SHOT Show 2001, Day One
Thursday, January 11, 2001
After one long day at the SHOT Show, it is apparent to me that this thing is considerably huger than I had anticipated. I could not, before today, imagine a series of booths and displays one mile long, in a hall at least four hundred feet wide. I could not, before, but I certainly can now. Not only can I imagine it, I've seen it - and it's something to behold.
After an unpromising start to the day, including a nice downpour when I first peeked outside and some very bad coffee which I made in my room, things started looking up. I met a few fellow attendees on the shuttle from my hotel to the ferry, which is always a good thing. As the ferry chugged its way across the Mighty Mississip', I chatted with a couple of guys who had traveled all the way from Israel to attend the Show, and a fellow representing a well-known food seasoning company. What a diverse crowd the SHOT Show draws! I even met a fellow hunter from Wisconsin who was attending a neighboring convention, who lamented that he was at the wrong show. I can't blame him - SHOT has something for everyone who loves to hunt and shoot - and a whole lot of good stuff for those of us who love to do both!
It was apparent from the first that this was big - very big. Huge does not cover it. Gigantic, I found out, is not an exaggeration. As I started my rounds, I began to feel like I was accomplishing quite a bit - until I headed for booth 6949 to meet a fellow outdoor writer with whom I've been corresponding, Gordon Hutchinson of Louisiana Sportsman. I then recognized that I was still very close to where I had begun, and that the rows of booths were numbered consecutively, 50-60 feet apart. As I made the trek from the 1600 row to the 6900 row, I realized that there was around a half-mile of walking involved - a journey complicated and often interrupted by the many interesting displays, and the fine folks in them with whom I chatted along the way.
I saw Realtree girls in skimpy camo, a guy in rubber boots bicycling along the sidewalk in front of the building toting a plastic bag (fresh crayfish?), one very duded-up cowboy daintily (and looking very out-of-character) dabbing his mouth with a napkin at the lunch concession, numerous suit-and-tie types buying various goods, and some very smart and savvy ladies at the Barnes Bullet booth (I didn't see a man working there at all, and these gals are definitely not window-dressing - they know hunting and shooting!).
To give you an idea of the array of info available at the Show, here is a picture of my very well-packed hand cart at day's end:
Now how the heck do I get all this stuff home?
I am praying that this will be the largest haul, as I had a heckuva time packing my bags just to get here, and only brought one extra bag to take all this stuff back in.
The good news: I'm finding many answers to your requests. The bad news: I really don't think four days will be enough to cover everything in the Show. Thank God for press kits, which let me do some of my research after I get home! More, probably much more, will definitely be forthcoming here on the site after the trip... there's the new 300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) for one thing - 300 Winchester Magnum velocities from a .308 Winchester-length case, using less powder than the 300 Win Mag! Stay tuned for more...
Until tomorrow,
Russ Chastain
Related
features:
Shot Show
Index
Shot Show, Here
I Come! - I'm getting ready to head to New Orleans to see what's
new for hunters & shooters.
New Orleans,
Here I am - I have arrived safely in the Big Easy, ready to cover
the biggest hunting and shooting trade show there is.
SHOT Show
2001 Pics - Some photos of the convention center and a few of
the larger displays.
One year ago this week: Q&A: Hunters & Killing - Some questions and comments from users regarding my "Why do Hunters Kill?" article, along with my responses.
Two years ago this week: Odd Shots I've Known - Some unusual, yet successful, shots on whitetail deer.
