2014 SHOT Show – Ed Head On Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Edition

As part of their Day Two roundup, Ed Head and Tommy Sanders of the Outdoor Channel examined the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Ruger 10/22 that was designed by customers. Instead of calling it the 50th Anniversary Edition, they could just as well name it the Appleseed Edition because it seems like a stainless and polymer-stocked version of the RWVA’s Liberty Training Rifle.

2014 SHOT Show – Media Day With Gunblast.Com – Part 2

In Part Two, Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com again previews a number of new firearms being released at SHOT Show.

Included are a number of revolvers from Smith and Wesson including the reintroduced Model 66, the Model 686-6 in .357 Mag, the 5-shot 460 S&W Magnum, and the Model 986 in 9mm. This last gun seems to have very minimal recoil with the 9mm.

Speaking of low recoil, Armalite has introduced the AR-31 .308 Target Rifle that has a muzzle break more like one would see on a Barrett .50 BMG rifle.

Sig Sauer held their portion of Media Day at a separate range from what I understand. Jeff shot the new Sig P320 which is their first striker fired pistol and the Sig MPX submachine gun. It is a damn shame that the Hughes Amendment prevents us from being able to buy one of those because it looks like a great gun.

2014 SHOT Show – Day One With Ed Head And Tommy Sanders

The Outdoor Channel is streaming live interviews from the SHOT Show at different times during the day. The host of it is Tommy Sanders who used to host the outdoor block of programming for ESPN. In the recap of Day One of the SHOT Show, he talks with Ed Head of Gunsite and Downrange,tv.

Ed makes the point that he really hasn’t seen anything that was new and revolutionary. Rather, it has been an evolution of existing product lines. Much of these evolutionary products are aimed at the new shooters and especially those that are younger and women. These are the growth areas of the gun culture and smart companies are the ones who have responded with new products for that segment. He mentions Ruger in particular as a company that has seen good growth from their new products.

The other thing in this interview that caught my ear was Ed’s description of the mood of this year’s SHOT Show. He said people seem upbeat and united. He contrasted that with last year when the SHOT Show came about a month after the shootings in Newtown and the mood was gloomy. We expected to be hit with both new gun control laws and Executive Orders aimed at firearms. As Ed notes, the community rallied and beat back much of this. He says the AR-15 was the firearm that provided the rallying point. I’m not sure if I totally agree on that but it is an interesting point.

2014 SHOT Show – Media Day With Gunblast.Com

Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.Com shows a number of the firearms and optics that he tested at Media Day. Contrasting with last year, it doesn’t seem quite a cold and windy.

Among the firearms shown in the video below include the Glock 41 and 42, the Ruger American Rimfire, the Double-Star Compact Constant Carry SBR, and Colt Competition 14.5RR. The optics shown include scopes from Burris, Trijicon, and MSE.

On The Eve Of The SHOT Show

Media Day at the 2014 SHOT Show starts tomorrow and I won’t be there. Sigh. One of these years I will get a chance to return to the SHOT Show.

The one and only SHOT Show I attended was the one in Dallas in 1996. I was working as the part-time bookkeeper for a knife company and I got to help man the booth. I did get to leave the booth occasionally and I was like a kid in a candy store. It was awesome. It is one of those things everyone needs to do if they ever get the chance.

I won’t be at the show but Exurban Kevin will be and he is arranging a New Media Meetup. It is scheduled for Tuesday night at 9pm at The Bourbon Room in the Venetian. See the instructions at the link on how to RSVP.

In addition to helping organize the New Media Meetup, Kevin has kindly compiled a list of 12 things bloggers and new media types should do at the SHOT Show. Actually, it is a list everything you shouldn’t do if you ever hope to establish any sort of relationship with a firearms company or any other vendor. Doing some of these things might even be hazardous to your health such as numbers 7, 8, or 10.

To those who will be attending the SHOT Show, I hope you have a great time and I look forward to reading and/or hearing your reports from this great event.

How Big Is The SHOT Show?

According to the infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shown below, pretty damn big!

Many years ago I worked for a local knife company that had a small booth at the SHOT Show. As a result, I got to attend the 1996 SHOT Show held in Dallas, Texas. I was awed by the size of it all back then when it was just a shadow of what it has become. With luck and good scheduling, I plan to attend next year’s SHOT Show and I’m sure I’ll just be blown away by it all.

How Big is the SHOT Show

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