Handguns are flying off gun shop shelves like hotcakes. If you're planning to buy your first handgun or add to your collection, here are some new options that might trip your trigger.

The world can be a dangerous place. Equip accordingly.

Why would anyone buy a “custom” rifle? Because they want one.

If you do any long-range shooting in the field or at the range, you know how much weather conditions can influence your shots. You also know it's essential to understand how your bullets are flying. Handles those two factors properly and you'll be one step closer to sniper status. The Kestrel 4500 NV Horus ATrag Ballistics shooting meter is a compact tool that might just help you improve your long-range game.

Thompson/Center is now offering the Venture Compact rifle—a handy rifle for youth, women or even grown men if the conditions are fitting. I was there for the introduction of the rifle at the 2013 SHOT Show, and I even got to shoot it.

The 9mm gets a bad rap as a defensive handgun cartridge. You've probably heard all the stories, and if you were around when our military gave up their .45s for 9s, you probably remember the outcry. Our world seems to think that bigger is always better, and the idea of a 9mm (.355 caliber) hole as compared to a .45 caliber hole seems inadequate to many.

Crossbow hunting continues to grow in popularity, so it only makes sense that sight manufacturers meet the demand by introducing crossbow-specific products. EOTech has done that with their new XBow holographic crossbow sight.

I was able to get a closer look at several new hunting rifles during the SHOT Show's Media Day at the Range event this year. One of those rifles is the Browning A-Bolt 3. It's a low-cost, high-accuracy rifle based off the popular A-Bolt.

Imagine more than 61,000 people looking over the wares of more than 1,600 companies from all 50 states and more than 100 countries! All this housed within 630,000 square feet of space. That's almost 120 miles of guns and gear. That's SHOT Show.

Obviously, I didn't see it all. But being the ammunition kind of guy, I found some interesting new loads. The good news is there's something here for everyone. The bad news: With ammo being as hard to come by as it's been, I'm not sure when you'll see this stuff on dealer shelves.

One of the most rewarding parts of attending any trade show is meeting down-to-earth folks who run honest small businesses and create innovative, useful products. At SHOT Show this year, I had the chance to meet Tom and Jerry Black, two salt-of-the-earth brothers from Montana. They invented the WingOne handheld clay target thrower, and you need to check it out.