Triskaidekaphobia aside, today shouldn't hold any special fear for you….. unless….you're still waiting for your printing to ship, haven't heard if your brand-new show booth is "really" enrollee to Las Vegas, or your exhibition samples aren't complete or you just got a note from your hotel telling you that there's a problem with your CEO's room reservation. If that's the case, welcome (almost) to the 2017 edition of SHOT Show. The torrent of new product announcements continues this morning, and the fact that we've smashed all prior records for pre-SHOT announcements in the wires seems have triggered one of two reactions from readers. Anyone not going is envious of the hundreds of thousands of square feet of new and exciting product that will (you hope if you're in charge of your booth) will be out on display. Those "fortunates" who are going are staring at the hundreds of new product announcements, invitations and celebrity schedules and realizing that given an entire week- with no one else attending, you still couldn't see everything. Several people have told me they're shortening time allocated for meetings and trying to move as many as possible into times just prior or shortly after- the show floor opens. All SHOT Show planning calendars routinely begin with breakfast meetings and end well after the dinner hour. Even after all that, you ultimately won't see everyone you need to see, much less everyone you'd like to see. But you'll see things you didn't anticipate, pickup on some of the show "buzz" and likely find something you hadn't expected to give you the edge you're looking for as a retailer, distributor or even a manufacturer. We've heard from outside observers that the gun industry was going to soften with a less hostile administration taking office. At this point, we're hot hearing anything to support that assertion. Yes, some segments have cooled, but they're still selling. And lessening of demand drives innovation - and price. But there's no sign of one of anyone planning a "race to the bottom" or dumping product. Ultra-premium and custom products will be there next week- it's the one category that seldom booms- or busts because their customers have true discretionary income. But there are also terrific bargains this year. Bolt guns have never been better- or more affordable. Manufacturers have realized that putting tactical-like features (threaded barrels, polymer stocks and minimal rail or attachment systems) on bolt guns - even the new bargain-priced ones- makes sense for hunters and recreational shooters. With the reintroduced Hearing Protection Act back in Congress allowing for the attachment of gun mufflers just makes sense. There are also new accessories and after-market parts coming to market that mean customers that like their current gun but want to jazz it up a bit will have plenty of options to choose from. As we've done over the last few years, we'll be combining our Outdoor, Shooting, and Tactical Wires next week into our SHOT Show Special Editions. Because of the federal holiday on Monday, we'll begin that special coverage on Tuesday morning- opening day of SHOT. But subscribers to those wires will get a single special edition next Monday. It's our annual SHOT Show Special Report on the "Newbies" - those first-time exhibitors. In it we'll be taking a quick top-down look at some of the companies that will make their first foray to SHOT. We'll also provide you a list of all the new exhibitors - along with their booth addresses. We promise it won't be a long and involved read, because many of you will also be headed for the tenth annual Media Day at the Range (which has expanded to the point that it now includes buyers as well), traveling to Las Vegas or frantically working to finish your own exhibits. And we're also going to be doing some frequent posting of images and impressions from Media Day on Monday and the SHOT floor the rest of the week. Those images and impressions will be posted on our Outdoor Wire instagram account (theoutdoorwire). We've already posted a couple of images there- just so you could verify your connection. I'll also be posting some material to via my personal Twitter account @jimshepherd and some live action postings via Periscope (@OutdoorWireGuy). All part of that nearly sixteen-year-old promise: we'll keep you posted. —Jim Shepherd