Eighteen SHOT Shows in, you’d think the “new product” glow would start to wear off.
It doesn’t.
Not when you step into Las Vegas and the whole industry is condensed into one loud, fast-moving week—where the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum become a living, breathing highlight reel of design decisions, manufacturing flexes, and the occasional “wait… how did they do that?” moment. SHOT Show 2026 ran Jan. 20–23 in Las Vegas, split between those two venues, and it felt like the show leaned harder than ever into meaningful innovation—not just cosmetic refreshes.
There were trends, sure. Double-stack pistols still have a gravitational pull. Precision rifle accessories keep getting lighter, stronger, and more modular. Tripods are no longer “nice to have,” they’re assumed equipment. And the line between competition and practical use continues to blur in the best way—because people want performance they can feel immediately.
But my 18th SHOT Show had a few releases that cut through the noise and stuck with me.
Every year, there’s one product that makes you slow down mid-stride. For me, that was the Rideout Arsenal Dragon.
The headline isn’t hype—it’s engineering. The Dragon is designed around speed and sight tracking, including a non-reciprocating optics setup (so the optic stays put instead of riding the slide) via their N-ROC concept, and it’s built to be modular with a 7075 aluminum frame. The whole point is reducing the delay between shots that comes from reacquiring the sight picture, and you can feel the intent immediately: this thing exists because someone obsessed over tenths and hundredths of a second.
Even if you never plan to run a timer, the Dragon is the kind of design that pushes the category forward. It’s a reminder that pistols don’t have to be trapped in the same old architecture forever—there’s still room for truly different ideas.
Tripods have officially crossed the line from niche gear to mainstream necessity—especially if you hunt, shoot positional, run thermals at night, or just want more stability without dragging half your safe into the field.
The Tricer X1 stood out because it’s clearly built from the ground up for shooters, with features like patented hexagon legs, push-button auto-click leg locks, and an anti-folding mechanism designed around real-world use (not studio lighting). It’s one of those products that makes you think, “Yeah… this is where the market is going.”
For years, people adapted camera tripods and tolerated compromises. Now, companies are building support systems that assume rifles, recoil, awkward terrain, gloves, and stress. That’s a good thing.
The Springfield Armory 1911 10-8 Performance Master Class (pictured above) release felt like a nod to shooters who care about hard-use details, not just nostalgia.
Built in collaboration with Hilton Yam of 10-8 Performance, the Master Class line is positioned as a duty-informed, precisely-fit 1911—built on a forged frame and slide, with a forged bull barrel, and offered in multiple configurations/calibers. It’s also tied to distribution through Lipsey’s (as discussed by 10-8), which matters because availability is part of the story now—people are tired of “announced” products that never show up.
There’s a lane for modernized 1911s that don’t pretend it’s still 1978. This one looks like it belongs in that lane.
Let’s talk about the elephant on the show floor: Staccato is the name right now. They’ve earned that heat, no doubt.
But I’ll say it plainly—if you’re only paying attention to Staccato, you’re missing what Phoenix Trinity is doing.
The Phoenix Trinity H2 is the kind of release that makes me want to grab someone by the shoulders (politely) and say, “Look. Over. Here.” It’s positioned as a premium double-stack platform built around Phoenix Trinity’s design DNA—complete with their patented linkless barrel system (as listed in spec sheets/retail listings), and high-end fit-and-finish expectations that put it squarely in the serious conversation.
Here’s my take: Staccato is the brand everyone recognizes. Phoenix Trinity is the brand that makes a lot of shooters lean in and start asking better questions.
And that’s usually where the real magic is.
MDT came in hot this year with products that felt tuned to where modern shooting is headed: more ARCA integration, more modularity, more weight savings, and more support for night hunting and optics-heavy setups.
Their new DRT Chassis System was a standout in that conversation—built from magnesium, aimed at being strong but lightweight, and designed with modern accessories in mind. MDT notes it’s built to support night hunting workflows and includes features like NV/thermal-friendly integration and ARCA-centric design.
And even beyond chassis, MDT’s broader momentum is clear: the ecosystem approach is winning. People don’t want one-off parts anymore—they want a platform that scales with what they’re doing this season (and what they’ll be doing next season).
SHOT Show is exhausting in a way that only SHOT Show can be. It’s a week of constant motion, constant noise, and constant input—followed by the realization that you still didn’t see everything you wanted to see.
But my 18th SHOT Show felt special because several launches weren’t just “new SKUs.” They were statements:
Eighteen shows in, the standard is higher. The audience is smarter. And the market punishes lazy releases faster than ever.
(Photo courtesy of Springfield Armory)
Kevin Jarnagin (KJ) hails from Oklahoma but quickly established Louisiana roots after joining the Gun Talk team. KJ grew up as a big game hunter and often finds himself in a different venture often. His early career had him working with one of the finest PR agencies in the outdoor industry – Blue Heron Communications. Before that, KJ molded the minds of business school students at the University of Oklahoma. Quickly learning he had to grow up sometime, KJ dedicated himself to the outdoors no matter what it took.
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