Tactical

Burris has taken a step away from the big ticket items this year, reaching back into the prism realm. New for this year, the Tri-Modular Prism riflescope, or TMPR. Available in 3x or 5x, these are the same size as the previous models, with a 40% gain in field of view. Illumination is now push button instead of dials, slimming the package. The reticle switches from red, green, or blue, and now features night vision settings to match the daylight ones.

SHOT Show features not just all kinds of whiz-bang stuff for the civilian market, but to a limited extend Military and LE specific as well. ALS is the exclusive North American importer for and it was so cool we couldn’t pass it up. [one_half][/one_half][one_half_last][/one_half_last] Impressions Ripple Effect is out of South Africa, and was at [...]

Nighthawk is one of my favorite places to stop every year, if for no other reason, the unique twist they put on everything. Nighthawk is by far my favorite of the custom builders, and we are going to make it down to the shop in Arkansas one of these days.

Vortex Optics has been growing by leaps and bounds, steadily chipping away at the market by dominating PRS and Hunting. Not so much new this year, but plenty improved.

When we think of the name Mossberg, most of us instantly envision a shotgun. They have been the leader in American shotguns for decades, and recently have been crushing it out of the park with new products like the 590 magazine-fed and the Shockwave. But they are also a powerhouse in rifles. And this year they are stepping into the precision game, with the Mossberg MVP Precision.

Trijicon was first to the game with the micro red dots, almost a decade ago. The purpose-built sights, sized to fit pistols, changed the game with red dot carry and suppressor ready guns. This year, they take that to the next level with theRMR 2.

SIG Sauer is best known for military-style hardware, ranging from submachine guns and sniper rifles, to the new Army M17 pistol. It is easy to forget they also make 1911 pistols, some of the best around. The first time I shot a Sig 1911 over a decade ago, it was hard to miss the value of the included high-end features. This year, SIG released a special edition “ We the People” model, a sure win for collectors.

SAR Arms had a new pistol, but more importantly a new company. The days of multiple importers are over, SAR is now SAR USA. This is a subsidiary of the Turkish firearms maker and will be handling all warranty issues for SAR pistols, regardless of who brought it into the country. This should smooth over any and all issues regarding parts availability, new models, and magazines.

Mechanical systems evolve over time. The earliest German Messerschmitt Bf 109 A fighter plane first flew in 1937. That remarkable aircraft sported a Jumo 210A 600-horsepower engine driving a fixed-pitch two-bladed propeller. Seven years later the Bf 109 G-6 carried a Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 powerplant producing 1,455 hp turning a constant-speed variable-pitch paddle-geometry three-bladed prop. The G-6 was easily twice as capable as the earlier A model. The Nazis ultimately produced 33, 984 copies of the plane. Operational pressures exerted by full-bore combat on three fronts drove the Bf 109 to evolve over time.