SHOT Show 2017: Day 2
January 19, 2017
My second day on the SHOT Show floor was far busier than my first. After logging four miles wandering between booths and standing for hours, I returned to the hotel last night and couldn’t quite muster the energy to finish this summary. I apologize for the delay.
The notes below appear in the order I visited each company’s booth. If readers have any questions, please be sure to post any questions in the comments section and I will do my best to find an answer.
Rugged Suppressors
The Rugged Oculus 22 is an impressive suppressor. First, it’s entirely 17-4 stainless. Second, the small configuration is really small. I imagine it is very pleasant on a .22 LR rifle. The stainless construction puts the Oculus a little on the heavy side, but overall it is very nice.
Faxon Firearms
Faxon’s new carbon fiber handguards were much more refined today than they were when I saw them at the NRA Annual Meetings. They’re also relatively reasonably priced at around $350 for the 15” model. The 15” is the only one available now, but shorter ones are coming.
Faxon also showed off their new slim muzzle devices. They’re intended to allow shooters to install barrel nuts and gas blocks over a pinned muzzle device. Since I have an SBR, I don’t see myself using them, but in some areas/circumstances, they may be appreciated.
The most noteworthy additions to Faxon’s lineup were their new Glock barrels. The first few out will be for the Glock 19, 17, and 34, but others will follow. Pricing is expected to be sub-$200 for many of the models and they’ll come with fluted and threaded options as well as nitride and TiN finishes. I’ll probably try to grab one of these.
DI Optical
Though I’ve heard some things about DI Optical, I really didn’t know much about them until today. Their new PDS-1 micro red dot sports a reticle with a 3 MOA center dot and 35 MOA circle. It’s just about the quickest red dot I’ve seen on a handgun.
The rest of their line is impressive, particularly for those of us with astigmatism. Since they make prismatic sights, the reticles tend to be much clearer for me than other red dots. For that reason, I’ll try to bring one in for review sometime soon.
Zenith Firearms
Zenith introduced their new Z-43PS at SHOT this year. It’s a full-on HK93-style rifle with everything you’d expect from a 5.56mm roller-locked gun. I was surprised to find that it was quite a bit lighter than I expected.
While their only new rifle was the Z-43PS, Zenith has been busy working to open their custom shop. According to company representatives, they plan to introduce a .300 BLK version of the Z-43 at some point in the future. Considering the only .300 BLK roller-lockers currently available are pricey custom builds, another option would be appreciated. Until then, their custom shop is doing Duracoated versions of current rifles and pistols.
Palmetto State Armory
The big news out of PSA today was that their barebones, AK barreled receivers will be back this Friday for the tempting price of $399. Add one of their $100 Build Kits and you have a working AKM for just $499. That’s a bargain. Oh, and the cast trunnions of old are gone and replaced with billet parts.
I talked a little with them about their acquisition of DDI. According to PSA, the partnership between the two companies goes back long before the purchase was made. The folding stocks shown on PSA’s guns at SHOT are the same ones on DDI’s rifles. Similarly, the companies have worked together on other major components of the rifles. The DDI brand will remain, but will be geared more to the high-end, hammer forged rifles (including hammer forged barrels) in ex-Soviet calibers, while PSA will focus on more affordable models and ones in more “Western” chamberings.
PSA also showed a prototype of a gas-operated .45 ACP pistol that resembles an AR, but differs in some key ways. Because they’ve shortened the bolt carrier, the prototype no longer requires a buffer tube. PSA plans to make the system adaptable so end users can swap barrels/calibers easily.
Destructive Devices Industries
I talked in the last section about how PSA plans to keep the DDI name, particularly for their rifles that use hammer forged parts. Well, DDI also plans to make a piston-driven, 7.62x39mm AR. It’ll share some parts with PSA’s KS-47, but for the most part will be a totally new rifle.
Holosun
Holosun’s already impressively expansive line of red dots continues to grow. Their new 509 and 510C reflex sights feature selectable reticles (dot, circle-dot, circle) and come with QD lever mounts by default. The 510C retails for $320. Holosun has also released a pistol reflex sight, the 507C, with dot and circle-dot reticles. After playing with the 507C and DI’s new pistol red dot, it’s clear to me that on a handgun, circle-dot reticles are king. Holosun will also be releasing ruggedized versions of their optics that are aimed (pun intended) for military and police use. They’ll feature clear protective lens covers, titanium housings, and different finishes with overall feature sets varying by model.
Hudson Mfg
Every year there’s a gun or two that seems to really steal the show. This year, Hudson’s new H9 and Kalashnicohn’s Vityaz seem to be the early leaders. I spent some time going over the H9 with the great folks at Hudson’s booth and what I learned left me incredibly impressed. The H9 feels like a traditional 1911, but it’s a double stack pistol that uses modified Smith & Wesson 5906 magazines. While the H9’s trigger feels somewhat like a 1911 bang switch, it drives a striker-fired system and features a light 4.5 pound pull weight. By moving the barrel’s locking mechanism forward of the trigger guard and up near the dustcover, Hudson managed to bring the gun’s bore axis down remarkably low. I’d estimate that the bottom of the barrel sits only 4 or 5mm above a shooter’s trigger finger. That’ll certainly help with follow-up shots.
The H9 features a fully steel frame and slide and as such, it won’t be cheap. The pistol’s MSRP is currently $1,147. Threaded barrels are on the way, but Hudson isn’t likely to sell threaded pistols as new SKUs. Moreover, because the serialized portion is a mostly internal chassis, Hudson plans to come out with aluminum and polymer frames for the H9 sometime in the future. Look for these to start hitting stores in Q2.
PTR Industries
PTR is working on plenty of cool projects that aren’t quite ready for public viewing, so their booth didn’t have a whole lot of new products. That said, they did have a rapid prototype of a new M-LOK handguard for their current PTR-91 and PTR-32 lines that should hit later this year. At a glance, the handguard looks a little like the standard HK slimline part. It’s very low profile and I’m told that it will be lighter than the wide forearm on my A3R. I’ve requested a test sample once they’re ready, so I look forward to trying it out.
Hill & Mac Gunworks
Progress continues on HMG’s STG replica and at their booth, they had the first production STGs to roll off the line. Upon holding the gun, the first thing I noticed is that the action is very, very smooth. There’s no grit in pulling the charging handle and the whole rifle seems to be quite refined. It’s every bit as heavy as you would expect a fully steel gun of this size to be, but it should soak up recoil admirably. Barrel/caliber exchange kits will be available for the rifle upon release and they should cost around $450. Look for the STG’s roll out in around five months.
Vortex Optics
I swung by the Vortex booth, mainly to check out their new UH-1 holographic red dot sight. As part of their AMG line, it’s made in the US and from all appearances seems to be a nice product. Unfortunately, the reticle is fuzzy to my eyes. No one else seemed to have a problem with it, so I’ll chalk it up to my eyesight.
K-VAR/Arsenal Inc.
The K-VAR booth was a happening place this year. As some readers might have seen, Arsenal is shipping out the new SLR-107R, which features a fixed stock and 14x1mm LH barrel threads. The MSRP for the ‘107R is a relatively reasonable $849, which may put a squeeze on US companies to plan to produce American AKs with similar features.
Elsewhere in the booth, the new SAM7SFK looked to be a nice addition to Arsenal’s milled lineup. For me, it’s a little odd to see a milled Krink, but the rifle is almost certainly a solid performer.
As far as Veprs go, the only new addition was the FM-AK47-21. The new model is identical to the previous FM Veprs, but it features an SVDS-style folding stock. I know a lot of shooters have been howling about K-VAR’s reticence to bring in true RPK-type Veprs, so I asked Robert about them. According to him, past experience says that they’d only sell a handful of RPKs to die hard collectors and would then be stuck with heavy rifles that don’t sell. That’s probably reasonable given the way places like NoDak Spud have phased out slow-selling RPK receivers. There are also no plans for K-VAR to bring in any square-back Veprs beyond those sold as FM series rifles. They don’t want other folks building rifles that are in violation of 922(r), so they’re sticking with slant cuts.
Dead Air Armament/Kalashnicohn
Dead Air had one of Kalashnicohn’s new US-made 9mm Vityaz rifles on display with an exclusive 9mm Wolverine PBS-1. First, the Vityaz looks great. The expected MSRP is $1,399, which is pretty reasonable for a unique build like Kalashnicohn’s.
I did ask Dead Air’s Gary Hughes if we would see the 9mm Wolverine as a production item. According to him, it only requires drilling the bore a few thousandths larger. If he can still get the same sort of suppression as the current Wolverine with the modified aperture, the 9mm model might become standard. That remains to be seen.
Blackhawk!/Savage Arms
According to the Blackhawk! representatives, their line of suppressors is shipping now. I pressed them on the relationship between them and SilencerCo and found that Blackhawk! does indeed manufacture the silencers and mounts in-house. They simply have a licensing agreement with SilencerCo to use the designs.
Savage’s new MSR line looks and feels solid. The two-stage trigger on the Long Range model is phenomenal and the side-charging upper receiver is a welcome change of pace. They also have 5.56mm models that are a little less kitted-out. All seem to be quality rifles
Walther Arms
The new Creed from Walther is set to replace the company’s budget-minded PPX. It shares many of the same parts and is mostly just an ergonomic and aesthetic upgrade over the older gun. The Creed’s trigger is surprisingly light.
Surefire
The only new suppressor to join Surefire’s line is their new Ryder 22 Mini. There’s a trend in the industry toward shorter and shorter .22 silencers. Often the length of a full-size rimfire can is wasted on rifles, so the length savings is appreciated. Surefire says the Mini can do 115 dB on a rifle and is in the mid-120s on a pistol. They’re also phasing out the aluminum-baffled Ryder 22-A and their 3-lug Ryder 9 is apparently shipping out now.
Magpul
You may have heard that Magpul released a new PMAG for .300 BLK. Some .300 BLK loads feed poorly in standard 5.56mm magazines, so Magpul’s new models should rectify that. It isn’t a problem I’ve experienced, which means I probably won’t be purchasing one of the new ones.
Magpul also showed off some new AK accessories. Their 5.45mm MOE magazine is ready to ship, but it won’t come with steel reinforcement of any sort. They currently have no immediate plans to offer a reinforced, PMAG version of the 5.45mm offering. Their new Zhukov-U handguards felt excellent. I’ve long thought that the original Zhukov fore ends were too long for many AK builds. The Zhukov-U stops at the gas block of most AKs, which looks better, saves weight, and is still long enough for all practical uses.
SIG Sauer
SIG’s booth was every bit as busy as I expected. Even so, John Hollister, head of their silencer division, took some time to go over their new .22 can with me. The SRD22X bears a striking resemblance to Q’s El Camino, which given the history between the two companies should not be surprising. I’d expect the ‘22X to perform roughly as well as the El Camino.
Smith & Wesson
I didn’t spend much time in Smith & Wesson’s booth, but I was there long enough to handle the M&P M2.0. In comparison to the original M&P, the M2.0 sports far more aggressive grip texturing and a slightly improved trigger. There are a few smaller changes, but those two stand out.
Advanced Armament Corp/Bushmaster
All of the Remington properties shared a single, large booth in the center of the show. AAC’s new Ti-Rant 9M and SquareDrop handguards were on display. The 9M effectively combines the old Ti-Rant 9S and Ti-Rant 9 into a single, modular suppressor. It should be an excellent performer, but look for a review here very soon. AAC has also re-rated the Ti-Rant 45M for use with .44 Magnum and .300 BLK subsonics.
Bushmaster finally plans to give the ACR the love it deserved seven years ago. They’re shipping out replacement barrels in 10.5”, 14.5”, and 18” lengths. The new ACR DMR handles surprisingly well for a heavy rifle. They also showed off a factory ACR SBR with a shortened gas system and the new 10.5” barrel. Apparently, they also plan to finally bring Remington Defense’s lightweight ACR handguard to the civilian market. Lastly, Bushmaster claims to be actively working on .300 BLK conversions for the rifle.
An information security professional by day and gun blogger by night, Nathan started his firearms journey at 16 years old as a collector of C&R rifles. These days, you’re likely to find him shooting something a bit more modern – and usually equipped with a suppressor – but his passion for firearms with military heritage has never waned. Over the last five years, Nathan has written about a variety of firearms topics, including Second Amendment politics and gun and gear reviews. When he isn’t shooting or writing, Nathan nerds out over computers, 3D printing, and Star Wars.