The first stop was at the Charter Arms booth, because they had this out front:
Charter Arms bike
It's a custom-built Charter Arms-themed chopper put together by the Orange County Chopper guys. The Charter rep was telling me that Paul Sr. was walking around SHOT earlier, and I found it pretty amazing that a motorcycle manufacturer from NY (not gun-friendly) would build a custom bike for a gun company from CT (also not gun friendly) and it would be covered by a guy from Massachusetts (ibid)...
They had the new Pitbull on display:
Pitbull
And I took a shot of how it works:
Pitbull action
Pretty ingenious. The video I shot last week didn't do it justice - you really need to use both hands and hold the gun so that the cylinder angles downward for the casings to fall out. It looks to be a viable way of holding rimless cartridges in a revolver; time will tell if it catches on. I suspect folks will be happy to not have to moon and de-moon brass...
Right across from Charter was the Victorinox booth. The Victorinox rep overheard me talking about wanting a Scout-themed knife and pointed me to this display:
Scout knives
And, having had one of the earlier models as a kid (and I still have it somewhere in the attic), I was drawn to the monstah:
Victorinox kitchen sink
We learned that the all-plastic magnifying glass was one of the few concessions to cost-savings - but better that than something that might affect the quality of the original Swiss Army knife. Victorinox was one of the best booths for interacting with reps who seemed genuinely enthusiastic about talking to media - even us new media types.
Next up was the SIG SAUER display, a sprawling spread that encompassed several acres (at least it seemed that way). First stop: the brand new P224, Sig's new steel sub-compact semi-auto:
224 for size
I figured the best way to show off the size would be to take the same shot with the mid-sized P229:
229 for size
And I just had to take a shot of this custom P226:
226 bling
Not a huge fan of the gold, but otherwise it's a gorgeous gun and must be an amazing shooter. My P226, which is easily old enough to drink, will handle everything I put through it (even rounds burped up by other 9mms) and still put everything easily in the black at 25 yards. This will most likely put it to shame...
They had several of their new ACP (Adaptive Carbine Platforms) available:
The OTHER ACP
The jury's still out on this set-up in general; personally, I don't think it's worth futzing around with the NFA stamp to have something that's not quite as handy as a dedicated carbine. I can see it being useful for private security forces that can maintain their own private armory (but not custom full auto), but other than that I'm not sure how much extra it brings to the table to warrant the ATF scrutiny.
And they had their new .50 BMG on display:
SIG50
Boy, howdy, but that's got to be an amazing rifle.
Beeeg chamber
I'm surprised you can't see daylight through that monster chamber...
Lastly, I know folks were curious about the new P938, the 9mm big brother to the .380 ACP 238. I got a shot of the two side-by-side:
X38
The 9mm version is barely larger than the .380 ACP; I suspect the 938 will be quite the hit once it hits the shelves of your local gun store. The version I tried had a somewhat gritty trigger, which I was assured was due to the speed with which the unit at SHOT was made available (I believe the quote was "that's one of the only two existing models in the world"...)
Around this time we broke for lunch, taking refuge in the Press office and taking a few moments to collect thoughts, update Facebook and blogs, and grab another coffee before heading back into the fray. My traveling companion for the week, Dr. Gene Garris of America's Radio Show, had to leave that evening to return home, so we decided to hit the first floor of the convention center before the day was over.
First stop was the Elite Defense booth, where they had this ingenious new bag:
Three gun case
It's set up for police departments that issue carbines and shotguns - the center compartment is meant to hold body armor and such while the two long arms ride in padded compartments on each side. The entire bag is customizable, with velcro compartments and magazine pouches that can all be removed to have one enormous bag.
Next up we took in some of the firearms on display.
Did you know Iver Johnson is making pistols again? They're in the 1911 business, and apparently taking design cues from indigestion medicine...
Pepto IJ
We encountered the new Bersa BP9CC:
Bersa 9mm
And two of the drool-worthy micro-9mms from Rohrbaugh:
Mouse that Rohrbaughed
Next it was a walk down gunsmithing row, where we saw some really nice stippling jobs on display, like this one from Barsto:
Glock frame upgrade
or the fine work from the guys at Powder River Precision who specialize in XD custom work:
CustomiXd
And lastly, a shout to the fun-loving folks at Coonan Arms. I like these guys, because they have a sense of humor about what they do - for instance, one of their ads proudly proclaims: "Coonan .357 Magnum pistol. If you're looking for your first gun, this isn't it". I love that.
They had this:
Purple Coonan
Because pink was just so passé... And their standby camo:
Camo Coonan
And finally, this beautiful competition gun:
Target Coonan
*Sigh* Someday I will have a Coonan .357 Magnum...
That wraps up Day Two of walking the floor at SHOT Show. Day Three, to be covered tomorrow, was my last day on the show floor and the only day I walked around solo. I managed to cover more ground, but with much less focus. Thanks for walking with me, Gene!
Only one more day of shoe-leather wearin' work!
That is all.
4 comments:
Iver Johnson is back in name only, how many people even remember them? Good job reporting from the show Jay, you are the Energizer Bunny of bloggers!
RE Charco Pit Bull: I think Charco realized that they might be the only company left that was making a .44 Special ONLY Revolver, and the price and availability of said Ammo was giving the Company a lot of "Dust Collectors."
But having checked out some Dimensional Drawings, if the Pit Bull can take the pressure of .40 S+W, there should be enough Steel in the Cylinder to make up a .45 ACP version.
I think they should go for it.
LOL PURPLE COONAN. i must have this, even if i am terrified of it.
The bottom right Victorinox was my first pocketknife ever. I still have it, it's a great design (through the stainless doesn't seem to hold an edge all that well). I hope other scouts get the same enjoyment out of them :)
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