Thursday, January 21, 2010

SHOT Show Day 3 Recap

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We're just wrapping up day three of the 2010 SHOT show. This has definitely not been the Vegas weather I'm used to: it's been raining all week! Everywhere I look there are new and exciting products on display, but I also noticed some buckets on the second level of the show catching drips from leaks in the roof. Apparently all this rain is putting the new convention center to the test. Still, inside the new center the weather is fine, and there's excitement in the air after Steve Sanetti's "State of the Industry" speech at the dinner last night.


View of the Sports South Booth on the SHOT show floor.
Vltor
The Bren Ten is back! Vltor had their Fortis (the development name for the new Bren Ten) line of pistols on display at the 2010 SHOT show. These are fully functional versions of the Bren Ten, and they had full size and compact models in both 10mm Auto and .45 ACP. The new Bren Ten will not be compatible with original Bren Ten magazines due to changes in tolerances and overall magazine design. Note the Gunsite logo on the side of the pistol frame.

MSRP is set at $1099 for the Spec Ops .45 ACP and $1299 for the 10mm Vice, and Vltor has stated that they anticipate manufacturing only 700 of the Vice model Bren Ten and 500 of the Spec Ops. Pistols are expected to be available on dealer shelves by May of this year.

VLTOR is also getting into the suppressor business, as they unveiled their new suppressor line, the VS-1 or Volks Suppressor. This new offering will be available in 5.56, 6mm, and .30 caliber. MSRP has not been finalized yet, but we expect these to retail around $300.


Tactical Solutions and Blackdog Glock .22 Conversion. Derek from The Packing Rat has more photos from the Blackdog and Tactical Solutions booth.
Blackdog and Tactical Solutions

Blackdog has teamed up with Tactical Solutions to offer a number of rimfire products. Most notable is their Glock .22LR conversion kit. They expect to have the kits available for purchase in June 2010, and Blackdog owner Kevin Rich indicated that they are working on conversion kits for the Springfield XD as well as the Smith & Wesson M&P. MSRP for these kits is expected to be between $450 and $575.

True to his promises in our earlier interview, Kevin had the new holster designed for the Ruger Mark series of .22 pistols. The new holster is ambidextrous, and fits all models of the Ruger Mark line, including pistols with accessories such as silencers, bull barrels, and even optics. MSRP for the new holster is $38.00, and at that price I can see many rimfire shooters being very happy with a safe method to carry their target pistols.

Of course, as we mentioned earlier, the Blackdog 10/22 50 round drum magazine continues to get a lot of attention. This natural continuation from their AR drum is supremely reliable due to a unique custom follower. Loading the drum is made easy with ergonomic inset grips on the back.


The New Kel-Tec PMR-30, Photo Courtesy Oleg Volk.
Kel-Tec
Kel-Tec had their PMR-30 out for SHOT show attendees to handle at their booth. We've been keeping you up to date with Kel-Tec's latest offerings, but it was nice to finally be able to handle this sweet little pistol in the flesh. The PMR-30 is extremely lightweight, and the grip is very slim. Despite the length of the grip due to the .22 WMR round it contains, this little trail gun fit easily in my hand. I'm not a huge fan of the heel-style magazine release, but Kel-Tec says that it helps with magazine retention, and I can see that. All of the other controls on the pistol are easily manipulated one-handed. Kel-Tec will also be offering a kit for mounting red dot sights or other optics.


Smith & Wesson 351 C
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson has apparently jumped on the .22 Magnum bandwagon with their new 351 C revolver. The 351 C is essentially a 43 C with a longer cylinder to accommodate the longer magnum round. Both handguns are new and feature lightweight aluminum alloy frames. They come from the factory with XS Sight Systems and have 1 7/8" barrels.

Česká Zbrojovka
Stopping by the CZ booth, I noticed that they had their new P-07 Duty pistol on display. The P-07 is a CZ 75 derivative with some new modern features. It has a MIL-STD-1913 rail for mounting a laser or tactical light, but the biggest change to the new CZ 75 is the newly redesigned trigger. The new Omega trigger has fewer parts resulting in an extended service life over the old design. It also improves the trigger pull giving it a crisper break and better travel. But the most unique aspect of the Omega trigger is the ability to quickly and easily swap out the decocking lever for a manual safety, or vice versa. The P-07 is available with your choice of a decocker, manual safety, or both.

The P-07 also boasts enhanced ergonomics. The trigger guard has been enlarged to better accommodate gloved hands, and the backstrap has a redesigned beaver tail for a more positive grip. This, combined with the already low barrel axis allows for very fast follow-up shots. The P-07 comes standard with an extremely durable nitride finish.

Rossi
Rossi, owned by Taurus, is following their lead with the Judge and had their new turret gun, the Circuit Judge, on display at SHOT. The Circuit Judge is a rifle version of the Judge revolver. Like the Judge, the Circuit Judge is capable of firing either .410 bore 2 3/4" or 3" magnum shot shells, along with .45 Long Colt cartridges. The action is DA/SA, allowing the user to manually cock the hammer for a clean crisp single action trigger break. It has fiber optic front and rear sights, allowing for fast target acquisition. If open sights aren't your style, the Circuit Judge also comes with a scope mount base.

Trijicon
Trijicon has been all over the news with the controversy concerning the bible verses printed on their optics. But the biggest news for us is their release of the new RX34 Reflex sight. Like the RX30, the RX34 has a large 42mm objective to allow in a maximum amount of light. Unlike the RX30, the new RX34 has a smaller 4.5 MOA dot for better precision. The tritium lamp Trijicon uses in their Reflex optics gives the user a bright reticle at night while their traditional fiber optic illuminator provides a bright aim point in daylight.

If the RX30 is any indication, the RX34 will also be available with a quick detach ARMS mount. The model we handled was wearing an incredibly durable military-grade housing cast from aircraft aluminum with a hard-anodized finish.

ArmorWorks
ArmorWorks had Steven Seagal at their booth promoting his new line of armor and tactical equipment.
From NSSF:
Asked what he thought of the show, Seagal said, “My impression of the SHOT Show is it’s amazing. It’s probably the greatest gathering of special technology for police and military I’ve ever seen in one place. It’s extremely impressive.” Seagal was helping to promote a new line of “Seagal Tactical Gear” as well as a series of new rifles and other military and police products.


NSSF also had this video of Seagal:


This is our last full day at the 2010 SHOT show; weather permitting we'll be flying back tomorrow. The rain has been so intense there's been some localized street flooding. We may need a canoe to get back to our hotel! Keep an eye on this blog for more photos and news from the show, as we've got a lot more photos and information to upload, including some news on ammunition availability and changes to our ammunition offerings here at Cheaper Than Dirt.

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