Jump to:
- KG Industries
- LightForce
- Troy Industries
- A.R.M.S
- A.R.M.S. vs. LaRue Tactical
- HK
- Columbia River Knife and Tool
- VLTOR Weapons Systems
- Springfield Armory M1As
- Some Ruger Rifles
- Taurus' Public Defender Polymer
- Smith & Wesson Bodyguards
- Rumors About Ruger LCR Durability
- Random Photos
- Discuss this coverage in our forums
Some of you laughed at our Twitter comment the other day about hiding in the corner. Here is how we started off today, again hiding in the corner with our 'Girls keep out' signs being steadfastly ignored.
The calming moment before the storm.
On display was an elaborate display of their GunKote product:
Baked on GunKoke 2400 Series
The magazine was done with their 1200 Series One Part Air Cured Stock-Kote, which is a single component water based system. Cure time is about 80 minutes.
This machine rubbed sandpaper/grit on sample sized treated surfaces for a demonstration of the durability of the Kote system. I apologize for the poor image.
The rotation count on the machine.
An Australian company offering high powered hand-held and vehicle lighting solutions.
Lance and Striker display
Hook up to a 12V source and you are ready to go.
Or use one of their Battery Packs, actually its called a portable power supply. Capable of powering a 20 watt bulb for 3 hours or a 100 watt bulb for 40 minutes.
There are two batter pack models available, this one is the BP8BPS unit that features a dimmer control switch that will help you to preserve the battery for longer periods of usage.
Back to the lights.
There are a variety of mounting options, in this configuration you have the base and the ability to separate the light from the base to use as a held-held.
A more permanent mounting. Believe it or not, there is a spring inside the base as that housing can also be used on a rifle:
Rifle mounting.
Sporting filters and driving light filters are available or you can purchase a complete kit.
For a moment confused trade show attendees thought the rain had broken and the sun made an appearance. These are powerful lights.
New Battle AX CBV Grip and Battlemag.
Shock absorbing extended floor plate lock
Partial from the top is a spine block eliminating magazine over insertion.
A fuzzy profile.
Troy Battle AX CQB Stock made of an advanced reinforced polymer. The stock offers Quick Detach swivel sockets at the 3, 6, and 9 O'clock positions. The stock also opens to reveal a deep storage compartment.
Buttplate storage compartment.
Troy Micro Battlesights
You've seen these folding standard sized battlesights before but normally mounted, here they are side by side.
#72 .50 Cal. Plus Mount:
This is an amazing mounting system. It features a built in harmonic spring dampener system, and the new MK II Throw Lever system.
MKII Throw Lever System
A word on the function and operation of the MK II Throw Lever System. Its pretty simple, the adjustment wheel lets you manipulate the tension required for the mount to affix to variations in 1913 picatinny rails. You dial to the amount of tension required and the lock the throw levers into place.
Comp m4 cantilever mount
Comp M4 mount
T1 Micro Throw Lever Mount
A.R.M.S Spartan system: a lightweight modular rail system, uses a standard barrel nut, and allows for the 'placement of activation buttons without adhesives'. (the screw mounts)
Available in two sizes:
CV-C Spartan Rail, Carbine length.
CV-EXT Spartan Rail: extended length rail which wraps around the front sight base.
Nice that they have the extended rail system to wrap around the front sight base. But whats the point? Looks more like a gas block pin out.
Just kidding, A.R.M.S Folding Front Sight.
A few more mounts:
EOTech mount: This one was interesting, the throw levers fold flush under the base of the EOTech.
Aimpoint Micro T1 Throw Lever Mount
A.R.M.S Comp 4 cantilever mount with Samson Manufacturing Quick Flip Base.
A.R.M.S #71L-F Plastic Polymer version of the A.R.M.S 40 style Flip Up Sight System. Depress the tabs and the sight flips up, push the sight back to press it into place.
Of course we cant turn a blind eye to the staggering amount of patents that A.R.M.S has, this is one of the two walls they had on display.
Although you wouldn't know it from observing the SHOT Show, there's some drama ongoing between A.R.M.S. and LaRue Tactical. A.R.M.S. has trademarked the names of its various mounts, rings, spacers, and sights; however, these names are actually numbers:
Photo #1™
Photo #2™
According to accounts posted on AR15.com by Mark LaRue, LaRue Tactical is the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by A.R.M.S. alleging that LaRue Tactical's use of some model numbers for their parts constitutes use of an A.R.M.S. trademark.
Mark LaRue's response was to solicit evidence of broken A.R.M.S. parts by offering to replace any broken part with a LaRue equivalent; the broken A.R.M.S. parts would then be prominently displayed at SHOT.
A quick visit to the LaRue Tactical booth showed no pile of broken parts, and LaRue employees would not comment on their absence. A.R.M.S. representatives were similarly tight-lipped about their company's stance on the lawsuit and LaRue's response. We may not know what's actually going on between these two fueding companies, but can confidently guess that their lawyers have told them to shut up about it.
75,000 rounds, 420 hours...and a lot of clean up
Tactical foreplay
They are thinking the same thing as you are at this exact moment.
We stopped by CRKT again and were not disappointed, we don't know whats going on there at that company but they produced over 60 new products between last years show and this years show. Impossible both you and we would say, we've further go on saying that they've got to be junk trinkets. Except that Columbia River Knife and Tool does not produce junk or trinkets. Every product shown was of high quality and innovation. Including a not so subtle challenge to other older established knife and tool makers.
Too much product to mention so lets just get to the photos:
New Product Display:
CRKT Li'l Guppie:
CRKT Guppie:
CRKT Eat'N Tool:
Spoon, Fork, Bottle Opener, Flat blade screwdriver, Prybar, Hex Wrenches, and attachment point for a carabiner. In a bind you can fit your finger through it and use it as a self defense tool. Very well though out.
CRKT Guppie Family:
Pictured also are the Guppie attachments which come with the larger Guppie.
CRKT TA-Bar:
CRKT ElishewitzTao Pen:
CRKT Exit Tool:
Seat Belt cutter, window breaker and LED
flashlight.
We met the most interesting gentlemen from VLTOR and its umbrella of companies. We learned a lot and some of it, we are going to share with you, mainly because we like you and also because its awesome.
Quick detach...Silencer!
VLTOR is working on developing the VOLKS silencer. Volks as in Volkswagon, as in for the people. Its the peoples silencer. We're sure this isnt a tool to start bloodshed in the streets or quietly settle scores but probably the best and most ideal solution for saving ones hearing...much like the reason people used them pre-NFA. The goal is to make it as inexpensive and light as possible. They hope to get the price point as close to the price of the actual tax stamp. While it may not run that low they are going to try and for that we give them a full 230grains.
VLTOR CASV handguard and Modstock stock with mounted Volks silencer.
VLTOR M14 Socom CAS-14 Modstock
The handguard is slim, perfect for gripping.
VLTOR CASV-FAL
VLTOR CASV-FAL, CAS14, CASV
The modstock on the M14 may be adjusted up and down via this grove.
This is the notch used to maneuver the stock to move in the channel, you press the notch with something handy like a bullet, hence the actual markings.
We came, VLTOR SAW. We went.
VLTOR PKM Machinegun.
VLTOR PKM 7.62x54R Receiver.
Springfield Armory didn't introduce anything new or dramatic this year at SHOT, limiting themselves to modifications of existing designs (e.g. their new full-capacity XD with a 3.8" barrel). It was a similar story on the M1A rifle front, but a few interesting new twists caught my eye.
First, SA is making increasing use of green composite stocks in lieu of the black crinkle-painted fiberglass that used to be their only non-wood option.
The SOCOM 16 looks good in green.
Of course, there's nothing preventing one from applying any sort of coating over the top of a stock; e.g. the camo pattern on the Scout below.
Where's the rifle? I can't see it!
For thsoe who are curious (as I was), the reflex sight mounted on the scout in the picture above sits low enough to allow using it with a high but acceptable cheekweld, but it sits too high to co-witness with the irons.
Almost nothing in this section debuted at this year's SHOT Show, but we wanted to offer our own take on a couple products, as well as some observations we haven't seen elsewhere.
First, the beaten-to-death Ruger SR-556.
We don't have much to add on this other than to note that, like most piston designs, it's quite front-heavy compared to the traditional direct gas impingement mechanism.
The SR-556 I handled also had a rough, heavy, and creepy trigger. I've heard that this is because Ruger builds their sears and hammers with extra material on the interface in order to force a very positive engagement that is both hard to trip accidentally and slow to wear out. This would certainly explain the trigger on the displayed SR-556.
On a decidedly less semi-automatic note, I was quite taken by this M77 Hawkeye Compact chambered in 7.62x39mm.
Not your typical x39 rifle.
Although this cartridge is most often encountered in AK-pattern rifles, its small size matches nicely with this compact bolt-action. The length of pull might be on the short side to some, but it balances the muzzle-light carbine nicely.
The barrel couldn't have gone much farther...
Finally, we looked at one new item: the M77 Hawkeye Tactical. This is the M77 action in a Hogue rubber stock with a heavy barrel, but it's more than just a few special parts thrown together: The action feels a bit smoother than the Compact's and the trigger is very nice. It's a two-stage target trigger with a very light and short takeup followed by a feathery and crisp release.
While looking at the M77 Hawkeye Tactical, I noticed a raised patch on the bolt:
One end is higher than the other, prodicing a small lip:
As Ruger's onsite technical expert explained, this tiny ridge lines up with the edge of the front bolt lug, riding along the same rail in the receiver and (ideally) reducing the chance of the bolt binding while going into or out of battery.
Full view of the bolt with guide.
Note that this feature is not unique to the M77 Hawkeye Tactical, but is present on all M77 actions.
Taurus' Public Defender Polymer
Both Taurus and Smith & Wesson have followed Ruger's lead and produced polymer-framed revolvers. In addition to a .38 Special (called the Protector), Taurus released a polymer-framed (and very short-barreled) version of their infamous Judge .410/.45 Colt revolver.
There's a small screw at the top rear corner of the cylinder window that appears to fasten the polymer sections together, but it seems a bit hefty for just joining plastic.
Note lack of seams in the metal.
According to the Taurus representative, this screw also holds together the metal frame insert surrounding the cylinder, but there are no seams in the metal in that area, which makes this explanation puzzling.
Taurus' polymer pistols don't end with revolvers, but also include polymer-framed versions of their small blowback PT-22 and PT-25 semi-autos.
Otherwise identical to the metal models.
Two of the more dramatic and innovative firearms introduced at the show came from Smith & Wesson: a small .380 semi-auto and .38 Special revolver, both polymer. (Yep, another plastic wheelgun.) These two guns are grouped together as "Bodyguards" and share the name; the .380 is called the Bodyguard 380 and the .38 Special is (wait for it...) the Bodyguard 38.
Bodyguard 380
Bodyguard 38
In addition to the common use of polymer, both semi-auto and revolver come with integral laser sights. Unlike Crimson Trace's offerings, these sights require pressing a button to activate. The Bodyguard 380's activation switch is located on the frame ahead of the trigger guard where the trigger finger would naturally index during a draw; the revolver's sights are less ideal, being mounted on the right side of the frame behind the cylinder in a rather obtrusive housing. Those of us who handled the revolver felt that it would be improved by a more integrated laser assembly, or removal of the laser altogether.
The laser unit takes up a lot of space.
But the laser housing faded to a minor peccadillo when considering the coolest thing about the Bodyguard 38: an abmidextrous cylinder release. A control at the rear of the frame where a hammer would otherwise be located can be pushed forward with the thumb to release the cylinder. Not only is this much easier than the traditional left-side frame release, but it also permits pushing the cylinder out with the index finger of the same hand pushing the release. It's amazingly fast and easy, and we'd like to see it on more revolvers.
The bad news is that the Bodyguard 38 has a very distracting trigger. It has a hitch near the beginning and is generally heavy and ramps. By contrast, the Bodyguard 380's trigger is both novel and wonderful. It's initially very heavy, but quickly ramps down in weight. The result is that someone applying a firm squeeze to the trigger is surprised into a fast, consistent pull--exactly what you want with a DA trigger. The sensation of pulling the trigger is unusual and strangely delightful.
Rumors About Ruger LCR Durability
The Ruger LCR polymer-framed revolver is still a relatively new product, having debuted at SHOT 2009. As such, its long-term durability is still something of an unknown. One clue was provided by an exhibitor at SHOT, whose display features a Ruger LCR that gets handled frequently. According to him, the constant dry-firing and manipulation of the revolver produces frequent failures; in fact, the example at the booth today was locked up solid--the trigger couldn't be pulled.
By way of disclaimer, this is just a single example of an LCR under certain use cases, so it doesn't prove anything. We just got tired of providing factual data and wanted to slip in some anecdotal evidence.
DoubleStar.
.223 rifle collection/display.
I didn't have time to stop and chat with them, but the tiered display caught my eye.
Discuss this coverage in our forums
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