Airguns Make Big Noise at SHOT Show
Wind-Powered Projectiles Garnering Much Attention in Shooting Industry
With the hustle and bustle of racing around four days of SHOT Show 2017 and an extra day of range time behind us the GunLink team is now working to organize it all and bring our readers info on the latest developments from the shooting industry. While it seems like many companies were conservative with their R&D last year, likely due to the unknown outcome of the election, there were a few themes that I noticed; one of which was air guns.
It may have just been me, but it seems like a lot more companies than usual were displaying air guns and it got me thinking about what could be driving all of the interest behind this segment of the shooting sports. The answers to this question are likely as varied and diverse as they are to the question of why anyone is interested in any kind of shooting activities. Airguns can be quieter, less expensive, and, in some regards, safer than shooting traditional firearms. Another reason for their popularity is likely that there are fewer regulations on air guns since they are not considered firearms – making them more readily available to a wider audience. It may also be the case that positive role models from last summer’s Olympic Games shooting sports events may have sparked more interest in air guns. Continue reading
Trump Inauguration Garners Enthusiastic Response from SHOT Show Attendees
After spending eight unsure years years of worrying about forthcoming gun control laws that would further infringe upon rights ostensibly protected by the US Constitution, firearms enthusiasts and industry members breathed a sigh of relief as the 45th President was sworn in on the last day of the 2017 SHOT Show.
Team GunLink members who stuck around through the end of the show were in the press room during the official swearing in ceremony – as were many other members of the media. There, the transition from President-Elect to President Donald Trump elicited a boisterous round of applause and a standing ovation from many, and cheers were heard from exhibitors and attendees alike who filled the hallways and downstairs show floor areas.
The reaction was no surprise, given the political environment and near constant threats against Second Amendment rights over the past decade and the perceived sea change in that environment.
The perception is not only reinforced by President Trumps loud proclamation of support for Second Amendment rights during his campaign, but also his creation of a “Second Amendment Coalition” that is populated by half a dozen political representatives and big-name industry players like Ronnie Barrett, Marty Daniel, Alan Cors, Kim Rhode, and Josh Waldron – true supporters of the Right to Keep and Bear arms, to be sure. Continue reading
2017 SHOT Show Boasts Big Attendance and Positive Outlook for the Firearms Industry
Four-day show draws nearly 65,000 industry professionals
LAS VEGAS – The 39th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, owned and operated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), signaled a positive year ahead for the firearms industry. Strong attendance, upbeat buyers and sellers, and a series of packed special events that collectively made up “SHOT Week” resulted in one of the top-rated SHOT Shows.
The show spanned January 17-20 at the Sands Expo. Industry professionals packed the aisles from the opening bell, and attendance totaled nearly 65,000, surpassing last year’s turnout to make it the second most attended SHOT Show ever.
At one of the show’s biggest events, the NSSF State of the Industry Dinner on the first day, NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti, in a speech titled “A New Hope,” listed a series of priorities that industry will focus on to help protect its future and that of its customers. “Our overriding hope is that when it comes to helping stop the misuse of firearms by criminals, and preventing access to them by legally prohibited felons, the violently mentally ill, and the drug gangs who terrorize disarmed inhabitants of our cities, the American public will realize we are all on the same side.”
There were thousands of products for buyers to see on the show floor, encompassing firearms, ammunition, accessories, optics, knives, gun safes, apparel and law enforcement equipment, among other categories. More than 500 new products from 338 companies were on display in the show’s New Product Center, sponsored by U.S. Concealed Carry Association. In addition to the more than 1,600 exhibiting companies on the main show floors, the NEXT 2.0 Pavilion provided first-time vendors from the show’s extensive waiting list with welcome visibility and potential new customers. Continue reading
GunLink SHOT Show 2017 Photo Gallery
We are blazing our collective trails through the 13 acres (630,000 square feet!) of SHOT Show 2017, through the 12.5 miles of aisles (many of them multiple times over) to visit with as many of the 1,600 exhibitors as we can squeeze into the short time that we have here this week. Don’t forget that you can help us shape our coverage by posting in the GunLink Forums SHOT Show thread.
While the days, weeks, and months ahead will bring more in depth reviews and news about what is being unveiled at the enormous industry event, we will take you inside the halls of the SHOT Show to get a glimpse of what attendees saw through the following photos. Comment below or in the show thread if you have any questions or want more details about particular photos or products before we have a chance to post more details about them.
And, of course, a big shout out to our partners who help make our coverage possible, including Brownells, Gunz Incorporated, Shot Force Pro targets, Northwood Components, BulletSafe, and Safariland Group! Continue reading
First Look: KelTec RDB Survival Bullpup Rifle
Sorry about your luck, everyone who left SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range any time throughout the day up until about 25 minutes before all of the action wrapped up. Because that is around when the folks at KelTec remembered that they had forgotten to uncase their latest contribution to to the firearms market: the RDB Survival Edition bullpup rifle.
We had just finally made our way to the the KelTec booth and finished being confused by why the KSG bullpup shotgun on the bench was obscenely long (it is because of the Germans, in case you were wondering, and it is called the KSG 25) when we heard the company reps start expressing concern over some piece of missing equipment. That missing piece of equipment happened to be a literal one-of-a-kind on earth prototype firearm that relatively few other humans have laid eyes on or had the opportunity to fire – including everyone else at the range day until Chad Enos and crew happened to locate it in a case under one of their shooting tables and pulled it out with minutes to spare during shooting hours, providing Team GunLink the opportunity to be the first to snap some photos and send some rounds downrange with it. Continue reading
39th SHOT Show Kicks Off at Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas
Firearm industry professionals gather at largest trade show for target shooting, hunting, outdoor and law enforcement products.
The 39th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowSM (SHOT Show®) opened its doors this morning at the Sands Expo Center with industry expectations running high in response to the energized market in America for firearms, ammunition and accessories.
Over the next four days, the show will attract nearly 65,000 industry professionals from the firearms and outdoor industry, including 2,500 members of the outdoor press-the largest gathering of outdoor media in the world-and showcase new, innovative products used for target shooting, hunting, outdoor recreation and law enforcement purposes.
Owned and sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, 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; consumers will see the products unveiled at the SHOT Show on retailers’ shelves during the course of the year.
The 2017 SHOT Show opens following a year of extraordinary firearms sales-the strongest in history based on NSSF-adjusted background check statistics-and a surprise end to a tumultuous election season. Following those elections, the $6.7 billion industry is seeing purchases continue at a steady pace. Both industry professionals and consumers are optimistic about the future of firearms ownership and the shooting sports. Responding to this optimism, NSSF has added a number of new features to the show. Continue reading
