Monday, January 25, 2010

SHOT Show 2010


Brigitta Pumerantz co-owner of Ten X Ammo very helpful
SHOT Show 2010

As always I look forward to attending the largest gun related trade show held. This year it is in Las Vegas at the Sands Center and will be there for at least three more years. Before this year it was at the Convention Center which is in my estimation easier to get in and out. It has been held in other cities as well including last year. Be as it may be the show was so large that it would be very difficult to see everything. They had two very large floors covered with exhibitors plus some in the large hallways. Good legs and roller skates would be helpful neither which I possess. It was pretty crowded at times though the last day wasn’t quite as bad. All of the booth holders stated that they considered the four day event successful. A lot of business was transacted between exhibitors and visitors. Because of the hostility toward guns in Washington business is brisker then normal. The legitimate fear that the government wants to restrict various guns has caused many folks to buy and stock up on guns and ammo. There were over 58,000 attendees present who included dealers, media and other gun related business people. There were thousands of exhibitors present. The show isn’t open to the general public. Like most gun and trade shows there were no incidents as people in the trade are well behaved and polite toward each other. Many of the people who work at the exhibits are very helpful and knowledgeable though near the end of the show they are ready to return home.




Some of the many guns that Criminson Trace has grips for



There are so many new products coming out that it’s impossible to keep up with them all. New guns from all of the makers plus new ammo, calibers and bullets are being constantly introduced. Powder and other reloading equipment are also being updated constantly. Knives and other shooting related accessories are being updated as well. Tactical rifles are the rage of the moment and virtually all of the gun makers have some in their line. Scopes with range finders are starting to come out from a few makers. All of the companies are coming out with new products but due to the boom in the gun business most of them are running 24/7. If I mentioned all of the new products I saw it would be too large for the scope of this report. I hauled about 15 or 20 lbs of catalogs and brochures back home and without a doubt missed a few. The four day show gave us a chance to meet new people in the business as well as catch up with the folks that I know. One of the great things about this show is the nice people you get to meet. The show will return in January 2011 and I plan on being there.



An interesting revolver the Judge shoots both 410 and 45 shells




Media day at the range



On the 18’Th a day before the show opened the press is invited to shoot some of the new guns and ammo that is being introduced. It gives us an opportunity to see what’s new out there. Actually it is one of my favorite parts of the event because not only do you get to shoot guns but meet some nice people from the various companies. The only damper was the weather which was cold and windy with rain during the day however it didn’t stop anyone from enjoying themselves. The SHOT show is one event that everyone who is into the shooting sports should experience at least once but you have to be connected with a gun related business in order to attend. Everyone should join the NRA here is their link http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR022927






Norm shooting reintroduced Steyer AUG 223
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1 comment:

  1. Bob ShellMay 7, 2010 at 3:46 PM

    sounds good join the NRA
    http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR022927

    ReplyDelete

To the Board of Directors,

Gentlemen I`am writing to present you with an idea that i think you may possibly find advantageous to your company. As i`am sure you are aware there is a great interest in whats called "Cowboy Action" shooting in this country and more and more guns of yesteryear are being resurected by the companies that make reproduction firearms.
The sport is growing constantly and the gun makers are constantly looking for ways to take even more advantage of this ever growing market. Guns like the Henry rifle,Spencer carbine, Colt and Remington conversion revolvers and the Colt 1872 Open Top and others are on the market and doudtless other guns of history will be made in the future.
The arms makers try to be as authenic as possible in their copies but one thing keeps them from being "true" copies.The majority of these guns are being made in calibers that the original guns were never made in.The Henry, Spencer,the majority of early Colts were made in rimfire calibers. Ammunition that has`nt been made by American companies since the 1920`s and early 30`s.But with the resurgence in interest in the old guns of our history and boost in ammo sales that go along with it i think it is time to resurect the original ammo these guns used as well. I ask you to think about it and concider this.
The new guns are generally offered in 2 and sometimes 3 caliber options, none of which were ever used in the originals to begin with. If the original rimfire calibers were offered as an addtional caliber option and the ammo for those calibers were available i believe both the guns and ammo sales would skyrocket.
Authenticity is what it is all about with the cowboy action crowd and the collectors and other shooters of these guns.What could be more "authenic" that having a repro in it`s original
chambering rather than a caliber that never was used in the original? Not to mention the fact that if ammo were available once again people that own originals like myself would love to be able to shoot them as well.
i believe that if arrangements could be reached between the gun makers and your company in that they would make the guns with their original calibers as options and you in turn make the ammo available i think it would be a boost in sales for both. I ask both of you to do this.
The gun makers offer the guns in their original calibers as a limited trial. You in turn make a limited run of the ammo. you both market the availablity of guns and ammo and see how it works. I believe you will find a gold mine has been discovered.
About 20 yrs ago i wrote a letter to your company asking that you concider making various rimfire ammo available again for people like myself who own antiques and would love to shoot them if ammo were available.My letter made it into the hands of someone { can`t recall who}
but he was a higher up in the company at the time.
He wrote me back saying he personally thought i had a good idea and he had presented my idea before the board and they turned it down saying they did`nt believe there was enouht of a market out there
Well things have changed quite a lot since then and i think that my idea might be worth concideration once again. I hope you agree as well.

Sincerely,
Robert Heins