2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, First Day

02 Feb 08

2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, First day:

The 2008 SHOT Show is more spread out than last year. Displays are at the Convention Center, but also at two, huge tents nearby. We spent all day walking around, greeting old friends, and seeing what is new.

Things of interest:

The SIG P250 pistol is more ingenious than I had first concluded. The entire firing mechanism/chassis lifts out of the frame. Frames can be interchanged, as can slides and barrels. The firing chassis is identical for all! The P250 is self-decocking, with a trigger similar to the DAK, but with a shorter reset. It has a double-drop capability (as does the DAK.) Wonderfully versatile pistol!

Kel-Tec's excellent 223 Rifle now comes in several versions. Their bullpup 308 rifle was also on display, as was their new PLR-22, a 22LR rifle. Kel-Tec is expanding their line!

Speaking of which, Ruger is now marketing their new, seven-shot, LCP, which is a near-perfect copy of the Kel-Tec 380! Ruger's version is nicely rounded off on all edges and corners. Ruger has obviously recognized the expanding market for small, flat, well-made, concealment pistols.

North American Arms is making their own copy of Kel-Tec's 32ACP pistol. Kel-Tec suddenly has many admirers!

Friends at Cor-Bon tell me the DPX line is their fastest-growing. However, they still produce more 115gr 9mm conventional HP ammunition than any other, single item. Next is volume is 380Auto!

Glock currently produces 1,100 pistols every day, and, every one is sold before it is made. Amazing success story! Only thing new is their G30SF,with a slightly reduced grip size. No rifle yet!

Aimpoint featured a wonderful rifle setup, where a sniper scope is fitted normally, but an Aimpoint Micro is mounted ahead and twenty degrees to the right. The rifleman can then rotate the rifle slightly counter-clockwise in order to access the 1X Aimpoint for close work, but then mount the same rifle normally and use the high-powered scope for sniper duties. One rifle that serves two roles!

EOTech featured their new EOLay, which is a laser, incorporated into the standard EOTech 1X optic. I'm still not sure how I would use this set-up.

Advanced Training Systems displayed their "Dummy Dumper" Target system. It is a fully-articulated and dress-able mannequin, which is also hit-sensitive. When presented and subsequently struck the appropriate number of times, it realistically crumples and falls. Amazingly persuasive!

My friends at Kahr tell me their PM9 (smallest 9mm pistol) sells the best of all their pistol line. They can't keep them in stock. Again, the concealment market is active! The other gun they can't produce fast enough is the M1 Carbine, now available with a folding stock.

Robbie Baarkman at ROBAR is converting Glocks to an all-steel (frame and slide) pistol, complete with his famous NP3 coating.

LaserShot had an elaborate display featuring their sophisticated video simulator. Of most interest was a simulation of a laterally-moving, armed person at a range of twenty-five meters. Targets moved straight across the screen at a fast walk. Time after time, the student gets to test and evaluate his ability to reliably strike laterally-moving targets. This is the first time I' ve ever seen this challenging subject specifically addressed with a video trainer. I found it instructive!

S&W's M&P line of pistols is now complete. It includes all calibers, in both full-sized and compact versions. The M&P's reputation for reliability and its variable grip geometry have made it extremely popular among police. Some models (in 45ACP) have a two-position, ambidextrous, manual safety lever, which is, at best, a superfluous redundancy, and, as worst, a functional issue, as there is a lever on both sides of the pistol, and the one that invariably faces to the outside as the gun is carried can easily get inadvertently pushed out of position. Some also come with a magazine-safety (as does Ruger's SR9), which I consider a death-trap on any serious pistol. Fortunately, the M&P can be ordered without it, and it is easily removed on the Ruger.

There is much more we haven't gotten to yet. More tomorrow!

/John

2008 SHOT Show, Second Day!

03 Feb 08

2008 SHOT Show, Las Vegas, NV, Second Day:

This is, of course, Super-Bowl Sunday, so the Show started clearing our about a hour before the Big Game.

More notes:

Beretta is offering their PX4 Storm Pistol with both the "C" model, (" Constant-Action Trigger," Beretta's version of the DAK) andthe "D" model, with its longer trigger and longer reset. I can't imagine anyone wanting a "D" model when the "C" is available, but Beretta continues to make both. However, one useful feature of the "D" model is that the hammer can be " double-dropped" on a dud round. The "C" model's hammer cannot. None-the-less, my personal preference is the "C" model, and that is what I carry.

On Beretta's Compact version of the PX4, a nice, small pistol, the magazine floor-plate is hinged to provide a pinky-finger-shelf for even the biggest hands. Extremely clever!

Gunvault, a company famous for quick-access lock-boxes, intended to be kept in night-stands, now makes full-size gun-safes, with the same raised, finger template! They are designed for quick access. However, one model features an electronic fingerprint reader, so it is not only extremely secure, but also continues to provide quick access. When the finger-print reader proves reliable, this may be the start of a trend!

Blackhawk is marketing 511-style trousers and shirts with built-in tourniquets! The tourniquet is concealed, but already around your arms and leg, in two separate places. All you need do is tighten it when necessary. These garments may prove useful for people wearing lots of gear. You don't have to take any gear off in order to apply a tourniquet!

Blackhawk's famous "Galdius" flashlight is being superceded by the "Gladius Maximis." Looks and works the same, but puts our nearly twice the light!

ASP is marketing "air-weight" handcuffs. They are extremely light and handy, making it possible for nearly any officer, no matter what his capacity, to always have a set of cuffs on him.

ASP's famous expandable baton now features the "lever-lock." It extends centrifugally, as before, but elegantly collapses with a simple twist of the extended segments. An end-cap with ceramic, glass-breaking spikes is also available, making it possible to break car-glass with a modest and low-profile strike. One may even combine an extendable baton with a high-output, LED flashlight. Makes a versatile tool that performs three separate tasks!

Surefire is finally manufacturing Matt Graham's famous "Combat Ring." It is a rubber ring and finger ring that fits onto the end of most Surefire flashlights and facilitates the "Graham Method" of holding both pistol and flashlight together. With distinct advantages over both the Harries and Goode flashlight techniques, I'll be evaluating the Graham Method over the next few months. The whole kit retails for under ten dollars!

Among Cold Steel's new products this year is the "Kudo" folding knife. It is Lynn Thompson's interpretation of the low-tech folders traditionally made in South Africa, and it is his expression of admiration for the determined ingenuity of non-technical people. Inexpensive and rugged, the Kudo is designed as a utility knife that anyone can own.

Filson, famous for rugged outerwear, is introducing, finally, their line of clothing intended for women. Lots of interest!

Steel M-16 magazines are appealing to many, because of their strength advantage over aluminum. C-Products is a popular manufacturer, as I've mentioned before. Another is the "Fusil," marketed by Elite Arms. My copies of Fusils run very well indeed.

Speaking of M-16 Magazines, Magpul's plastic model runs fine too. I have one copy, and it runs well in all my rifles. An excellent feature of Magpul's magazine is that each comes with a locking "cap" that is designed to keep upward cartridge pressure off the magazine lips. It does that, but it also seals a fully-charged magazine, protecting ammunition from the elements. It is also extremely handy for air travel, as TSA insists all ammunition loaded into magazines be "protected" on the feeding end. Magpul's magazine cap satisfies TSA and gets ammunition out of sight. Excellent feature!

Magpul's long-awaited "Masada" 223 rifle is now going to be manufactured, under license, by Bushmaster. It is called the "ACR," Adaptive Combat Rifle, and Bushmaster is already promoting it!

First-Light has added the "Tomahawk" to their line. A short, right-angle tactical flashlight with a rubber, finger ring, it is compact and bright. I like the small size! I'll be working with a copy.

Action Target's "Evil Roy" portable steel pistol target is perennially popular as is their "Dueling-Tree." Both are extremely welldesigned and very useful on the range. Action target knows steel!

More tomorrow!

/John