Columns

The first thing I realized at SHOT show this year, was how many firearms companies there are that were new to me. One of these was SAR Arms.

Funny thing is, this company shouldn’t be new to anyone. SAR Arms is the importer / distributor for the Sarslimaz firearms group, who is one of the largest manufacturers of small arms in the world. They are based out of Turkey, and have a 125-year history of making guns of all kinds. They have an extensive line of shotguns, as well as pistols. Some of these pistols are based on the well-respected CZ-75 system. Today, they use state of the art CNC and CAD/CAM systems to make these modern weapons for the world market. Many of these weapons are chosen by Turkey’s military and see time on the battlefield.

When I first reviewed a gun from Kahr Arms in 1995, I was impressed enough with the design, workmanship, and function that I surprised my mother with a Kahr K9 as a carry gun. Ordinarily, getting my mother the right gun is like trying to get her the right pair of shoes, but in this case the K9 went over with great success. At the time, it was one of the smallest 9mm handguns on the market. Its “slick” slide is ideal for concealed carry, and the silky smooth factory trigger pull has to be tried to be appreciated. If there are any qualms, it’s that the K9 is a bit heavy (compact polymer-framed guns were not readily on the market then) and its $600+ price tag (in 1995 dollars) was as much as one month’s mortgage payment. Since then, more states have passed “shall issue” laws. The results are increased demand for carry guns, more carry gun options, and more competitive pricing.

MTM never fails to come up with some clever plastic product I probably would not have thought of and now can’t live without. This year it’s the Cast Bullet Box and Gun Cleaning Patch Catcher. I’m an avid bullet caster and have always kept my supplies of sized and lubed bullets in cardboard boxes. The problem with that is dust always seems to find its way into the boxes and onto the bullets. Granted, the dust is only a minor annoyance, but it’s still an annoyance. Al Minneman who heads MTM, is also a cast bullet shooter. Every year I try to visit him and his fellow competitors at the N-SSA National Skirmishes. They’re good folks, I get to hear about what new things they’re working on at MTM, and we talk shooting.

Stag Arms had two new products at SHOT that are going to take a lot of the guesswork out of self-defense and 3-Gun competition for shooters who want “turn-key” solutions. The 2012 Executive Survivor’s Kit (ESK) is a special project done in partnership with Stag distributor LAN World and specifically marketed toward affluent people who have themselves, their family, and assets to protect during a “survival” situation. The kit is not set up for surviving a zombie apocalypse or an end of the world scenario, but instead for the more plausible scenario of being displaced for a few days by some disaster. I’ll be the first to admit that the whole “Katrina” thing has been done to death, but there never fails to be some new natural or domestic threat to make you realize that you need a gun. With social movements such as “occupiers” who think they’re somehow entitled to “their fair share” of what YOU own, I don’t blame people for being concerned about their safety.

Ballistic armor has become a subculture in the tactical community that most of us know nothing about. But it is one of those things that once you get used to the protection it affords, you don’t want to be without it. For this reason, innovations in ballistic armor have been making it lighter and lighter, and I was very surprised to discover that one of the latest innovations is ballistic armor made of not ceramic, not titanium, and not even kevlar, but, drum roll please, compressed poly, otherwise known as, FANCY PLASTIC, made by Armored Mobility Inc., or AMI

CZ-USA has an extensive line and this year a whole bunch of new guns makes for a good looking year for this smart and affordable line of guns from CZ. The 712 shotgun is adjustable for length of pull. There is a new 1911 for concealed carry, the P07 comes with a threaded barrel, and in forest green. The 455 line of rimfires and a whole bunch of competition designs.

SHOT Show is always an exciting time for us gun enthusiasts, as we wait with baited breath for new models. This year is no different, but Colt did one better, they re-introduced a longtime favorite, while continuing to build on their winning line of 1911-style pistols.

One of the most common questions I get is “What’s a good value-priced riflescope?” Well, that depends on your budget. If your budget is a few hundred dollars, then I don’t see anything wrong with one of Leupold’s VX-I scopes. Add a couple hundred bucks more to your budget, and the VX-II line is a step up without breaking the bank. This year though, Leupold is replacing those lines with improved VX-1 and VX-2 lines, respectively. Typically a manufacturer uses a change like this to implement a price increase, but Leupold’s Pat Mundy says the company was able to “hold the line on price,” and that’s good news for the consumer.

My first experience with any sort of red dot or reflex sight was many SHOT Shows ago when C-More sight owner, Ira Kay, explained how to use one properly. He demonstrated how keeping both eyes open when using the “heads up” screen on the C-More eliminated the perception of looking through a tube, which is exactly what you got with some of the cylindrical sights of that time. He also showed how with both eyes open, you could get the lens front covered with mud, blood or even broken, and still see the dot to aim. I was very impressed, and have owned several dot sights since. For close- to medium-range shooting where hitting the target quickly is the goal, you simply can’t beat a dot.