SHOT Show 2018 – Gun Show Reviews

Winchester Model 12 trench gun in a display case at SHOT Show 2018

Auto Mag It's Back sign with a pistol and pile of brass at SHOT Show 2018

Large revolvers lined up on a curved display at SHOT Show 2018

Belt-fed machine gun with a tan receiver on display at SHOT Show 2018

Engraved lever-action rifle receiver at SHOT Show 2018

White van parked at night in Las Vegas at SHOT Show 2018

SHOT Show 2018 at a Glance

Dates	Tuesday to Friday, January 23 to 26, 2018
Venue	Sands Expo and Convention Center
City	Las Vegas, Nevada
Show	40th anniversary SHOT Show
Attendance	More than 60,000 from over 100 countries
Exhibitors	1,660 on more than 645,000 net square feet
Gun Websites Crew	Fourteenth SHOT Show in a row for the Gun Websites crew, every show since 2005

SHOT Show 2018 was the 40th anniversary show, with 1,660 exhibitors and more than 60,000 attendees at the Sands Expo. It was the first year the Gun Websites crew made the trip in the Van. Winchester rolled out its World War II Victory Series, the Auto Mag announced It’s Back, North American Arms filled a display with mini revolvers, and the crew found engraved lever actions, bayonets and a left-handed M-14 along the way.

SHOT Show 2018 History

The 40th SHOT Show ran January 23 to 26, 2018 at the Sands Expo, its ninth straight year there. NSSF reported more than 60,000 attendees from over 100 countries, 1,660 exhibitors on the main floors and more than 645,000 net square feet. Counting the two-day Suppliers Showcase, more than 2,100 companies took part, and nearly 550 new products from 367 companies filled the New Product Center.

For perspective, the first SHOT Show in St. Louis in 1979 had 5,600 attendees, 290 exhibitors and about 51,000 square feet. Forty years later the show had grown more than tenfold in nearly every measure.

Venetian Expo level map with directions at SHOT Show 2018

Floor sign pointing to the law enforcement booths, numbers 20000 to 32600 at SHOT Show 2018

Our Take on SHOT Show 2018

2018 was a heritage year on the floor. Winchester’s World War II Victory Series displays with a Model 12 trench gun, an M1 Garand with bayonet and a 1911 in shadow boxes drew collectors, and the Auto Mag revival brought one of the most famous magnum pistols back into the conversation.

At the other end of the size scale, North American Arms showed its mini revolvers in every finish, and engraved stainless rifles, lever actions with fine scrollwork and revolvers with ivory-colored grips proved there was still room for craftsmanship among the polymer and black rifles.

Our SHOT Show 2018 Adventures

2018 was the first year the crew made the trip to Las Vegas in the Van. The crew included Pink Panther from Gun Channels.com, the Yankee Marshal, Smeggie from Daily Gun Show, Marco, Clover, Ghost and Thumbs from Gun Websites.

Evenings meant meetings around a table with friends of the network, and the white van parked under the Las Vegas lights became the unofficial base of operations for the week.