SHOT Show 2018 - Industry day

OK, we just wrapped up another SHOT show for 2018.  Here are some of the items we were able to test fire at Industry day.

Unfortunately there is never enough time to see everything.  These are just the highlights of what we were able to shoot.

Springfield Armory:

1.    First up, is Springfields famous M1A rifle.  What is new for 2018 is it is now chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. This is an awesome combination of rifle and cartridge.  The mild recoil of the 6.5 Creedmoor makes the M1A a very soft shooting rifle.  I enjoyed shooting this rifle.  There are currently two variants.  One with the JAE precision stock and the other with the traditional black polymer M1A stock.  Both utilize a medium weight stainless steel barrel.

If you want an M1A but better ballistic performance and less recoil, look to the 6.5 Creedmoor version of the M1A.

2.    Next up is the new 911 pistol.  This is Springfields version of the old Colt Mustang Pocket .380 pistol.  You will notice it is very similar to the Sig 238. The main differences are the 911 has a larger trigger guard, slightly larger ambidextrous safety and the slide contour is uniquely Springfield.  Otherwise the two pistols are similar in size. 

Overall, I enjoyed shooting this pistol.  It is pleasant to shoot, mild recoil, good texture on the grips and shot where I aimed it.  Even though it is a Johnny Come Lately entry into the pocket .380 market, I think it is a welcomed addition to the Springfield line of pistols.

Ashbury Precision Ordnance (APO):

APO is a maker of high end precision rifles and accessories, including rifle receivers, Tripods and mounts and even rifle chassis for your existing rifle. 

What caught my eye was they had bolt action rifles chambered in the new .224 Valkyrie cartridge.  So I had to stop by to see what the hype was with the 224 Valkyrie. 

APO had their 224 rifled dialed out to 960 yards.  So that is what we shot.  The APO rifle was a joy to shoot.  Very nice, everything was smooth with an excellent trigger.  I would say if you are looking for a high end precision rifle, APO should be on your list of manufacturers to look at. 

The 224 Valkyrie cartridge performed as intended.  Tagging the 960 yard plate was easy.  With the extra light recoil of the 224, I was able to spot my own hits in the scope.   I think the extra light recoil is what will make this cartridge popular amongst 1000 yard shooters.  There are many cartridges out in the market that will do everything the 224 Valkyrie will do, but with more recoil. 

What makes the 224 Valkyrie unique is that it was designed to fit into an AR15 rifle. This makes your AR15 a true 1000 yard rifle.  Something other AR15 cartridges such as the 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC can do, but the 224 Valkyrie does better.  The 224 Valkyrie stays supersonic out to 1300 yards (at sea level).  This is why it is a better 1000 yard cartridge for the AR15 platform.  Combine this with the low recoil and you have a unique performance cartridge. 

Factory ammunition is readily available from Federal.  Federal has 4 loadings from 60 grain to 90 grain projectiles designed for hunting to long range target shooting. 

Check out the new 224 Valkyrie if you want use your AR15 for 1000 yard shooting.  And if you want a matching bolt action rifle to match your AR15, look at Ashbury PrecisionOrdnance. 

Suppressed Weapon Systems (SWS):

If you like precision shooting and you like shooting with a suppressor but don’t like your suppressor vibrating off the end of the barrel.  Then look to SWS.  What they do is take a match grade barrel and machine the suppressor as part of the barrel.  Barrel and suppressor are one unit.  This allows SWS to make light weight cuts in to the barrel and increase the overall volume of the suppressor by utilizing the entire barrel length as part of the suppressor.  Which increases sound attenuation a few decibels.  Recoil can be reduced up to 40%. 

Overall weight is kept to a minimum and the rifles still balance very well. 

If we can get the stupid gun laws repealed in this country, I see this being the future of rifles.  The barrel and suppressor being one unit. 

Until the laws are change, you still need to get the tax stamp to own one.  Otherwise I love this idea.  

Archon Firearms:

Here is another entry into the Combat Tupperware game.  The Archon Type B. 

At first I was skeptical because there are so many variations on the Glock style.  But I was pleasantly surprised when I fired this pistol.  It has a low bore axis.  Good texturing on the frame.  Much better than a stock Glock.  The frame was comfortable to grip in the hand. 

Overall, the Type B shot very well. 

If you are looking for a striker fired pistol and don’t like the typical options, take a look at the Type B from Archon Firearms. 

Hudson Manufacturing:

Here is a unique pistol from Hudson Manufacturing.  The Hudson H9 is a unique pistol.  The best way to describe it is a Glock and a 1911 had a mutant child.

It is a striker fired pistol, similar to a Glock with the frame angle/shape and single action trigger of a 1911.  Essentionally combining some of the best features of each pistol. 

I found the H9 to be comfortable to grip and to shoot.   The H9 does have a unique trigger design.  The trigger press is a nice single action similar to a 1911, but the trigger is hinged from the bottom.  Something I have not seen before in any other pistol.  I had no problems with the trigger hinging from the bottom.  But some of our team members expressed they did not like it. 

The current model is a steel frame and slide.  In a few months they will be shipping an aluminum frame model which will be approximately 10 oz. lighter than the steel frame model. 

By: Mez

January 2018

SHOT Show 2014 - Industry Day

A few weeks ago, Gundiva uploaded a post showing some of the fun toys we played with on Industry Day.  For this post, I want to give more details on what we played with.

First up Glock.

Glock (www.Glock.com)

For 2014, Glock introduced 2 new models.  First up, the model 41.  Basically the model 41 is the same as existing model 21 but with a 5.3 inch barrel.  It is built on the Gen 4 frame and uses the same 13 round magazine as the model 21.  And best of all, it is chambered for the great .45 ACP cartridge.  If you are looking for a nice competition model in .45, Glock now has a model for you.

Next up is the model 42.  This is the smallest Glock.  It is a pocket pistol chambered in .380 ACP.  I found this a nice rendition of the pocket pistol.  It sat nicely in the hand.  Was accurate, easy to shoot and soft recoiling.   I think this will be a popular seller for Glock. 

Now to kick Glock in the shins a bit.  ABOUT FRICKIN’ TIME GLOCK CAME OUT WITH THESE TWO MODELS.  Glocks competitors have had similar models out for YEARS!!!!  Way to be a Johnny come lately.  Now to redeem themselves, Glock MUST come out with a pocket 9mm to catch up with the rest of the industry.  And sooner the better. 

Otherwise, I think both of these models are fine additions to the Glock lineup of handguns.

Smith and Wesson (www.smithandwesson.com)

Smith introduced several new models this year.  I will confine this post to the 2 models I actually test fired.  I will write a separate post outlining all of Smith’s new models at a later date.

First up is the new model 69.   The model 69 is a stainless steel 5 shot .44 magnum revolver, built on Smith’s medium L frame and a 4 inch barrel.  It is a bit smaller than the N-frame and fits in the hand nicely.  Still a handful to shoot, but I see this as a nice backpacking gun.  You have the convenient size of a .357 with the extra horsepower of the .44 magnum cartridge. 

Next up, is the new 986.  The model 986 is another model built on the medium L frame and is part of Smith’s Pro series of revolvers.  It is chambered in 9mm and  is aimed at competition shooters who want to stay with the 9mm cartridge.  It has a 5 inch barrel and 7 shot cylinder that is made out of titanium to help keep weight down and improve balance. It is loaded by the use of moon clips, which greatly speeds up the reloading process.

I found this a pleasant revolver to shoot.  If you like the 9mm cartridge and want to get into shooting revolvers, this may be the ticket for you as you do not need to buy (or reload) a new cartridge. 

Tac-Con (www.wesguns.com)

Here is a fun toy for your AR rifle.  The best way to describe the Tac-con trigger is it is a drop in replacement for your factory trigger that has the ability to give you near full-auto rate of fire.  But it is NOT an actual full-auto trigger assembly.  All it does is help you press the trigger really fast.  Thus is does not need an NFA license. 
It does take some practice to get the rhythm down.  But once you do, you have near full-auto rate of fire.  And a smile on your face.

See the video and description on the website for a better explanation.

Ruger (www.ruger.com)

I had a fun time firing the new SR762 rifle.  Basically this is Rugers take on the AR10 platform, just piston driven instead of direct impingement.  Chambered in .308, It was very pleasant to shoot and accurate as well.  The only things I did not like, was the generic AR trigger and the generic mil-spec collapsible stock. I think with a trigger and stock upgrade this will be a fine rifle.  The other good news is it uses the Magpul pattern magazines.

I would love to get ahold of one for detailed testing and review.

Sphinx (www.sphinxarms.com)

Here is an interesting line of pistols.  You may not have heard of Sphinx here in the united states.  But they are well known in Europe.  They are a Swiss made pistol and well known amongst competitive shooters around the world.

They are a double action pistol, similar to a Sig Sauer, just nicer. 

I found the trigger excellent on this pistol.  Smooth with and crisp break.  The grip was also excellent.  Very comfortable in the hand.  It was also very pleasant to shoot, very comfortable.

If you come across these pistols, don’t overlook them.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

Caracal (www.caracalusa.com)

Caracal is a relative new comer to the American market.  A few years ago they introduced their pistols.  Basically a variation of the Glock design.  But nicely done.  Unfortunately they did not bring any of their pistols to Industry day.  What they did have were 2 rifles.  A carbine and a precision rifle. 

The carbine is chambered in 9mm and uses the same magazines as their pistol.  It comes with a basic set of iron sights.  But also includes a picatinny rail for mounting an optic.  The safety consists of a basic crossbolt safety and a grip safety.  Similar to a 1911 handgun.  The carbine handled and shot well.  The trigger was a little mushy, but fine for what it was designed for.  A light tactical carbine.  Overall a fun carbine to shoot.  And I liked that is shared the same magazine as the pistol. 

The real jewel from Caracal is their precision rifle.  This rifle is not out in the states yet, but they anticipate to have ATF approval sometime in 2014 and start importing them.  No pricing was available, but they did say it will be priced competitively.  I interpret this to mean sub $1000.  Hope I am right about the pricing.  The rifle I test fired was chambered in .308.   An aluminum body, free floated barrel, 10 round detachable magazine.  And the best part, a fully adjustable stock.  You can adjust the cheek piece for height.  The length of pull is also adjustable.  You can fit this rifle to just about anybody.  This rifle was a joy to shoot since it could be adjusted to fit me.  A proper fit on a rifle is important to accuracy and comfort.  It had a very nice trigger.  Smooth and crisp and not too heavy. 

I really liked this precision rifle.  And I look forward to its release in America.  Don’t turn your nose up at this rifle when it becomes available just because it is designed/made in the U.A.E.  If I am right on the pricing, you will get a lot of value for your money. 

Springfield Armory (www.springfieldarmory.com) 

Last up is Springfield Armory.  Springfield is the maker of 1911 handguns, M1A rifles and the popular XD/XDM/XDs handguns.  A very good company that makes fine products. 

Not much new this year other than they now make their 1911 Range Officer in 9mm.  For 1911 purists this may be sacrilege.  But don’t discount the 9mm cartridge.  It does very well in the 1911 platform.  Other than the sharp edges on safety catch, this pistol was pleasant to shoot.  Mild recoil, but very accurate. 

I will post a more detailed review the Range Officer at a later date.   

This is all I have for Industry day.  But there will be more posts about the other items we saw at SHOT show 2014.

-Mez

02/04/2014