The 3Bucc Brass Catcher is a nifty little item that
attaches easily to an AR-15 (and other rifles as well) and works! Jeff has
already written a more comprehensive article on the 3Bucc Brass Catcher,
click the following link: 3Bucc Brass Catcher
3Bucc's AR-15 Flashlight Holder is another neat
little gadget that attaches to the handguard on an AR-15 without
modification to the rifle.
Accuracy International is offering a new
round-action bolt rifle, aimed at the varmint/benchrest shooter (and the
military/police sniper market) who requires the utmost accuracy. This
rifle is a new design with many features not commonly seen on this type of
rifle, as well as some new design features proprietary to AI. Look for a
full test report on this rifle in the near future from GunBlast.com!
Anzio Ironworks featured their new .50 BMG
single-shot takedown rifle, which is by far the smallest .50 we have seen!
The single-shot rifle is built on a bullpup design around the tubular
receiver, with the chamber located beside the shooter's cheek. This
proximity of our pretty face to the sheer power of the .50 BMG should not
be a problem, however, for the tubular receiver is made of very thick,
very heavy steel. It's built for portable power, not speed, as the
buttstock must be unscrewed to allow access to the chamber. Of course,
rapid follow-up shots should not be necessary with this rifle (unless you
just plain MISS), and the slow rate of fire should help you recover from
the experience of touching off a .50 BMG in a rifle this size! We look
forward to testing this one further!
AO Sight Systems displayed some very nice-looking
"ghost ring" peep sight sets for various rifles (see Jeff's
article on the sights for the Winchester Model 94 Trapper at AO Ghost Ring).
They also have some nice no-gunsmithing "scout"-type scope
mounts available. Look for GunBlast.com's article on the scope mount in
the near future!
BoreTech offers a complete line of cleaning supplies,
including their new "Patch Catcher" system shown. The Patch
Catcher is supposed to not only cut down on the mess of gun cleaning, but
almost totally eliminate toxic fumes.
To my tastes at least, Cimarron's line of Cowboy
Action Shooting guns, both handguns and long guns, were the most exciting
aspect of the SHOT show. Cimarron offers a very comprehensive line of guns
(mostly Italian imports), but they spec the guns differently from other
importers. For example, on the revolvers there are NO visible Italian
proof marks, and the marking that are present are as historically accurate
as it is possible to be without getting sued by Colt! Also, Cimarron does
the final fit and finish in the USA to gain more control over the quality
of the finished product. Speaking of fit and finish, the fit of the wood
and metal parts were absolutely perfect on the many examples we saw, and
the finishes were nothing short of gorgeous! The revolvers shown are
finished in Cimarron's beautiful new "antique" finish, which is
every bit as authentic-looking (and feeling) as the picture indicates. I
am really looking forward to getting some test pieces from Cimarron so we
can see if these guns shoot as well as they look!
Hi-Point is offering a line of relatively
inexpensive semi-auto pistols and carbines that operate on what appears to
be a rather intriguing "retarded blowback" system. Hi-Point will
be sending some test pieces for evaluation, so keep checking back with
GunBlast.com!
Kimber has made a name for itself over the past few
years as the maker of some of the finest .45 "Government" model
pistols on the market. This year they are offering the
"Heritage" model, which is a beautiful pistol with many features
found only on custom .45s, such as: forward and rear slide grooves,
skeletonized hammer and (adjustable) trigger, flared ejection port,
beavertail grip safety, checkered front strap, and diamond-pattern
checkered wood grips with limited-edition medallions. Kimber offers all
this, along with their legendary accuracy for about a thousand bucks,
which is a fraction of what a comparable pistol would cost from a custom
maker, plus a portion
of the profits from each Heritage pistol goes to the Heritage Foundation.
Lipsey's is one of the largest Ruger distributors,
and they like to have Ruger run off some limited-production guns for them
from time to time. The gun pictured here is a custom stainless .22 target
model semi-auto pistol with some very attractive custom features. This gun
has some beautiful, nicely-contrasting rosewood grip panels that are also
profiled a bit differently than the standard Ruger grips, and these grips
(to me, at least) fit the hand better than the standard model. The barrel
appears to be a standard Ruger "bull barrel" that has the
sides milled-off flat, reducing weight somewhat and giving a very unique
and pleasing "slab-side" appearance. Adjustable target sights,
match-grade trigger and scope rings are included in the very reasonable
price. If you're looking for an excellent .22 at an excellent price, this
may be the one for you! Have your dealer contact Lipsey's and ask for our
buddy Jason Cloessner.
Robinson Armament Company had a nice selection of
products on display, including their new Kalashnikov rifles in .308
caliber (er, 7.62x51mm). These were very nice-looking guns that exhibited
above-average workmanship for guns of this type. RAC claims that these
guns shoot as well as they look, and they will be sending us a test piece
for further evaluation in the near future.
As this was our first time to attend a SHOT show as
powerful and influential members of the press (we have been to many SHOT
shows as dealers, but GunBlast.com is a new endeavor for us), we were
somewhat surprised when a representative from Mateba firearms
chased us down to see their new "semi-automatic revolvers". We
were somewhat dubious of the prospect at first, but after seeing the guns
and speaking to their designer (a very amiable Italian gun designer named Sergio
Mateba), we were intrigued by their innovative design. Mateba has come up with a semi-auto
revolver system that works like this: the entire top half of the gun recoils slightly
upon firing, which recocks the hammer. When the top half returns, a cam in the cylinder
engages a channel in the top strap, and the cylinder is rotated. Thus, the hammer is cocked
and the cylinder is rotated after every shot, and you have a "semi-auto revolver".
Mateba had both handguns and carbines at the show in .44 Magnum and .454 Casull. They say they're sending us a test piece
for evaluation, so keep watching Gunblast.com! While at first glance Mateba's system is intriguing, it
will be interesting to see how well they actually work.
We saw many new and interesting items at the Ruger
area of the show. One of the my favorites was the new bird's-head grip
frames for the SA revolvers. There is a more detailed picture and
description of this grip frame on the SHOT Show Day 2 page.
Among several new rifle offerings from Ruger this
year is the new .44 Magnum semi-auto carbine, which Jeff is holding in the
picture. This rifle is substantially different in design from the old .44
mag rifle that was discontinued by Ruger many years ago. The bolt and
action design are different, more along the lines of the Mini-14, while
the older carbines are superficially reminiscent of the 10-22 design.
Also, the old tubular magazine has been replaced by an excellent rotary
detachable box magazine, which should make the gun both safer and more
reliable.
Ruger has also reintroduced their
"Hunter" model Super Blackhawk SA revolvers. The Hunters were
fondly regarded, but unfortunately deleted from Ruger's catalog some years
back. For those who don't remember the Hunters,
they are stainless Super Blackhawks in .44 Magnum with a low rib on the
barrel into which are cut integral scope mounts for included Ruger
scope rings. This is basically the same scope mounting system as found on
the Super Redhawk, and it makes for a sleek package for those who prefer a
scoped single-action revolver without interfering too much with the lines
of the gun. Also, Ruger's scope ring system allows for removing and
reinstalling the scope without loss of zero...theoretically, anyway, I've
never mounted a scope on a revolver myself. For a field gun, I like the
portability of a SA revolver with about a 4-5/8" or 5-1/2"
barrel, and if I need a scoped pistol I reach for my Contender in .35
Remington or .45/70 Government. If you like the idea of a scoped SA
revolver, I can't imagine a better system than Ruger's, or one that is
less detrimental to the lines of the gun. As you can see in the picture,
Ruger also has the new .480 Ruger cartridge available in the Super Redhawk
revolver. The .480 Ruger was developed by Ruger and Hornady, and it
supposedly approaches the ballistics of the wildcat .475 Linebaugh in a
factory-available cartridge. Too bad the .480 isn't available in a SA
revolver; the Super Redhawk is so big it needs wheels, and I don't know
anyone who would stroke a DA trigger in the field! We talked to the folks
at Ruger about making the .454 Casull and .480 Ruger available in a SA
revolver, and maybe one of these days they'll listen if they hear from
enough of us...
Ruger also has a shorter grip frame available for
the Single-Six line of SA revolvers. This is supposed to be a boon for
shooters with smaller hands, but Jeff really likes the way this grip frame
feels in his mitts.
SKB has some new shotgun offerings available for
2001, including a new .410 bore on a scaled-down frame size. This is a
VERY handy little gun that comes to the shoulder and points like it's a
part of you. If you are looking for a quality .410 over/under, have a look
at this one!
Tri-Star is offering a "Westchester"
Model 1887 lever-action shotgun for the Cowboy Action Shooters. Fit and
finish are pretty good, but it's a bit pricey for the average Cowboy
shooter.
Boge Quinn
SHOT Show Day 2
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