A look back at the best of the best: SHOT Show 2009.
It was a very, very long week. All the home office guys are back in Utah and all our reps have gone back to their territories. Now . . . we’ve had some time to think about the show and decide what was hot and what was not at the Browning booth this year. I think I’ll focus first on the hot stuff. Here they are, not necessarily in any particular order, except for the first one.
1. Maxus. After all the promotions — including the Maxus video on YouTube – most dealers had never seen a Maxus and wanted to size one up in person. The SHOT Show gave literally thousands of dealers that chance. Clearly this was one of the hit products of the entire show. A close-up look and a hands-on going over does not disappoint. The introduction of the Maxus at the Show was not a last minute smoke and mirrors affair. Numerous Maxus shotguns have already been in the hands of gunwriters, duck hunting fanatics and media gurus since last spring’s snow goose season started it off. Guns have been on midwest pheasant hunts and Candian goose hunts. They have even been on a grueling Argentina dove hunt. The Maxus has been shot a lot — we are talking hundreds of thousands of rounds in endurance and torture testing. Many shotgun companies tout their leadership in the autoloader shotgun catagory. This year only the Maxus was on center stage. Our philosophy of excellence comes in a direct linage from John Moses Browning himself. Our competition knows that. I suppose that is why every year engineers from other brands spend literally hours and hours in the Browning booth looking for ideas for their next shotgun or rifle design. Interesting. For us the proof is in the product. The Maxus is the real deal. Click here to read more and to get a quick link to the Maxus movie. For specs click here.
2. Browning ProSteel Tactical Gun Safe. Every so often a great product idea and a perfect point in time aligns. It happened this year at the SHOT Show. The AR-34 F Tactical gun safe is clearly the right gun safe at the right time. Every feature, every rack, every fit and finish, every detail is for the guy with tactical guns. It is not a beginners safe. If you have the goods that need protection from theft and fire, this gun safe excels. If you like the look of black guns, then this gun safe rises to the top. View the video by first clicking here then selecting “AR34 Tactical Safe.”
3. Women’s apparel. As strange as it seems, women’s clothing was moving very quickly at this year’s show. Perhaps we are getting better at it. Perhaps is it Browning’s proven expertise in down jackets. Perhaps the brand has simply become more meaningful to our customer’s entire families. Whatever the reason, this fall you will find more beautiful, stylish, good-fitting and functional Browning clothing for women than ever before.
4. Transitions Series. These were not Shot Show specials but they clearly are the hottest clothing products in the Browning catalog and the entire line for that matter. This system goes beyond layering by giving each layer extreme-technology benefits for maximum comfort, warmth and protection. Selected as the “Best of the Best” by Field and Stream magazine, this entire system raises hunting clothing to a new level. Click here if you want to read more — from an interview with the Browning Technical Clothing product manager.
5. Knives. Browning has always had some great knives for as long as I can remember. But now it seems like good hunting knives are a dime a dozen. Browning, with the help of great knife designers like Russ Kommer, have elevated this catagory to a level of unprecedented high function and high art. The Full Curl Sheep Series is a good example. The knife is extreme “The Best There Is” quality and each one comes with a matching lithograph of one of the four species. Affordable? Yes. Heirloom quality? Yes. Highly functional? Yes. This seems to be the pattern with Browning knives. Each has added value that sets it apart from ordinary knives. You will like what you see. Check out the video taken at the SHOT Show. Choose “Full Curl Knives” after clicking here.
I will add a few more later this week.
Posted: January 21st, 2009 under * 2009 SHOT Show *.
