Hey channel fans and family! This one is a throwback. Right after I got home from SHOT Show 2022 (red-eye flight, a couple hours of sleep, some time with the girls) I jumped on a live stream from home to unpack the swag bag and talk through the stuff that stuck with me and the things that got overlooked. This is not a range T&E review. It’s my afterthoughts from the show floor and Industry Day at the Range.
A smaller, better show
SHOT Show 2022 was noticeably smaller. Going by the stats I got from CloverTac (I didn’t check them myself, but they sound right), SHOT Show 2020 had around 65,000 visitors and 2022 had around 40,000. Media dropped from roughly 2,500 registered to about 1,200 who showed up, and you could see it in the media room. Some creators stayed home for health reasons, and I get that. Others said they couldn’t justify the cost, and I don’t buy that one: if a company isn’t paying your way, it’s still your job to cover the show. Honestly, the smaller crowd made the whole week a lot more pleasant.
Industry Day at the Range
Quick reminder: the range day is technically Industry Day at the Range, not “media day.” This year the custom-molded earplugs everyone loves were swapped for coupons, which was a bummer. But Peltor handed out ear and eye protection, including Peltor Sport Blast earplugs (pretty good) and industrial Optime 105 hearing protection.
Guns and cans that stuck with me
- DRD semi-auto .338 Lapua – DRD makes the Paratus and the Kivaari, and this semi-auto .338 Lapua Magnum was super cool. It apparently came out a few years ago but never got much attention. MSRP was around $5,500, and if I had the money I’d buy one. Side charging handle too.
- 8.6 Blackout – I thought it was a gimmick until I shot it. Suppressed, it was super quiet, and it felt like what 300 Blackout should have been.
- Odin Works – Lots of precision AR parts, plus a new can that looks like a 9mm can but should work for 300 Blackout and 8.6 Blackout too.
- Bushmaster – Now under new ownership, with a new rifle I’m really looking forward to and a new BM30 suppressor that sounded very good. I expect the pricing to be smart.
- A 13-inch 6.5 Creedmoor – The gun that impressed me most. I hit 8-inch plates at 970 yards with it all day long. Super smooth, absolutely crazy. Let me know in the YouTube comments if you want to see more of it.
- Binary trigger for the Ruger PC Carbine and PC Charger – That one’s on my list, and we might get a Glock version to try in a Zev OZ9.
Optics talk: Arken, Element, Athlon
Arken was great to sit down with. They actually wanted to hear criticism and feedback, which some companies just don’t. Customer service has been their weak spot, and now I have a direct contact there, so if you have a problem I can try to help. On the EP5 vs. Strike Eagle question, it’s the same conversation as Venom vs. SH4: if Arken improves customer service, or if you can live with it, the EP5 kills the Strike Eagle. The field of view is extremely wide and the image is much sharper edge to edge. Athlon, Element, and Zero Tech were all friendly people doing fantastic work. I still think the Element Titan is a wonderful scope for around $800.
Swag bag
Patches from CloverTac (friend of the channel) and guns.com, Fix It Sticks patches, plenty of hats (some I’ll be giving away because I have way too many), and a few hoodies. One cap turned out to be made in China, and that annoyed me.
Is SHOT Show worth it?
From the East Coast, I figure the week costs around $1,000 with a little gambling money. Flights from some Midwest states will cost you more. It’s a huge show: roughly 800,000 square feet of exhibit space and around 2,500 exhibitors. For smaller creators, the real value is the introductions. A friend vouching for you is worth more than any business card or stats sheet, and I try to help as many people in our group as I can with that.
Grab your range gear at slav.li/amazon, and if you want to support the channel directly, join the Slav Guns channel.
Thanks for watching and reading, guys. Keep squatting, and I’ll see you in the next one.
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