2021 Trends

With 2021 in full swing, what trends have emerged? Last year the industry saw record sales on everything — guns, ammunition, accessories — and a huge uptick in people seeking training.

Consumer demand has continued to increase since then to truly unprecedented levels. With the current political regime promising new gun-control laws more draconian than we have ever seen in this country, the surge in purchases show no signs of slowing.

All of these ingredients lead many to wonder if companies will spend any resources developing new products.

Colion Noir, a Second Amendment advocate who’s well known for his YouTube channel believes these “new buyers will stifle innovation. Don’t expect a ton of new products from gun companies this year. They’re struggling to generate products, which has pushed any innovation we might have seen from them to the side.”

What The Market Is Asking

This isn’t to say we won’t see anything new, however. Products nearing completion or ones funded partially by government contracts will most likely continue.

Leupold took slide-mounted pistol optics to a new level with the DeltaPoint Micro, giving shooters the option to use a red dot on handguns that aren’t milled to mount a red dot. KelTec pushed out the new P50 — turning heads due to its unusual design — chambered in 5.7x28mm. (It’s another 5.7 entry to the ever-growing list that has gained popularity within the last year.)

I suspect as the year progresses the firearms industry will finally give us more of what many of us have been asking for in two key areas of the personal defense market: easy-to-use handguns and high-capacity, ultra-compact handguns.

In the past few years, Smith & Wesson’s M&P Shield 380/9mm EZ won over a vast number of people due to its ease of use when loading the magazine and racking the slide. It’s likely similar designs will launch from other manufacturers, hopefully with a larger magazine capacity.

Additionally, it’s just a matter of time before more companies develop a concealed carry gun similar to the SIG SAUER P365. Springfield Armory already matched this need with the Hellcat. Both handguns carry 12 or more rounds in such a compact, easy-to-conceal frame it makes previous carry guns seem obsolete by comparison.

Lastly, it’s no surprise optic-ready pistols will continue to take over the market and we’ll see more optic companies producing small pistol red dots. (This is all stating the obvious though.)

Ammo Advancements

Even though the segment is battling widespread shortages, ammunition advancements are set to continue. Mike, also known as MrGunsandGear on social media, thinks ammo technology — such as what we’ve seen from Textron Systems’ CT — is going to take over.

On Textron’s website, the cased telescoped ammunition is described as “a novel ammunition design in which the projectile is seated within a cylindrical case. The CT design allows for up to 37% weight savings, compared to equivalent-performing brass cartridges.”

From what Mike has seen, the ammunition is “lighter, has minimal recoil, allows for higher pressures, more case capability and the projectiles penetrate better than anything in its class.”

This innovation won’t be available for the civilian market yet, as completely new gun designs will need to evolve. However, existing cartridge designs are soon to have similar improvements thanks to modern polymers. Companies like True Velocity have produced similar weight savings and heat reduction by creating polymer cartridges for existing calibers. These cartridges will be popular as an alternative to brass casing without requiring new guns or chambers like CT cartridge designs.

Anticipating A Training, DIY Boon

Eric Blandford, known for his YouTube channel IraqVeteran8888, thinks we’ll see a huge increase in “training, home security and firearms storage, especially with female heads of households.”

Blandford also believes — as we move forward with an anti-gun president and continue to see an increase in censorship — gun ownership is going to become a hush-hush topic. This will push many to take up their own gunsmithing more readily than what we’ve seen in the past.

“Instead of shipping a gun off to get work done on it, people will buy the tools necessary, self-educate and do it themselves.”

Eric Blandford YouTuber IraqVeteran8888

“Instead of shipping a gun off to get work done on it, people will buy the tools necessary, self-educate and do it themselves,” he said.

Additionally, ARs have grown in prominence due to their modularity, but we’re now seeing this with AK platforms, 1911s and polymer-framed pistols. It’s likely more people will get creative with gun customizations. With drastic advances and affordability of 3D printers, this is another arena of home gunsmithing people are primed to move toward.

Reloading: Primed For Growth

Furthermore, reloading is poised to gain traction from consumers, especially after these recent ammo shortages. There’s evidence to support this, with a sustained shortage of primers and popular powders over a large portion of 2020, and continuing today. Even common sources of recycled, once-fired brass are far less available, clearly indicating an increased demand for reloading components.

As bullet availability remains low, it’s reasonable to assume more people will begin casting their own bullets from lead than before. Even with the equipment expense, reloading offers savings and provides self-sufficiency for ammo that will (hopefully) be readily available going forward. Increasing self-reliance in these times of uncertainty will also be a factor.

Bullets are an area we will likely see more innovation. Hybrid polymer-metal bullet technology has had mixed success, but offers a number of benefits. Due to the dangers of lead poisoning, these alternative projectiles just need additional refinement to be reliable in more handguns and embraced by the market. The reduced production cost over traditional bullet designs also offers manufacturers incentives to continue developing this technology.

Future Outlook

Overall, we’ll continue to see product innovation, but at reduced levels. Most new products will be slight variations of existing ones. Any drastically new products will be aimed at meeting specific underserved needs, or alternatives to the shortages we’re experiencing.

Ava Flanell is the founder of Elite Firearms & Training in Colorado Springs, Colo., and producer/host of the Gun Funny podcast.

Dealers, what trends are apparent so far in 2021? Let the SI team know. comments@shootingindustry.com

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