SHOOTING HUNTING OUTDOOR TRADE SHOW 1979–2017 DAY 4, JANUARY 2 0, 2 017
NEW PRODUCT REPORTS SHOT Daily hits the floor to find the latest airguns P. 14, a rifle with sea legs P. 61, and a .50caliber weatherproof gun case P. 63.
FEATURES
NEWS
With new products and a new team, Final Approach takes off. SEE PAGE 12
Remington’s Custom Shops want your business. SEE PAGE 8
FLYING HIGH
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
OUTSIDE THE BOX
RETAIL MAGNETISM Seirus
Savage went afield to achieve excellence. SEE PAGE 50
goes all out to attract devoted customers. SEE PAGE 64
T H E DA I LY N E WS O F T H E 2 0 17 L AS V EGAS S H OT S H OW B ROUG H T TO YOU BY T H E B O N N I E R CO R P O RAT I O N A N D T H E N SS F
The Power of Passion
K
en Schmidt, former director of communications at HarleyDavidson, began his tenure with the company just months before its near collapse. But he was on board during a storied brand recovery. Schmidt’s passion for the outdoors parallels his love for motorcycles. As the keynote speaker at the NSSF’s Executive Management Seminar, he opened with the question, “Who in this room created a hunter this year?” He then explained the need for every member of the shooting sports to take responsibility to bring one more hunter into the fold annually. “It’s about changing the conversation to how much fun we have as hunters, instead of engaging in the arguments that are against our industry. Let’s talk about how cool it is to shoot a deer, drag it back to camp, and put it on the dinner table. It’s simple: If we don’t bring new hunters into the sport, we will die.” Schmidt pointed to numerous parallels that motorcycles have with the shooting sports industry and warned about the race to the basement. His example included the flat-
screen television market. “Just look at a Toshiba 40-inch TV. Ten years ago it sold for $1,200. Today this product barely breaks $200. So, where did all the profit go? You can buy a Honda for $16,000 less than a similar Harley, but enthusiasts still pick a Harley. That’s the power of passion.” During Harley’s resurgence, Schmidt realized that the company had lost control of the narrative. “The media and everyone else believed Harleys were owned by criminals and the company employed workers who didn’t care about product quality.” In addition, the media had no use for the company or its audience. The narrative had to change, and it couldn’t be done with advertising. “The mindset had to be honest from every single member of the company, while embracing the factory line worker and dealer. Everyone must be on board with a brand that’s committed to passion for the American dream,” he said. “Creating an essence of cool and fun would change the narrative and protect the essence of what the shooting sports industry is all about.” —Peter B. Mathiesen
BLASER’S NEW GUNS FOR WOMEN When Blaser USA went looking for an authority to guide them in their entry into the women’s market, they found Anne Mauro, who was instrumental in designing a line of shotguns for an Italian shotgun company. Blaser’s new line of shotguns and rifles is called Intuition. Mauro, who is also the coach of the University of Maryland shotgun team, has applied her international competition– winning knowledge of shotguns not only to the Blaser F16, but also to a woman-centric version of the R8. Everything in the R8 is modular, and one gun can be configured in 47 different calibers. The stock length, grip, cast, and pitch have been reduced and redesigned to fit a woman. SRP: starts at $3,787. The F16 features assisted-opening, and Mauro says, “The crisp closer is very keen for a sporting clays shooter.” A shorter length of pull, a slight Monte Carlo comb, a smaller radius in the grip, and a low-profile receiver make this 12-gauge well-suited to women. SRP: Sporting, $4,195; Game, $3,795. Booth #15357. (blaser-usa. com) —Barbara Baird
The passion of shooting sports participants must be harnessed to ensure a bright future for the industry.
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