Shot Show Roundup, the hits from the states

SHOT SHOW 2024

GTN despatched its overseas correspondent, Caroline Roddis, to this year’s stateside gunfest, and she posted back her impressions…

The mood on the show floor was overwhelmingly positive

Show 2024 lived up to its billing as the kind of event where the question ‘is this your first time here?’ is normally accompanied by a look of pity. This year, the third in which the confoundingly vast and maze-like show has been spread across two conference centres, was the biggest so far with 13.9 miles of aisles and a record number of exhibitors. It also, according to Vegas’ army of service industry professionals, finally won the war with World of Concrete for biggest expo in town that week... Part of the 2024 expansion was due to the new Archery Pavilion, although this proved to also offer slightly more archery-adjacent exhibitors than the Show marketing might have led you to believe.

The mood on the show floor was overwhelmingly positive, with exhibitors largely reporting that footfall was good—and, more importantly, that they were having conversations with the right people for their business. The buoyant mood was enhanced by the prospect of the November elections, with businesses in combative form and at least one stand offering retailers the chance to add rifles and pistols engraved with Trump’s face to their store shelves.

Smashed it

While the show announced that this year’s 55,000 attendees comprised a record number, however, the panel at the standing-room only Governors’ Forum observed that there were 750 fewer international buyers present in 2024 due to legislative changes. This was just one of the issues the panel highlighted as affecting the American industry, which had surprising parallels to those affecting our own. The governor of Montana, Greg Gianforte, spoke about protecting the 150 firearms businesses in his state from moves by financial organisations to restrict their access to services—a problem reminiscent of our debanking scandal here in the UK.

CAROLINE’S TOP THREE FOUR

One new product that had UK-based attendees particularly excited was the Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph which is already so popular in the US that it’s on constant back order. Com pact, easy to set up and, as experienced so far, intensely reliable, this looks to be a rare example of a product that can re ally be described as game-changing.

Of interest to retailers looking to expand their selection of shotguns is the new BDR 90 Pro range over and unders from Turkish manufacturer Bey dora Arms. Launched at Shot Show 2024, the Pro shotguns come in a number of configurations, with one of the most eye-catching being the BDR-90 Pro Trap, which comes with an adjustable comb and detachable 15mm and 20mm top ribs. With its products priced affordably, and well placed to compete with the likes of Kofs, the company is actively seeking business in the UK.

Also at the affordable end of the spectrum was the DIY ear-protection offering from Decibullz, which the consumer moulds to their own ear shape —much like the gumshields most of us remember from school! Priced at $25 retail across the pond and offering a noise reduction rating of 31 decibels, they’re a great instant option for shooters.

And finally—because it’s impossible to pick just three—keep an eye out for Eley’s X-Shot Hardware when it arrives on the scene later this year. This new system, an innovative expansion on Eley’s X-Shot app, offers a brand new way for both individuals and clubs to compete on an international scale from the comfort of their own premises.

Back on the show floor, despite it being almost impossible to be more than five metres away from an AR at any time, it was hard not to also be impressed with the depth and breadth of innovation on display in all categories of the industry. Of particular note was the wealth of thermal optics, targets and related products now available, a sign of the category’s growing accessibility in the mainstream market, with companies such as Holosun, IR Tools and InfiRay offering noteworthy products.

European invasion

Georg Loichinger, who has been working for IWA Outdoor Classics for several years, was delighted with the outcome of their attendance at this year’s Shot Show. “It’s the first time we’ve brought the IWA Pavilion here, not the German Pavilion” he explains. “We’ve brought 13 exhibitors from Europe to Shot Show and given them the opportunity to show their products to the American market, which is great. The feedback we’re getting is also great. We’re very happy with the way the show turned out for us, we’ve had many visitors coming to our Pavilion and lots of interest in the products from our exhibitors. They are happy and if they are happy we are happy, so it’s been a great show for us.”

“Being here, having a huge brand presence here at Shot Show, gives us the feeling that we are really seen in the American market. We’ve had a lot of new companies coming up to us to find out who we are and what we’re doing. When we tell them that we are essentially a Shot Show in Europe they are very interested in attending, both as visitors and exhibitors! And what we also see is their interest in the IWA Pavilion here: many companies would like the chance to exhibit with us at Shot Show. Those are two great outcomes from the Show for us this year.”

“We’ve already reserved our booth for next year, so there will be an IWA Pavilion at Shot Show 2025 featuring a lot of great companies. Lots of familiar, quality brands like Schmidt & Bender and Ballistol, and we’ll also bring new brands to America under the IWA brand.”