SHOT Show 2012 – Gun Show Reviews

Shooter firing an AK-pattern rifle with a red dot at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

Mounted brown bear and zebra hide inside the Safari Club International trailer at SHOT Show 2012

Vendor tent and display tables at Media Day at the Range at SHOT Show 2012

Safari Club International Orange County Chapter mobile trailer at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

Shooter firing a tan rifle from the bench at the desert range at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

Media crowd gathered at a vendor tent on the gravel range at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

SHOT Show 2012 at a Glance

Dates	Tuesday to Friday, January 17 to 20, 2012
Venue	Sands Expo and Convention Center
City	Las Vegas, Nevada
Show	34th SHOT Show
Attendance	About 61,000, a record at the time
Media Day	Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club
Gun Websites Crew	Eighth SHOT Show in a row for the Gun Websites crew, every show since 2005

SHOT Show 2012 broke the attendance record for the third year in a row, with about 61,000 people walking roughly 12 miles of aisles at the Sands Expo. Concealed carry and .22 trainers ruled the floor: Springfield Armory launched the single stack XD-S, Ruger brought the SR22 pistol and LCR-22 revolver along with the budget-friendly Ruger American Rifle, and Sig Sauer showed the P224. The Gun Websites crew rolled in with the Cop Car on its first road trip and filmed more than 35 videos.

SHOT Show 2012 History

The 34th Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show ran January 17 to 20, 2012, the third year at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. NSSF reported about 61,000 attendees, a new record, and committed to keeping the show in Las Vegas through 2015. Gun sales had been climbing since 2008, and the floor reflected it: more polymer pistols, more ARs in more calibers, and more companies chasing the first-time buyer.

Media Day at the Range opened the week at the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club in Boulder City, where manufacturers set up tents along the berms and let writers and video crews shoot the new guns before the doors opened on Tuesday.

Our Take on SHOT Show 2012

2012 was the year the pocket gun went mainstream. The XD-S put a .45 ACP in a single stack frame, Kimber pushed the Micro CDP .380 and the Solo, and Charter Arms answered with the rimless Pitbull .40 revolver. The .22 LR market exploded alongside it, with Ruger’s SR22 and LCR-22 and a .22 UZI pistol on the range. Plenty of the gear that looked niche that week, from integrally suppressed rifles to PDW conversion kits, turned into whole product categories over the next few years.

The surplus and import corner was still alive too. Polish wz. 96 Beryl rifles, Vz. 58 accessories from FAB Defense and quad stack AK magazines showed how much shooters wanted something other than another AR.

Close-up of the Troy integrally suppressed rifle barrel at SHOT Show 2012

Close-up of a black polymer pistol slide on a display table at SHOT Show 2012

Safari Club International at Media Day

The Safari Club International Orange County Chapter brought its mobile education trailer out to the range, packed with full body and shoulder mounts. A bear, a zebra hide, a bighorn ram and a spotted hyena made it one of the most photographed stops between shooting bays.

Our SHOT Show 2012 Adventures

The Cop Car made its first SHOT Show road trip in 2012, and TheHossUSMC joined the crew for his first show. Modern Marvels aired its gun episode during the show week, and the crew went live from Las Vegas while it was on.

Media Day meant an early start, a long gravel road out to the berms at Boulder City and a parking lot boxed in by orange safety fence. Utility vehicles shuttled people between bays all day, and the Safari Club International Orange County Chapter parked its mobile trailer full of mounted game near the tents.

Utility vehicles shuttling media along the berms at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

Parked cars behind orange safety fencing at the Media Day range at SHOT Show 2012

New Guns and Gear at SHOT Show 2012

New guns and gear the Gun Websites crew filmed at SHOT Show 2012, with links to each video.

Pistols

Camouflage holster with a pistol at a booth at SHOT Show 2012

Revolvers

Rifles

Shotguns

Accessories and Gear

Tan rifle magazine standing on a shooting bench at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

Black AR-style rifle resting upright on a shooting bench at Media Day at SHOT Show 2012

What We Ate at SHOT Show 2012

Media Day lunch came off a giant trailer grill parked between the tents, smoking all morning so the crowd could eat between shooting bays. Inside the show, the crew lived on the usual mix of Sands food court runs and late dinners on the Strip after filming wrapped.