SHOT Show Archives

If you don’t already reload, it’s a good idea to start. We have some great introductory reloading material here, and online is full of primers to get you going. Most people will start with a single stage press, and even a set of Lee powder dippers, but if you shoot a lot of pistol ammo, that can be really frustrating. I wouldn’t say don’t go out and get a single stage press, but if you want to take yourself and your needs seriously, and you are for now only going to reload straight sided pistol cases, I would invest in a Dillon.

Thompson/Center (T/C) has a long tradition of catering to the outdoor and sporting markets with its innovative and affordable firearms and gear. New this year is an addition to the popular Compass line in 6.5 Creedmoor. The Compass has made a name for itself by offering guaranteed MOA performance at a $399 MSRP. The bolt-action rifle is light and handy and well-designed. And, now it is tapping into the popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor long-range cartridge.

In a time when most companies have outsourced a name brand for accessories, often with less than desirable results, Beretta has always managed to turn out high-quality clothing.

Odin Works has a long history of innovation, and specializes mostly in AR parts upgrades. Handguards to triggers, they do everything. They also were early adopters of 6.5, and have been making a complete Grendel upper for years. This year had some smaller parts in the offerings, but ones you are definitely going to want.

The P3500 is sure to be a hit with the bargain-minded hunters in states with snow geese. The new gun retails for $399 and comes with a 5-year warranty.

This year Nighthawk has teamed up with Doug Turnbull, to add some of his custom finish work to a Nighthawk/Turnbull mash up in the VIP 1 pistol. It wasn’t tactical grey; not even close. Doug Turnbull is legendary for restoring older firearms, and offering a finish to guns like that seen 150 years ago.

Burris makes great riflescopes. That’s not news to anyone. What I’m really excited about is that the XTR II is now available in flat dark earth. The color change is a welcome addition. If you are hunting or in the tactical business, a scope all in black is a pretty big object that sticks out. Painting one is always nerve racking, no matter how well you taped it off. At least with a rifle, if you screw up, you can scrape the paint out of the trigger group.

A professional soldier needs professional tools. This rifle mount system also holds a spotting scope, and matches to a modular carbon fiber tripod by the same company. The whole system goes for a professional pricetag of $1,995.

To learn more about Yankee Overview Need a budget can for your rifle?  Have you seen the new Turbo from Yankee Hill Machine? The Turbo is a tubeless design made from heat-treated stainless steel that measures 6.5 inches in overall length.  With a 1.5625″ diameter and a weight of only 13.5 ounces, the lightweight Turbo [...]

I am much relieved this year at SHOT Show to find out we can all stop dressing in 5.11 pants and carrying bag packs that look like they came off the set of 24. It’s still tactical, but casual like I’m an off duty ninja. Makes sense, right? Innovation from the tactical companies has been all shit that looked tactical, so if you wanted to fly incognito, you bought your stuff at REI. Vertx has been the first to step up and fix this problem, starting with a new line of bags this year.

ATN is well-known for its night vision and thermal gear, and it had some really interesting products on display at SHOW Show 2017. I had a chance to talk with ATN’s Steve Lemonov about some of the more interesting offerings they had on hand.

Following their success with their .22-caliber M1 Garand, Kingston is launching a rimfire replica of the M14 rifle for 2017.

One of the other patterns we saw at SHOT Show 2017 was that of PCC (or “pistol caliber carbines). These have really taken off over the last year, for both home defense shooters and competitors. The adoption of a pistol caliber carbine division of USPSA sport shooting has been a driving force in this market, and it looks like it is here to stay. This year, Rock River Arms introduced a carbine built exactly for this.

New for SHOT Show 2017 was the .45 ACP version of the popular new M&P 2.0 pistol line, as well as several new M&P rifle variants.

To say that Walther has a reputation for quality would be an astounding understatement. With a tradition that spans back to classics like the PPK as well as the P.38 up to modern masterpieces like the P99, Walther is renowned for making great guns. New for this year are two great options: the $399 Creed pistol and the competition-ready Q5 Match.

Have you always wanted to own a short-barreled shotgun but not wanted to deal with the NFA hassle? Well, now there is an easy and simple (and factory-direct) way to do it. The new 590 Shockwave from Mossberg is a 14-inch barreled shotgun that is classified and fully compliant by the BATFE, and does not require a tax stamp for transfers.

To learn more about this knife, check out the . Overview Zero Tolerance’s 0460 really caught my eye at SHOT this year. With its radically curved handle and upswept blade, the knife has a cool Persian influence that is hard to ignore and something one doesn’t come across too frequently in the EDC blade market. [...]

If you ever wanted to make your Mosin-Nagant or Swiss K31 into an optics native sniper or hunting rifle, the accuracy in the guns is generally there, sub-MOA, but you need a rock solid mount, and a good stock. Rock Solid Industries and Bluegrass Gunstocks has your answer.

Diamondback has some .308 ARs that look promising this year, and street price should be under $1,000. They have also updated the DB9 with some new internals, and the DB9 and DB380 will now be cut for Glock sized sights.

Don’t forget to visit the ! Overview Magneto Speed isn’t exactly the new kid on the block, but they aren’t as well know as I’d imagine they’d be because they make a really unique product, a bayonet-style chronograph! That’s right, a chronograph that mounts right below your muzzle, like a bayonet, and measures bullet velocity [...]

One of the true stars of SHOT was the SIG P210, which was re-released in all its glory.

This year at SHOT Show, we got a chance to lay our hands on it. Enter the Colt Combat Unit AR.

We had a chance to visit the Crimson Trace booth at SHOT Show 2017 and see some of their exciting new products. Take a look to see what we found.

One of the biggest changes we are seeing in predator hunting, especially in states like Texas that have relaxed regulations for certain animals, is the growth of night vision and thermals. The consumer is by far the winner in this equation, as the price of technology is driven down by stiff competition. Several companies at SHOT Show offered thermals, but we liked the Pulsar brand ones in particular. We looked at two models, one an entry-level model called the Core and another mid-price one called the Trail.

It may seem that a lot of guns are full of innovation. They really aren’t. We jabber about them and pretend that they are exciting, but at the end of the day, it’s more of the same old stuff. I love the new details and features as much as the next guy, but this guy Brian has introduced some innovation that nobody else out there is even working on. In this video you’ll find a reloading system for all of the .22 rimfires. There is also a DIY percussion cap maker, and a system to reprime Berdan with standard boxer primers. Some of these products are already in house for individual review, but I’ll cover the basics here.

Savage has decided to step into the AR market with its new MSR line (made up of .223 and .308 variants). Savage has always been one of the most underrated rifle brands in my opinion, delivering more accuracy per dollar than anyone else. My first rifle was actually a Savage, a 110 model in .30-06, that delivered half-MOA accuracy out of the box. With Savage in the AR game now, the AR world may get stood on its head.

The concept of Full Conceal starts with the idea that you are somehow better off with a folded in half full sized service length pistol than you would be with a true pocket pistol and extra mags…against an AR-15 and an assailant with a purpose. er, is true never.

The anti-gunners thought they killed ARs in California, but LWRC has found a way to keep them alive.

Since its inception in 2007, the Caracal pistol has been seen as an exotic, foreign-born, wonderment.