06 Feb

SHOT Show Vegas 2014

Steven K. Ledin,

The Monday night after our Media Day shoot we showered off the dust and smoke, had a nice meal, then got a good night's sleep in preparation for our Super Bowl, the SHOT Show.

The SHOT Show is the country's largest gathering of Gun Monkeys and all related equipment. 1600 companies exhibited on 13 acres, with 67,000 attendees. If you were to visit every booth there, you would have, over 4 days, about 30 seconds at each one. You have to plan your attack accordingly. I usually haul ass and take notes, go straight, turn left, go straight, turn right, and repeat until I see everything quickly. The rest of the time I'll concentrate on going back to vendors that I need more time with. I've been carrying a backpack the last few years, and this year again I used one of our OPMOD TAC Packs, and the size was perfect. I wore my Under Armor Mirage shoes when I could. It's lucky for me because I play with stuff, not paperwork and files like everyone else not in Product Intelligence. My meetings are about product, not money or returns policies.

Sam Yang makes some great repeating PCP lever guns. I have one in .25.

I sure enjoy my Weatherbys!

Colt never rests. I like the new 1911-22 with the accessory rail a lot.

The new polymer-framed Sig 320 had a lot of traffic around it.

Love the Sig 1911-22.

More Sig badassery.

I prefer the Ruger SR22 over the Sig Mosquito or the Walther P22.

Not as much as the Browning Camaro, though.

The performance on the Swarovski ATx modular spotting scope system is out of this world.

Armasight is cutting edge with night vision and thermal units. The new Helios' performance is about as good as it gets. Coming soon.

The above picture will give you a better idea why quality optical equipment costs as much as it does. Incredible.

My favorite Navy Seal badass and author, Dick Marcinko.

You can never guess what kind of vehicles will show up at SHOT!

I came back with tons of new opportunities for OPMOD, and look forward to getting samples of lots of new equipment. I promise I won't be easy on them and to keep you informed.

About Steven K. Ledin

Steve has never not known guns. Before motorcycles, money, or girls, they have always been part of his life. He was tenured as General Manager of one of the country’s largest gun stores and ranges, a buyer in a big box sporting goods store, and is currently OpticsPlanet’s Director of Product Intelligence. He was a US Navy gunners mate, and is an NRA certified instructor in ten categories, as well as an Illinois CCW instructor. He shoots competitively and has hunted from Alaska to Africa. He thoroughly loves life with his beloved wife, Shirley, and their three wildish dogs Tinker, TranRek (pronounced “Train Wreck”), and Crash Almighty. He is a stubborn stage 4 cancer survivor not yet ready to cash in his chips.

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