SHOT Show Archives

From Magnum Research this year, we have a mixed bag of new finishes and new firearms. Good news if you are a collector, the case hardened line has been extended. The 50 AE, 44 Magnum, and 357 Magnum models are all shipping now.

As far as bang for your buck goes, TriStar Arms has established a very good reputation. Way down at the bargain end of the spectrum, the prices are so low that it’s often overlooked by serious shotgunners. At GunsAmerica, we don’t believe you should need a trust fun to shoot trap or skeet, so we dropped by TriStar during SHOT 2018 to check out the new products.

The real surprise of SHOT Show 2018 came from Ruger, and I would argue this for best of the new firearms, and second place contender for the story of the year. Only 224 Valkyrie as a cartridge ranks higher in my opinion, and that is saying something. So Ruger has decided to enter the Pistol Caliber Carbine game, and I am really glad I didn’t spend the last year on R&D for a competing product. Because Ruger is going to sink a lot of ships with their new Ruger PC Carbine.

Oh, those crafty Finns. Apparently not content to just mop the floor with the competition in centerfire rifles, this year have introduced a rimfire called the T1x. How can I be so sure this is a winner since I haven’t shot it yet? It’s simple. The features are insane.

Most of us, at one point or another, have wanted a Tommy Gun. Among the iconic American weapons, it is a stand out just like the 1911 and the M16. Whether we grew up watching Al Capone movies or the Sands of Iwo Jima, this a weapon we remember from our youth. Unfortunately, full auto Chicago typewriters can fetch tens of thousands of dollars, and require that sticky special license. Fortunately, Auto Ordnance has been making civilian-legal versions for some time now.

After several years of development, Kinetic Research Group is finally releasing the SOTIC rifle. At the heart of the SOTIC rifle is a custom action that was designed in-house and offers an end user the ability to quickly swap out barrels.

You may be familiar with the “Kestrel story.” Scores of us saved our money and bought a nice precision rifle and scope. We find a load that groups sub-moa at 100 yards; learn the fundamentals and get proficient out to 500 yards. When it comes to the time when you want to push out to [...]

Optics industry leader Bushnell has an addition to their red dot family for 2018, a successor to the affordable and widely-successful TRS-25: the TRS 26.

Since its inception in 2003, Troy Industries has brought some very innovative products to market. In 2012, Troy began manufacturing military grade rifles that were met with great success. During the 2018 SHOT Show Troy, debuted the TROY Side Action Rifle (SAR).

SHOT Show 2018 has just under 2,000 vendors on site this year, so there’s lots of new long-range shooting gear to see. Better yet, the Range Day outing Monday before the show opens has a 1,000-yard range where some vendors provide the opportunity to try new guns, ammo, and gear. Here are some of the interesting long-range shooting products we found this year.

Over the years I’ve learned exactly how to find all the cool stuff at SHOT Show. Level One is where most of the new companies get space, so it’s where you find all the latest new inventions, guns, and gear. When the bell rings on opening Tuesday, I head straight there, where I spend the entire day wandering the aisles of the basement. Yes, it takes a whole day because the show as a whole is the same size as the Pyramid at Giza and you’ll walk over 12 miles just passing by every booth. Here are some of the cool things I ran across at SHOT Show 2018.

American Tactical’s new mag-well adapter converts your standard .223/.5.56 AR lower to 9mm with no gunsmithing required. The adapter takes standard Glock-style magazines.

This 2018 at SHOT Weatherby, Inc. announced that their time in California has come to an end. Weatherby is moving to Wyoming.

Glock recently announced that they were going to introduce the on the commercial market and buyers could not be happier. The Glock 19X is the pistol they designed for the U.S. military’s Modular Handgun System, or MHS. Ultimately Glock did not win the contract but . Glock’s MHS pistol was more expensive than the competition [...]

RISE Armament, traditionally known for their awesome drop-in triggers premiered their new T121XR rifle at the 2018 SHOT Show Range Day. Building upon the success of the .308 Winchester 1121XR Precision Rifle, the T121XR is an AR-10 patterned rifle that is chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Prepare to have your mind blown. Maybe. The C.A.R.R. backpack has a secret surprise that you need to see to believe.

These are tiny guns with sub-3-inch barrels and short, flat grips. Springfield’s 911 pistols weigh less than 13 ounces unloaded, with the magazines — no small feat for an all-metal .380 build.

Simple, cheap, and very handy. Recover Tactical’s clips allow you to carry spare mags on your belt. No pouch required.

Good job Streamlight! I am going to buy a pair of TLR-8s for my pistol and my fiance’s pistol. These little lights are going to be a fantastic compliment to our Glock 19s.

New from American Tactical, or ATI, is their American Tactical AR-15 Shotgun that shoehorns .410 bore ammunition into a standard AR-pattern package.

In the running for one of the coolest products I’ve seen at SHOT Show 2018 is the Stinger.  A retractable bayonet spike for AR-pattern rifles from American Defense Innovations.  

The look of this knife is that of a no-nonsense industrial tool.  That appearance is created by the anodized-aluminum, matte gray handles and the stonewashed-finished, 14C28N-steel blade.

With over 1,600 exhibitors in attendance showing 7 million pounds of gear, there are a lot of new products for legally armed citizens at the Shooting, Hunting, And Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show. If you choose to carry concealed, you might be interested in some of the new concealed carry gear we found this year. Here are a few items that peaked our interest.

Ruger always as a few tricks up their sleeves and at a price that is right. We will be covering many of the other new products later in the week but decided to start with the new Security 9. Recalling the unwavering durability of the Security 6 revolver, the new Security 9 has a strong name to live up to.

Hiperfire is bringing the heat this year with their new . It’s a top-of-the-line AR Trigger. During range day, shooters during range day couldn’t pull the trigger and not smile. The reset is insane and the light break with virtually no takeup would be ideal for any competition shooter or precision rifle shooter. SPECS: Cam-Over [...]

Ritter & Stark guarantee these rifles to be capable of .5 MOA accuracy. The MSRP of the SLX is $3,635, which at first would appear to be expensive, but when compared to similar European rifles is pretty reasonable.

Deadly force is not always necessary.  Sometimes one needs to subdue a potential threat or de-escalate a situation with less-lethal force.  Enter Pepperball.  A trusted source for restoring law and order for nearly two decades.

One of the most innovative products that I saw during the SHOT 2018 Range Day was the Skoped Vision cell phone adapter from Phone Skope. The Skoped Vision adapter lets you look through your rifle scope like normal, but also allows you to attach your cell phone and record your sight picture. The Skoped Vision unit is compatible with your existing PhoneSkope case and adapter.

Not only are the new Aegis Elite 1911s cut for mini red dot sights, these guns come with Vortex optics installed from the factory.