SHOT Show 2018: Day 1 Recap
The first day of SHOT 2018 is in the books. This post serves as a recap of the interesting products I came across at the show. In general, 2018’s edition features fewer new products than previous shows, but there still were some standouts today.
American Tactical Imports
ATI has just added the short-barreled rifle kits for their 9mm MP-40 replicas. The kits consist of all necessary 922(r) compliance parts, including a stock (obviously), a muzzle thread adapter, a magazine baseplate, and a magazine follower. Retail on the kits is $249, so they aren’t unreasonable. The stock example in ATI’s booth felt fantastic. It locked up tight and wobbled very little.
EOTech
EOTech’s new green reticles are relatively minor changes, but they shouldn’t be ignored. I have found that with my astigmatism, green looks noticeably sharper than red. With the EOTech, I still wrestled with getting a clear image of the reticle – holographic sights just don’t work for me – but it was a significant upgrade over the red models.
Griffin Armament
Griffin has two new cans on the market if you don’t count the Optimus Micro (I’m not since I have a review example at the house now). Both are direct thread cans in the form of the GP7 and the GP5. The former is a 7.62mm silencer and the latter 5.56mm. The GP5 replaces the Spartan 3 in Griffin’s lineup. Both are fully 17-4 stainless steel and feature wrench flats allowing them to be torqued to the barrel or even pinned in place. In that vein, Griffin will soon offer their MK1 upper receivers with pinned GP5 and GP7 suppressors. I reviewed a MK1 Carbine last year, and it was a fantastic rifle.
Hudson Manufacturing
Hudson is following up their innovative H9 with the lighter H9A. Since the H9 uses a chassis system, what most of us would call the frame is changeable. The new “A” model swaps the steel lower from the existing H9 for aluminum. In the process, it saves roughly half a pound and lowers the price of the gun by $200 ($947 MSRP). The G10 grips and backstrap on the H9 get swapped for a standard polymer with the H9A, and the tritium sights make way for fiber optics. Having handled both side-by-side, I liked the H9A. It balances fantastically well, beyond being all-around lighter than the H9.
Threaded models of the H9 and H9A are also on the way, but no pricing information is available right now.
Palmetto State Armory
Have you heard that PSA is bringing an MP5 to market? If not, I’d love to see the rock you’ve been living under. In all seriousness, PSA has an MP5 coming – but not as soon as you might think. I was told that 2019 is the target. The price is still to be determined, as well. The company has said that they hope for an $800 to $1,000 price point, but that’s not set in stone. The prototype in the PSA booth was a little rough but seemed functional enough. PSA’s guns, aside from their ARs, have been prone to teething issues. It’ll be interesting to see how the MP5s perform once they hit the market.
Aside from the MP5, PSA also has some new AK variants on the way. The first is their 5.56mm AK. It is designed to accept AR-15 magazines via a billet magazine well that has been riveted to the receiver. The second is a 9mm AK known as the PSAK-9. The prototype shown used MP5 magazines, but a Glock version is in the works. Pricing and availability are once again TBD, but expect the former to be in line with other PSA offerings.
Primary Arms
I neglected to take a photo, but Primary Arms has a new 1x Prism scope on the way. For those of us with astigmatism, this is a big win. Generally, it is difficult for people with astigmatism to focus on standard red dots and holographic sights. Prisms typically work far better. They also allow for a more complex reticle. Beyond these advantages, I was surprised to find that Primary Arms’ model is really no heavier than a full-size red dot.
PTR
PTR, the folks behind the excellent PTR-91 rifles, have a new MP5-type pistol on the way. Unlike PSA’s model, this one is ready to ship within the next few weeks. MSRP on the pistols is good but higher than many people hoped – $1,899. That said, the examples in PTR’s booth were objectively better than PSA’s prototype. They had smoother actions, better welds, lighter triggers, and better furniture. Of course, for the price, they should be better. PTR plans to initially offer two models of the pistols – one with a threaded barrel (PTR 9CT) and one without (PTR 9C). Both will sport 3-lug mounts.
SIG Sauer
SIG’s new P365 was truly announced a week or two ago. That said, I stopped by the booth to check it out. I found it to be surprisingly comfortable for such a tiny gun and it is surprising that they’ve managed to squeeze 10 rounds in its magazine. With the longer 12 round magazines, the pistol feels even better, filling out the palm and simulating the handling of a larger firearm. The P365’s trigger is good, but it doesn’t have the lightest pull in the world. That’s fine for a handgun that lacks a manual safety. More importantly, its reset is short and audible.
Yankee Hill Machine
The folks at YHM have a LOT going on this year. First, there’s the Resonator. I covered it in a previous article, but as the Turbo’s big brother, it’s almost guaranteed to be a superb suppressor. Next, YHM is developing a forged 9mm receiver set that incorporates Glock magazine compatibility, and a last round bolt hold open. Finally, they’re working on a Remington 700 chassis. It’s expected to be around $450 but will vary somewhat based on desired options, one of which will be a new folding stock that YHM is developing. I found the chassis to be reasonably light and quite comfortable. YHM also plans to have an M-LOK handguard that attaches to the unit for increased accessory flexibility.
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.