By Randy Chamberlain & Casey Herrick
Randy & I just returned from the SHOT Show, we decided to co-post this as this was his first SHOT Show and I thought he might have some good insight for those who have never been.
We decided, just as I did last year, to try and cover some of the smaller vendors that were not getting the attention of the bigger ones.
We also wanted to discuss the possibility of aftermarket Mini-14 Magazines with all the magazine manufacturers, as well as cover some of our favorite gun makers.
We will start with Ruger: They announced Tuesday Morning that they have four new factory Short Barreled Rifles, aka SBRs.
They include two 10/22s, one standard and one take-down, a 9mm PC Carbine and an interesting Ruger American in .338 ARC which should make for an interesting brush gun, all come with threaded barrels. I suggested maybe offering the last one in .44 Magnum.
Although it was announced a short time ago, they also introduced the new and improved Red Label III shotgun
It appears the RXN, introduced at last years SHOT Show, has been popular, they now offer it in a range of colors and with threaded barrels.
We stopped and talked to the Magpul guys about Mini-14 Mags, we got the same answer as before, "not sure if the juice would be worth the squeeze", knowing Magpul, they probably already have a prototype....
We talked to the guys at Amend 2 Mags, they have a new line of smooth sided mags, that have gription on the edges, this was the result of feedback from users, it makes them easier to remove from mag pouches.
We also posed the question regarding Mini-14 magazines, they are interested, we will have to see if my pestering will pay off.
The HexMag guys had a couple of new offerings, one is a special designed clear magazine, in clear and smoke.
The other is made from a carbon fiber/polymer blend which is in their words "nearly indestructible".
When queried about the possibility of Mini-14 mags, they were not against the idea, but the mag business is a side business for them, they are primarily an explosive company. Still, they said they would consider the idea.
F.A.B. has always been known to provide excellent fitting polymer accessories and stocks for rifles and shotguns, they are now offering Glock magazines, I will be ordering up some of these soon for testing.
They also have a kit that includes their secure IWB holster, three mags and two mag holsters.
We did not get to talk to anyone there about Mini-14 mags, the booth was pretty busy.
Nosler, surprise! Is offering suppressors, it was difficult to find anyone not offering suppressors now....
We stopped by the Colt/CZ/Dan Wesson booth, hoping to see a re-introduction of the Dan Wesson revolver, but alas no luck.
We did stop to fondle the Anaconda and her brother the Kodiak.
Not sure if these are new, but I don't remember seeing them last year, these are grip extensions that go with the Handall grip sleeves, of course made from the same great Houge non-slip material.
We stopped by the Samson booth, hoping to see the re-introduction of the Wolverine pistol, instead we got more options for the 10/22 and Mini-14 platforms. The A-TM stock now comes in black laminate. They also have a "Hannibal" rail for forward mounted optics and the QD swivel adaptor. For the BTM stock, they now offer the stock for the take-down models, a Mini-14 style flash hider, an aluminum barrel band, QD swivel adaptor and a rear peep sight.
We spent a little time at the Frankford Arsenal, Lockdown, Tipton, Wheeler booth. We looked at their new Lockdown vault organizing panel system, as well as their stainless-steel media tumbler.
Here is a company with a new and innovative approach to suppressors. SWS Rifles can take your factory bull barrel and machine the baffles into the barrel, they then build a titanium sleeve to go over it.
Stay tuned for part II
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