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Some readers and viewers who have been following SHOT Show coverage seem to be underwhelmed by this year’s crop of new products. This is probably because we often focus so much of our attention on guns, and this year there weren’t obviously remarkable gun introductions by top firearms makers.
But there are some very interesting trends playing out in the hunting and shooting world, and those trends were on display at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. So on the second night of the show I sat down with OL’s optics editor Andrew McKean and shooting editor John B. Snow to discuss what they’d been seeing, and hearing, while hanging out with the movers and shakers of the industry. You can listen to the full episode of the podcast here, and see general takeaways below.
The Year of Electro Optics
As both McKean and Snow note in the podcast, this is the year that more optics makers are integrating digital solutions into their products. Notably, Leupold announced its new ballistic solving, laser rangefinding binocular. Vortex has introduced the Talon HD smart binocular along with its compatible ACE ballistic weather meter, which are both part of the brand’s growing Relay system. Then there’s Garmin’s wild new GPS-enabled rangefinder.
Uncertainty in the Ammo and Thermal Markets
While we’re bullish on the optics market, we’re a little more bearish on the ammo and thermal markets.
“Tariffs are absolutely boring a huge hole in [the thermal market], especially the tariffs on China,” says McKean. “There are a couple of companies that have container ships full of fully tariffed thermals sitting offshore, because by the time they sell them, they’re losing money on every sale.”
There have been some interesting ammo introductions this year, like the new 25 Weatherby RPM, we’re seeing more line extensions and upgrades versus fully new products.
Read Next: The Most Interesting New Ammo from SHOT Show
New Guns and Affordable Guns
The Most Interesting New Rifles, Handguns, and Shotguns from SHOT Show 2026
The theme with new guns seems to be affordability. Guns that are more affordably priced include new Retay ACE shotguns, the Benelli M2 upgrade, and the Savage 110 relaunch, among others.
“We’re in a curious time — a sort of a slump in sales for various reasons,” says Snow. “So there’s a lot of good price-point [products] and there’s still a lot of gun companies that are really looking to produce interesting guns at an attractive price.”
Suppressors by Everyone
Lastly, there’s a motherlode of new suppressors on the market. Along with new models, there are also new companies making suppressors. Some of these products are truly innovative, others are truly cheap. And there’s a lot in between. But with the reduction of the suppressor tax stamp, and the proliferation of 3D printing, seemingly everybody wants to get into the suppressor game this year. Meanwhile, bigger names in the business are doubling down, too. Banish introduced 20-gauge and .410 versions of its shotgun suppressor, which debuted in 12 gauge this summer.
Read the full article here
