If you have been vacationing off the planet, you may not realize that the world’s largest trade show for shooting enthusiasts was held in Las Vegas last week. The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show is one of the largest trade shows in Las Vegas every year.
In pre-pandemic times, 70,000+ shooting industry professionals attend the show where every major hunting and shooting company has booths and displays. This year many attendance was estimated at about 55,000 people.
The show is massive. There are are so many booths that it ends up being somewhere around 15 total miles of aisle space every year. It generally takes me at least three days just to see all the booths.
I attended the show every year for about seven years straight, but haven’t been back for almost a decade.
I like seeing all the new gear and meeting my friends from around the country, but I’ve lost a little of the excitement I once had for new gadgets. It’s truly mindset, skill, and tactics that will get help you win the fight. The gun you carry doesn’t matter all that much. I like cool new guns and gear, just like everyone else, but I don’t care for them so much that I need to spend thousands of dollars flying to Vegas every year to see their inaugural debuts. I’ll buy the new guns I like when all the bugs are worked out of them at least a year after their SHOT Show introduction.
With all that said, I still like seeing new innovations. The new items reported below from a variety of sources on the ground at SHOT are the products I am most excited about. Keep your eyes on these innovations in the coming year.
As always with SHOT show, the release dates on these items are NEVER what the manufacturer promises. Add at least six months to the publicized estimates for when these things will actually arrive on the market.
NEW: Smith & Wesson® No Lock Classic Revolvers
I like the fact that S&W is now making more revolvers without the internal lock. I hope they get rid of this atrocity on all their other guns as well. While the traditional half moon sights look cool and are far better than the skinny front sights that originally came on the model 36, they are almost useless for combat.
I’m even more excited to see Lispey’s resurrecting the Smith Mountain Guns without locks. Finally, Lipsey’s is also releasing a newer version of their undercover revolvers with a titanium cylinder to reduce weight.
For more info about the Lipsey’s collaboration watch SHOT Show 2025: American Fighting Revolver with Bryan Eastridge and Darryl Bolke.
You may also like Primer Peak’s summary of their new introductions.
EOTECH Vudu® 3-9×32 SFP
I really like the idea of an integrated magnified optic and red dot sight. The size and weight profile are excellent. I’m not super excited about the relatively short battery life. I’m also a bit hesitant to recommend Eotech as a manufacturer because I saw so many problems with their red dots when teaching rifle classes 15-20 years ago. I had essentially written the company off. I may have to reconsider that if this optic works well long term.
Mossberg Releases a Slew of Updated Shotguns
In the world of pump shotguns, I’ve always been a huge proponent of the Remington 870. But since Remington’s bankruptcy and subsequent reorganization a couple of years ago, it seems like their quality control has dropped precipitously. I can no longer recommend one of their newly-produced 870s. If you want a defensive pump shotgun, the Mossberg 590 is currently at the top of the heap. I have a 590S with a Vang Comp barrel and a Holosun red dot. No matter what I do, I can’t kill that gun. I’ve never cleaned the thing in more than a year of vigorous use and it just keeps chugging along.
I’m not the biggest fan of magazine fed shotguns, but I’m excited to see how these new Mossbergs work out.
For more Mossberg content, check out Primer Peak’s report.
Aridus Industries Imperium Handguard for Beretta 1301 Shotguns
Adam just sent me one of these to review. I look forward to getting it on my 1301. The heat shield will really help when “short stocking” the gun. For an installation example, see THE ALL NEW ARIDUS IMPERIUM HANDGUARD.
My friend John Farnam attends SHOT every year and posts daily updates. Here are links to his observations:
2025 NSSF SHOT Show, Range Day
2025 SHOT Show, First Day
2025 SHOT Show, Second Day
2025 SHOT Show, Third Day
2025 SHOT Show, Last Day
The “Light Side” of SHOT Show
Some of the trends in weapon mounted lights, and more importantly, a police duty holster that will allow WML attachment without allowing small objects access to the trigger.
How to Install a Red Dot on Your J-Frame: The Shield Arms ROC | SHOT Show 2025
While I have less than zero interest in putting a dot on any of my J-frames, some of you may appreciate this video.
Recoil Magazine’s SHOT Show roundup articles
SHOT Show 2025: Day 1 Roundup
SHOT Show 2025: Day 2 Roundup
SHOT Show 2025: Day 3 Roundup
SHOT Show 2025: Day 4 Roundup
SHOT Show 2025: Day 5 Roundup
SHOT Show 2025 Roundup: Products For Women
For my female readers.
