Fully Loaded: Review of the 2020 Shot Show
By Michael A. Black
The Mantis booth at Industry Day at the Range.
The 42nd annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, held in Las Vegas, is now history, but it provided gun writers from across the country to get an important first look at new guns and gear headed your way this year.
The four-day show was preceded by the annual “Industry Day at the Range,” where industry professionals and the media actually get the chance to try out new firearms. Tour buses transported us out to the Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club near Boulder City. All of the major gun companies had shooting booths set up along the expansive facility. After receiving our complimentary eye and ear protection, we proceeded into the range area.
The Glock’s G44. proved to be a big hit with my female companion.
There was a special demonstration area adjacent to the firing ranges where various products could be examined apart from the actual gun range booths.
Shoot Like A Girl had a big trailer equipped with an interactive computerized target screen to diagnose the shooter’s trigger pull and aiming accuracy. The all-female crew of instructors offered personalized assistance with the laser-fitted weapons, featuring both handguns and rifles. More computerized analysis instruction was available from Manitis (www.mantisx.com). The company specializes in using the latest computer technology to improve shooting techniques by attaching the Mantis device directly onto the rails of the pistol and the smartphone app sends an analysis to the shooter’s smart phone or tablet for immediate review. The Mantis X 3 monitoring device ($169.00) attaches to the pistol’s rails and the X-7($199.00) is designed for shotguns and rifles. There is also an attachment for archery as well.
The Hawk drone was used for a demonstration in downtown Las Vegas.
We made another interesting stop at the Survivor Filter booth when we saw a woman dip a long blue container into a pot of murky water, screw a cap on the blue container, and then pour out a glass of crystal clear liquid. This Active Filtration Bottle has specially designed filter that removes any impurities without any waiting time. It’s designed for travel, camping, survival trips, and any other emergencies where access to potable water might be impaired and has a 100 gallon lifespan. To verify the quality of the water, the demonstrator then drank from the glass she’d just prepared. Go to www.survivorfilter.com for more information.
The weather didn’t prove as challenging as last year, and we were able to engage in more shooting, although the long lines did prove a bit limiting. I was really looking forward to firing the newly revised version of the classic Colt Python, as well as their Cobra revolver. The smooth trigger pull on both handguns made them a pleasure to shoot.
Nightstick’s units fit onto the pistol rails to provide both a flashlight and laser dot sight
Walther’s new PPQ Q4SF semi-auto 9 mm also had a great feel to it. This steel frame pistol was one of the company’s newly featured guns for 2020. The CCT P.380 polymer proved to be a big hit with my female companion, as did Glock’s G44. According to the range master, this .22 caliber semi-auto is very effective for training new shooters by getting them used to shooting without the heavier recoil of the larger calibers. It’s been especially effective for training first-time shooters, women shooters, and young gun novices.
Another interesting item available for firing was the DBX from Diamondback Arms. This 5.7X28 caliber is considered a pistol, although it comes with a folding brace. It weighs about 3 pounds and has a 20 round magazine, an 8-inch barrel and an ambidextrous attachable charging handle.
The show officially began the next day at the massive Sands Convention Center. There were the usual three levels with well over 16,000 exhibits, as well as more attractions on the upper floors on levels four and five. The National Sports Shooting Foundation (NSSF) once again offered a special app you could put on your cell phone to help locate the various booths by name or booth number. Numerous press conferences and seminars offered a wide variety of information on the gun industry.
One of exceptional interest was The Business of Freedom, which laid out a comprehensive plan for using business as a tool to end the current assault on the Second Amendment. There were a variety of tactical subjects covered as well. Among the most notable for law enforcement were The Future of Drone Air Support, Firearms/Deadly Force Training, and Leadership in Law Enforcement. My hat goes off to the NSSF for sponsoring the SHOT Show, and also for promoting gun safety at their booth where they gave out information on their Project Childsafe and suicide prevention programs.
One of my first stops was the Second Amendment Foundation (www.sof.org) booth where I picked up a couple of bumper stickers (SECOND AMENDMENT/FIRST RESPONDER). Conspicuously missing this year was my good friend, Joe Tartaro, who retired from editing GunMag.Com last year. Joe’s attended virtually all of the past forty-something SHOT Shows and his wise presence was missed by this author.
Fox Fury Lighting Solutions (www.foxfury.com), used one of their camera-mounted drones, called “The Hawk,” for a night-time drone CSI demonstration in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday evening in conjunction with the Las Vegas Metro Police. This is the same aircraft that was used in Hawaii recently to locate the killer of two police officers who’d subsequently started a fire after the deadly encounter with the police.
These drone aircrafts are equipped with steerable lights, thermal and infrared cameras, microphones, and offer remarkable maneuverability that can assist both law enforcement and the military in searches and pursuits of dangerous suspects. They can also be used in non-police incidents such as fires or natural disasters to gather on-scene intelligence. These incredible aircraft offer a variety of features including a 40 minute flight time, optical zoom lenses on their cameras, all-weather flying capability, and can be deployed with little set-up time. For additional information got to info@AEEUSA.com or AUTELSALES@AUTELROBOTICS.com.
Another unique item was the TEC Torch offered from Combined Systems, Inc. (www.combinedsystems.com). This Thermal Erosion Cutting torch combines the principle of thermal energy with mechanical erosion to allow quick, low noise, non-explosive entry through the toughest of barriers, and can also be used underwater. Primarily designed for law enforcement and military use, this lightweight, compact tool is about a foot long when assembled and can penetrate ½-inch steel plating or cut through ¾-inch steel rods on locks, chains, rebar, and cables in seconds. The C110-140027 cartridge burns with an intense (4,000 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature for 6 seconds once ignited, then automatically extinguishes.
Nightstick (www.nightstick.com) offers lighting of a different kind. This company, which has been supplying professional lighting products since 1984, has a variety of quality lighting products with exceptional performance characteristics such as candela, beam distance and run-times. They have subcompact, compact, full, long, and hand held lights, all of which come with rock-solid warranty, and units that fit onto the pistol rails to provide both a flashlight and laser dot sight. They also offer a magnetic couple charging system, which allows the magnetized charger to fasten onto the light with a touch of the hand. All of their tactical flashlights are waterproof.
A new less lethal product was introduced called HERO 2020. The compact polymer, gas powered weapon is shaped like an oversized, double-barreled derringer and launches projectiles at 250 feet per second from up to 20 feet away. The dual shot, dual finger trigger is designed to fit comfortably in your hand and has an ambidextrous safety switch. It can fire oreoresin capscum (pepper spray) or marking projectiles and has a laser for aiming along with a 600 lumen stun light. It’s priced at $289.95. For more information, go to HERO.UD.com.
Each day had its share of celebrity appearances. I was hoping to run into actor and bodybuilding champion Lou Ferrigno, who is a gun enthusiast. Big Lou recently became a deputy sheriff in New Mexico and owns numerous weapons, including a Barrett sniper rifle pictures of which he’s shown me at previous meetings. Former NRA spokesperson turned radio talk-show host Dana Loesch made an appearance to sign copies of her latest book.
The special, .50 caliber cellphone gun model on hand was really a gag item and not something they were seriously considering marketing.
Martial arts champion and movie star Chuck Norris dealt with an immense line of autograph seekers at the Glock booth on Thursday. Norris recently became an official spokesman for the gun company, and handsome gold colored coins were handed out to commemorate his appearance on behalf of Glock. UFC hall of fame martial artist Royce Gracie met with Norris before his event and then Royce made an appearance at the Pack’nHeat (www.packnheatproducts.com) booth to sign autographs. Several other well known shooters and gun experts were also on hand to give exhibitions on shooting techniques and gun safety through the four days.
Sadly, when I stopped by PJL Targets (www.pjl-usa.com) I discovered that my friend, retired Belgium police officer Francis Dorao, had unexpectedly passed away last month. His impressive array of life-like illustrated targets always provided “shoot-don’t shoot” decision-making training in a most economical way, and Francis always brought a high degree of enthusiasm to the show. He’ll be missed, but his associate, Philip Peseux, is continuing the business from their Florida location.
Cimarron Arms (www.Cimarron–Firearms.com) had their high-quality replicas of the guns of the Old West. For an author like myself, who writes western fiction, being able to hold and dry fire an 1875 Colt .45 “Outlaw” or a Colt Model 1890 is an extremely valuable experience and helps an author imbue a bit more realism into one’s writing. The Cimarron selection is also very affordable. Because of Cimarron’s meticulous authenticity, I was able to use a description of the Colt 7th Cavalry .45 Model in my latest western.
“America has solidly become a concealed-carry nation,” this year’s Shot Show Daily Bulletin proclaimed, so it was no surprise that many of the guns featured were tailored for the concealed-carry market. Ideal Conceal (www.cellphonepistol.com) out of Minnesota introduced their very concealable cellphone pistol at the 2018 SHOT Show, and have returned in subsequent years mentioning that the demand for these “most concealable” two-shot pistols has remained high. They showed off their latest advancements in their most concealable gun. They laughingly also admitted that the special .50 caliber cellphone gun model on hand was really a gag item and not something they were seriously considering marketing.
Caracal Arms (www.caracalusa.com) had a scaled down booth this time, but mentioned that their products are now all manufactured in the U.S.A. On hand was their Enhanced F model semi-auto pistol, a striker-fired 9mm semi-automatic, which is “suppressor ready” with a removable barrel thread protector at the muzzle. The ergonomically designed grip makes it easy to hold, and reduces felt recoil ($460.00).
Another unique weapon was offered from Altor Corp (www.altorcorp.com) with their new single shot self defense firearm. The gun, which comes in .380 ACP and 9mm calibers, has only two parts to connect for loading and firing, and just six parts overall. It’s concealable and light, and looks innocuously similar to a glue gun.
Bond Arms (www.bondarms.com) had their new, affordable ($269 to $377 MSP) “Rough Neck Series” on display offering two-shot derringers with interchangeable barrels that come in .45, .410, and .22 and can all be fitted onto the same frame.
Smith & Wesson also had a large bore revolver that rivaled the Taurus big boys.
Taurus Arms (www.taurususa.com) had their customary array of large frame revolvers on display, as the “Big bore is all the rage” slogan continues to be popular. This year their “Raging Hunter” model sports an angular barrel design that cuts down on overall weight, while its factory tuned porting and gas expansion chamber reduce the muzzle lift for quicker reacquisition of the target. (Look for it to be in the $910 to $965 price range.)
Smith & Wesson (www.smith-wesson.com) also had a large bore revolver that rivaled the Taurus big boys. Their Model 460 VF has a 7.5 inch barrel, holds five .460-caliber rounds, and costs around $1779.00. Their M& P Shield EZ-9 model is one of several that offers unique feature of adjustable hand grips. The gun has a special section that on the back of the handle that can be taken off and replaced to either slim down or thicken the weapon to allow the shooter to have a better grip. While Smith & Wesson has had this adjustable feature on their M&P models for some time, the EZ-9 also has a raised ridge layer on the rear of the slide to make it easy to rack.
Like many of the gun manufacturers, Sig Sauer (www.sigsauer.com) had a wide selection of their pistols with mounted optics. Virtually all of their popular pistols come with the option of factory installed, zeroed, reflex options installed. Welcome to the Red Dot Revolution. I checked out their P320 and had to admit that it did allow for quick, responsive target acquisition, but being old fashioned, I’m still a believer in good, old iron sights.
When it came to a blend of quality and affordability, SCCY arms (www.sccy.com) has burst upon the scene with their CPX series of 9mm and .380 pistols. All their firearms are made in the USA and are designed to offer comfort and accuracy at an affordable price. Their newest model, the DVG-1 is a striker-fired pistol with a light-weight trigger pull and a polymer frame. The round capacity is 10 plus 1, and it’s around 6 inches in length. SCCY weapons are a favorite with the concealed-carry crowd.
Gun Toten’ Mamas offers a variety of fashionable purses with sturdy, zippered pockets and specially designed garments with sewn in holsters
We also saw several exhibits catering to women with purses specially designed to accommodate a concealed handgun and allow for quick acquisition. This growing distaff market is sensible business. Montana West Conceal Carry Purses (www.maontanawestusa.com) offered stylish handbags with separate zippered pockets for gun storage at vary reasonable prices. Gun Toten’ Mamas (www.GunTotenMamas.com) also offers a variety of fashionable purses with sturdy, zippered pockets and specially designed garments with sewn in holsters. As a special feature of all of their purses, afford extra security with a slash-proof carry strap.
There’s always way more to see than can be written about, like the new Chiappa firearms (www.chiappafirearms.com) Black Rhino CBR-9 revolver, or the Iver Johnson (www.verjohnsonarms.com) Stryker-SN 12 gauge automatic shogun that’s styled to look like an AR-15. With over 16,000 exhibits spread over 13 acres of floor space the SHOT Show is a gun enthusiast’s Disneyland.
The 43rd SHOT Show is scheduled for January 19-22, 2021 and will once again be at the Sands Convention Center. The show will be expanded to the all new Caesars Forum. A custom-built sky bridge from the Sands will provide access to more manufacturers and distributors displaying their product lines, as well as new exhibitors from even more product categories to offer more exhibits, hands-on product demonstrations, education, and meeting opportunities. By all reports, this next show should be an event you won’t want to miss.
