Leapers Exhibits at HuntEx in South Africa

This April we exhibited at HuntEx in South Africa for the second time, providing on-the-ground support to our distributors and engaging with the South African shooting community. Support for our accessible and easy UTG products remains strong with glowing customer testimonials for our Recon 360 and Goliath bipod lines. We saw overwhelming positive response to the newly launched Integrix iXF 4.5X28 Service Rifle scope, now exclusively available in South Africa in Q2 for the very first time with National Cartridge Company.

Home to some of the most extreme heavy caliber ELR shooting competitions in the world and a widespread variety of hunting game, we consider South Africa fertile ground for product feedback. We are constantly working to reduce the distance between the manufacturer and the end customer; hearing stories from hunters and shooters directly allows us to incorporate their feedback and know our products are solving for their needs. 

HuntEx is South Africa's leading consumer exhibition for hunting, shooting, and the outdoors, held annually in Johannesburg. There are hundreds of exhibitors from Vortex and Swarovski to Canik, alongside all the South African shops and distributors. Attendance has been growing with an impressive turnout of 41,000 visitors from April 24 to 27 this year. 

Leapers began distribution in South Africa over 15 years ago, growing trusted relationships with our dealer network from Lynx Optics to Selwels Sports tactical solutions. In 2025 we named National Cartridge Co. exclusive distributor of our high performance optics line, Integrix, for their engagement with hunters and LR/ELR competitions. 

We talked with a variety of shooters representing different regions of South Africa. Our new high performance optics from Integrix intrigued hunters, whether folks were going involved in the hunting industry and guided safaris or going after small to large game themselves. We see a promising market for the new Integrix fixed 4.5X28 for hunters going after large game short distance, when speed and reliability matter most. Sport shooting is a regulated but passionate set of consumers, with inquiries about the Integrix 1-8X28 LPVO for their ARs. Our UTG bipods continue to be a mainstay across graduating price points and calibers, with one customer owning virtually one from each of our bipod lines. 

UTG bipods remain a popular choice for South African customers we talked to at the show. The UTG Recon 360 line, a best seller in the U.S. as well, is often the go-to for a reliable durable bipod at its price point. The UTG Goliath bipod built for long-range shooting, is a favorite to provide a stable shooting position for one or two mile shots.

Check out the customer testimonial below, where a South African customer runs the UTG Goliath and Big Bore Stability bipods to shoot out to 1500 on his Victrix .375 Cheytac! On par with .50 caliber platforms and used for King of the 2 Mile competitions, that's a whole lot of gun. 

Integrix first entered South Africa in 2024 and is still a new brand to the market. Over the past year the National Cartridge team has partnered with competitions all over the country and put Integrix riflescopes in the hands of competitors including Rudi Barnard from Brothers Arms and Dirk Pio, each winning first place using the Integrix long-range line. 

HuntEx allowed us to share the latest from Integrix and build awareness. Several visitors were impressed by the clarity, sharpness, and overall optical performance from the German Schott glass. Integrix 3-18X44 and 4.5-27X56 are an ideal fit for hunting reserves and guided safaris. 

The Integrix iXF 4.5X28 Service Rifle scope launched in the U.S. in 2025 and will be sold in South Africa for the first time in Q2 of this year. Hunters at the show noted the speed and ease by which they could raise and acquire using the fixed power scope with its large FOV and comfortable eyebox. Visitors felt that the simple fixed-power design could be very practical for quick target acquisition in the field - on a hunt close quarters. No other low power riflescope can offer 92% light transmission and German glass at this price, and it is clear that the scope has practical benefits that expand beyond Service Rifle competition.