Normally, being greeted by the sound of gunfire isn’t something you look forward to. However, at SHOT Show’s Industry Day At the Range, the sound of shotguns, handguns, rifles, and even machine guns is an excellent welcome party. The Industry Day At the Range occurs the Monday before SHOT Show officially kicks off. Range Day takes place in the shadow of Vegas at the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club. It’s a massive gun range that has completely been taken over by the industry.
Roughly 200 vendors attend the range day in booths, both big and small. You have a wide variety of ranges accessible. Some are geared towards handguns and might top out at 25 yards. Others go out to several hundred yards, and you’re firing rifles with a caliber that starts with .4 at the very least. Plus, on the backside, we have shotguns to shoot clay pigeons. There is something for everyone, everywhere.
It’s massive, loud, and dusty! It’s my favorite part of SHOT Show. I’m encouraged to shoot other people’s ammo for free, which most of us would never turn down.
The Velvet Rope of Range Day
Range Day is an exclusive event inside an exclusive event. Just because you’re approved for SHOT Show doesn’t mean you’re approved to attend range day. From 8:30 am to noon, it’s solely a media event, and you have to be invited by Range Day vendors. At noon, the event opens up to buyers for shooting, hunting, military, and law enforcement services.
Even so, it’s a big event. It’s crowded and filled to the brim with people. You’ll see some of your favorite Guntubers and media personalities, as well as dudes like me scratching notes into our notebooks and patiently waiting in line to shoot the newest handgun, rifle, and shotgun.
It’s my favorite event because I get to shoot, but it’s arguably also the most important event of the entire show. Everything else at SHOT is guns hooked to a table or wall. We can get static impressions at SHOT Show, but the Range Day allows us to get real experience with the newest guns on the market. This gives us the best impression of the gun and allows us to deliver to you the best information we can scrounge up.
With that said, this is my seventh range day, and I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two about how to make range day the best experience possible. If it’s your first time going, I’ve got five quick tips for you.
Pike’s Five Pro Tips For Your First Range Day
Come Early
Come as early as you can. If you’re an invited media member, get on the first shuttle out there. If you’re a buyer, be there at noon on the dot. Take an earlier shuttle if possible. The longer the day goes on, the busier it gets. By the end of the day, some guns ran out of ammo, so the earlier you get out there, the more opportunities you have.
Have a Plan
Don’t get off the shuttle and make it up as you go. Have a plan of who and what you want to see. I typically pay attention to what’s new and hit those booths first. Then, I work on the rest of the booths. My plan typically includes working from one side of the range to the other, and then, after I visit the must-see booths, I hit up everything else.
Dress Appropriately
Vegas in January isn’t always pleasant. I’ve been to Range days where it rains, where the wind never stops, and where it’s just plain cold. Check the weather before going and dress appropriately. That might be a jacket, but if it’s raining, plan to bring extra socks. I also suggest a beanie and gloves, because it can get really cold.
Have A Bag
There is free stuff everywhere. Patches, stickers, water bottles, and even energy drinks and gun cleaning kits. Bring a bag to store it and to store your own stuff. It gets really old carrying your crap from booth to booth while trying to shoot guns.
Don’t Count on Phone Signal
Service often sucks, so don’t plan on having good access to the internet. Usually, there is a WiFi sponsor, but it doesn’t always work. Know the bus schedule, screenshot, download it, and do whatever you need to do that you’ll use your phone for before you hit the range.
Boom, Bang, Pow
Be sure to tune in to Mag Life to get the best updates from Range Day and SHOT as a whole. We’ll be delivering the best coverage out there and covering the show from top to bottom. If you have anything specific you’d like us to check out, hit us up in the comments, and I’ll try my best to cover it.
