SHOT Show Archives

If you are going to actually click through on some of these companies from SHOT 2013, Ashbury Precision Ordnance wouldn’t be a bad choice. They are the “in your face” company of long range rifle chassis. We stumbled on APO last year at Media Day at the Range, and as you’ll see from the video, they have an absolutely fascinating line pf products to learn about. The rifle chassis you see here are completely modular and interchangeable, so you can go from a bare bones starter system and upgrade it to the most tricked out model they make. They also have unique features, and many of them are patented. Check out some of the new products for this year. This is a long video, but cool stuff just keeps coming so hang in there and watch the whole thing. Ashbury Precision Ordnance makes muscle cars, that fit on your long range or hunting rifle.

You may have spotted a big black rubber shooting block in some of our recent articles. It is made by this company, Range Systems. We have found it a great replacement for sandbags and traditional cloth and metal rests because you can leave it outside. This SHOT video appointment was an education in the other stuff that the company makes, and it is far more advanced than a simple shooting block. Range Systems makes whole bulletproof rooms for law enforcement training, as well as gunsmith and home range traps, all based on the same thick rubber technology as our humble little range block. Now Range Systems is even making steel target systems, check out the video.

It was 1526 when Beretta was pressed into service producing gun barrels for the Republic of Venice, and the fact the company continues to thrive speaks volumes about its dedication to producing quality firearms. One of the company’s introductions for 2013, the 692 Sporting over-under shotgun, continues that tradition, with an eye toward competitive shooters.

Employing a new style of barrel from the company called Steelium Plus, the forcing cone has been lengthened to 360 millimeters in a 76 centimeter barrel (prior to the development of Steelium technology, the typical forcing cone on competition barrels was only 65 millimeters). The change, according to Beretta, increases performance while reducing muzzle rise and perceived recoil. The 12-gauge shotgun is chambered for three-inch shells.

You may ask, “Who is Meopta?” It isn’t an optics brand that you don’t bump into much when you walk into a big box store, yet worldwide Meopta is considered to be in the top tier of optics, with the likes of Zeiss and Leopold. Meopta is an 80+ year old company based out of the Czech Republic that has made optics and related products for the likes of NASA. Over the last few years, after opening offices in the US, Meopta has gained a reputation in America for building some of highest quality and well thought out optics products in the market. Meopta designs, develops, and builds its own products, including their own reticles, glass, and tubes for their scopes. No outsourcing.
At SHOT, they introduced several new rifle scopes and two new holographic sights. In the video our host Julie Mac takes you through their flagship hunting scope, a 3.5-10 x 44 lightweight big game model that is extremely light and extremely high quality.

A year ago all the buzz in guns was about the Springfield XDS, a six round pocket .45ACP that proved to be a game changer in the concealed carry world. Everyone has asked over the past year, will the XDS be available in 9mm and .40 S&W? For SHOT Show 2013, Springfield answered for the 9mm, and the answer is yes. The XD-S 9mm is the same dimensions as the XD-S .45ACP, but it holds ?? more rounds. We got to shoot the gun today with Rob Leatham, and as little as the .45ACP kicks in the XD-S, the 9mm is even lighter shooting. Check out our Media Day at the Range video with our host, Julie Mac. No word yet on an XD-S .40, but the 9mm is going to be a big hit. Hopefully we’ll get one soon for a full review.

Bullet design is tricky. On the one hand you want to bullet to open up, but you also want good penetration. Add in some barrier materials, like clothing, wallboard, glass and car doors, and the dynamics of how a bullet behaves after it leaves the gun gets a little squirrely. The classic hollowpoint works great in gelatin, but shoot through a jean jacket and flannel shirt into the same gelatin and it will sometimes fail to open up. Law enforcement test ammo in the real world every day, and though many “carry rounds” perform very well overall, they sometimes fail on specific barriers. The FBI designed an Ammunition Protocol Test to address these issues, and this Hornady Critical Duty ammunition was the result. The “heavy duty” bullets are designed to stay together through common barriers, including heavy clothing, drywall, plywood, sheet metal and glass, yet they also open up and don’t over-penetrate. You may be familiar with the Hornady Critical Defense line of carry ammo, and Critical Duty is the next step up for the challenging needs of law enforcement and personal self defense in an urban environment.

In the blitz of demand for Ruger’s polymer pistols, it is easy to forget that America’s gunmaker has the widest line of firearms in the industry. For SHOT 2013 Ruger has introduced three new bolt rifles based on the reliable M77 platform. All three guns have a new heavy caliber muzzle brake from Ruger called the “radial-port” muzzle brake that is said to reduce recoil significantly, and we can’t wait to get one of these guns in to give them a try. The Ruger Guide Gun has an estimated street price of about $900 and is available in several .30 caliber magnums up to .375 Ruger. The new Hawkeye African with the radial-port muzzle brake is available in calibers up to .416 Rigby and is expected to be the same price. Both of those guns have open sights installed, and it appears there will be a left hand in .375 Ruger. The Magnum Hunter is currently available in only .300 WIn. Mag. at $829 expected street price, and comes standard with a Hogue overmolded stock. We also expect a few new Ruger #1 rifles this year, including maybe a .284, but they weren’t ready for the show. There is also a new lightweight American we hope to get to later in the week. Expect an exciting year for Ruger hunting rifles, made in America by Americans. This is a sneak peek with our host Julie Mac from Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2013.

Add this to the old “you learn something new every day” column. If you are wondering what is that strange logo on that Colt, it is the logo of Colt Competition Rifle, and Oregon based company licensed by Colt to make extremely accurate and reliable versions of their AR-15 platform rifles. This was our most interesting story today at Media Day at the Range. These rifles are made with special Colt parts, made to exacting tolerances that are too tight for a military specification M4. Priced from about $2200 to $3500, the guts of the guns, in both .223/5.56 and .308/7.62, are the same regardless of price, and each rifle is hand crafted by one gunsmith regardless of price. The price difference is a function of what components go on the guns, and almost every part you see on these guns, from the forends to the scope mounts, are custom crafted by Colt Competition Rifle in Oregon. No rifle leaves the factory until it is tested on a bag with a human shooter at under 1 MOA using factory ammo, and the laminated target comes with the rifle. Several of the actual competition guns at the show were tested with the inexpensive steel cased Hornady Steel Match. These are real Colts, not just licensed copies, and Colt engineers sign off on all the mods built into these stock rifles from Colt Competition Rifle. This is a really cool story and a pleasant surprise. Check out our Media Day at the Range with our host Julie Mac on a few of the ten models this year from Colt Competition Rifle.

Every year at SHOT Show we try to get to some of the more interesting stuff first, and the Smith & Wesson Custom Shop is always in that bunch. When you think of Smith & Wesson, you usually think of production guns available at just about any gunshop, but the Custom Shop is a whole other thing. If you are of the bent to buy something like a standard Smith & Wesson 1911, then bring it to your local gunsmith to have it tricked out, the Smith & Wesson Custom Shop is meant to save you the trouble of rolling the dice to find a good gunsmith, then potentially getting some questionable advice about Smith & Wesson firearms. Custom Shop guns are hand tuned out of the box. These 1911s even have hand lapped rails and select custom parts. If you plan to compete with a 1911 or you just want the most accurate carry gun that money can buy, check out the labor of love you’ll find at the Smith & Wesson Custom Shop. These guys aren’t just gun nuts, they are Smith & Wesson nuts.

Smith & Wesson re-launched their “E” Series of 1911s this year and they have been very well received in the market. With an MSRP in the $1300 range and street price much less, you get a lot of advanced features in this new 1911 that you would have to pay a gunsmith for with most other guns. These are 100% “nextgen” 1911s, and besides the modern looking fish scale serrations and the accessory rail that many of the guns have, the intereals of the gun appear to have the best of the good of the classic 1911 design, without including some of the bad ideas that have crept into the gun over the years. The Series 80 firing pin safety has been replaced with a titanium firing pin, so rather than block the pin with a problematic safety device, they just made the firing pin too light to set off a primer when the gun is dropped. They have also cleaned up the trigger housing and each of these guns has a hand fit trigger. Is it truly the quality of a $1,000 1911 with $2,000 worth of work as is claimed in the video? Could be, but we hope to see one of these come in the door for some real-world testing. They look to be a really great buy in a 1911, and hey, they say Smith & Wesson on them, so they will retain their value and eventually become collectible. That’s a lot of selling points on a gun that has so many variants and options out there. Check out the video, and please don’t harp on George in the comments. He’s a big, tough, sensitive guy!

This is one of the brands in the Lyman family of products, Pachmayr, perhaps the most recognized name in aftermarket grips. The Pachmayr Grip Glove is an aftermarket grip company’s answer to the one piece polymer grip, one that you wouldn’t think would be a candidate for aftermarket grips. The plastic on a lot of the new polymer pistols is slippery, and even the ones that are as slippery are going to leave a lot of people wanting for something more substantial to grap onto. The ruberized grip sleeve has been around for a while to fill this purpose, but many of them tend to twist and turn as you shoot the gun. We have not had any of these in for review yet, but in general, if there is going to be one grip sleeve that doesn’t do this, it will be a Pachmayr, and we hope to follow up with them and get some review product in soon. Note that the models are gun specific, so they will be much likely to be ergonomically friendly than a “one size fits all” kind of thing. This video introduces three new models into the line, for the Smith & Wesson Bodygaurd, Ruger LC9 and Glock subcompact models.

You couldn’t miss Caracal at SHOT Show 2012. They had a big booth at Media Day, and all of the buses to and from the hotels from the show were wrapped in Caracal artwork. Their booth was downstairs with us, but it was very impressive, and this could be a gun that makes it to the US market this year. At $500, however, it will most likely be a non-starter.

We already saw the new Ambush hunting line from Daniel Defense and these are their new tactial guns. The .300 AAC Blackout round is getting widespread attention accross all of the shooting disciplines because it can be shot as a subsonic, meant for work with suppressors, and a supersonic for .30 caliber ballistics from a small package round. There is also a new Daniel Defense in 6.8 SPC, and some lighter options on their existing popular models. This is an end of the day interview and a little subdued, but you can see that it’ll be a strong year for Daniel Defense.

Scott Mayer pics up a few more interesting products to close out SHOT Show 2012. McMillan CS5, KleenBore, Cleaning Kits, TUFF1 Grips

Ruger’s rifle is a well-loved firearm and enjoys a loyal following for its rugged reliable properties. Many people love the traditional look of a wood stock and blued barrel. It’s also just a light and handy rifle for many as their “truck gun”. And for some, it’s the only legal semi-auto .223 rifle for civilians in states that ban rifles such as the AR-15.

Two videos in this post from Beretta at Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2012. One is the .22LR version of the groundbreaking ARX-160 assault rifle from Beretta, and the other is a sneak peak at the Beretta Nano, a thin little semi-auto pistol for concealed carry that should be a big hit in the market. Beretta is full steam ahead for 2012 with great new products and unique innovations.

Finally nobody has to believe GunsAmerica that the Teludyne StraightJacket is nothing short of a miracle for rifle accuracy over sustained fire. If you read our original article, Ultimate Accuracy Makeover, but didn’t send your gun to Teludyne, you may want to beat the crowds now because they have enlisted the H.P. White testing organization to certify the results, and you can download the PDF of the report.

The Swarovski EL Binocular is considered the product to beat when it comes to clarity, performance, durability, and value. Now Swarovski has added a rangefinder to this legendary product, and for those of us who carry a separate rangefinder and until now a lesser-quality bino, this could be the thing to get us to finally go out and invest in high quality Swarovski binos. This vidoe doesn’t have a lot of information in it so we went fishing around online and found that the 8×42 and 10×42 are 32 oz. and have a 61 degree field of view. The 8x has an MSRP of $3076 and street price just under $2800 and the 10x about $100 more. Investing in a Swarovski Binocular is a big decision for most sportsman, but for an extremely dedicated and loyal customer-base, they are purchase not known for regret. Swarovski optics are truly top of the line. This is a short video and worth watching if you are a serious hunter in the market for a quality binocular. And don’t forget that Swarkovski maintains a facility of over 20 people in Rhode Island, and that their customer service is second to none just like their optics.

Viridian has a nifty new product idea this year. They are called Enhanced Combat Readiness(ECR) holsters, and they have some kind of hold button built right into the holster. You set your light, laser, or combo, and when you put the gun in the holster it shuts off. When you then draw the gun it turns back on, in the configuration you chose, strobe, light on, light off, whatever. Also check out the micro light/laser combo in the traditional Viridian green laser. If you have wondered where to find a holster product for your rail pistol that includes a place for your front rail accessory, this complete package from Viridian is very impressive.

Some products just don’t deserve to stay in the file and closing our coverage of SHOT Show 2012, it would be a crime to not include mention of these incredible bleeding zombie targets we found at Media Day at the Range. Every shooting station at Media Day pretty much had at least one of these extremely unique targets, and they aren’t as cheesy as you may think. Not only do they bleed, they are also designed to “mutilate” with dozens or hundreds of rounds fired into them, so even dumping mags into them is somewhat pleasing as a reactionary target, with ongoing deterioration of the dummy as it slowly gets chewed away.

A first look a the new Rock River 1911 with a polymer frame and machined slide. It feels a little different than a standard steel 1911, but this was just a first look on a prototype gun. At the projected price point of about $800, this new 1911 will be a formidable competitor in the market at that price point, and higher price points. Rock River doesn’t mess around with anything they do and this gun is truly impressive.

Awesomeness is not a word you would think could make it through spell check, but it is actually a word. If there was one product at Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2012, that excelled at awesomeness, it was the modular rifle chassis system from Ashbury Precision Ordnance, or APO. It is called the Saber-FORRST, for Folding Rifle Stock System Tactical. They all don’t seem to fold, going by the catalog, so it is a little confusing. But they sure excel at awesomeness.

This is a very good video on the subject of “what the heck would you want that for” for offset sights on your tactical rifle. At first you might think, like many of us did, that they have become popular just because people like to look like they are going “gangsta” during competitions, by holding their rifles sideways, but that isn’t the case. XS Sights has developed these 45 degree offset sights for both tactical and competition shooters who are using optics with magnification, and who may have to switch between very close and very far targets quickly. At magnification it is very hard to “find” close targets in your scope, and your field of view is extremely compromised, as is your periferal vision, because your eye is focussed into the magnification. In such cases, you can leave your scope at magnification and just turn the rifle sideways to use the fixed sights for close shots. This video is worth a watch if you use an optic with magnification on your tactical rifle.

This Escort line of shotguns from Legacy Sports International is made in Turkey by Hatsan. It seems to be modelled after the Remington 1100 and since the brand has been in the market for several years, this appears to be an extremely mature product. The guy in the video is in one of those Sportsman’s Channel shows that those of us with Comcast, Direct TV, and most other cable/satelite systems don’t get, but he seems to have used the guns in the field quite a lot and believes in the quality of them. Googling around I found no bad reviews of them, and in general all the Turkish guns have been reliable and extremely well received. Hopefully we’ll get a review gun over the coming year and test these guns with a variety of hunting loads. They seem to be worth checking out if you are in the market for an auto-shotgun, and they do make tactical as well as hunting models.

You wouldn’t think that a gun would be made specifically to bang around behind the seat of your truck, to get banged and bumped on who knows what, and to get dripping wet, dirty, and still work, but that is exactly what Savage has done with the new Hog Hunter line of rifles. They aren’t pretty guns, but they aren’t for pretty game either.

The TC Arms Venture is one of the best value in American made bolt action rifles, and this year TC answered the call to make a youth sized version. It has an 11.5 length of pull out of the box and it will be available in .223, .243, 7mm-08 and .308 for now. The barrel is only 20 inches for good balance in a small gun, and it comes with a 1 inch spacer for the stock, so the gun can grow with your child. All of the Venture rifles come with an MOA gaurantee, and we proved this out easily with a rifle they sent us for testing. There is also a new winter camo Venture as well. TC makes a lot of “gotta have it” guns and this looks to be another.

Ultrasonic cleaners have come a long way in the last few years and these new Turbosonics are cutting edge. After a 10 minute cycle you can clean 1300 9mm cases, or 4 pistol frames, and the Lyman solutions have a rust inhibitor in them so you can leave them on steel. All of their concentrated formulas are formulated to clean both the insides and outsides of your cases and metal parts. The coolest thing about this big model is that it has a drain, so you don’t have to dump it out manually, and that makes for an easy to use machine that will be welcome on your bench.

The AR-10 finally is available with a non-proprietary magazine, it takes Magpul P-Mags now. Also some new uppers from Armalite as they charge ahead with a 7.62×39 and 6.8SPC upper for their iconic rifles.

New from Century Arms this year are two 9mm pistols, one a striker fired gun with a decocker, and the other a CZ75 clone called a Stingray. Also a new line of French Sauvestre lead-free hunting ammo, including shotgun slugs in both lead and lead-free, plus a brand new line of new production Zestava Mausers, including a micro-action in .22 Hornet with a detachable magazine. These are commercial Mausers with the side flip safety and a hinged floorplate, and if you look in the video, really nice dark walnut. Century is an ever-present supplier of cool guns nobody else has and we hope to take a look at a few of these this year.