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The desert is evidently where it’s at. At least it is in the spring of the year and you are in the Phoenix area. For real, there’s over two million people that live in the Phoenix/Tucson area. There must be some sort of draw to get so many people to huddle together in the middle of the desert (insert leaving California joke here). While I may not understand the subtleties and draw of desert southwest living, I do understand the draw of the outdoors, wherever you happen to hang your hat. An event like this is a wonderful opportunity for a manufacturer or retailer to talk to their customers. In an age where so much of our interactions are so distant and impersonal, a face-to-face event like this is a breath of fresh air and coincidentally, in the fresh air. What more can you ask for?

Spring is right around the corner and not a moment too soon. Granted, here in the South we didn’t have all that hard of a winter.  Yes, in spite of my chin whiskers, winter is not my favorite season– even if it is a mild winter. We’ve had our first taste of spring already.  Actually, we’ve had two waves of spring.  Down here we call them the “Fool’s Spring and the “Spring of Deception”.

Umarex USA is excited to announce the new Umarex Airguns debuting at SHOT Show 2024. The airgun making the biggest splash - literally - will be the new FishR. Based on the successful AirJavelin frame, the FishR utilizes saltwater grade components to open the door to bowfishing for airgunners. Umarex is also bringing several new PCP models in 2024. The new Zelos offers a multitude of customization options for airgunners interested in everything from benchrest shooting to plinking. The Iconix is a new, affordable way to introduce shooters to PCP airgunning. While the proven Gauntlet lineup of rifles get upgraded with features that were most requested by shooters such as a side lever. The all-new Synergis Elite is an underlever with a unique breech design that prevents double loading. The 10–shot RapidMag magazines cut down on the time per shot.

Well the cat is out of the bag at this point. We’ve been in Vegas for the past week along with the entire Shooting Sports industry talking about our new gear that is slated for release this year. We’ve also been jawing with some of our favorite content creators like Airgun Detectives, The Dollar Sportsman, Cory Brossman, Airgun Hobbyist, and Tom Claycomb. It was great, it was loud, it was fun, and it is over.

It is that time of the year again. And sorry for dating myself with the Ed Sullivan allusion. The Umarex crew will be headed out to the desert for the 2024 National Shooting Sports Foundation SHOT Show soon. In case you are looking for a leak on new stuff, I am sorry, but you will have to wait just a little bit longer. I know, such a disappointment.

The new year is here and so are we. We hope all of you have had a great Holiday season and are prepared to embrace the next 10-12 weeks of bitter cold, snow, ice, and generally yuck weather until April and Spring rescue us. We thought this would be a great time to remind you of our Loyalty Points program that we launched late last summer. We’ve been seeing some of those points stack up in our customer’s accounts and that is encouraging.

There is no doubt about it, inflation has affected nearly every aspect of our day to day lives. You need to look no further than the ever escalating costs of housing, food, and transportation– I’ve heard that there’s been as much as a 30% increase in costs across the board for American families.Chances are you haven’t had a 30% increase in compensation during the same time. Things are different in ways but they are the same in others.

Some of you might have already recognized the partial quote in the title. It is attributed to Wyatt Earp and in full reads like this: “Fast is fine, but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry.” While no doubt his statement was intented for gunfighters, the emphasis is obviously placed on those three words after the coordinating conjunction – Accuracy is Final.

It’s a pretty solid tradition here in the south that once all the presents have been opened, the mess cleaned up, and dinner did, then it’s time to go outside and do some shooting. Moping around the house can only go on for so long. The little kids are left with their loud new toys and the big kids get to go outside for some trigger time.

While the Umarex Gauntlet lineup of PCP airguns has been popular with everyone from small-game hunters to benchrest competitors, airgun aficionados asked for upgrades. The most requested change was from a bolt action to a side-lever action