Gander Mountain Academy took one of my favorite concepts to heart for the second year in a row in the Greater Houston Area with their traveling Carry Concealed Expo – educate the people toward understanding.
The Expo in Spring, Texas, was once again a success. Representatives from CZ, Remington, Glock, Smith & Wesson, Taurus, 5.11, Winchester ammunition, Crimson-Trace, and a few other vendors were on hand to educate consumers about their products. They were all helpful and knowledgeable to a man. Sadly, my favorite holster manufacturer, CompTac Victory Gear, was not present. We had even worn our Comp-Tac gear in hopes of seeing some familiar faces.
This Expo has a rather unique feature – you get try out the handguns with no range or ammo fee. This has proved to be extremely popular with the attending crowd, most specifically my partner in life and handguns. He ran through the line 6 times, trying out 4 handguns and 2 AR style rifles. I did not try any of the guns available yesterday, leaving the range time for him.
The try-it-before-you-buy-it ticket system was simple and streamlined. You picked up a ticket from a vendor for the firearm you wanted to try out, and got in line for the firing range. You handed the ticket to a range master who then retrieved your choice and laid it out with a magazine of five rounds on the firing line for you. You got to try out the firearm free of charge. Gander Mountain’s employees moved quickly and efficiently, keeping the line moving and keeping smiles on customers’ faces.
The swag was nice too. Catalogs were available for most of the vendor products, as well as the usual assortment of pens, stickers, and key chains. No one was stingy, and the crowd was remarkably polite. There were numerous chances to win even more goodies from drawings, including several pistols, a Binelli shotgun, range bags, eye and ear protection, ammo, and activity packages for the Academy.
The customer response was impressive. We arrived at 10am and were headed out the door a little after noon. I would imagine that Gander Mountain had several thousand people through their doors yesterday, and ammo sales may have reached a record high.
Overall, this was a positive experience for both the beginners and the experienced shooters (and bloggers) who came to check out the latest in concealed carry handguns. Watch for more listings for this traveling Expo at Gander Mountain Academy.
-Ann Cathey
(parts of this post were also posted on another site)
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