Media get peek at gun trade advances

Controlled chaos. That is the only way to describe it.

Picture about 25 outdoors media members standing at the shooting line all at once, every one of them waiting for the sky to fill with clay pigeons. Then comes the unmistakable sound of a half-dozen throwers as they wind up and send clay birds flying in multiple directions and angles. Within an instant, and almost in unison, the writers shoulder their shotguns and the pigeons begin to fall.

Bang! ... Bang, bang!

The air fills with the scent of burning gunpowder, empty shot hulls fall to the ground as fast as triggers can be pulled, and here and there you hear a four-letter word as someone acknowledges a miss. Behind the shooting line is a pile of empty boxes that once held numerous cases of shot shells, and nearby is a gun rack where various shotguns wait for reporters to give them a test drive.

That was the scene at the shotgun area during 4-H Media Day, held in conjunction with the recent SHOT (Shooting and Hunting Outdoor Trade) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Media Day provides an opportunity for outdoors reporters to get a hands-on look at some of the shooting industry's newest products and some of those that have been around a year or two.

When it was my turn, I picked up a 12-gauge Benelli Supersport and a box of shells and stepped up to the line. This autoloader comes with a carbon fiber stock and fore-end along with a ported barrel for keeping muzzle climb to a minimum. Inside the stock is a recoil dampening system designed to reduce recoil and make second-shot target acquisition quicker. The gun I picked up provided me the chance to test two products at once because it also was fitted with a Burris SpeedBead shotgun sight.

The SpeedBead is a compact sighting system that uses red-dot technology to give wing shooters a low-profile and lightweight optics choice. It is mounted to the shotgun by sandwiching a metal plate between the receiver and the buttstock. The concept behind the SpeedBead is to help shooters mount the shotgun the same way every time they shoot the gun. There is no magnification, so the red dot -- which is elevation- and windage-adjustable -- and your target always are in focus.

Shooting the Supersport was a pleasure. The gun came easy to my shoulder, and, on second and third shots, target acquisition was quick. It took me a couple of shots to get used to the SpeedBead, but once I felt comfortable, misses were the exception. All I had to do was make sure the clay birds were somewhere close to the red dot before squeezing the trigger, and they turned to powder. Other than that, no changes in my shooting technique were required.

The only thing I didn't like about the Benelli was a slight catch I felt each time I loaded a shell into the magazine. It wasn't enough to make me stop shooting the gun, but it was annoying. As for the SpeedBead, the initial offering will include systems for Remington, Beretta, Benelli, Franchi and Stoeger products. It will retail for about $300.

I also had the pleasure of shooting a Beretta Optima. At first, the 12-gauge semiautomatic felt stiff coming to the shoulder, but I quickly got past that and broke several clay birds. Recoil was minimal, and follow-up shots came easily. When compared with the Benelli, the Beretta loaded smoothly and with little effort. Both guns cycled quickly.

Nearly 400 outdoors reporters attended Media Day, which a cadre of youthful volunteers from Nevada's 4-H program made possible. In return for its efforts, the program received a $1,500 donation, along with targets and other shooting-related supplies that will help with the 4-H shooting program.

Doug Nielsen is an award-winning freelance writer and conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His column is published Thursday. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.