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SHOT Show 2026 Recap: Hard Years Create the Best Innovation

January 28, 2026 / 10+ minute read / By Michele Salerno

SHOT Show always hits differently.

It’s not just an event or a week of booths and announcements—it’s the one time each year when our entire industry comes together in one place. Dealers, distributors, manufacturers, technology partners… all having the same conversations and asking the same question:

What now?

Because if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the old way isn’t guaranteed anymore.

2025 Was a Challenging Year. 2026 Won’t Be Easier.

Let’s be honest: this past year was tough. Margins tightened, demand shifted, competition got louder, and the market slowed in ways many dealers could feel immediately.

And 2026 isn’t shaping up to be a simple rebound year. It feels like another year that will force independent retailers to rethink how they operate- how they sell, how they stock, and how they stay competitive.

Hard years don’t reward autopilot. They reward reinvention.

When Times Get Hard, It’s Time to Reset

This is the moment where dealers have a choice: keep doing what you’ve always done, or reset and get creative.

The retailers who win next won’t necessarily be the biggest- they’ll be the ones willing to evolve, sharpen their operations, and find ways to sell more without doing more work.

That was the shift I felt at SHOT this year. A real one.

True Partnership Doesn’t Mean Logos on a Website

One of my biggest takeaways from SHOT Show 2026 is how much true innovation in our industry is being driven by partnership.

The dealers who succeed are going to be surrounded by partners who help them move faster, think bigger, and build what the industry actually needs.

In fact, I had one partner tell me something that really stuck: “most partnerships in this space feel transactional.”

But with us, they said… “It just feels different.”

That’s what partnership should look like: Innovation, together.

GunBroker Precision Pricing: A New Kind of Dealer Advantage

GunBroker is a perfect example of what happens when you go deeper than a surface-level integration and actually create something new.

Precision Pricing wasn’t built as a “feature.” It was built as a real competitive advantage for dealers navigating a market where pricing transparency is no longer optional. SHOT was the first time we were able to launch our new Precision Pricing with GunBroker in a big way and have those in-person conversations, and I can’t tell you how many dealers stopped me to say:

“This is a game-changer for my business.”

That kind of feedback means everything—because it confirms that innovation is landing where it matters most: at the dealer level.

Master FFL: Online Transfers Can’t Stay Manual Forever

Another theme that kept coming up at SHOT was the growth of online firearm sales—and the reality that transfers still take too much time.

Minutes matter, and when you can save 20–30+ minutes per transfer, that’s not just convenience. That’s operational leverage.

Master FFL is helping bring automation into one of the most time-consuming parts of modern firearms retail, and it’s another example of how dealers can sell more while actually doing less.

The Firearms Industry Tends to Move Slowly on Tech… Until Now

I’ve been part of this industry for over 20 years, and for most of that time, firearms retail moved slower than other industries when it came to adopting technology.

But over the recent years, that has changed.

eCommerce feeds and drop ship once felt cutting-edge.
Now they’re standard.
Digital bound books were once the big leap forward.
Now they’re expected.
Electronic 4473s used to require variances and extra hurdles.
Those days are now behind us.

The friction is coming down. The tools are getting better. And the industry is evolving across the board in ways that make modernization easier for dealers.

STORE 4473s IN THE CLOUD

2026 Is the Year of the Suppressor

There’s one other shift heading into 2026 that dealers should not ignore: This is the year of the suppressor.

With new legislation changes and the removal of the $200 tax stamp as of this past January 1st, the momentum is real. Suppressors are quickly becoming one of the biggest growth opportunities in firearms retail this year.

Dealers who have historically treated suppressors as a niche category are now rethinking that. And they should.

This is a moment to diversify, modernize, and lean into what’s about to take off. We’re already knee deep in new work with Silencer Shop because we see exactly where this is headed: Making it easier for dealers to stock, sell, and operationalize suppressors as demand accelerates.

2026 will reward the dealers who move early.

A New Generation Is Modernizing the Family Gun Shop

One of the most exciting trends I saw at SHOT is the next generation stepping in—sons and daughters taking over family businesses and slowly transforming operations that have been manual for decades.

Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s necessary. Automation isn’t replacing the gun counter. It’s protecting it.

Data Is Becoming the Most Underrated Weapon Dealers Have

If there is one thing dealers cannot ignore heading into 2026, it’s the growing importance of data.

The dealers who know what’s selling, what’s not, what’s coming, and what’s changing will outperform the dealers guessing. Industry data like SCOPE CLX from NASGW is becoming vital for smarter purchasing decisions, better inventory turns, and fewer costly mistakes.

INDUSTRY MARKET DATA AT THE POS

Stock Less. Sell More. The Future Is “Just In Time”

Inventory remains one of the biggest pressures dealers feel right now—cash tied up, shelves overbought, slow movers sitting too long.

That’s why the shift toward “just in time” inventory is accelerating.

Distributors like Sports South are pushing innovation forward with Smart Order, where inventory and sales data can help automate replenishment.

The goal is simple: the right products, at the right time, without the overbuy.

PUT REPLENISHMENT ON EASY MODE

SIG Sauer Dealer Locators: The Power of Manufacturer Reach

Another major shift is how manufacturers are becoming traffic drivers. Take SIG Sauer—millions of monthly website visitors. Now imagine those shoppers being directed to independently owned dealers with inventory on hand.

That’s real opportunity. Independent dealers getting visibility they never could have bought on their own, simply by leveraging the brand power of the manufacturers they already sell.

These are the times we’re living in. And this will be available to our dealers this month.

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The Conversations That Stay With You

SHOT is always about technology and innovation, but honestly, it’s the casual conversations that stay with me the most.

I had one dealer tell me they view their Celerant firearms retail system as the central nervous system of their entire business- that not one decision gets made without it.

That stops you in your tracks.

I had another small, mom-and-pop retailer share that since we built out our Account Manager department this past year and assigned them a dedicated point person, it completely shifted their relationship with us.

Not a massive enterprise client. A small retailer.

And one of our largest industry partners told me they are actively walking dealers over to us at the show because we’re the technology vendor they trust—the one they feel confident putting dealers in the right hands with.

Those moments matter—personally—and they matter for where this industry is going.

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Shot Show 2026 | Tom Pulford and Ray Wener

Celerant SHOT Show 2026 | Tom Pulford and Ray Wener

SHOT Show Is Where It All Comes Together

I often hear people in the industry say “this show sets the tone for the year.”

It’s where the industry decides what’s next, and what I saw this year was encouraging: dealers are leaning in, partners are building, technology is accelerating, and the opportunity for independents to compete has never been bigger, if they’re willing to evolve.

If You’ve Never Attended SHOT… You Should

If you’re a dealer who hasn’t made it to SHOT yet, I truly encourage you to.

Come learn. Come share. Come experience the most important week in the firearms industry. Because this industry is changing, and the dealers who show up, adapt, and embrace what’s possible will lead what comes next.