The Technology Centre and the Mondragón Corporation cooperative have been working together on various R&D projects since 2020 to develop high-performance, lighter and more accurate hunting and sports shooting rifles.
GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research Technology Alliance (BRTA) and DIKAR, S. Coop. have been working together on various R&D projects since 2020 to develop new advanced materials for sporting rifles. This work is part of the HAZITEK aid programme, funded by the Basque Government.
In the field of sport hunting, the choice of rifle is determined by three key factors: lightweight, which is essential to facilitate the user's movement over long days; precision, which requires stable materials with the capacity to absorb impact; and aesthetics, an increasingly important element.
To respond to these demands, DIKAR, which has extensive experience in the research of new materials applied to the sector, has worked with GAIKER, an expert in composite materials and their processing and transformation. As a result of this collaboration, hybrid guns based on carbon fibre composites have been developed over the past five years, as well as butts processed under different carbon composite moulding technologies, such as SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) and RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding).
Use of carbon fibre in these developments has led to significant improvements in terms of precision, structural uniformity and weight reduction, surpassing the performance of solutions currently available on the market.
Along the same line of innovation, the two entities jointly developed a new version of thermoset composite butts in 2024, which incorporate carbon SMC elements in their architecture. As a result, a new range of sporting rifles has been created, featuring an internal SMC carbon chassis, integrated with RTM-processed carbon butts, resulting in particularly lightweight, strong and high-performance structures.
This collaboration reinforces GAIKER and DIKAR's commitment to technological innovation and the development of advanced solutions.
About GAIKER
GAIKER is a technology centre devoted to research and the provision of innovative technological solutions for companies. Since it was set up in 1985, it has contributed to the technological development and competitiveness of the business sector through learning, development and subsequent transfer to customers of technologies related to its fields of specialisation: Sustainable Composites, Functional and Sustainable Polymers, Recycling and Circular Economy and Biotechnology.
About DIKAR
DIKAR, S. Coop. is a cooperative belonging to the Mondragón Corporation, made up of 7 brands devoted to the world of outdoor sports and specialised in the design and manufacture of high quality hunting and shooting rifles. With a solid track record in the sporting arms sector, the cooperative is characterised by its commitment to technological innovation, quality and excellence in customer service. Its products are marketed in demanding international markets in which precision and design are differential values.
