It has been several weeks since the end of the 2008 Shot Show. And reports from the Show are that attendance was at an all time high. At least for those who were there. For those of you who weren’t, we hope our coverage of activites at the Browning booth helped you not only feel a part of the show, but also gave you a heads up on the new products for 2008, not to mention the somewhat “secret” Shot Show specials.
So what is a Show Special? These are primarily firearms that are configured and outfitted just for the Shot Show. They are not in the Browning catalog. And, in fact, not every dealer will have them. The dealers that come to the show, or those who have good relationships with their sales reps, order these special guns at the show. Not all dealers take advantage of the opportunity. That is why these guns are sometimes hard to find. It is also why you should begin looking now if you are interested in getting one of these special guns for yourself.
A unique part of the Shot Show Special program is that many of these become among the rarest of all Browning guns with production runs in the hundreds and sometimes even less. This enhances their collectability substantially. That is not a big deal for a guy like me who is prone to “use” every gun I own to the extreme, but if you like to have very unique guns in your portfolio, these could be just the ticket.
This year the specials can be found by clicking here.
On occassion, a version or variation of a Shot Show Special will – by the next year or even in a year or two — find its way to the regular product line and into the Browning catalog. Every so often the Shot Show Special becomes the prototype of a very successful line of products that will endure for several years or longer.
Until recently, very little was written or said about the specials, but we hope this year we have helped by detailing them on our site.
On another note we want to mention our sadness at the passing of one of the great legends of the entire hunting and shooting industry. On February 18, 2008 Grits Gresham died in his hometown of Natchitoches, Louisiana, at the age of 85.
A great tribute to Gresham can be found at the NSSF website by clicking here.
I met Grits a number of times over the years and always felt quite a bit of awe just being around him. Years ago Grits got deeply involved with us in the introduction of the Browning BOSS system. He was on the Wyoming trip where many of the great gun journalists of the time gathered to see Browning’s new innovation for the first time. He gave us a great quote for our launch video praising the BOSS as “A major breakthrough for Browning and a boon for shooters.” That personally meant a lot to all of us who had worked on the BOSS project — both in research and development, and in the marketing. Grits also worked closely on the field testing of the 3 1/2″ Browning Gold. He was always a straight shooter and above reproach . . . and a good friend of Browning. We will miss him.
Photo taken at SHOT Show 2006 Industry Dinner, where Grits Gresham was presented with the first annual Grits Gresham Award for Outdoor Journalism. Photo Courtesy NSSF and Scott Engen.
Posted: February 25th, 2008 under 2008 SHOT Show.
