (Baschieri & Pellagri): Italian shotgun cartridge maker focused on competition clay loads with proprietary components, including biodegradable wads. Comparable to Hull in targeting performance-oriented clay shooters with technical differentiation.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Premium Ammunition: Large-scale US ammunition manufacturer producing shotgun shells for hunting, sporting, and competition. A broad incumbent with substantially greater resources than Hull, particularly relevant given Hull's US expansion.
• Fiocchi Munizioni: Italian ammunition manufacturer with global shotgun shell distribution. Competes broadly in clay and game segments across European and US markets where Hull is also present.
• Winchester Ammunition: Major US ammunition manufacturer with extensive shotgun shell portfolio. While Hull focuses on the premium niche, Winchester competes across price points and distribution channels, including in the US market Hull recently entered.
• Beretta: Global firearms and ammunition conglomerate that owns Lyalvale Express. Beretta's shotgun ecosystem (firearms, cartridges, accessories) is an indirect competitor that influences the broader market in which Hull operates.

Others

• Weihrauch: German airgun manufacturer that Hull has distributed in the UK since 1977. Although Weihrauch is a supplier rather than a direct competitor in cartridges, the relationship makes it a relevant commercial peer in Hull's overall portfolio.

Emerging players

• Clever Mirage (SpaIndustria): Italian shotgun cartridge maker with a strong reputation in European competition clay shooting. Comparable emerging brand competing for premium clay shooter mindshare in a similar way to Hull.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HullCartridge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hull Cartridge Company