The World Gunmakers’ Evening

From our March/April 2026 Issue

As AI manufacturing invades our daily lives, it is fitting to reflect on the craft-built and the artisanal. Since 2015, The World Gunmakers’ Evening, held annually in London, has celebrated firearms created by the planet’s finest makers. This year’s event will take place on Wednesday, May 20, in the ballroom at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London—formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel—on prestigious Park Lane. The Grosvenor House Hotel was built in the 1920s and opened in 1929 on the site of Grosvenor House, the former London residence of the Dukes of Westminster.

The idea behind The World Gunmakers’ Evening is to create a one-stop-shop event set in a centrally located luxury hotel to take place in a single evening rather than the usual multiple-day affair. The promise is to unite master craftsmen with a group of international collectors, buyers and enthusiasts that shares interests and tastes. Looking to the future, Event Manager Gemma Smith said, “Our long-term aspirations are to move the event globally, with the US being of particular interest.”

Among those that have already pledged their support for the May show are James Purdey & Sons, W.J. Jeffrey & Co., Beretta Gallery, Holt Auctioneers, Frederick Beesley, E.J. Churchill, Holland & Holland, Austrian gunmaker Peter Hofer, Spanish makers AyA and Grulla Armas, and shooting brands such as Hull Cartridge.

When asked for his thoughts on the event, Purdey Gunroom Manager Andrew Ambrose said, “Given its central-London location and its grandeur, The Grosvenor Hotel is the ideal setting for The World Gunmakers’ Evening as it continues to grow year on year.”

The evening is a place for shooters and collectors but also an opportunity to create a “wish list” by comparing and contrasting firearms side by side. Along with the Dallas Safari Club and Safari Club International conventions and the IWA Outdoor Classics, in Nürnberg, Germany, The World Gunmakers’ Evening is now a full-fledged fixture on fine-firearms enthusiasts’ calendar.

For more information, visit worldgunmakers.com.