2010 SHOT Show Part III

SHOT SHOW Day 3

I spent entirely too much time at the Sig-Sauer booth, getting briefed about their P250 modular system. This was mostly because they had chairs so we could sit down!  The P250 uses a modular action that can essentially be moved from frame to frame. If you purchase a full-size pistol, you can obtain an X-CHANGE kit to allow you to swap the action into a smaller frame. This conversion can be in the same caliber or your choice of 9mm, .357 Sig, .40 S&W or .45 ACP. This means that you have the same trigger from one size gun to the next. In addition, the P250 features a reversible magazine catch and ambidextrous slide release for lefties, DAO action with a 6.5 lb trigger pull. There are three different grip sizes to fit any hand (2 sizes for the subcompact frame).

Sig offers .22 LR conversion kits for the P220, P226 and P229 pistols too. These kits include a slide, barrel, recoil spring and magazine. Conversion is accomplished through a simple field stripping operation. Kits are also available for caliber swaps between the popular centerfire pistol cartridges.  In theory, your P226 could be purchased in 9mm and you could have a .22LR conversion kit AND a .40 S&W conversion, giving you three calibers you can use.

LaserLyte now offers laser sights that fit Glock, XD’s, Ruger’s SR9 and the S&W M&P series pistols. The laser module replaces the rear sight set and aims the laser from on top of the weapon. It’s a neat, clean solution, but you only get 1 hour of solid run time from the four #377 watch batteries. The sights are extremely rugged and water resistant. Installation simply uses the existing dovetails

Talo Distributing is offering what they call the 21st Century Commander 1911. When I see that a pistol’s main claim is that it was designed by a gun-writer, in this case Wiley Clapp, my first impulse is to approach it very cautiously. This 21st Century gun has a lot of 20th Century designs, including the 70-series action, small safety, standard slide lock, flat mainspring housing. In fact, the only “21st Century” items are from the late 20th Century – front & rear serrations, Colt’s new style beavertail grip safety, Novak dovetail sights with an extra-wide notch and bead front sight. Custom grips are added with a taper to aid your grip. It’s advertised as “Everything you need and nothing you don’t.” Aside from the sights, grips and front serrations on the slide, this isn’t much different than your Grandfather’s Commander.

Olympic Arms has resurrected the 1950’s designed Whitney Wolverine .22 LR pistol. This time they’ve used a polymer frame and vent rib barrel. Lightweight, fun to shoot, ergonomic grip angle with a 4.625” barrel, optional adjustable sights, 10 round magazine. MSRP is only $294

Beretta’s new Model 92A1 and 96A1 pistols represent Beretta’s commitement to the world famous 92FS pistol and the Beretta 90-Two. The –A1 platforms both models feature high capacity magazines,17 rounds in 9mm in the 92A1 and 12 rounds in 40 S&W in the 96A1, and are completely interchangeable with other 92 family magazines. An internal recoil buffer increases service life by reducing stress on the receiver created by the more powerful .40 S&W caliber ammunition. Each pistol includes three magazines.

The frame of the 92 and 96A1’s have an integral MIL-STD-1913 rail for rapid attachment of tactical lights and laser aiming devices, removable front sight allows the user to easily replace a damaged sight or replace it with an accessory sight. The rounded trigger guard reflects updated styling to conform with current pistol gripping practices.
That’s it for now. No posts on Friday as that’s when I’ll be driving back home after a partial day at the show.

2010 SHOT Show Part II

Shot Show – Day 2 – Wed 1/20

Today I went through the show visiting as many handgun makers as possible. After, all, isn’t that what you want to know about? What’s new, what’s changed and what’s better? Me too. And there were enough new things around that I could get as confused as a baby in a topless bar. So, let’s start with some of the new stuff.

Colt Firearms

9mm Defender – Colt’s 3-inch barreled Defender model should take off with the 9mm version available starting in April 2010. It’s identical to the .45 ACP Defender and points just as well. 

A good sized crowd gathered around other new models. These include some that will really appeal to the 1911 fans out there.

First is a Lightweight Government Model. Yes, you heard that right. For those who like to carry the full size 1911, Colt now makes a lightweight version (specs to follow). There is also the Double Action Government model giving the user a 2nd-strike capability and eliminating the grip safety. At least one DAO Lightweight Commander was shown too. These will be released between February and "early summer" according to the Colt rep.

9mm DAO New Agent – Spurning the polymer craze, Colt brings us a 9mm New Agent with a DAO firing system. This eliminates the need for the grip safety. The hammer is bobbed for concealed carry and the trigger is clean, stacking somewhat just before releasing the hammer. This should compete nicely with the current crop of Springfield XD’s, Glocks, S&W M&P pistols and similar.

Ruger Firearms

Ruger has beaten S&W to a medium frame, 7-shot, .327 Federal Magnum with a full-length 6-inch barrel. This will boost the velocity of the 100 grain JSP to over 1600 fps! 

A Ruger rep said they were reasonably happy with the attention the .327 round is getting with their SP-101 and with others doing conversions of older guns. When whether we'd see a Single Six rechambered for .327 Federal the rep said it was questionable if there was enough metal on the gun for safety. But then he smiled and suggested if I was a single-action shooter it might not be too long before I was "happy".  Vaquero anyone?

SR9C - The SR9 Compact
The SR9C is a compact version of the Ruger SR9 high capacity 9mm. Features include an accessory rail to mount lights and lasers. Unlike other compact pistols that use fixed sights, the same adjustable, high-visibility 3-Dot sight system as its full-sized predecessor.  It comes with two flat-bottom 10-round magazines, with a removeable finger extension.  The larger magazine with the grip adapter holds 17 rounds. This magazine is shown in the photo below.

Rasberry for the LCP .380

The LCP .380 is also available from Davidson’s Distributing with a rasberry receiver for those of you looking for something colorful. And before you say it, it actually doesn't look too bad.  A nice gift for a daughter moving away from home or even for your own pocket if you are tired of "tactical black".  I didn't get the word from the Davidson's folks, but I believe these will be exclusive to dealers who deal with Davidson's. 

USFA in the last few years has branched out from offering only Single Action Colt replicas to building copies of the 1911.  Now they have introduced copies of the beloved Colt Woodsman .22 semiauto.  Available in both 4 and 6 inch barrels the fit and finish of these is excellent. Though I think the bluing on the older Colts is much deeper.  I expect steep retail prices on this one in the $800 range. However, that may be worth it, if you consider inflation rate since 1954 is almost 700% and guns from that era are still going strong.


Lew Horton Distributing was showing off some special-edition Colts.  The ones that caught my eye were the Sam Colt Signature Series .45 and the "God Created Man, Col. Colt Made Them Equal" version. Both of these are 1991 Series .45 Autos embellished with engraving and gold inlay.  These are in the "if you need to ask..." price range. 

SMITH & WESSON

The Bodyguard changes shape and goes polymer!

This year, S&W announced two new “Bodyguard” models. The first is their .38 +P rated new model Bodyguard .38. The other is a small .380 auto, both with factory-installed lasers.

The Bodyguard .38 - Instead of the distinctive “hump back” look of previous bodyguards, this model is really a concealed hammer Centennial model. What makes it distinctive are it’s completely redesigned frame and unique lock-work. The frame is a combination aluminum alloy upper mated to a polymer lower frame

 in a manner much more eye pleasing than the Ruger LCR. The first thing that you notice is the integral laser unit mounted high on the right side of the frame. Next to it is the cylinder release which has been moved from the left size to the top of the frame. It recalls the flavor of the older top-break models when you reach up to release the cylinder. The cylinder still swings out to the left, but oddly enough, the cylinder turns clockwise instead of counterclockwise. Opening the cylinder reveals that the engineers have heavily tinkered with the lock-work. The cylinder hand has been eliminated and a new method of turning the cylinder using a center-mounted “star”.

The Bodyguard .380 Auto is a compact and ergonomic, pistol that features a high-strength polymer frame with a black, Melonite® coated stainless steel slide and barrel. The new Bodyguard 380 is standard with a 2 ¾-inch barrel, which contributes to an overall length of 5 ¼-inches and an unloaded weight of only 11.85 ounces. It features a double-action system, giving the shooter a second-strike capability and a smooth trigger

pull. It’s one of the few polymer guns with a manual thumb safety and an external take down lever and slide stop. On the lower portion of the frame, the pistol has been fitted with an integral INSIGHT laser, which is easily operated by both left and right-handed shooters. The BODYGUARD 380 is standard with a 6+1 magazine capacity.

.22 Caliber

S&W’s Model 43C is a new 8-shot Centennial J-frame .22LR with a 1-7/8” barrel tipping the scales at a mere 11 ounces. S&W also offers the more potent .22 Magnum version as the Model 351C with a 7-round capacity. Both models come with S&W boot grips. The Model 48 returns and purists will like that it retains the original 6-shot capacity in both the 4-inch and 6-inch barreled versions.  The stainless Model 63 now sports a 3-inch barreled version with adjustable HI-VIZ sights and an 8-round cylinder.

.38/.357 J-frames
Three of the Airweight models get a new 21/2” barrel. The 637, 638 Bodyguard and 642. All three are .38 Special + P rated. This includes models with plain or Crimson Trace laser grips. As a bonus S&W includes a package of 2 Tuff brand “Quick-Strips” speed-loaders.  The lightweight Model 360 gets a 3-inch barrel.

The Pro Series 442, 642 and 640 all now have moon-clip capable cylinders. A slightly different 640 (SKU 178044) has fixed night-sights dovetailed front and rear.  Notice the absense of the lock in the sideplate. 

In addition to the 632Carry Comp, S&W’s Pro series introduces the 632 Centennial model (178046) with dovetailed night-sights and a fluted 2-1/8” barrel. MSRP is $918 which translates into a street price in the $779-$799 range.  It looks very similar to the 940 shown at left.

More Scandium revolvers show up this year.  In .357 Magnum, the lightweight 386 with a 6” barrel called the 386 XL Hunter. It’s companion model is the 329 XL Hunter .44 Mag. Both feature PBD coating on the stainless cylinders to give the Scandium alloy revolvers a uniform matte black finish.

Performance Center Guns include a Model 627, 629 and 657 with flat-sided 2-5/8” barrels, Performance center action, ball detent lock-up. The 627’s cylinder is cut for 8-shot moon clips.

Automatics

The M&P 40 now features a 5-inch barrel version with Novak fiber optic front sight. The M&P 40 is also available with a 4.25” barrel and night-sights. The M&P 9 mirrors the .40 S&W version with the same features. Finally, the SW1911 line gets a 9mm, albeit in a 5-inch “Government” model. S&W also now offers a 3-inch SW1911 compact model.

Machine Engraved

S&W has created “inexpensive” engraving for four handguns. The 442, 640, 29, and PPK/S. All of these models come with a mahogany presentation case. If you have ever priced engraved firearms, you know that engraving usually adds $1,000 to the cost of the gun. S&W’s machine engraved models will certainly cost you more, but more like $300-$400 more, including the mahogany presentation case. I’m certain some retiring police officers and others will receive these, as well as those who like fine-line engraving.

Sig firearms has finally delivered their P238, announced last year. This is a small .380 pistol about the same size as the S&W/Ruger pistols. One of the more attractive models features a slide with a rainbow coloring.

Stay tuned there's more to come tomorrow.

2010 SHOT Show - Day One

From Las Vegas

If there is one word to describe the annual SHOT show, it’s the word BIG. This thing covers an entire convention center. Last year someone estimated it contained 19 miles of walkways between the vendor booths.  I arrived midday on the first day after spending 9 hours driving through torrential rains from California to a cool and partly-cloudy Las Vegas. As tired as I was, I managed to peruse one hall of the show.

One of the first things to catch my eye was a copy of the Baby Browning .25ACP from Precision Small Arms. While I’m not usually a fan of the .25 caliber pistols, these are very well made under license from Fabrique Nationale (FN) in Belgium. If you appreciate the genius of John M. Browning’s 1911 and Browning High Power, this might be another pistol to add to your collection.

At an average of about 8oz (1/2 lb), the Baby Browning is a single action, 6+1 self-loading blow-back semi-auto pistol. A mere 4.11 inches long, 2.88 inches high and only .88” wide. Trigger pulls are set to 5.25 pounds out of the box. For those wanting a truly “deep cover” gun, it’s hard to find something smaller. Retail prices for these quality “pocket pistols” will run between $525 to $575.

For those of you who looking for a .380 pistol, Task Firearms of Miami is importing a Turkish made copy of the venerable Beretta Model 84. Named the Fatih 13 (yes, that is spelled correctly) .380 ACP pistol, it holds 12+1 rounds of .380 just like the Beretta 84. What you compromise on is the fine polished blue finish. The Fatih 13 has a matte blue finish with durable black plastic grips. Retail pricing will save you anywhere from about $225 to $300 over the Beretta, starting around $500-$525.

This first half-day didn’t yet touch on the main firearms vendors. But stay tuned for tomorrow’s visit. That’s when I plan to hit up S&W, Colt, Ruger, Sig-Sauer, SA, Taurus and the other major players.