SHOT Show Archives

This year at SHOT 2018, TruGlo stepped into the riflescope arena by introducing the uber-affordable Intercept Series.  

Crimson Trace is, as they say, the leader in laser sights for firearms.  At SHOT Show 2018, we got a chance to swing by their booth to see what new offerings they have coming down the pike.

It is not often we see a caliber that actually changes the way we think about shooting. Wildcats abound, often with marginal improvement over a factory round at best. There are exceptions, though most calibers fail to catch hold. Even those backed by major players. Several new calibers have been tried in AR-15’s over the past few years, none strong enough to give the rifle new legs. Today, hopefully, that changes.

While the solicitation doesn’t call the PDW by its commercial name, it’s clear the military wants to play with SIG’s new MCX Rattler.

If there is one thing on God’s green Earth that makes my blood boil, it is when paint chip eating retards litter public lands with trash for targets. Not one day have I gone out shooting in Idaho and not seen mufflers or beer bottles left with a pile of shotgun hulls, clear evidence of paint huffing jackassery. I fully realize we will never stop all the stupidity. But my hope is that products like Target Factory’s Complete Target Frame can stop at least some of the stupidity.

Building off a very successful first year, AMTAC launched 2018 with the MANTIS series of suppressors. The MANTIS series is composed of four suppressors. All of them feature AMTAC’s mono-core system and three feature AMTAC’s signature over-barrel design. MANTIS suppressors directly thread to a barrel and are rated for Magnum calibers. Regarding price, MANTIS suppressors start at $799. Let’s take a quick look at the various models that make up the MANTIS lineup.

We got a chance to stop by and see the goons from High Threat Concealment this year, and get hands-on with the new stuff. Earlier in the year, I conducted a full review of a complete HTC belt system, and I was very impressed. These guys make purpose-built for real-world missions. The low vis system [...]

At SHOT Show 2018 was not the first time I have seen the M+M industries M10x International Defense Rifle, but it was worth stopping by. The M10x is a completely new design, and it is certainly unique. To my eye, it looks like a SCAR, AK, and AR got tossed in a blender, and the strong points of each survived to make a new beast.

FLIR is the first name in thermal products having been an industry leader for a very long time. They make products suitable for everything from Apache Helicopters to your iPhone, with prices to match.

Full Conceal rocked the concealed carry market with their folding Glock a few years ago.  It’s a polymer pistol that folds up to be no bigger than a cell phone!  Last year at SHOT 2017, Paul got a chance to see some of the prototypes that showed promise but we’re still not ready for prime time.  Walking [...]

Steiner has long been a leader in military optics and more recently has been establishing a presence in the U.S. civilian market. We had an opportunity to test several models this summer, and the clarity of glass and quality was outstanding. New for SHOT Show 2018, Steiner announced the M6Xi.

Bond Arms has been making quality products for a very long time, most notably derringers that are standard by which all others are judged. Made in Texas, by Texans. Let us not forget that either. This year, however, they have stepped out into magazine fed arena. And the product should have other CCW specialty companies worried.

The Blac-Rac is multiweapon compatible, easy to use, and quick to deploy. With 30,000 units serving law enforcement and military customers around the country, they’ve certainly established themselves as a go-to source for weapon retention systems.

Blackhawk has been making tactical nylon for many years now, so you might think they have done it all. But this year, they still managed to squeak out some new designs, at a price that is right.

At range day, we got a chance to catch up with Night Force Optics, who had the new 1×8 riflescopes on hand. Night Force has been very quiet on the 1x front, for a very long time. This year, however, they have come back strong.

Leupold comes out of the gate this year with a new family of scopes, the Mark 5 models. All of these models will feature 5X zoom capability, starting with a 5×25 and 3.16×16. These scopes were designed with shooter optic interaction as the focal point. SPECS:  Weight: 30 oz. Linear FOV (ft/100 yd) Low — 20.5 Linear [...]

Hornady has continued to dominate the market in ammunition this year, always surprising with incredibly accurate factory loadings. I personally have been very impressed with the 6.5 Creedmoor loadings, including the American Gunner line. New for this year, Hornady has several new options.

Building on the success of the Taurus Raging Bull, this year we were treated to a new revolver built for the hunting market. The Raging Hunter, with all the features a handgun hunter needs.

World-famous hunter Fred Eichler was on hand to fill us in on the details. Fitting, since he had a hand in the development. You can also find a video of Fred harvesting an antelope with a Taurus Tracker in 357 Magnum, at 133 yards. It is always nice to have an expert end user involved in the development of a new gun.

SureFire is the industry leader in flashlights, no question about that. New for 2018, an absolute gaggle of changes across the board.

Hornady is best known for ammunition and reloading equipment, but that isn’t all they make. Over the last year or two, they have also become a major player in the small safe market. The Rapid Safe line specializes in securing home defense guns, ready to deploy in seconds. Last year I did a review on the AR wall lock, a fantastic method of keeping a rifle handy. Never content to rest on their laurels, this year Hornady is releasing the Rapid Vehicle Safe.

We got our hands on the SIG M17 at range day, the actual military model. If you are a P320 fan and or a collector, you are going to want one of these. You could buy a gun that was in the MHS trials right now, or you could by the winner in the spring when the M17 is released for public sale.

There were enough new ammo introductions at the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas to cover ever shooter’s palate, from the long-range warrior to the competitive pistol champion. Several manufacturers introduced brand-spanking new offerings for newly developed cartridges, like Hornady’s Precision Hunter in 6.5 PRC and Federal Premium with the 224 Valkyrie. There’s been quite a few exciting additions for competition shooters, too, with range-friendly loads from Federal and Inceptor that are capable of knocking down steel targets while reducing splash back from projectiles. There was even quite an assortment of new shotgun loads for wingshooters and turkey hunters.

Down at the Kahr Arms booth, we got hands-on with the new hotness. Most of the changes for 2018 were cosmetic, with a healthy dose of John Tiegen signature series guns. These guns feature laser engraved logo’s for his charity, signature, and a very cool Kryptek pattern hydro dip on the frames. A portion of [...]

A suppressed .22 LR pistol is fun, but ultimately a .22 LR rifle is more useful. If you have the spare coins, Gemtech’s MIST-22 Integrally Suppressed 10/22 barrel blows the doors off a normal-sized suppressor.

Over the past two years, it seems as if everyone and their brother has climbed on board the Pistol Caliber Carbine bandwagon.  Not Hi-Point though, it’s old hat for them.

Among the unicorns of handguns, perhaps only the Bren Ten surpasses the .44 Auto Mag in the world of “ Guns that should have made it.” The Auto Mag has a long and storied history, with less than 9,000 total guns produced. It could easily be described as a great idea, poorly executed, with some bad business plans tossed in the mix. It is estimated that the original Auto Mag cost the company $1,000 in losses for each gun that went out the door. The last of the original Auto Mag chambered in .44 AMP was assembled in 1982. In 2015, a new company formed the Auto Mag LTD. Corp.purchased all the rights to the bring it back to the market.

Syntech Ammunition was launched a few years back, specially designed as a high-quality training round. It keeps a lead core, but the jacket is polymer. The bullet is encased to keep any lead on steel contact from inside the gun, eliminating aerosolized lead and overall making a cleaner to shoot round. The construction also reduces splash back from steel targets.

One company that I have a lot of respect for is Gunwerks. Every year at SHOT Show I swing by their booth to check out their latest products and chat with their staff. The Gunwerks staff are enthusiastic, friendly, professional and above else, skilled long-range shooters. This year at SHOT Show, Gunwerks introduced three new carbon fiber stocks; the CLYMR, MAGNUS, and VERDICT.

Smith & Wesson has dominated the revolver sports as long as I can remember, so it is no shock the Performance Center 686 Plus has every feature a growing boy needs.