Well, it’s done. The 2010 SHOT Show is in the bag, and nothing left but to break down, pack up, and head for home… or, as is the case for many of the exhibitors and media folks, on to the next show. Winter is show season in this industry.
According to the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation - the organization behind the SHOT Show), there were approximately 58,444 attendees at this year’s show. That’s a shade short of the record set in 2008, but not too shabby, Of those attendees, 1,804 were members of the media (like myself), there to get that first look at new products. With 1,633 exhibitors on a show floor covering over 700,000 square feet of display space, there were plenty of products to look at. So many, in fact, that just like every year, I found myself falling short of all of my objectives. There simply wasn’t time to get to everything.
So what was the big story of 2010? 
In my eyes, if I boiled this show down to one thing, it would be tactical (law enforcement and military) gear. Yeah, not only “black rifles” which were overly abundant, but almost any and every product seemed to have a “tactical” version, from optics to flashlights… even sportswear, such as t-shirts and casual clothing. There were even tactical vehicles, including a couple of SWAT vehicles and an armored SUV.
With the exception of Browning, I honestly don’t think there’s a single, major, US gunmaker who hasn’t brought an entry into the AR platform over the past couple of years. Even some of the custom gunmakers are building ARs, including Christensen Arms and Wild West Guns!
Just for a couple of examples, Remington displayed their entire line of law enforcement and tactical weapons, but they have also expanded their line of civilian ARs, the Model R-15. This one actually got my attention too, since they’ve chambered this rifle in the .450 Bushmaster. This rifle pushes a 260 grain bullet down range with devastating force. If they offered the ammo in lead-free, I think it might even tempt me to enter the ranks of AR owners.
Speaking of entering the ranks, I saw several rifles designed for that entry-level audience. Chambered in .22lr, Heckler & Koch, Sturm Ruger, and several other companies are building AR look-alikes. Most of the promotional materials accompanying these rifles (at least for the civilian market) emphasize young shooters. It’s a good approach too, I must admit, because youngsters probably are more likely to be interested in shooting if they get to use the coolest, military-styled rifles.
From the overwhelming number of AR-styled rifles on the market today, it’s pretty clear to me that I’m going to need to get proficient in these weapons. That was driven home this morning when a parts manufacturer was showing me an innovative new accessory for an AR-15 and I wasn’t really even clear on the basic operation of the bolt and action. Time to go back to school? 
Tactical, and tactical-style design isn’t just being applied to rifles. Shotguns are also showing a decidedly “black” look these days. While tactical and riot shotguns aren’t really new, you know someone is going to come up with something to challenge our preconceptions. Stoeger has done exactly that, with their Double Defense shotgun. The Double Defense takes the classic “coach gun” (a short, double-barrel shotgun, so named because it was commonly used to defend stagecoaches… hence the term, “riding shotgun”) and turns it into a whole new animal.
To begin with, they’ve ported the 20″ barrels, which should help to dissipate the recoil of heavy, defense loads. They also provide a Picatinny rail, to accomodate various optics, lasers, or light systems. The gun is finished in a tough-looking matte-black, to further the image of a no-nonsense, home defense weapon. Personally, I think this is reaching a bit, especially with all the excellent defense shotguns already on the market… but hey, who am I to say? I have no doubt there will be a good market for this thing.
On the topic of defensive shotguns, by the way, we can’t forget about ammo. There are already a wide variety of special-purpose shotgun slugs and loads for law enforcement and the military. Many of these are not available for civilian use. But Winchester Ammunition has released the PDX1 12, Personal Protection Ammunition in 12 ga. These rounds incorporate three pellets of 00 buckshot, nested on top of a one ounce slug. The idea is that the buckshot spread out around the slug, offering a margin of error for rushed aim (as you might expect in a defensive situation). I shot some of these things at the Media Range Day on Monday, and they’re pretty intense. It looks like it packs one heck of a punch, and at 15 yards the spread was almost exactly the size of a human torso. Bad news, bad guy!
One other item of note, for now, and then I’ve got to do some packing for the trip home tomorrow. 
Along with all the ARs, shotguns, knives, and other what-not, I was pretty amazed at the preponderance of .50 BMG, long-range rifles. Once the domain of companies like Barrett, these things seem to be coming out of the woodwork… in one area of the show floor, I could have sworn that there was one on every other table!
I’m not sure what the rise of the AR means to the industry, or the future of shooting. I know there’s no doubt that the more hard-headed “traditionalists” are going to have to make room in their little worlds for these weapons. It’s here and now, and griping about it from either an aesthetic or functional perspective simply isn’t going to change it.
I’m also pretty sure this is going to continue to drive a rift between gun-owners and the people who fear or do not understand guns or their owners. It’ll be an ongoing battle, and I can only hope that efforts toward education continue as they have been. Almost every popular hunting rifle is descended in some way from a combat rifle… whether lever action, bolt, semi-auto, or even rolling block. The superficial appearance of a gun does NOT make it any more dangerous than the less malevolent-looking ones we’ve been using for decades. We just need to focus on passing that message along.
I’ve got a lot more stuff to write about now that this show is wrapped up. Over the coming months I’ll be reviewing some of the gear and gadgets I learned about in the past four days. As always, my reviews will be honest and as critical as necessary to make the primary points… is this a piece of equipment you need, something that you might like to have, or a poorly designed or executed idea?
Yeah, the 10-year-old in me is always excited about military-looking guns, whether they be the M-1, the AR, or the Bullpup. My personal favorites have always been the little H-K numbers, the FN-FAL, and the Ruger Mini 14.
Of course, the grown-up in me knows that these guns are being marketed to two particularly spendy niche groups right now, those folks who think it’s the end of America now that Obama is President, and those in the 40-50 year-old range (wink, wink). Gun sales definitely bucked the recession trend last year (which is why I was pretty confident your low turnout numbers on shooting day would not bear out during the week). Yeah, young people like to shoot, but what they really like to shoot is Dad’s gun, whatever that is. If they like/need to get their own gun, they are huge fans of cheap + reliable, hence the 870 and 500. The AR platforms, to me, just look like another mid-life crisis crutch, which is fine – it’s better than cheating. I don’t mean any of this as derogatory, just as what I think is happening in the market. I’ll keep whether or not I think it’s a good thing to myself.
For new folks who may read your blog, I’d like to recommend, if they are looking for a home defense weapon, a 20 gauge pump-action with no. 6 shot or smaller. Little kick, a ton of power for the 10 or 20 feet you’ll need to shoot, lethality at that range and not farther (so if the bad guys are that far away, you aren’t really going to kill them, which is probably good for your trial at that point), and the clack-clack of the pump is the threat that should send ‘em packing.
And Philip, thanks for all your sacrifices in getting out to the SHOT show and playing with all those toys. You are a real pal!
; )