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.
Inceptor Ammunition Adds 7.62x39mm and 223 Rem
Polycase, now Quantum Ammunition, has been making innovative pistol bullets for years. The company produces the projectiles by making a goo from Cooper dust and polymer so they can use injection molding to make bullets in virtually any shape they way. One neat thing about this ammo is that you can shoot steel from much closer ranges safely. The nature of the bullet construction means that is breaks into a zillion pieces when it hits something solid, like a steel plate. Now the company has added .223 Remington and 7.62x39mm to its catalog.
Zippo 6-Hour Rechargeable Hand Warmer
A year or so ago, portable phone chargers with an integrated flashlight was a clever idea. Now the folks at Zippo have combined a battery pack and rechargeable hand warmer. This nifty invention provides up to six hours of hand warming and has a charge status indicator. It’s got a micro USB port for recharging and a standard USB port to powerchargesarge your devices. Clever idea.
MSRP: $50
Rescue Essentials EDC IFAK
2017 was the year of emergency first aid preparedness. If you weren’t talking about IFAKs (that’s Individual First Aid Kits), tourniquets, and so on, you must have been out of touch! But seriously, even if no one around you ever gets shot, the odds are pretty good that you’ll be a first responder to some sort of event where someone is bleeding. Can you say car wreck? Anyway, this kit has not only the serious stuff, but supplies for everyday boo-boos too, so it makes a great shooting range and car companion.
MSRP: $113
RangeTech Shot Timer
One of the best ways to improve your shooting skill is to use a shot timer. Not only can you measure and track progress against key skills like drawing and firing to a hit, changing magazines, and hitting multiple targets, the timer adds just a bit of pressure, and that helps to expose your weak areas. Timers aren’t cheap, usually more than $100. Those free Smartphone apps rely on an internal microphone not suited for the job. Here’s a possible solution. This add-on shot microphone interfaces with its own timer app to make your phone into a proper shot timer.
MSRP: $30
GPS Wild About Shooting M/L Range Bag
GPS makes killer shooting bags, and now there is one configured just the way I like. They’ve always done a great job of offering sturdy bags with a specific place for everything, clearly labeled, so your range buddies don’t put your gear back in the wrong place. The new M/L bag holds five medium handguns vertically. The relatively compact shooting bag also has places for six magazines, eyes, ears, and all sorts of other range necessities.
MSRP: $129
Real Avid Armorer’s Master Wrench
Finally, an AR wrench that has a handle like a proper tool! Real Avid has a new Armorer’s Wrench designed specifically for stuck on muzzle brakes, barrel nuts, and receiver extension tube nuts. I don’t know about you, but when things are stuck on tight, and I try to loosen them with a “semi-tool”, I tend to butch-up the finish on my rifles. I’ve gotta get one of these. Even though it has a proper wrench handle, it’s got a torque wrench attachment so you can put things back together just right.
MSRP: $59.99
OTIS MC-10 Cleaner and Lubricant
New from the people at OTIS who brought us the super-clever breech to muzzle portable cleaning concepts is a paired offering of gun cleaner and lubricant. No gimmicks here like Banana Bubble Gum aroma, just a focus on performance. The MC-10 lubricant is thin, so it gets into nooks and crannies but doesn’t collect gun yet it doesn’t run. It’s also has a wider effective temperature range than traditional hydrocarbon lubes.
MSRP: $29.99
Ultimate Survival Technologies TekFire Fuel-Free LED Lighter
The UST booth is always one of my “must see” booths because it’s always stuffed with handy gear. New this year is a fuel-free lighter. By definition, it’s windproof because there’s no flame to blow out. The lighter comes with three feet of ParaTinder™ fashioned into a wrist lanyard that can be unwound for handy fire starting fuel.
MSRP: $30
Please send me the link of the GPS Wild About Shooting M/L Range Bag. I could not find this color or type of range bag on the GPS website.
Thank you
Patrick
“Cooper” dust? Jeff Cooper? It must be good stuff!
Nice write up! I’m going to have to get one of each! ;). Sucker for gadgets and anything that makes sense in a world that is making less and less sense every year.