The Labyrinth of SHOT
Each year the hunting and shooting industry meets for an action-packed, whirlwind week known as the Shooting and Hunting Outdoors Trade Show (SHOT Show) where manufacturers have the opportunity to unveil their latest wares to distributors and media alike. This year’s event was held in Sin City. The true sin was the complexity of the layout. Booths were crammed into every meeting room imaginable, and the address system followed no logical pattern. Each floor had a separate map to consult. Stumbling upon your desired location spawned feelings of euphoria similar to discovering lost treasure.
As a member of the media, it was my job to discover products of interest to my readers, namely optics. Without the complex topography it was a daunting task. Adding the layout and hoards of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and media made my quest the Mount Everest of challenges. Questions abound my thoughts: where to begin, who to cover, and the most important question of all – where are they?
It took several days to get what I hope is enough meat to cover my skeleton of an article. Several days of wandering this peddler’s labyrinth gave rise to new discoveries, promising new gadgets, and a plethora of gimmicks.
So what’s new in the world of optics? In a word, nothing. Optics really has not changed significantly in over a decade. The glass, coatings, dimensions, and packaging have all changed, but the premise is still the same. The optics industry seems to be marketing minor changes as major breakthroughs, but I managed to find a few winners.
Fast acquisition and long eye relief is gaining more attention, most likely from the popularity of AR-style rifles. Long-distance glass is still popular with varmint and predator hunters, but big game enthusiasts seem to be leaning toward “African” glass – 1-4X magnification with small objectives and long eye relief. I embrace this approach and have begun searching for one to call my own.
The other interesting trend is for higher range of overall magnification. Let me explain. A typical variable-power scope has an overall magnification (OM) of three or four. This is quickly determined by dividing the highest power by the lowest power. For example, a 6-18X variable scope has an OM of three, and a 6-24X has an OM of four. There are scopes out there with OM’s of five and six. At SHOT I found several scopes with seven. The engineering of these high OM scopes is not easy. A 1-7X or 2-14X is not easy accomplished. While I only found this engineering feat in high-end glass, economy lines are sure to follow. As with most advancing technologies, give it a year or two to be perfected, which is why I’m not naming names just yet.
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Category: Dr Shawley's Blog
