Dealers pack the aisles and booths
at SHOT Show 2007.

“This is the Super Bowl of all shows. If you are not at SHOT, you are not playing,” said gun dealer Mark Tosh of Town Police Supply in Collinsville, Va.

“In my 40 years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Bob Morrison, Taurus International president and COO. “I’ve never seen a better reaction to our new products than at this show. The enthusiasm at our booth has been incredible.”

“This has been the best SHOT Show for business we’ve ever had. The best in our 20-year history,” said Toxey Haas, Mossy Oak founder and CEO. “Our business is way up. No doubt about it, a great year.”

“SHOT Show 2007 has been a very exciting event for Smith & Wesson. Our booths, on the main floor and in the Law Enforcement Section, have been packed,” said Mike Golden, president and CEO.

“It’s been exciting, especially the great attitudes among our customers,” said Tommy Millner, Remington Arms president and CEO. “They told us they had good selling seasons in the fall, without exception. They expect a good business climate all during 2007, so we leave the SHOT Show in a couple of days pretty excited about the future.”

“It’s always exciting to see customers warming up to our new products,” said Steve Sanetti, Sturm, Ruger president. “We’ve had the type of booth traffic that creates enthusiasm, and there certainly has been a huge buzz this year.”

“This was our first show and it’s been tremendous,” said Brian Zaitz of SHE Safari in Conroe, Texas. “We’ve had an excellent reception — four solid days of attention from media and buyers who are excited to see a new, full line of hunting apparel for women. We expect to grow our product line by 50 percent next year, and we purchased twice the amount of exhibit space for the 2008 SHOT Show.”

“If you can’t find it here, you’re not going to find it anyplace,” said Robert Hills, owner of Avon Gun in Avon, N.Y. “That’s why we come every year. New products bring people in, the old ones don’t. There are a lot of great, new products out there this year.”

“We had a fabulous show. We had a small booth and, at one time, had 23 buyers in there at once,” said Bob Breiland of Pine Harbor Holding Co. in Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Miles Hall, owner of H&H Gun Range in Oklahoma City, said investors use the SHOT Show to gauge the industry’s viability.

“I spent lots of time talking to people who own other types of retail and service businesses and who want to get involved in our industry. They don’t even have stores yet, but they’re doing their research here at SHOT and that bodes well for our future,” Hall said.

A Winning Venue

The 2007 SHOT Show was the largest in the event’s 29-year history. It covered 656,100 square feet of exhibit space in Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. That is a gain of 40,000 square feet over last year’s record-setting show in Las Vegas. This year, there were 1,870 exhibiting companies, an increase over last year’s 1,846.

According to NSSF, the show attracted 20,390 buyers, 1,342 members of the media, 19,990 exhibiting personnel and 494 guests for a record total attendance of 42,216. Last year’s total attendance was 40,892.

“Orlando proved to be a winning venue for us. The show was well-attended and vibrant, featuring thousands of innovative and quality products that consumers can expect to see on retailers’ shelves later this year,” said Doug Painter, NSSF president.

New-product promotion is responsible for much of the show’s success, Painter said.

“There’s a lot of buzz in all the segments. You walk up and down these aisles and there’s a lot of great stuff, and I think that’s drawn people out. The exhibitors are doing a better job and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got an exciting new lineup; come to the show,’” Painter said.

Painter, as he did last year, named the Law Enforcement Section as the fastest-growing segment of the show.

“Our law-enforcement section is now the second-largest law enforcement show in the world. That, alone, creates a show within the show. We’re getting more and more law-enforcement personnel, in good measure, thanks to you and your (FMG Publications) efforts with American COP magazine. So we are thrilled with that,” Painter said.

Next year’s show in Las Vegas will be even larger. According to Painter, exhibitors already have booked 654,000 net square feet of space for the 2008 show.

The 2007 show was also well-covered by the media, with more than 1,340 members of the press attending the show.

“We were particularly pleased with the media. We had positive interviews with CNBC and many members of the outdoor media,” said Paul Pluff of Smith & Wesson.

More than 200 members of the media attended Trijicon’s Triple Threat Press Conference as part of the company’s 25th anniversary celebration. During the event, the company paid tribute to those serving in the U.S. military services. Trijicon also announced it will donate a portion of each consumer sale of their products to the Wounded Warriors Disabled Sports Project.

Trijicon introduced its new ACOG TA33, a 3x30mm sight, offering magnification, low-light capability and long eye relief, and the ACOG 4x32 Enhanced Combat Optical Sight, developed for the U.S. military’s Special Operations forces. The company also debuted the Trijicon RedDot Sight, with applications for the hunting market, as well as military and law enforcement.

“We were very pleased to have so many members of the media join us and witness the unveiling of these important products,” said Tom Munson, director of sales and marketing. “It was also an honor to recognize the sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform serving our nation at home and abroad.”

The annual SHOT Show Gun and Knife Auction, which included five firearms from Smith & Wesson and a custom Ross Tyser knife, raised $42,391 for Wonders of Wildlife, the Springfield, Mo.-based National Fish & Wildlife Museum and home of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

A crowd of 1,850 attended the show’s annual State of the Industry Dinner and Concert Gala.

A record 155 dealers attended SHOT Show University, a daylong series of seminars for firearm retailers the day before the show.

It’s all business at the Ellett Brothers booth.

Savage rifles receive close examination.

A Taurus pistol gets a serious workout.

The discussion is about quality and
value at Steiner.

Rich Cameron (left), Carson Optical president, and Frank Vachlin of Gamma Scientific use high-tech, light-measuring equipment (right) to validate the
company’s performance claims.

Working 656,000 Square Feet

Ruger introduced its Target Model Mini 14 at the show, a rifle inspired by the Shooting Industry Masters.

“At the first tournament, Team Ruger showed up with bolt-action rifles, because our standard Mini really didn’t quite cut it in the accuracy department. We didn’t win that year. So we developed a target-model version of the Mini 14. We’ve won two years in a row now, so people are gunning for us. This is a direct offshoot of a competitive-shooting event and it shows how we can learn a lot from our customers and shooters to help us develop new products. It’s a very exciting gun and a lot of people really like it,” Sanetti said.

Kimber continued its strong support of USA Shooting, presenting the organization an additional $100,000 at the show. This brings Kimber’s donations to USA Shooting to $500,000, based on sales of Kimber Team Match II .45 ACP pistols.

“It’s very important to the industry to support our national shooting teams,” said Leslie Edelman, Kimber owner and president. “They are very professional and represent us very well. Sales of the Team Match II have been much better than anyone’s wildest expectations, and we’re honored to continue our support of USA Shooting.”

Para-Ordnance unveiled its new Para Carry Option in .45 GAP and the Coyote Brown Nite-Tac, along with a new program to support the Institute for Legislative Action, the lobbying division of the NRA.

“Understanding the possibility of some great challenges over the next couple of years, Para-Ordnance has decided to do something unique,” said John Westerfield, sales vice president. “For every Gun Rights model we sell, Para-Ordnance will donate $25 to the NRA-ILA.”

The program centers on two pistols, the PXT 1911 SSP Gun Rights and the PXT P14-45 Gun Rights.

“In order to make the guns more saleable, we’ve dressed them up with a new front sight, but even more important, we’ve lowered the distributor cost so that we’ll sell more of them, and out of our reduced profit, we’re still going to give $25 to the NRA-ILA. There’s nothing that’s been taken out of these pistols except price,” Westerfield said.

Ted Szabo, Para president, said the industry should support the NRA, especially now.

“We are facing a lot of challenges as we go into 2008. We challenge other companies in the industry to develop similar programs to help the NRA,” Szabo said.

LaserMax debuted its first laser sight for revolvers, the J-Max for Smith & Wesson J-frames. The new line was developed because “a problem needed to be solved,” said Susan Houde-Walter, LaserMax president.

“You want, for a J-frame and concealed carry, to be able to turn the sight on without blocking the beam and you need the beam in the right place, which is right alongside the barrel. You also need an activation that you can control, because when you’re in a bad situation, you don’t want to be flashing your position. You want to have a control where you can activate and deactivate it when you want it. That’s why we introduced the J-Max, to solve that problem,” Houde-Walter said.

Mossy Oak’s latest camo pattern, Duck Blind, attracted a lot of dealer attention. Designed for waterfowl hunters, the new pattern is a direct result of Mossy Oak listening to the waterfowl consumer, according to Haas.

“Waterfowlers are a unique group that endure difficult circumstances in all types of terrain. They are serious about what they do and we wanted to develop a serious camouflage pattern to make their hunts more effective,” Haas said.

Dealers received their first look at the much-talked-about G21 SF (Short Frame) at the Glock booth.

“It’s gotten a lot of attention, and calmed some concerns dealers had about changing the G21,” said Ed Fitzgerald, advertising and marketing director. “We reduced the grip size on this version of the G21 to accommodate a wider spectrum of the customer base. There are gun owners who have problems with the size of the G21. With the G21 SF, they have an extended trigger reach. It gives us more customers who will look at the model and say, ‘You know, this does fit, this does work.’”

The front of Smith & Wesson’s booth provided one of the most interesting images at the show: Smith & Wesson shotguns. The company unveiled 18 products at the show, including its new shotgun line, the M&P45 pistol and a classic series of revolvers. In addition, Smith & Wesson attracted a lot of attention with its acquisition of Thompson/Center Arms, announced just before the show.

“Thompson/Center Arms is a terrific addition to our company. It puts us firmly in the hunting business, and we get a leadership team that understands the industry — terrific marketing guys, terrific manufacturing capabilities. So we’re very excited about that,” Golden said.

American Ammunition drew dealers who were interested in the company’s new cowboy-action loads, according to Paul Goebel, national sales and marketing director.

“They also were happy we reintroduced Quick-Shok last year and the Triton line this year,” Goebel said. “The advantage we offer is the little guy does not get overlooked; they can order down to one box.”

Carson Optical put itself to the test at the show, using scientific equipment to back its claim that its HD High Definition binocular technology offers superior light transmission — a claim used in advertisements.

“We’ve had dealers and consumers call and say, ‘This can’t be real.’ We wanted to prove that it is real,” said Rich Cameron, Carson Optical president. “The reaction here has been overwhelmingly positive. When we show we’re testing each binocular the same way — using the same testing mechanism, publishing the results the same way — it makes a huge difference.”

At the Taurus booth, the company introduced 29 new products.

“Normally, when we show new items, we discard four out of 10. This time we discarded two out of 29,” Morrison said.
Dealers continue to give high marks to the company’s .45/.410 revolver.

“We can’t believe the good reaction. It may be the best self-defense gun we’ve ever had,” Morrison said. “We also can’t believe the response and demand we have for our 1911. Those are the two that are most requested. We also have a brand-new pistol called the 800 series; it’s 809 for 9mm, 840 for .40 and 845 for .45 — it’s going to be our flagship of the future. It received a wonderful warm welcome here. The last gun that pulled the most attention is a takeoff on the tried-and-true Model 85 — this one has a magnesium frame that weighs 12 ounces. It’s been a barn-burner.”

Leupold is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and the company’s booth was crowded with dealers eager to examine the new VX-7 series riflescopes, which the company says are “the finest hunting scopes Leupold has ever made.”

“It really was impressive to see the crowds the VX-7 drew,” said Tom Fruechtel, president and CEO. “It really reflects our modern technology, plus the rugged reliability that is the heritage of Leupold.”

The new Leupold Tactical Prismatic Riflescope also attracted a lot of attention. The 1x14 scope, designed for close-quarters situations, has a glass-etched reticle, 30mm tube, wide field of view and 1/2 MOA click adjustments.

Browning drew great reviews for its new BLR Takedown rifle.

“It’s designed to be a modern, more accurate lever action and we offer it in a lightweight design now. The receivers are aluminum, but the exciting news is the takedown model has given us additional versatility,” said Paul Thompson of Browning/Winchester.

The Takedown is offered in the BLR Lightweight with pistol grip and the BLR Lightweight ’81 in 10 short- and four long-action calibers.

At the Winchester Rifle and Shotgun booth, Thompson said dealers were drawn to a special display of The John Wayne 100th Anniversary Rifle.

“John Wayne always used a Winchester Model 92 in his movies. He always had a large-loop lever, with a short, 181⁄2-inch barrel. We wanted to give the public an opportunity to purchase a rifle that John Wayne considered his favorite gun,” Thompson said.

The John Wayne Model 1892 is offered in High Grade and Custom Grade versions.

Dealers consider the features
of Browning’s Pump Shotguns.

Magnum Research’s Lite Rifles
with graphite barrels attract
attention with their colorful stocks.

Mossy Oak’s campfire offers a
place to sit, chat and learn about the company’s newest offerings.

The front of Smith & Wesson’s booth
offered one of the most interesting
images at the SHOT Show: S&W shotguns.

Juan Robles (left) of Dale County
Guns & Ammo, Miami, Fla., checks
out Springfield’s 1911s.

Gary Lewis, an outdoor writer and
radio host from Bend, Ore., tests his skills during a shooting-simulator contest sponsored by Trijicon Inc.

Next year’s SHOT Show will be held Feb. 2-5, 2008, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The unusual Saturday-through-Tuesday dates also include Super Bowl Sunday.

NSSF officials are urging everyone to make their reservations now, since Las Vegas is solidly booked for Super Bowl weekend, even when the SHOT Show isn’t in town.

To contact the SHOT Show Travel Desk to arrange lodging and travel, call (in the U.S.) 1-800-388-8104; outside of the U.S., call 1-312-527-7300; e-mail: shotshow@ttgonline.com.

For exhibition space, contact sales executives Dave Jeannette, 1-800-910-4671, e-mail: djeannette@reedexpo.com; or Judy Maguire, 203-840-5492, e-mail: jmaguire@reedexpo.com.