Mantis Upgrades Training Tool with New X10 Elite Device
When we first heard of the Mantis training aid several years ago, it was easy to see its value for shooters wanting to improve their skills without spending a lot of time or money at the range. And we weren’t let down when we got our hands on it. In our review of the original Mantis X model, we were quite tickled with the immediate feedback with both live fire and dry fire. It was no wonder that the device was awarded Best Accessory of 2018 by NASGW and POMA. We were impressed with the user support and continued growth of the MantisX – from quick responses from the company to frequent updates with new features and any bug fixes.
This is why we were so excited to hear about the new models being released at SHOT Show 2020 earlier this year. The company has continued to pour tons of development effort into the product, which has grown from just the original model into a handful of new models including the $99 X2 dry-fire-only model, the X3 for live-fire of both pistols and rifles, the X7 shotgun trainer, X8 archery model, and the top of the line X10 Elite model, which covers all of the bases for live fire and dry fire for pistols, rifles, and shotguns as well as archery. Yeah, they’ve been keeping busy.
Austin was kind enough to arrange for a Mantis X10 Elite unit to be sent to us to review and we had the chance to put it through its paces. Once again, we were not disappointed in the slightest! Continue reading
NSSF’s SHOT Show Receives Creative Award
The Davey Awards has recognized the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show with a Gold Davey Award in its Design/Print category for the SHOT Show’s “Fully Loaded” print advertising. The award recognizes NSSF and CSG Creative, NSSF’s SHOT Show creative agency, for the recent 2020 show’s print ad creative.
The Davey Awards are sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms. AIVA members include executives from organizations such as Condé Nast, Disney, GE, Microsoft, MTV, Yahoo! and many more.
The Gold Davey is the Davey Awards’ top honor.
NSSF’s SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world, attracting attendees from 115 countries in addition to all 50 states. More than 55,000 industry professionals attended the 2020 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, with the number of exhibiting companies exceeding 2,500.
The show is held each year at Las Vegas’ Sands Expo Center and is the venue’s largest event. Next year, the SHOT Show is adding even more exhibits, education, meetings and experiences in the all-new Caesars Forum. Just steps away from the Sands Expo via a custom-built skybridge for SHOT Show attendees, Caesars Forum will provide more space for manufacturers and distributors to display their product lines, as well as new exhibitors from even more product categories.
Born to Protect: USCCA Launches Rebrand at SHOT Show 2020
For SHOT Show 2020, the United States Concealed Carry Association will unveil a dramatic update to its brand and messaging. The change marks a milestone in the company’s history after nearly 16 years of dynamic growth that saw USCCA memberships soar to more than 330,000 in 2019, with additional expansion of its training and partnership programs.
The rebranding includes a major upgrade to the brand’s look, now “safety gold,” and the introduction of a new brand slogan, “Born to Protect.” Continue reading
SHOT Show 2020 Range Day Highlights
Each year before industry insiders flock to the halls of the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show – better known as SHOT Show – a contingent of firearm folks head out into the desert of southwest Nevada for a pre-show lineup of exhibitors. Live ammunition is forbidden on the SHOT Show floor and any firearms in the exhibit hall must be disabled and are inspected to ensure that they are non-functional.
This policy, however, is not in effect at the annual SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range in Boulder City. Not by a long shot.
At this pre-show demo day, invited members of the media and buyers have the opportunity to meet with manufacturers and vendors among smaller crowds than those at SHOT Show proper. Attendees also have the opportunity to get hands-on live fire trigger time with the latest guns and gear to hit the market and many that are yet to be released. The GunLink team has again been invited to this event and did just that.
We got to see some pretty great firearms and gear at Range Day that seem to indicate that the industry has actually been listening to consumers and developing some new products that fit their needs. And the show has not even begun yet! If this demo day is an indication of what else we will be seeing at SHOT Show 2020, we think this will be a great year for a firearms industry that has shown some signs of slowing down somewhat in the past couple of years.
Read on to see our Range Day highlights and be sure to watch the GunLink Blog and GunLink Forums for more. Continue reading
Kimber Announces New Products for 2020
Kimber Mfg., Inc., a leading American firearms manufacturer, announced today their new product lineup for 2020. If the company’s pattern continues as it has in previous years, we look forward to putting some rounds through these new handguns at Industry Day at the Range during our coverage of the 2020 SHOT Show in January.
As the market leader in 1911 pistols, it is appropriate that the first product announcement is a high performance 1911. Introducing the 1911 RAPIDE Black Ice. The RAPIDE Black Ice boasts performance enhancing features including stepped cocking serrations, slide lightening cuts for faster lock time, striking two-tone KimPro finish, DLC coated barrel for extreme durability, flush fitting magwell, match grade trigger breaking crisply at 4-5lbs, and Tru-Glo TFX Pro Day/Night Sights.
The next introduction is the Raptor Collector Edition family consists of the Stainless Raptor II (1911), EVO SP Raptor, and Micro 9 Raptor. These beautiful pistols will be offered for one year only and are sure to become collectables. Each Raptor will wear a unique two-tone finish, accented with a special patterned G10 grip with the trademark grip scale pattern. Night sights are standard on all, as is the special Collector Series marking on the left side of the slide and special serial number prefixes to mark these unique items. Continue reading
Buyer Registration Opens for 2020 SHOT Show
Buyer registration is now open for the 42nd Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show). Set for January 21-24 at the Sands Expo Center, the SHOT Show will attract more than 60,000 professionals to Las Vegas for the firearms and outdoor industry’s annual main event. Registration for media will open later this week. Exhibitor registration will open later this month.
Owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearms industry trade association, the SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. The show is open to trade members only and not to the public.
Many official show events cluster around the four days of SHOT Show itself, creating “SHOT Week.” These include the 6th Annual NSSF/HAVA Golf Classic in support of Honored American Veterans Afield, a firearms industry-run charitable organization that helps the healing of disabled combat veterans and their reintegration back into normal life through participation in hunting and shooting sports.
The two-day Supplier Showcase is a show-within-a-show, with hundreds of OEM third-party suppliers meeting with exhibiting manufacturers and exploring their needs for extrusions, fabrication, fabrics, machinery, metal, plastics, software, logistical support and tools.
If you are unable to make it to the industry’s largest show of its kind, be sure to keep an eye on the GunLink Forums, right here on the GunLink Blog, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get all the scoop on the latest products and all of the news coming out of SHOT Show. Our team will be providing our ninth year of coverage again from the opening shots of Industry Day at the Range through the closing of the show. Continue reading
