Anybody going to the SHOT show?

[Rusty]

It's going to be in Orlando this year. Anybody planing on going?

Jan. 15th- 18th.

[RIHMFIRE]

I wish I could go....
but the general public is not allowed...

[Jeff Quinn]

Yep.

[86er]

I'll see you there!

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I was thinking about getting a C&R just so I could get in but I never did it. Too late now I suppose. I don't know how to get in ... otherwise I would probably go.

[RSY]

I was thinking about getting a C&R just so I could get in but I never did it. Too late now I suppose. I don't know how to get in ... otherwise I would probably go.

Just go to the NRA show. Basically the same experience. Where is it gonna be this time around, anyway, I wonder?

RSY

[Tom Richardson]

I will be there.

[Ysabel Kid]

I was thinking about getting a C&R just so I could get in but I never did it. Too late now I suppose. I don't know how to get in ... otherwise I would probably go.

Just go to the NRA show. Basically the same experience. Where is it gonna be this time around, anyway, I wonder?

RSY

Phoenix in 2009; Charlotte in 2010!

[Ysabel Kid]

I was thinking about getting a C&R just so I could get in but I never did it. Too late now I suppose. I don't know how to get in ... otherwise I would probably go.

You can go if you have a C&R? I got one this year!

[jengel]

I will be there. AGAIN!!!! I love this job....

[joe in fl]

I will be there one of the days
Joe

[Ray Newman]

Yes!, a C&R will get you in. That's what I have.

I was planning on going, but decided against attending. Checked the airlines & flying from WA to FL would be an almost an all day trip each way. & considering my medical maladies, I opted out. So I'll just wait for the 2010 La$ Vega$ SHOT Show venue.

I enjoy the SHOT Show. Took me 3 days just to go through the shooting/firearms/reloading booths @ the 2008 SHOT Show. Then I spent another day looking @ the other outdoor related stuff. One year & friend & I decided to go through the whole thing @ Vega$. Took us 5 days & that was just stopping to look briefly @ the things that interested us. I don't think that the NRA show can compare.

If this is your first SHOT Show, you can be overwhelmed @ the number of dealers present & the amount of hand outs. Think before taking literature; otherwise, you'll wind up w/ a stack of material that will get heavy. Ea. night when I returned to the room, I go through the hand outs & make 3 piles: keep; maybe keep, discard. I don't throw anything out until I pack to leave, then one final cull of the materials. I found that is works for me.

Before I go, I make a list of what dealers/booths I want to see first, then I start @ the far end of the firearms sections & work my way towards the door. That way, when I want to leave, I don't have to travel back to the front door & the shuttle buses, I'm already there.

I also keep the SHOT Sow "guide book "which contains the mail & web addresses, tel #, etc. for ea. company attending the show. Handy reference book if it doesn't get legs later on.

I have a good sized bag that I hang from the back of my wheelchair to hold the hand-outs. A fellow attendee found that unless these plastic/canvas "shopping bags" have very wide & comfortable handles, they will cut into your hand after awhile. Quite a few of the attendees utilize collapsible shopping carts, but just make sure the wheels are sturdy & large enough to accommodate some of thick carpeting in some of the booths. Good walking shoes are a must.

[mescalero1]

For you guys that are going, could you check on something for me?
Last year Iver Johnson advertised a 1911 style pistol in dedicated .22 long rifle, I have never seen one in the flesh.
Could you check and see if this is a reality, please?

[RSY]

I don't think that the NRA show can compare.

Thanks. That makes the rest of us poor schmoes feel really good. You know, the ones whose wallets bankroll the whole thing?

Scott

[Ray Newman]

I've been to a few NRA shows. I'm not implying or saying NRA shows are not worth attending.

No comparison in my mind between the two. The SHOT Show is a trade show catering to the shooting, hunting & outdoor trade. Vendors come from all over the world to sell their wares to buyers & FFL holders.

The last SHOT Show I attended was this year -- 2008. It was big: attendance: 58,769; exhibitors: 1,950;exhibit space: 715,000 square feet
Source: http://www.shotshow.org/App/homepage.cf ... D=46195116

While the SHOT Show is not open to the public, C&R FFL holders can attend. Or, if you are really good friends, a good customer, etc., of your local dealer, you could attend using his/her FFL. For several years prior to obtaining a C&R, I attend w/ my local dealer. It was sort of mini-vacation @ La$ Vega$. John & I went to the show. Our spouses went shopping @ the local stores & quilting shops.

[RSY]

I know, I know. I'm just giving you a hard time.

If the public were allowed into SHOT, it would be even more of a zoo than it already is and it's whole purpose basically defeated. I've been invited by my local store to attend with them, but wasn't able to. Someday, maybe.

Scott

[Ray Newman]

Scott: I understand what you wrote. If you can ever attend, take advantage of the opportunity. The amount of equipment on dispaly is amazing & you can handle 98% of the displays.

But I actually know a few shooting sports enthusiasts who honestly feel "it's not fair" --their exact wordes--that the SHOT Show isn't more for public....