[SHOT Show 2020] Fisher Space Pen for Hunters and Shooters

At the 2020 SHOT Show Range Day, I made a point to stop by the Fisher Space Pen booth and talk with Fisher’s national sale and marketing manager Joshua Skidmore. As a writer and lifelong pen nerd, I’ve long known about the Fisher Space Pen. Who hasn’t seen the advertisements in slick magazines over the years? Developed for NASA! Writes in zero gravity!

Well okay, I must admit that I haven’t picked up a paper magazine for any serious reading in quite a while and I acknowledge that many of today’s outdoorsfolk have grown up without that, so perhaps some background is in order.

The claim to fame of the Fisher Space Pen is the pressurized ink cartridge that allows the well-made ballpoint to write without gravity to help make the ink flow. For that reason, it was taken into space on 1968’s Apollo 7 mission and “has been on every NASA manned space flight since.”

In fact, Fisher Space Pen now has its own permanent exhibit inside the Apollo / Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center, which proudly shares our history and products with some three million people a year.

What does that have to do with hunters? A lot. For instance, big game hunters in Georgia are required to record specifics about their deer and turkey kills before they even move the carcass. In other states, there are tags to fill out. And before handy-dandy electronic gadgets for note-keeping, I used a pen on every deer hunt to keep notes for future reference. Problem was, most pens are not to be trusted.

Fisher’s pens are trustworthy — and they are available in a variety of models to appeal to hunters, shooters, and other outdoorsmen.

Aside from that, these pens will write under water or over grease, making them perfect for the workshop and the great outdoors.

They offer a variety of cartridge-shaped pens, albeit not exactly to scale in terms of bullet length. They employ an actual brass cartridge case (available in several calibers) and a brass-bodied reversible pen. The brass cartridge case acts as the pen body and as a cap. Simply reverse the pen to write, and reverse it again to cap the pen.

Here’s a picture of their 375 H&H model.

There’s also a full line of “Bullet” models, which don’t necessarily look like bullets — they’re simply rounded on either end. This is the original “Space Pen” design, which is included in the permanent collection in the New York Museum of Modern Art. The original pen was machined form solid aluminum; today’s versions are chrome-plated brass.

In cooperation with TrueTimber camouflage, Fisher is also offering a camo version of their retractable model.

I strongly considered the camouflage version, because I love camo and the great outdoors. In the end, though, I opted for the Tradesman Yellow model because I want my pen to be easily visible if I drop it while afield. These are marketed towards construction workers, and can be emblazoned with a company logo.

I carried this pen and used it exclusively for keeping notes on business cards and such while walking the SHOT Show floor. True to its reputation, it never failed me. I plan on making this pen a permanent part of my hunting gear, but I think I might have to also get one of those TrueTimber models as well.

Fisher also offers pens for peace officers and firefighters. Both models are matte black with blue or red lines.

All Fisher Space Pens are made in the USA and carry a full warranty against manufacturing defects.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.