Competition
It's my ardent hope that competitive shooting continues to grow. The biggest impediment to this currently is the limited supply and high cost of ammunition, especially .22. Regular competition will make you more competent and confident with whatever kind of gun you shoot, and it's something that most people should get out and do, at least a few times a year.
Psa
I assume you mean USPSA. If so, I hope the sport continues to grow. I also hope that they don't screw up Steel Challenge, as that's currently the best introduction to practical shooting for new shooters available.
Cowboy
Great sport, great folks. I hope it continues to grow in popularity. The introduction of the "Wild Bunch" division was a stroke of genius. The only problems with that sport that I see are ammo costs, and a fairly high barrier of entry with regard to the guns you need. If I ever overcome my self-perception that I would look stupid in a cowboy hat and boots, I'd definitely play.
Idpa
IDPA is suffering from a serious lack of innovation. The sport was originally developed to be a "realistic" form of practical pistol competition. Unfortunately, the rules are currently mired in concepts that were en vogue during the mid-late 1990s, some of which have since been invalidated or overcome by developments in technology. For instance, lasers sights are a common thing to see on carry guns nowadays, but are prohibited in IDPA.
Zoot shoot
Fedoras, suits, Cadillacs, 1911s, and an excuse to buy an Auto Ordnance semi-auto Tommy Gun. What's not to like? I hope the sport is able to find a niche and self-sustain.
Benchrest
No idea.
Silhouette
No idea. Silhouette has been around for a long time, and as a sport it's pretty well solidified.
Skeet
Not going anywhere any time soon, however, I expect it to lose some of its appeal to Sporting Clays.
Etc
I hope 3 Gun, and the attendant media exposure it brings, continues to grow as a sport, not only because it's a metric ton of fun, but also because it helps to legitimize the ownership of the exact kinds of guns that give the anti crowd a major case of the vapors.
Gun development
Handguns
It's my hope that we'll continue to see development in the concealed carry market. Within the next 5-15 years, I would expect to see lasers become common place, along with self-deploying red dot sights, minuscule flashlights with ridiculous lumen outputs and the like.
Revolvers
Revolvers will become mostly the domain of hoary old men. They will continue to hold some niche appeal for concealed carry, big-bore hunting, and those who are interested in making a personal statement.
That said, revos are time tested, and aren't going away any time soon.
Concealed carry guns
See above statement regarding the development of smaller, better, more efficient electronic accessories like red dot sights, lasers, and flashlights.
Hunting guns
Pretty well set as they are, especially for 95% of the hunting rifle market. I would expect there to be some development at the high end towards the use of guns that incorporate computerized optics and sound suppressors, where legal.
Black guns
This is going to continue to be where a lot of things happen. I expect SBRs and suppressors to continue to be popular. I expect that the sale of EBRs will spike every time some idiot politician tries to make a statement about banning them, and I expect their popularity to continue to grow, causing the usual gaggle of idiot antis to continue to stamp their little feetsies in impotent rage.
The great thing about the AR15 is that it's the world's first truly open-source gun, and the endless opportunities for modification and personalization will continue to bolster its popularity.
For the future, I'd like to see a bullpup design that is also as equally open source as the AR15 has become. There have already been some hints in that direction with Giesselle releasing an after-market Tavor trigger, and people figuring out how to get better accuracy by floating the barrels. What's needed next is an entry-level bullpup that can be had for around $1000, that addresses most of the problems that come with the bullpup design, and which the average guy can modify in the same way a kid can build whatever he wants with a set of Legos.
I also expect to see 80% receivers continue to become more mainstream.
Shotguns
A number of designs have figured out how to shove more cartridges into a shotgun, but there's still a lot of room for improvement in the shotgun world:
• Continue to develop guns that are reliable with a wide array of different kinds of shotgun shells.
• Recoil management.
• Capacity of a Kel-Tec KSG in a semi-auto shotgun that is made by someone other than Kel-Tec.
What would I like to see?
A shotgun that thoroughly addresses how to easily execute things like a select-slug drill.
Cartridge design
Bottleneck handgun
These are mostly going to be a relic of the 1990s, unless there's another magazine ban.
Bigbore rifle
No idea.
Caseless ammo
Perpetually ten years in the future. I do hold out some hope for decent polymer rifle and pistol cases, as well as the cased, telescoping ammunition.
Bigbore handgun
No idea.
Small bore development
Would love to see more rimfire ammo on the market.
Shotgun specialty ammo
Probably going to stay as is for the most part, with some niche developments made that fall into both the useful (Federal Flite Control) and gimmicky (that stupid bolo round) categories.
Frangible ammo vs lead
Hate to say it, but I expect non-lead based ammunition to become mandatory, at least in some states, or for some activities like hunting.
Reloading
Might become more popular if commercial ammunition remains scarce.
Nfa bits
SBRs and suppressors are where it's at. Lots of people are going to continue to buy those, and I expect that state-level restrictions regarding NFA items will continue to be eased, at least in most states.
That about cover it?
