SHOT Show Archives

In one of the biggest surprises of the SHOT Show, Colt has updated the Gold Cup 1911. Fully updated for 2017, the Gold Cup Tropy is going to make 1911 fans very happy. The gun is beautiful in the stainless steel finish we shot. It looks absolutely gorgeous. The sights are a Bo-Mar rear, with a Novak fiber optic front. Every model comes with a national match barrel, and from the factory is available in 9mm or .45 ACP.

This gun is worth checking into if you have always wanted a small gauge field grade dove shotgun, and a traditional side by side fits the bill. The belly is really elegant and tiny, and the stock and wrist seem to be finished as well and as nice a wood grain as you’ll find in any Italian shotgun under $5,000. At $1,400, it’s a steal, and I think it’s because they are trying to get the FAIR name out there.

I wish we had all these new ideas that have become popular with new gun owners who buy stuff based on their Instagram. All those wasted years carrying a gun in a holster. I got done schooled bitches.

For any of you who have seen my years of Slidefire stock reviews, to me there is nothing cooler than a garden hose of brass coming out of the side of the gun. I’ve never even owned a Class 3 weapon. I just love slide stocks. But I have to say, I’ve had my challenges with getting magazines to run right that hold more than the standard 30 rounds. I’ve had real Beta C mags. I’ve had Korean Beta style mags. My one SureFire 60 rounder works great, but others of the breed have had some bad reviews out there. Enter the Armatac 150 round double drum mag. I’ve seen it around. It’s expensive. But supposedly it runs, with no graphite required. Hopefully we’ll see one in for a review soon.

For competition shooters and other people who are engaged in internet discussion boards, and even some of the news sites, the superiority of the Dillon progressive reloading systems as compared to everyone else is nothing new. And likewise, I’m sure a lot of them have heard of the GSI bullet feeder, because there is always that one guy who has everything and blabs about it all the time.

This year Geissele enters the single stage market with a single stage clean breaking light competition trigger. Towards the end of the video you’ll see how short the pull is, and how close a reset it has. It comes with two spring tensions, and there are a few trigger paddle options as well.

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.

We all know the famous GE M134 Minigun from the movie “Predator,” right? My first thought was “mini, minigun” as I looked over the XM556 Microgun from Empty Shell Defense. This is a .556 version of the 7.62mm six-barreled, rotating machine-guns build by General Electric then sold to General Dynamics and perfected by Dillon Aero.

STI is most known for their competition-ready pistols, but this year they have reached out into the tactical market with the STI DVC.

Of all the knives I saw at SHOT, I think I was most impressed with Steel Will’s Cutjack.

Leatherman has created a plane-friendly multi-tool called the Juice CS3 that features scissors, a can opener/bottle opener and a corkscrew.

You may remember the sick looking RIP bullet that made the rounds on the gun blogs a couple years ago. It was called RIP, “Radically Invasive Projectile” and when it hits organic material it spiders out into a ninja star, then fragments, traveling at hundreds of feet per second. G2 Research has taken this early success and grown it to some new “RIP OUT” hunting rounds, some tracers, and a half price Telos carry round that is nearly as dramatic as the RIP ammo

If you don’t already reload, it’s a good idea to start. We have some great introductory reloading material here, and online is full of primers to get you going. Most people will start with a single stage press, and even a set of Lee powder dippers, but if you shoot a lot of pistol ammo, that can be really frustrating. I wouldn’t say don’t go out and get a single stage press, but if you want to take yourself and your needs seriously, and you are for now only going to reload straight sided pistol cases, I would invest in a Dillon.

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.

In a time when most companies have outsourced a name brand for accessories, often with less than desirable results, Beretta has always managed to turn out high-quality clothing.

Odin Works has a long history of innovation, and specializes mostly in AR parts upgrades. Handguards to triggers, they do everything. They also were early adopters of 6.5, and have been making a complete Grendel upper for years. This year had some smaller parts in the offerings, but ones you are definitely going to want.

The P3500 is sure to be a hit with the bargain-minded hunters in states with snow geese. The new gun retails for $399 and comes with a 5-year warranty.

This year Nighthawk has teamed up with Doug Turnbull, to add some of his custom finish work to a Nighthawk/Turnbull mash up in the VIP 1 pistol. It wasn’t tactical grey; not even close. Doug Turnbull is legendary for restoring older firearms, and offering a finish to guns like that seen 150 years ago.

Burris makes great riflescopes. That’s not news to anyone. What I’m really excited about is that the XTR II is now available in flat dark earth. The color change is a welcome addition. If you are hunting or in the tactical business, a scope all in black is a pretty big object that sticks out. Painting one is always nerve racking, no matter how well you taped it off. At least with a rifle, if you screw up, you can scrape the paint out of the trigger group.

A professional soldier needs professional tools. This rifle mount system also holds a spotting scope, and matches to a modular carbon fiber tripod by the same company. The whole system goes for a professional pricetag of $1,995.

To learn more about Yankee Overview Need a budget can for your rifle?  Have you seen the new Turbo from Yankee Hill Machine? The Turbo is a tubeless design made from heat-treated stainless steel that measures 6.5 inches in overall length.  With a 1.5625″ diameter and a weight of only 13.5 ounces, the lightweight Turbo [...]

I am much relieved this year at SHOT Show to find out we can all stop dressing in 5.11 pants and carrying bag packs that look like they came off the set of 24. It’s still tactical, but casual like I’m an off duty ninja. Makes sense, right? Innovation from the tactical companies has been all shit that looked tactical, so if you wanted to fly incognito, you bought your stuff at REI. Vertx has been the first to step up and fix this problem, starting with a new line of bags this year.

ATN is well-known for its night vision and thermal gear, and it had some really interesting products on display at SHOW Show 2017. I had a chance to talk with ATN’s Steve Lemonov about some of the more interesting offerings they had on hand.

Following their success with their .22-caliber M1 Garand, Kingston is launching a rimfire replica of the M14 rifle for 2017.

One of the other patterns we saw at SHOT Show 2017 was that of PCC (or “pistol caliber carbines). These have really taken off over the last year, for both home defense shooters and competitors. The adoption of a pistol caliber carbine division of USPSA sport shooting has been a driving force in this market, and it looks like it is here to stay. This year, Rock River Arms introduced a carbine built exactly for this.

New for SHOT Show 2017 was the .45 ACP version of the popular new M&P 2.0 pistol line, as well as several new M&P rifle variants.

To say that Walther has a reputation for quality would be an astounding understatement. With a tradition that spans back to classics like the PPK as well as the P.38 up to modern masterpieces like the P99, Walther is renowned for making great guns. New for this year are two great options: the $399 Creed pistol and the competition-ready Q5 Match.

Have you always wanted to own a short-barreled shotgun but not wanted to deal with the NFA hassle? Well, now there is an easy and simple (and factory-direct) way to do it. The new 590 Shockwave from Mossberg is a 14-inch barreled shotgun that is classified and fully compliant by the BATFE, and does not require a tax stamp for transfers.