What will the impact of the 2011 Shot Show be on the AR-15 market?

[UrbanPioneer]

I am early on in the procurement and assembly process of my first AR model firearm. I am not in a rush to complete.

What will the impact of this month's 2011 Shot Show be on the AR-15 market?

Based on your experience, what sort of effects will there be on current prices, availability, new products reaching market, etc?

http://www.shotshow.org/

Thanks!

[Stickman]

SHOT typically has little impact on the market, it is simply a place for manufacturers to announce new products. Many of these products will not make it to dealers for the next year, and some of what is shown is nothing more than concepts.

[TehLlama]

The market is far more greatly affected by outside forces, if anything the plethora of items that manufacturers will be displaying at Shot is a reflection of how those outside forces have really allowed the AR market to burgeon in recent years.

[tac40]

"What will the impact of this month's 2011 Shot Show be on the AR-15 market?"

My 3rd trip to SHOT, a great show place for concepts, displaying current and new products. Last time there, I saw gas pistons, 6.8, 6.5, new mags, rails, the rise of the AR308, knock-offs and cool guy gears. Stick and Teh are right on with their response. The SHOT will be covered by everyone and anyone. You will see some cool stuff and stuff that has been refined. If any impact, it may be the average joe thinking this would be a great thing to get into-shooting sports and tinkering.

[BlackWidow]

I'm with the others as far as impact on the market. But I do see the market going even further into higher accessory sales as folks are working with smaller budgets and finding that building an AR is not so tuff, and a money saver. Will see alot more cheap kits available this year in my opinion. Companies such as Delton are pushing out bargain rifles that are becoming popular with the masses. And what I mean by that is outside those of us here and other forums who are deeply engaged tend to buy the more mil-spec or higher quality items, while Joe Blow on the street is just looking for a cheap way to have that cool looking AR to plink with and call a HD rifle.

I also believe you will see alot of the chinese made products go buh bye this year as well, as more people are starting to feel the need to buy U.S. to better the economy. UTG/Leapers out of Detroit has already moved much of their operations into that area and without a huge price increase either

[aklaunch]

Yeah! My new years resolution was to buy more stuff made right here. I am tired of buying crap products.

[BlackWidow]

We went with all U.S. made right down to our company shirts. Only way to ride!

[rob_s]

It will be the same as every year.

An orgy of new stuff, only 10% of which will actually be available on the market by the time of the next (2012) show.
A resultant flood of posts on the interwebs from people crying that these wonder products are not yet available.
A complete failing on the part of these people to instead invest that money they have earmarked for the new wonder-thing on ammo, magazines, training, and practice.
More picture threads, picture posts, and "build" threads of pristine firearms that are rarely, if ever, you know... fired.

Many of these products will actually be good products, useful products, and will actually be put to use by a very small percentage of the gun-buying public. And thank God for the picture-posters and safe-stuffers as without them those that actually shoot would have to pay through the nose for one-offs and custom made parts. Ecconomies of scale, and the 100 widgets sold to the 1 widget used ratio are the only things that keep manufacturers producing.

Nothing shown at SHOT will drastically change the AR15 commercial market. Nothing. The only drastic change you'll ever see to the market is legislation outlawing them or the US military scrapping the M16/M4 and going with another platform entirely, and even then it will take years for any effect to be seen.

Instead we see small trends. Smooth FF tubes in place of full-rail systems. Smaller and lighter red dot sights. More, and wider ranging, low-power variables (I got an email on an interesting concept that has a red dot up to 3x and then changes reticules to something else after that, kind of neat), marginal changes to magazine construction and capacity, etc. Maybe some new, incrementally better, silencers, grips, etc.

and no amount of gear, widgets, or upgrades will get people out there actually shooting the guns.