Written by HLRBO Staff|
Last updated
HLRBO will be on the ground in Las Vegas this week for the SHOT Show, which runs January 20–23, 2026. It’s the largest hunting and firearms trade event in the world, though one that most hunters will never attend.
SHOT Show is a trade-only event owned and operated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and it functions less like a public expo and more like a working summit for the hunting and shooting industries.
More than 50,000 attendees are expected, alongside roughly 2,700 exhibitors representing firearms, ammunition, optics, archery, apparel, accessories, mapping technology, and conservation-adjacent businesses.
The exhibit floor spans more than 800,000 net square feet and stretches across more than 14 miles of aisles, making it one of the largest annual trade gatherings of any kind.
A critical mass of attendees elbow in to SHOT Show each morning to see the latest the hunting and firearms industry have to offer
The companies filling those aisles are the same names hunters see year after year in the field. Brands like Browning, Winchester, Remington, Federal Premium, Savage Arms, and Leupold all maintain a presence, alongside hundreds of smaller manufacturers showing products most hunters won’t hear about until months or even years later. HLRBO is meeting with Spypoint, Sitka, MeatEater, Wiley X, Hollow Socks, Hunterizer, YETI, Bushnell, Stone Glacier, Bakcou bikes, and more.
SHOT Show is often where new rifles, loads, optics, and accessories are first introduced, sometimes quietly, long before they reach retail shelves. Before the main halls open, invited media and buyers head outside the city for Industry Day at the Range, where new firearms and gear are test-fired in live conditions. That early access is one reason product announcements, reviews, and industry chatter tend to cluster around winter.
Panel discussions and keynote speeches bring industry decision-makers to SHOT
By the time a piece of gear shows up in a catalog or at a local shop, it has already been vetted, pitched, and positioned at SHOT Show. The event isn’t limited to gear. SHOT Show is also where retailers attend training on regulations, compliance, exports, and enforcement, and where policymakers and industry leaders meet to discuss the economic and conservation impact of hunting and shooting sports.
The show draws more than 2,000 credentialed media members from around the world and supports safety, education, and conservation programs funded through the industry. HLRBO will have an editor and correspondents walking the show floor throughout the week, meeting with exhibitors and tracking conversations about access, technology, and land use.
Our intent isn’t to publish a stream of product hype, but to understand what trends are emerging inside the industry and how they affect hunters and landowners over time.
Most hunters will never walk those 14 miles of concrete aisles, and they don’t need to. But what happens there doesn’t stay there. Over the coming year, HLRBO will report on what we learn inside the world’s biggest hunting trade show, and how those ideas and decisions eventually show up where they matter most, outdoors in the field and in the woods.
