Blue and FDE: The Trendiest Colors At SHOT Show

By Jacki Billings

That Tiffany Blue is so hot now — at least that’s what gun and gear makers are subtly hinting at as the color dominated the “women’s” arena at SHOT Show this year.

Robin’s Egg, Tiffany Blue, Teal… whatever the specific name, the bright blue color scheme is subtly working its way over the pinks of the past to claim its space as the “it” color for female shooters. Women have long lamented the frilly, nauseatingly bright pink that once coated everything from handguards and grips to guns themselves.

Pink, meant to seem non-threatening and welcoming to women entering the shooting sports, inadvertently turned some women off. The gun industry, in turn, began dialing back the pink. The industry isn’t done dolling up designs though in an effort to grab women’s attention.

Tiffany blue, it seems, is the new pink.

As we walked through SHOT Show taking note of the products advertised to women, we couldn’t help but notice the abundance of bright blue. From handguards to pistols to AR-15s, Tiffany Blue was a dominating force — more so than in years past. Pink, on the other hand, was hard to be found.

Not to be outdone, flat dark earth also seemed to grandstand at the show proving that while black may be classic, dudes still like a little pop of color in their arsenal. FDE is nothing new and the color has infiltrated gear for years, but this was the first time we saw more and more guns adopting the color scheme.

While some gun makers opted to add one or two FDE variants to their catalog, FN made a whole series. Go big or go home, right? The result seemed to be a hit. FN’s booth was flooded with on-lookers oogling the Black and FDE series.

FN wasn’t the only manufacturer churning out FDE goods. High Threat Concealment also showcased its strict black or FDE policy, launching a new holster and mag pouches available in FDE. Everywhere we turned we saw more and more Flat Dark Earth.

If Tiffany blue is the new pink, then FDE is quickly becoming the new black.

We’re interested to see if the blue and FDE trend will continue throughout the year or if the industry will opt for a new color scheme to bring new gun owners in and encourage current gun owners to add to their collection.