There’s no shortage of things to do and see at the NRA Annual Meetings—including hearing President Donald Trump speak. A visit to the official website helps in planning and the events listing is a good resource for setting a tentative schedule. Once 80,000 people start to arrive, things could get confusing, even in 15 acres of floor space.
There are some other things you may not want to miss—like drawings, freebies and interactive displays offered by more than 800 exhibitors. Here’s a short list with apologies to the many we overlooked.
At the Brownells booth, No. 1713, a gun will be given away every day of the show. On Friday, it’s a Zev Technologies Glock ($1,800 value), Saturday, a V Seven Light Weight AR ($3,330), and on Sunday, someone will claim an Aero Precision 6.5 Creemoor ($3,600). Sign up at the booth and winners will be announced 30 minutes before the exhibit hall closes.
Century Arms is holding a series of raffles at its booth, No. 723. Winning packages include a fully rigged C39v2 AK-47 rifle, C39v2 AK-47 pistol, Canik Elite Compact handgun and TP9SFX handgun on Friday and Saturday. Each comes with enough gear to make any shooter happy, and all you have to do is enter at the booth (before 4 p.m.) each day to be entered.
Complete a brief survey at Warne, booth No. 1564, and you’ll be registered for a chance to win a Colt Competition CRX-16 Limited Edition with a “Battle Flag” paint job. It comes with gear, too, raising total value to $3,000.
Sign up for Traditions e-mail updates at booth No. 3476, and you’ll be registered for a chance to win one of the company’s Vortek StrikerFire muzzleloaders. The .50-caliber will come with a 3-9x40 mm scope, too.
Volquartsen Firearms is giving away a USA-themed Scorpion pistol. Visit its booth beforehand for details or to register, but do it before Sunday April 30, when the drawing will be held. If you don’t win, you can still pick one up by ordering on the company website for $1,505.
That’s just the giveaways, and this list is far from complete. Of course, if you need some trigger therapy while you wait for you name to be drawn, there are a lot of options. LaserLyte for example, at booth No. 1524, will let you compete against your friends on the company’s Laser Score Tyme Versus Kit. Look for the 53-foot Shoot Like A Girl semi-trailer shooting range. It’s home to military-grade firearms simulation and live archery systems.
Aimpoint’s a little more equal opportunity in its virtual reality experience, designed to fully immerse shooters in dynamic and realistic hunting scenarios. Then there’s the perennial favorite, Pyramyd Air Airgun Range, where visitors get hands-on experience with airguns and secure daily bragging rights.
There’s a lot of other stuff going on in the exhibit hall, including celebrity appearances, reloading seminars and much more. Set a schedule before the doors open, otherwise you could miss something that won’t be back around until next year.
