Hunting

New for 2017 is Kimber’s Subalpine Mountain Rifle, available with a Gore Optifade camo finish. Kimber also teamed up with Leupold to make matching scopes.

Being a full-fledged member of the cult of the 10mm, this was an excellent SHOT Show for me. New from Kimber this year is the Super Jagare. “Jagare” is German for hunter, and this new model should excel at that. Chambered in 10mm, it features a full 6-inch barrel to really exploit the velocity capability of this round. The barrel is also factory ported, which helps keep the gun controllable during recoil.

The R20FFTM from Windham Weaponry is a top-quality .308 AR at a very reasonable price. Packing in Magpul gear, great performance and a surprisingly reasonable price point, this one is well worth a look if you want a “bigger brother” AR for your collection.

Under Armour’s betrayal of hunters isn’t the only cause of the company’s collapse. But it can’t be a coincidence that the company has struggled more than ever after it chose to appease extreme animal rights groups rather than its clientele.

Primos’ new Gen 3 Trigger Sticks offer several improvements on the older generation, making an already excellent product even better.

CZ has come out this year with some new pistols. First and foremost of these is the P-10 C pistol, a polymer-framed, striker-fired handgun ready for duty or CCW use. Also new are the Shadow and the Shadow 2, which are sure to excite fans of the venerable CZ-75 line. The Shadow has been dominating the production class of USPSA for some time now. Also new are some exciting sporting shotguns.

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.

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.

I don’t think anyone has yet improved over the reliability of Benelli shotguns, including Benelli. So unfortunately, we didn’t see some crazy new operating system this year that would make even the impressive and capable Inertia Driven system look stone age by comparison. There is always next year, though. We did see some serious improvements on the comfort side of the house though, with the new Super Black Eagle 3.