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Kimber produces some of the finest single-action semi-automatic handguns on the planet, and its
introductions at the 2013 SHOT Show are no exception. A whole new lineup called the Master Carry
Series was unveiled last week, with all three siblings chambered in .45 ACP. The Master Carry Pro
version sports a four-inch barrel and an aluminum frame that shaves its weight down to 31 ounces. The
frame has been rounded in all the right spots to minimize printing and maximize comfort when carrying,
and it comes with Crimson Trace’s new Master Carry Lasergrips—striking G10 panels that employ the
company’s instinctive laser-activation system. MSRP for the Master Carry Pro is $1,568. The other pair
of members in the Master Carry Series have five- and three-inch barrels. Also new for Kimber this year
is a “pocket gun” called the Micro Carry .380, a .380 ACP single action with a 2.75-inch barrel. It tips the
scales at only 13.4 ounces.

Crimson Trace has a hard-earned reputation for building some of the finest self-defense, laser-sighting systems on the planet. The company’s patented, pressure-activated switch located in grips of a handgun seem perfect with their automatic activation during a time of stress, when the simplest tasks become nearly impossible. But, this isn’t the kind of company content to rest on its laurels. Red lasers are fine, but the eyes of man are better attuned to light from the green end of the spectrum. So Crimson Trace’s addition of green Lasergrips to its lineup was natural (pun intended). At 50 feet, the 5 mW laser produces a half-inch diameter circle on target. It may not be larger than that produced by the red laser, but it’s certainly more visible in the daytime. They are fully windage and elevation adjustable, power is supplied by a pair of 2032 batteries and the Lasergrips come with a three-year warranty. The Defender Series is also new from the company, and it is tailored toward shooters who are a bit more budget conscious. Activated by an easy-to-find switch, they produce a bright .5-inch red dot at 50 feet, are fully windage and elevation adjustable and come with a one-year warranty. Power is supplied by either a single 1/3N lithium battery, or two 357 silver oxide batteries. The Master Series somehow melds the original Lasergrip versatility into striking-looking G10 or walnut panels. Of course they’re fully adjustable. The power source is a 2025 battery and these come with a three-year warranty.

Delivering a shot at 500 yards accurately is tough, almost impossible without a lot of practice if you’re
battling a full value wind and your rifle is chambered in .223 Rem. Even if you move up to .308 Win.
and need to deliver a precise shot, you need to understand what you’re up against and there’s no
better instrument for doing so than a Kestrel. At first they were considered something of a precision
instrument best left in the hands of competitive shooters as they fought gale-force gusts at Camp Perry,
but today they’ve found their way into the War on Terror. Take a glimpse at the company’s Ballistics
Weather Tracker with Horus Software and you’ll understand why. First it weighs only four ounces.
Second it not only collects critical data, but because it includes the Horus Software, there’s no longer
any need for a shooter to read the data, then input it into a separate PDA to determine a firing solution
. Best of all, it allows the shooter to identify five potential targets, customized by location, declination,
wind, distance and direction, then it continuously plots firing solutions by monitoring key environmental
conditions, even while they change. What about different cartridges, loads and muzzle velocities? Just
enter the data into the Horus software before your next match, and the mini-computer has you covered.

Maturing your gun tastes doesn’t necessarily mean that you go more expensive and more advanced. Cool guns date back to the 1700s, and though you may think that the AR-15 is the ultimate in firepower, in 1836 the five shot Colt Patterson was all the rage. The history of guns is the history of America itself, and thanks to several firearm manufacturers in Italy, we can all visit what it meant to fire a gun from the American Revolution through the Wild West just the way they did, with full power combat loads.

F. LLI Pietta is celebrating your 50th Anniversary making mostly percussion guns from the Civil War era. A few years back they started making cartridge guns as well, in the pattern of the 1873 Colt Peacemaker, and they are heavily involved in Cowboy Action Shooting in Italy as well as here in the US. Several of the guns in our article “A Handgun When you Can’t Buy a Handgun” were made by Pietta (including the engraved Pattersons), and in all the years that those guns have been shot, in and out of SASS competition, not one of them has failed. The finishes have never flaked and the engraving is as sharp and crisp as they day they were made.

This year Pietta has introduced a new enameling in their popular Lemat revolver, which they have made since 1985. If you have never seen a Lemat, it is quite a dandy. Nine .36 caliber barrels surround a roughly 16 gauge shotgun barrel, and the entire thing is the size of a hand cannon. Invented in New Orleans in 1856, the Lemat was carried by several famous Civil War generals, and it has been featured in several movies. Watch the videos we have posted here to see how the artists at Pietta are actually making these works of art.

Also appearing in the Pietta catalog this year is one of their ’73 cartridge guns set up on a “Bridgeport Rig.” This is a belt clip system made for gunslingers in the old west that both secured the firearm and held it ready for quick firing from the belt, no holster required. Don’t know if these are legal for SASS so you’ll have to contact the powers that be first if you intend to use them.

If you rely on an AR or shotgun for home defense, but can’t figure out a way to keep it secure from unauthorized access while readily available if the unthinkable happens, look no further. GunVault has introduced a new secure storage safe that will fit discreetly in most closets, yet the gun is instantly available with GunVault’s patented No-Eyes keypad or fingerprint scanner.

I’d heard all the claims before and, like you, I was skeptical about working scanners and keypads when under duress. No, they don’t put the gun immediately in your hands, and I know for a fact that a single second seems like forever in a life-and-death situation, but I’ve had great success when testing the GunVault’s systems in the past. They are fast and extremely reliable.

Even if you have a gun safe capable of swallowing your entire collect, you might consider this unit for your safe room. Constructed of 14-gauge steel in the body, with 12-gauge steel in the door, the four-foot-tall unit weighs 80 pounds. To ensure burglars don’t simply make off with the entire thing, it is predrilled for securing to the floor. Width is 10 inches and depth is 17 inches, enough to store any tactical shotgun or AR with a 30-round magazine. An interior shelf can hold spare magazines, a flashlight or ammunition.

Several years ago Remington returned to its handgun-producing roots with the introduction of
the R1. This year the company continues to evolve the lineup, adding the R1 Carry to an already
proven stable of .45 ACP-chambered 1911s. Subtle changes, built upon the reliability of a five-
inch barrel, make this handgun more carry friendly than the R1 or R1 enhanced. Bad guys don’t
knock off at dusk, so the R1 Carry remedies target acquisition in poor lighting conditions by
using Novak sights with a tritium Night Sight up front. Speed of presentation is critical, but a
handgun’s sharp edges love to hang up on covering garments at the worst possible moment. With
a de-horned frame and slide, the R-1 Carry minimizes that concern. Purchase in the worst of
environmental conditions is enhanced with 25-lpi checkering on the beavertail backstrap safety
(with memory bump), frontstrap and mainspring housing. Cocobolo grip panels and skeletonized
adjustable trigger provide the kind of look it’s a shame to keep concealed, but the lowered and
flared ejection port and target crown speak volumes about Remington’s dedication to reliability,
regardless of “fashion.” Overall length is 8.5 inches, rate of twist is 1 in 16 inches and it ships
with a pair of magazines–one seven-rounder and a bumper-padded eight-round version. I’ve
never considered an ambidextrous safety ideal for 1911 carry, but it’s there for southpaws.
MSRP is $1,299.

AK fans concerned Mikhail Kalashnikov’s 90th birthday was going relatively
unnoticed got a special surprise from Arsenal at this year’s SHOT Show. Only
500 rifles in the MTK90 Jubilee Series are going to be produced and they are
selling fast, despite a $3,500 price tag for the Silver Edition and $5,000 for the
Gold. Built on hand-selected rifles, the right side of the Silver version’s receiver
has engravings with a silver-colored filling that highlight Kalashnikov’s birthday,
35 years of the AK-74 and even include Kalashnikov’s signature. The trigger,
bolt carrier and several other components of the rifle are also polished to a silver
finish. The Gold Version is virtually identical, except gold coloration is substituted
for silver in the embellishments. Four hundred Silvers will be produced and 100
Golds. With its presentation box, certificate of authenticity and more, it’s a great
way to celebrate this special anniversary. If you’re more interested in an everyday
shooter, the company’s new SAM7R1 is chambered in 7.62×39 mm, comes with
a cold-hammer-forged barrel and a hot-hammer-forged receiver that makes it
stronger and longer-lasting than many of the other AK variants available today.
Prices are running around $1,350. And if you’re ready for an AK pistol, Arsenal
rolled one out at SHOT in the SAM7K. It’s also chambered in 7.62×39 mm, has
a 10.5-inch barrel, hard-chrome-plated bore and chamber and is only 20 inches
long. It tips the scales at eight pounds (without a magazine), but with an MSRP of
$1,199 it’s much lighter on the pocketbook, anyway.

If you’re looking for a tank-tough optic for your AR that’s ideal for 3-Gun or CQB work,
you need to take a look at the new Razor HD Gen II 1-6×24 mm from Vortex. At 10.1 inches
in length, weighing 25.2 ounces, the riflescope uses a 30 mm tube and employs extra-low-
dispersion glass to improve resolution and color clarity. At one power, the field of view at 100
yards is 115.2 feet and at six power it narrows to 20.5 feet. Maximum windage and elevation
adjustments are 110 MOA and the illuminated red dot subtends .5 MOA. Adjustment is .5 MOA
per click. There are 11 different reticle-brightness settings, with off positions between each and
the second-focal-plane reticle uses a single CR 2032 battery for illumination. The company lists
the MSRP at $1,899, but you’ll notice in the video the street price may be less. If you love long-
range work, but realize over-magnification isn’t necessarily an advantage, you’ll appreciate the
new Viper PST 2.5-10×32 mm FFP. With the EBR-1 MRAD reticle in the first focal plane, your
range-estimation problems are solved. Built on a 30 mm tube from aircraft grade aluminum, this
riflescope is also battle tough. This one, however, has a parallax adjustment knob, target-style
turrets for quickly dialing in your dope and features 10 brightness settings for the illuminated
reticle (which also runs on a CR 2032 battery). It weighs 18.8 ounces, is 12 inches long and has a
pretty awesome MSRP of $899. Field of view at 100 yards is 47 feet and 10.9 feet at 2.5 and 10
powers, respectively. Adjustments are .1 mil per click.

Some things are too awesome for words. Thankfully we have a video so you can hear how
quiet the CondorSS really is. OK, I know it’s pneumatic, but this new model from Airforce
Airguns delivers the kind of punch that Lewis & Clark relied upon during its Corps of Discovery
Expedition for food from its air guns. Despite the lack of report, it delivers a .177-, .20-, .22-
or .25-caliber pellet at velocities that range from 600 to 1,300 fps. To put things into perspective,
that 1,300 fps mark exceeds many velocities delivered by .22 Long Rifle cartridges. With the
CondorSS, a variable-power setting allows the shooter to dial up or down as needed and speed
produced will naturally vary by caliber and projectile weight. Power for this single shot rifle
is provided by a rechargeable tank in the buttstock. It comes with an 18-inch Lothar Walther
barrel to ensure accuracy and if you want to really reach out, a bipod can be mounted. With a
two-stage trigger adjustable for position, a rail for mounting iron sights or a magnified optic
and color choices in racy red, blue and black, this non-noise polluting gem is one of the SHOT
Show’s real sleepers. Add the fact that you can come home from work and let some steam off
while punching paper at BB-gun defying distances or neutralize those annoying pests without
your neighbors “discovering,” and I can’t wait to bring one of these babies home. MSRP is $717
to $737, depending on tank-attachment system requested (QD or spin).