By Michael A. Black | Contributing Writer
Editor’s Note: In this second part of Mike’s two-part report, our intrepid correspondent looks at more new guns and some interesting gear.
At this year’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Smith & Wesson made a point of introducing their new M327 W Revolver.
The 9mm revolver was designed in partnership with championship shooter, Jerry Miculek, who owns two NBA world records. The Model 327 WR is a lightweight, N-frame revolver chambered in 9mm. It has a titanium cylinder and handsome laminated wooden handle for an optimal, ergonomic grip when firing. It boasts an eight round capacity, with a five inch, ported stainless steel barrel, and customary, smooth double-action trigger pull. The gun is in limited release. MSRP is $3,499.00.
And who can go by Smith & Wesson without stopping at the other traditional standard bearer, Colt?
As usual, Colt (www.colt.com) had their fine array of handguns out and we stopped to check their new Colt Viper. It’s a .357 Magnum with a 4.25 inch barrel made out of stainless steel. The trigger pull is “Colt smooth,” as usual. This baby has a MSRP of $999.00. Also on hand were the three other “snakes,” the King Cobra (MSRP $999.00, the Python (MRSP $1,499.00) and the Anaconda (MSRP $1,499).
These quality revolvers all had the same flawless trigger pull. It’s said that when Sam Colt patented his design back in 1836, he made sure that when cocking back the hammer it made four distinct clicks, imitating the sound mimicking the letters of his last name, C-O-L-T. I always have appreciated this sound when cocking the hammer and the ultra-smooth trigger pull of old Sam’s guns.
It was busy at the Glock booth, as usual. The company was spotlighting their new import COA package, which combines “Glock perfection with Aimpoint performance.” It’s a combination of Glock pistols with an Aimpoint COA Red Dot sight optic. The COA is a new, unique, ultra compact closed emitter sight combined with a patent-pending optic mounting system. The Aimpoint A-Cut interface allows the sight to be factory installed on select Glock models, the optic’s thin window frame allows for quick target acquisition. It’s also unobtrusive enough to facilitate a quick draw when conceal-carried.
The installation of the COA is factory done, and securely affixes the optic directly onto the weapon’s slide, providing extra stability and durability. The fully enclosed emitter gives substantial protection to the sight and comes in a compact design that fits into the specially cut grooves on slide on the weapon. This unique cut enables the Aimpoint sight to be securely and directly affixed onto the slide. The wide field of view provides excellent situational awareness. Available Glock models with the COA optic include the G43X (MSRP $1,002.00), the G48 (MSPR $1,002.00), the G19 (MSRP $1,165.00), the G45 (MSRP $1,165.00), and the G47 (MSRP $1,165.00)
Taurus was introducing their new GX2 9mm striker-fired pistol. It has a barrel length of 3.38 inches, with a Picatinny rail, an ergonomic grip for a comfortable feel, and a 13 round magazine that’s also available in 10 and 15 rounds. The MSRP is $309.99-$324.99. Taurus was also showing off their 22TUC double-action pocket pistol. The small gun is .22LR, and has a 9 +1 round capacity. An interesting feature is the tip-up barrel, which allows for easy loading without having to rack the slide. You simply insert a round into the barrel once it’s been flipped upward. It has fixed sights with an orange dot on the front sight. The textured grips and beavertail make for a comfortable grip, regardless of one’s hand size. The MSRP for the 22TUC is $333.00.
Walther Arms had their customary variety of their flagship Performance Duty Pistols. The classic .380 ACP that thrilled audiences the early James Bond movies with its fixed barrel blowback design now has an updated rotating safety decocker that eliminates the need to partially depress the trigger to decock the action. The MSRP for this one is $969.00. Their new compact PD380, which has minimum recoil and an easy to rack slide, proved to be a bit challenging for new attendees at their booth. Attendees, myself included, had a difficult time figuring out how to drop the magazine from the small pistol in that it has no standard mag-release button on the grip. Finally, one of the representatives showed me that the mag release had been moved to an inconspicuous position on the bottom portion of the trigger guard. The MSRP is $479.00.
No trip to the show would be complete for a western writer like me without me stopping by the Cimarron Firearms Company (www.cimarron-firearms.com), which specializes in producing exact replicas of firearms from the 19th Century. I got to hold replicas of a Colt .45 Peacemaker, which I use in my latest novel, Where Legends Lie, and a massive Colt Dragoon, that my buddy, Dave Case used in his western, Stand for the Dead. Just handling those authentic replicas makes one appreciate the significant design improvements of the firearms of today.
And we also spent some time at the Kimber display, where their Micro 9 pistols got out attention. Micro 9 models are small and compact, but still deliver a wallop. These 9mm handguns especially appeal to women with their smaller hands.
The Micro 9’s have a quick, smooth trigger pull and mild recoil. The aluminum frame combined with a stainless steel slide make the gun light, and the small size makes it easy to conceal. It has a 7+1 round capacity. The one pictured is the Bel Air Blue. (MSPR $1019.00)
We also had an opportunity to peruse some of the new non-firearm police and security products that caught our interest, one of which was the NEXTORCH (www.nextorch.com) booth where there was a martial arts demonstration going on. A uniformed Asian police officer was demonstrating defensive techniques against an Occidental opponent armed with a collapsible baton, a knife, and a gun. The demonstration was pretty impressive, especially since there was no padded mat on the floor. Based in China, NEXTORCH offers a variety of collapsible batons, flashlights, handcuffs and tools. (No MSRP available).
We passed a glass fishbowl with a cellphone totally submerged and I realized it was contained in a plastic Ziplock bag. The company at this booth was LOKSAK (www.loksak.com) and they offer a quick and convenient protection for your electronic devices. Just place them in the clear plastic bag and press along the top and, just like that, your smart phone is protected from water damage for up to 200 feet. The price is reasonable, too. It’s only $10.99 for a two-pack. They’re also offering a heavier nylon bag that prevents inserted laptop computers and cell phones from being surreptitiously scanned.
Similar and more comprehensive protection for various sized computers and cell phones was provided by GoDark (www.godarkbags.com). This Canadian company offers a variety of different sized bags offering electromagnetic shielding for portable electronics. Their bags range from smart phone sized containers to larger duffel bags and suitcases. The bags have two layers and are all water resistant. They prevent intruders from scanning your devices in public. They are even guaranteed against an EMP (electro magnetic pulse) attack. Prices range from $50.00 to $575.00.
My next stop was my friends at Quiqlite Inc. (www.quiqlite.com). Their pen-sized flashlight LiteStick Tactical offers an ingenious, hands-free way to illuminate your immediate area. Principally designed for police officers conducting street stops, it can easily be adapted for civilian use as well. The USB rechargeable device is the size of a pen, and can be clipped into your pocket to give off 20 to 200 Lumens of light with the push of a button. It has 3 independent programmable LEDs with memory allowing you to choose your desired lumen range and retains the settings for future use. Additionally, there’s a Safety Strobe that can be activate in case of emergencies that gives off illumination visible up to a mile away. The interchangeable battery lasts up to 15 hours on a single charge and the LiteStick itself is made of ultra-tough aircraft aluminum. The MSRP is $54.95. They also have a new Tritium handcuff key that glows in the dark to allow quick retrieval in dark places. (MSRP $49.95)
Safariland Group (www.safariland.com) had their new Incog X IWB holster on hand that accommodates Glock pistols with attached optic sights or laser lights. (Additional models for Sig Sauer and Stacatto are in the works.) Principally designed to accommodate concealed carry enthusiasts, the holster includes a passive trigger guard and a magazine holder. (MSRP $95.50)
At the Mantis (www.MANTISX.COM) booth their Laser Academy was attracting a lot of attention. It’s a virtual large screen setup that allows shooters to safely and expediently practice dry firing indoors. This time they had several new course scenarios available, including one that is designed to practice dealing with an active shooter in a school or office building. The new Mantis Titan replica handgun is used. The “gun” has a built in laser and a Mantis computerized analysis function as well as an automatic resetting trigger. It also has a removable magazine to allow for reloading drills to be incorporated into the training. It’s a great way to perfect your target acquisition and trigger squeeze without using up a lot of expensive ammo. The MSRP for the Titan is $200.00.
And speaking of active shooting situations and building searches, I want to mention Door Jamm/Trauma Pak (www.doorjamm.com) out of Valencia, California. Designed by a cop, the Doorjamb is a thick, stretchable rubber band that can be fitted over the door lock of any size door to prevent it from relocking once closed. It’s a simple device, but one useful to law enforcement in building searches. The MSRP is $14.99.
Part two of this booth was the Trauma Pak, which offers a nylon pack containing medical equipment (bandages, tourniquets, etc.) and color-coded trauma ribbons that can be tied around the wrist of a fallen victim to designate the degree of trauma he or she has incurred. For instance, using a red ribbon indicates a serious condition indicating immediate care and evacuation are necessary, while a green ribbon indicates a less serious injury. A black and white ribbon indicates the victim is deceased. These trauma packs come in different sizes and have removable portions so in a mass casualty emergency the first responder can leave one care pack with a caretaker administering aid and move on to another victim with the full pack. The MSPR for these trauma packs range from $350.00 to $1,500.00, depending on the size.
Several companies had drones at the show and there is no denying the growing use of these crafts by both civilian and military organizations. Red Cat (www.tealdrones.com), aka Nasdoq:RCAT, is one of the leading drone technology companies and was the winner of the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record. The drones, or Unmanned Aircraft Systems, have undergone extensive changes in the past few years. The company’s Black Widow was on display at their booth. The craft is relatively small and light (around 2.65 lbs), with a wingspan of approximately 51 inches, and is 30 inches in length. It can easily be handled by one person. The applications for surveillance, reconnaissance, equipment placement, and surgical strikes, in the case of military operations, are obvious.
The craft is equipped with a Picatinny rail which allows for various add-ons to be installed. These could range from cameras, lasers, speakers, lights, and weapons, in the case of the military. The current flying time for the Black Widow is around 35 minutes, but newer batteries are under development with estimated flying times of 45 to 60 minutes. While there is no SRP available, the representative at the booth indicated that the cost is around $30,000.00 on the low end.
There were many more exhibits that I visited, and many more that I wished to peruse, but it once again became a matter of so many booths and exhibits, so little time… Despite the show going on from morning and sometimes into the evening for four full days it was virtually impossible for us to see it all. On Friday afternoon the show closed down leaving us weary but also with an appreciation of the organization and scope of the firearms industry.
So, as they say, let’s do it again next year.
Michael A. Black is a freelance writer and regular contributor to GunMag.Com. His latest novel, a western, is Where Legends Lie from Genius Publishing.
