The SHOT Show – 4 days for attendees, 5 days for media, who get in a day early to debrief gun engineers and test some of the new firearms on various ranges in the host city – is over, and no one who attended is complaining. On the shuttle bus back to the hotels, almost everyone spoke of exhaustion. The “miles of aisles” of concrete floors are not conducive to the physical comfort of graying gun guys and gals. It ended today, Friday, an hour and a half earlier than the rest of the week. When they dimmed the lights to signal that 4 PM had tolled, a cheer went up through the vast convention center.

At Remington, the unprecedented demand for mainstream caliber ammo has kept their new .30 load for their (A)R15 from achieving the popularity many expected when that gun debuted last year. Remington epitomizes an industry year that’s more evolution than revolution. There are new variations of their Model 700 bolt action centerfire rifle (5 million now produced) and their Model 870 slide action shotgun (the 10 millionth produced this year). The company is putting more emphasis on classical “blue steel and walnut” treatment of such arms as their popular, efficient Model 11/87 autoloading shotgun, a move that pleases this old traditionalist’s heart. On the new side, their recently introduced Model 887 Nitro Magnum pump designed to take the 3.5” 12 gauge shotgun shell can give you the same amount of lead in the air as two standard 12 gauge shells at once with a single pull of the trigger, and is now available in a very nice (and affordable) Tactical version.

Returning to SIG, one reader touched bases to ask me just what “tweaks” (mentioned in an earlier blog post) that company had applied to their P250 US-made pistols. Well, they’re selling kits now with two different size guns sharing a single fire control group: effectively (and legally) two guns in one. They have another P250 variation with an ambidextrous manual safety. Finally, the company is working on a striker-fired version because some police departments are now specifying that design in mass-purchase bid requests. I like striker-fired pistols; in recent years, I’ve carried the striker-fired Glock more than any other gun, and am wearing one or two Glocks this week because tomorrow will find me relaxing and recovering from the trade show at a Glock match on the Las Vegas Metro Police Department range. Still, one advantage of hammer-fired guns such as the P250 is that in holstering, the shooter can hold the hammer down with the thumb and prevent an accidental discharge if something like an unsafely-designed safety strap, or the drawstring of a windbreaker, or (most commonly) a careless shooter’s finger gets into the trigger guard and applies rearward pressure to the trigger.  Different folks have different opinions and tastes, and that’s what makes horse races.

Laser Ammo (www.laser-ammo.com) offers an incredibly affordable “shoot/don’t shoot” training system and marksmanship practice system which works off a laser attachment fitted to your own gun and interfaces with computer generated imagery. I liked it so much I ordered one, and I didn’t order much at this particular cornucopia of gundom.

I met a lot of old friends and a lot of new ones, and if the feet are tired and heavy, the heart is upbeat and light. I’m gonna finish some work and catch up on sleep tonight, and shoot a match with friends tomorrow. The SHOT Show was a renewing experience that gave some insights into where the gun industry and the people it serves happen to be right now…and we’ll discuss that here in a little greater depth before too long.

Brian Lasley, left, and Mike Streeter, right, of Remington discuss their company’s new Tactical version of the Model 887 slide action shotgun, chambered for the awesome 3.5″ Magnum 12 gauge shell.

Master police trainer and combat pistol champ Dennis Carroll shows off SIG’s P250 pistol, “tweaked” with ambidextrous manual safety levers (arrow).

The last (next?) welcome we all saw as we left an exhausting but successful SHOT Show.

1 COMMENT

  2. Hey there

    Did you by any chance happen to get the msrp on the Sig 516 and whether or not it comes with sights as standard ? They seem to be the 2 questions NO ONE has been able to get answered even with all the SHOT Show coverage. Thanks.

  5. I can safely say that a Ruger 1911 prototype exists. While the Ruger execs flatly deny the existence of a .357 LCR or plans for same, they smile Cheshire Cat smiles when asked about the SR1911, and say they can’t discuss it. 🙂 The smart money right now seems to be on a 2011 introduction to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of the 1911 platform.
    best,
    Mas

  6. “I can safely say that a Ruger 1911 prototype exists. While the Ruger execs flatly deny the existence of a .357 LCR or plans for same, they smile Cheshire Cat smiles when asked about the SR1911, and say they can’t discuss it. The smart money right now seems to be on a 2011 introduction to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of the 1911 platform.”

    I say not unless the ECONOMY improves. While it’s going to be easy for Speer to get people to buy enough $20-30 boxes to make their new .30 Carbine Gold Dot ammo profitable, can you do that with any new $800 gun – especially when the market is glutted with used 1911s selling at used-gun prices?
    My experience is that the “stuff that sells” in this industry is priced under $50 – except for the niche of AR-15s and AK-47s.

  8. I actually had a drawstring from my Cabela’s safari jacket get caught in the trigger guard when holstering my Sig and only because my thumb was over the hammer did I stop and avoid a negligent discharge.

  10. Sigh. Vegas again next year?

    Flying with guns (or even without these days) can be a hassle, and I’m not driving all the way across the country.

  13. I was wondering if there were any new single actions out there for those of us who cannot stand carrying anything that does not require the hammer to be pulled back first?
    Maybe this isn’t the place, but there have been some very disturbing events of late-Texas guns shows shut down the feds working with local le agencies, rumor that the same is happening in Tennessee, these are not liberal bastions for sissy men.
    Wondering why the feds decided to bust 21 or 22 firearms execs on what seems like a bunch of hot air-federal penalties for paying commissions?!? Seems to me that if everyone getting a commission was railroaded into federal court, we’d have to build a lot more prisons.
    Things aren’t just getting bad, they are bad.

  14. Rural Mike, all I really saw new in single actions was Ruger’s new Blackhawk in an 8-shot .327 Federal Magnum format.
    best,
    mas

  15. Dear Mass,
    Thank you for your continued push for gun ownership and education.
    Have you heard about the governor’s race in Texas? The primary is in less than a month and we have three contenders for the Republican spot. All three are pro gun but only one is pro liberty, 2nd amendment shall not be infringed- pro gun. Please look at what she is saying on behalf of gun ownership. Her words to many audiences are , “Buy a gun, learn how to use it and keep it with you.”
    Those of us who believe in our right to life, liberty and property know she will stand up for Texans. The fight is a hard one, but she is true to her word & the whole country needs to be watching this race- it’s about freedom!www.medinafortexas.com

  16. The ATF currently has a request for proposal ( RFP ) to switch to a new handgun for all of its agents. Sig Sauer submitted their new P250 pistol for this competition, but it was eliminated by the ATF from the competition after completion of the the first two stages of testing. Of the guns tested, only pistols from Glock and Smith & Wesson went forward to the stage 3 tests. Sig Sauer filed an appeal with the ATF about the Sig P250 being eliminated early from the testing. However, the ATF has now rejected their appeal, and only S&W and Glock are going to the final evaluation stage. In rejecting the Sig Sauer appeal, the ATF noted the following from their agent test results: “11 of the 20 test shooters experienced stoppages with Sig Sauer’s handguns–in some cases, as many as 10 stoppages. The ATF simply found the Sig P250 to be too unreliable for the needs of their agency. If you want to read the full report denying Sig Sauer’s appeal, you can do so here: http://www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/4023393.htm