SHOT Show 2006 – Gun Show Reviews

Dock dog leaping into a pool at an outdoor demo at SHOT Show 2006 in Las Vegas

Booth with a Protect for the Common Defense banner at SHOT Show 2006

Crowd at a booth with rifles on display at SHOT Show 2006

TAPCO booth with rifles on the wall and visitors at SHOT Show 2006

Booth staff member holding an AK-style rifle at SHOT Show 2006

Booth display sign and rifle stock at SHOT Show 2006

SHOT Show 2006 at a Glance

Dates	Thursday to Sunday, February 9 to 12, 2006
Venue	Las Vegas Convention Center
City	Las Vegas, Nevada
Show	28th SHOT Show
Gun Websites Crew	Second SHOT Show in a row for the Gun Websites crew, every show since 2005

SHOT Show 2006 is remembered as the year of the dock dogs, with a big swimming pool set up in the parking lot for dogs to leap into. Inside, the floor was packed with AK and AR-15 accessories, new pistols from Springfield and SIG, and the FN PS90.

SHOT Show 2006 in History

SHOT Show 2006 was the 28th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, held in February at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show is the worldwide annual gathering that unites manufacturers, retailers and every other part of the shooting sports industry to trade, source and learn about the latest products.

A year and a half after the assault weapons ban expired, the market for AK and AR-15 rifles and parts was growing fast. Importers like K-Var and Russian American Armory brought Vepr and Saiga rifles, and accessory makers like TAPCO, VLTOR and Ace stocks filled their booths with parts for both platforms.

View down a busy aisle of the show floor at SHOT Show 2006

Booth entrance with a crowd of visitors at SHOT Show 2006

Our Take on SHOT Show 2006

2006 showed how quickly the modern rifle market was growing. The rifles that dealers could not sell a few years earlier were now the busiest booths on the floor, and the accessory makers behind them were getting bigger every year. It was also a show with something for everyone: dog training, camp cooking, hunting gear and clothing shared the halls with tactical rifles and optics.

Kel-Tec booth with staff talking to visitors at SHOT Show 2006

Heckler and Koch booth with visitors at SHOT Show 2006

The Dock Dogs of SHOT Show 2006

The most talked about attraction of the year was outside. A large pool was set up next to an exhibit tent in the parking lot, and dogs took turns running down a dock and launching into the water in front of a crowd.

Dog leaping off the dock into the pool beside a white exhibit tent at SHOT Show 2006

Dog flying toward the water at the dock dog demo outside the SHOT Show 2006 exhibit tent

Our SHOT Show 2006 Adventures

The crew stayed at a time share a few miles from the show for the week. The days covered everything from Vepr and Saiga rifles to knives, optics and hunting gear, and the camera came back full of photos from every corner of the show.