2011 Shot Show: MAX Attendance

It's hard to find a place to start writing about the 2011 Shot Show.  All of us know that the hunting and shooting industry is big, but I'm here to tell you, the Shot Show is HUMONGOUS!!!

This year was the 50th anniversary of the Shot Show and it is the largest and most recognized hunting & shooting show in the world.  In fact, it is in top 10 of the largest trade shows on the planet! 

The Shot Show is an industry show and is not open to the public.  It's the show where a lot of yearly deals are made between the manufacturers and dealers and distributors across the country and around the world.  There is almost nothing for sale that you can walk out the door with.

I've attended the past two years to build relationships between MAX and the manufacturers, it's the place for me to meet the decision makers such as PR and marketing people, and most importantly, the CEO's & owners are on hand.

Shot is also a place to meet celebraties from our industry.  This week I was privileged to meet Chuck Mawhinney, Vincent Hancock and Jon Michael McGarth.

Chuck was credited with 103 confirmed NVA-VC kills and 216 probables as a Marine Sniper.  Having met Carlos Hathcock many years ago, I can now say I've met two of the most famous Snipers in the World and both are American Heroes.

I was also on-hand to meet two fine young men like Vincent Hancock and Jon Michael McGrath.  Both are true world class trap & skeet shooters.  Vincent is an Olympic Gold Medalist and holds other world and national titles.  Jon Michael currently holds 19 (NINETEEN!) World Skeet titles and 9 National titles!

These two very fine young men are not just great competitors, they are now using their status to work with youth through the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Mississippi, POMA, Brownells , Alpen & Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation Breakfast which was held at the Venetian Hotel.  It was great to see old friends like Lisa Methany of Outdoor Inspirations 

and to meet new ones like Matt Buckingham of Brownells

and Doug Gilmer of Gilmer Outdoors.

Catching up (and having lunch with) great friends who live across the country is a bonus, like Kevin Reese of Just-Hunt.com 

and finally putting faces to people we've talked to on the phone a million times, like John Phillips of Night Hawk Publications 

is really a bonus to attending this show.

Another fun part of the Shot Show is it's location:  Las Vegas, NV. 

So after hitting the floor hard each day for 8 hours, meeting and greeting so we can pass on information to the muzzleloading consumer on new products and upgrades on old ones, we hit the Strip!  After all, what's the fun of "all work and no play"...

So after the show closed each night we explored Vegas.  Kathy (my wife) had never been to Vegas before and we both had a great time, almost like a second honeymoon!

This is actually a photo of us at The Sportsmans Channel Awards Banquet, what a blast that was!!

I'll close this article letting you know that we met some great people and will share more about that over the next few weeks.  The two big ones to look for in upcoming posts will be some in-sight into the new Knight Rifles and Leupold....there is a lot of good stuff coming from both of these companies!

8 Considerations Before Purchasing a Muzzleloading Rifle Scope

Per my last post, if you think there are multiple options for buying a muzzleloading rifle, then hold on to your hat cause we are about to start talking about optics!

The good news is, there are a lot of GREAT options that won’t empty your pockets of your hard-earned Buck$. These days, there are many companies in the rifle scope business, so it truly does make it hard to decide what to choose. To start with, let’s stay reasonable in what is truly necessary for the effective range of a modern in-line muzzleloader.

All of the data I’ve chosen to publish to date take the shooter out to 250 yards. Now that is a long way. But, 300 yards IS possible with the right set-up, to include the biggest variable: the marksman him -or her- self. If you can’t shoot, no amount of premium equipment will get your bullet on target. But in either case of range, a scope with a max of 9 power is more than enough. Most of my rifles are equipped with 3 x 9 x 40 or 42 mm variable scopes, but a few have less. Like 1.5 x 6 x 44 mm. Some have 30 mm tubes, but most are 1 inch.

A lot of what I’m looking for in a scope is not just what the power range may be, but more in the line of what my field of view is at any given power.

As we all know, the lower the power, the more ground we can see and visa versa. A larger field of view is always more important when the animal we’re trying to get on is not cooperating than when it is. I have always been more prone to want the options that a variable power scope offers, I’m just mindful of not wanting excessive, un-needed magnification due to the field of view restrictions that high magnification comes with.

Something to think about is objective lens diameter. Remember, no scope gathers light, it just transmits the available light that reaches it to your eye. If it’s dark, then that’s what it transmits.

Another consideration: a scope with a 40 mm to 44 mm lens can still be mounted low to the rifle, which promotes better marksmanship skills. More on that later.

In the past, there were not many options in getting quality optics at an affordable price, but that is not the case today. A muzzle loader can get into a nice, more than serviceable piece of glass for around $300. In order to get premium scopes for this money however, we have to get think “outside the box” when it comes to brands. Some of the brands I grew up with were Redfield and Weaver. In the past 20 years, I moved up to Nikon, Leupold and Burris. All of those have always been and will continue to be first-rate brands, but there are some great newcomers to the market.

One is Leatherwood/Hi-Lux. Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics are not new to the scope market, but they may have been overlooked by the general public. Here at MAX, we have been testing two of their scopes since returning from the 2010 Shot Show: the PR 1.5 x 6 x 42 x 30 mm tube and their Multi-Dial 3 x 9 x 40, also with 30 mm tube. I have found both of these to be of very high-quality and very reasonably priced.

Another scope MAX is working with is made by a lesser-known company named Konus. The scope I’ve chosen in this brand is their M30 1.5 x 6 x 44 mm with 30 mm tube, and I have found it to be a first-class scope at a very fair price.

This fall we begin testing scopes from Hawke Sport Optics. We met some of the folks from Hawke at the POMA Conference this year, but have been familiar with them since we started doing business with E. Arthur Brown Co. about two years ago. What I like about Hawke is that they are very knowledgeable about how to get their scope to work with your muzzleloading ballistics. I am really looking forward to putting some of their scopes to the MAX test and I’m sure they are going to perform very well.

I’ve just ordered a scope from Leupold that I hope to have in hand by weeks-end (U.P.S. willing). It’s their 3 x 9 x 40 CDS. I really believe this is going to be the way to go for point of aim - point of impact shooting. How easy does that sound? We will know soon! Reminds me of my Scout Sniper days!

If you go look at some of the scopes I’ve mentioned above, you’ll find they all have something in common. Do you know what it is? I’ll let you do some research on the web for a few days to see if you can discover the mutual correlation. Although I’m sure you’ll figure it out, if you don’t watch for my post in a few days…

Until then, think about the following 8 things while shopping for a new scope:

1. Price Range

2. Power Range

3. Reticule Type

4. Tube Diameter

5. Field of View

6. Point of Aim – Point of Impact Capable

7. BDC Capable

8. Objective Diameter

Getting answers to those 8 questions will be your first steps to saving your hunting & shooting Buck$ while getting the needed results.

POMA Show & Tell Shooting/Field Day

I had to finish telling you about one of the best parts from the POMA Conference last week, and then I’ll shut up about it:  Product Showcase & Shooting/Field Day.

It was so cool!  When I got off the bus, everything was laid out like a big ol spread, ready to go – I was like a kid in a candy store!  I didn’t even know which way to go first (I had this same reaction the first time I went to Cabelas in Sidney, NE!).  And man let me tell you, the industry was well-represented with plenty of products to explore!

With my past history of competitive shooting in the Marines, I headed straight to Remington Arms.  Knowing that Remington has not produced a new 1911 pistol since around WWII, I was excited to get to see a new spin on an old reliable workhorse in the 1911 A1 (R1) 45.  I’m telling you, nothing feels like that in your hand – it’s just the essence of “pistol”.  And just thinking about all the conflicts this thing has gone into worldwide in the hands of our noble service members…. outstanding!

One station I enjoyed very much was Aimpoint.  They have an extensive product line that can cover almost any shooting situation if you are looking for red dot sighting technology.  During my competitive shooting days, I used Aimpoint without any failure and you can expect the same out of any of their current optics.

I enjoyed shooting and was impressed with the derringer from Bond Arms, Inc.  These pint-sized pistols pack a heck of a punch, but are very controllable.  The pistol I shot was a 45 long colt which also holds 410 shot shells.  Beefy & well-built pistols that can handle stout cartridges, they were comfortable to shoot with surprising power.  If you are looking for a gun to go anywhere, this is the pistol for you!

Of course, everyone noticed and enjoyed the Orange Peel targets provided by Caldwell Shooting Supplies, which are just a blast to shoot!  They give great visual shot placement without any high-powered optics, along with totally instant gratification and are just super satisfying to shoot.  (also, they are self-adhesive – no more keeping up with a dang staple gun on the range!!) Of course, Battenfeld also provided rifle rests to the event.  They brought in a variety of models for folks to try, but my favorite is the Led Sled and it’s all we use at MAX.  Man, I just love those rifle rests!

I spent a great deal of time talking to Brad Bonar of Hawke Optics who is extremely knowledgeable in ballistics and how it directly relates to optics.  I can tell you right now, MAX will, without a doubt, be spending some time with these products.  Any company, oriented towards the customer having a quality experience as this one is, is worth some investigation by us!

BPI, owners of the CVA brand, was a station very familiar to me as I’ve just finished filming “MAXimize Your Muzzleloader – the CVA Accura & Accura V2” and am almost done shooting the data on the CVA Apex, meaning I’ve been spending a LOT of quality time with CVA rifles lately.  So I just sat back and watched people enjoy the CVA experience.  This was the only black powder company in attendance at the POMA Conference that I could find, and they were well-represented there.

All in all, it was a great end to a great week, and you can bet MAX will be at the POMA 2011 Conference in Utah next year!

Professional Outdoor Media Association Business Conference

I have just returned from the 2010 POMA (Professional Outdoor Media Association) Conference in LaPorte, Indiana.  Man, what a great week!

I’m not going to give you a big explanation here, you can learn about them from their website, but in a nutshell POMA is comprised of the people  in the outdoor industry that show us consumers the latest trends, big game hot spots and newest equipment.

The week was chocked full of events from the welcoming dinner (the biggest fresh lobsters I’ve ever seen, driven in fresh that day!) to the product showcases (I saw a lot of cool things I’ll be blogging about in the future) to the business seminars to field & shooting events mixed with fun meals & receptions every day (where all the important networking between editors, writers, broadcasters, outdoor sport experts and industry leaders takes place!).  It was incredible!

I was invited to the conference by Brandon Butler of Battenfeld Technologies (owners of many brands, including the Caldwell Led Sled, which if you’ve seen my videos you already know is my MAX choice in rifle rests).  Brandon is a great guy from a great company!  I sure appreciate him introducing me to POMA.

It was a nice surprise to find that Jim Zumbo, a legend to us all in this industry, is just a regular guy – one of us for sure.  I really enjoyed talking to him about some of my favorite articles of his I had read back in my teenage years.  He has always been an icon to the hunting sport and it was an honor for me to say the least.

Tony Smotherman, a member of CVA’s prostaff was another down-to-earth person and a real pleasure to meet.  Tony’s a very experienced muzzleloader hunter and has been for over 15 years.  He is a good authority (check out his blog Travelin' Hunter) and I would consider him a muzzleloading expert you can trust.  We had a great time hanging out together!

Representing the NRA was Andrea Cerwinske, Deputy Executive Director of NRA General Operations, who is doing all of us an outstanding job of protecting our gun rights.  I was glad to hear about the Youth Hunter Education Challenge which is working to replace long-standing hunters & gun owners with the next generation so our hunting & shooting traditions will not become extinct.  It’s important work, and the NRA is working hard for the future of our sport.

Another high point was getting to meet the many staff members from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) another very important institution to our industry.  These folks are a major player in the group of organizations dedicated to protecting our gun rights, our hunting heritage and our shooting sports - these people are an extremely vital resource to us all!  I enjoyed having dinner one night with Bill Brassard, the Director of Communications.  In fact, he’s asked me to submit an article for publication over at their website, so be watching for that in the future!

I gotta tell you a funny story from one of the dinners:  I was standing in line talking to a guy who was wearing a Brownells shirt one evening.  As we spoke, I was telling him that I had used a set of Brownells Gun Smithing screw drivers in my SuperMAX video which, of course, interested him.  As we talked on, I asked what he did at Brownells.  He politely told me that he was the CEO: Pete Brownell.  (duh!)  Pete is a super nice guy, luckily for me!  Ha!

Lastly, the product showcases & field events!  The company representatives were informative to us all about their products and getting to use & shoot the latest and the greatest the industry has to offer was a blast!  The long guns & new optics were not only impressive but fun!  But more about than in my next post!

Just let me conclude this entry by saying that overall, MAX’s experience at POMA’s conference was top-notch.  It was well done and I had a great time, but most importantly, I learned a lot about how to better serve MAX Customers - the Consumer!!