SHOT Show Floor

Sure, the omicron variant seems to be a thing right now. But after the SHOT Show was cancelled last year, nothing short of another washout was going to keep TTAG away from Las Vegas this January. As you’re reading this, We’re already in Sin City picking up our credentials and surveying the new layout.

While a number of longtime exhibitors have chosen to skip SHOT this year due to the coronavirus, the vast majority will still be there. And mask mandate or not, we’ll be walking the aisles of the Sand Expo Convention Center — and now Caesar’s, too — along with tens of thousands of others checking out what’s new, what’s cool and what’s meh.

SHOT Show crowd
Courtesy NSSF

As always, there have been a number of noteworthy new product announcements in the run-up to SHOT. Guns like the Smith & Wesson CSX, the Bushmaster BA30, the KelTec P15 among others have caught readers’ eyes and they’re already on our lists. But we want to hear from you. Tell us what guns and gear you’re most interested in and we’ll be sure to hit as many of them as time allows.

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99 COMMENTS

  1. Not a single AR-15 unless it has something special about it that sets it apart. The wonderful, the weird, the cool, the strange! Take random pictures of YouTubers.

  4. Please, stop by the Ruger booth and ask them to explain why I cannot reliably use 3rd-party mags in my Mini-14.

    Oh yeah, and why they say that same gun should not fire reman ammo. (I do it anyway).

    Still, I love it!

    • Life, I’ve owned half dozen mini-14s over the years. One stays loaded and outside the safe 24/7. Never found a truly reliable aftermarket magazine. That’s the fault of the magazine. Not the rifle. Ruger factory mags are the way to go.

      • I would not bet my life on a Ruger Mini-14, especially for what they charge now for new guns. Lots of battle proven, better options for self defense.

        • I’m not trying to be mean but generally when I hear someone broad brush a firearm without reasons why the firearm is unreliable either they are saying they do not know how to make the firearm reliable or they have done nothing to fix any issues and would rather spew negatives or pass along negatives they heard, etc. Rarely do I hear, “I took the firearm all apart, eliminated all unnecessary friction points, tried everything under the sun to make it right, I even took it to those who know lots more than me and still it has hiccups.” I’m done with the Mini 14 because for me and me alone I cannot trust mine.

          I need more than a negative headline. I need everything that brings someone to the point of it’s all the firearm’s fault and none of mine. I’ve owned 2 Mini 14s and 1 Minii Thirty, all properly tweaked and maintained. I sold those to a friend around 10 years ago and they have not been fired since and in a climate controlled safe. I’ll bet the farm all 3 will do mags dumps till the cows come home just like they did prior to storage.

          As for TTAG and the Shot Shot…There is too much ungrateful fat and happy change my diaper don’t show me another this or that from the Shot Show. Well I’m waiting for the day fat and happy shows me a new attitude that includes respect for products that fat and happy could not design, manufacturer and bring to market in a million years. If a company has another striker fired pistol, etc. all I have to say is, “Show me mister.”

        • I’ve got an old one, 1980 to present date, had to have the gas block replaced two years ago, it would still fire you just had to manually cycle the action( straight pull rifle). With ruger mags it’s never failed.
          But just like cars, some run seemingly forever and some dont.

        • I agree it’s not a heavy use rifle. It’s a light carbine and fills that role well. Ask any number of the survivors of pack of coyotes I’ve caught in the open when I was armed with one. It’s out so I can reach it quickly. If it’s stolen I want be out anything expensive.

      • Gadsden,

        Thanks for the advice on the mags!! This is my first rifle; already having some fun with it. Iron sights only.

        • Fwiw I have eight recent production Tapco thirty rounders and they all run just fine in my stainless 2011 mini14 as of course do the two factory mags I have. Not a big Tapco fan but these do work and appear well constructed.

        • No thanks necessary. Just trying to pass on what I already paid cash to learn. Factory mags are more expensive at time of purchase but pay for themselves down the road.

    • It’s rather simple. If the Mini worked with STANAG magazines, who would buy Ruger’s overpriced mags?

      The “no reloaded ammunition” restriction is common to a lot of firearms from many makers. Probably included at the insistence of the legal department. In the case of the Mini, they enforce it by denting every brass case as it ejects.

  5. With the price of ammo not likely to get much cheaper in the future, emphasize rimfire firearms and accessories, please.

    (And booth babes. Lots of booth babes… 🙂 )

    • This, right here. Actually would really like a test session to see if Des(s)ertTech ever got their shit wired tight on the MDR issues. Conceptually I want one in 6.five. In the real world, with up to 3 M0A accuracy splattering rounds all over the place, & frequent FTE’s, I don’t.

    • The real question is whether anyone is going to make small pocket pistols in that caliber. The last thing we need is a full size 1911 in 30 Super, LOL

    • 30 supper,Triple stack, narrowing to double stack, not stack and a half.
      Should be same width as stack and a half at hand web. Does anyone know if that is possible?

  8. Here’s a couple of things – Is Archon Firearms ever going to get more Stryk B Pistols? Beretta USA – Manurhin Revolvers – Are they going to offer 9mm cylinders as well as 357 in the MR73. Will they be importing the MR88 as well. Walther – Will Walther ever sell PDP slides without the optic cut, so we can have them custom milled for a specific optic (ultra low mount) or for people who only want iron sights??? Steiner – Pistol Light and combination laser/pistol light combo review/overview. Will Steiner ever license the Primary Arms ACSS Reticles as their current reticles are less than useful, compared to what else is on the market.

        • Talking about Recoil magazine, the media outlet. Everything from cover to cover including their “Reviews.” The entire magazine is paid ads. Some of their weapons reviews the author doesn’t even have the gun on hand shoot it anything!! Just a lot of copy pasting from the manufacturer’s website and a very obnoxious “this is the best gun ever made” sort of sales vomit as they are getting paid to say.

  10. So many new people now have guns, but the rest of the products that accompany them such as storage, security, training, and so forth, are overwhelming. Show us what’s new, different, and interesting (I specifically didn’t say exciting!) that makes having a gun in our lives easier, safer, and more comfortable.

    • I second this. Cleaning products, storage, gun cases for transporting, range bags, etc. There are a ton of firearms related products that normal peasants unable to attend never really get to see or hear about because, understandably, most the focus is on new firearms.

      Here’s a quick example of something that may seem useless until one finds a good use for it. Caveman LLC’s “Flare Mini” barrel band (*insert innuendo jokes here*). It changes color to notify you when the gun barrel starts to get pretty warm. I do a lot of prairie dog shooting in the summer. This seemingly pointless $10 product I’ve found to be phenomenal in letting me know that the barrel is getting quite hot and it’s a good time to swap to a different firearm for a while.

      • “Caveman LLC’s “Flare Mini” barrel band…”

        Thanks on that, gonna look for one…

  11. NOTHING made in China.
    No vaporware; if it isn’t available now or by mid-February, skip it.
    Suppressors!
    Non-tactical optics.

  13. Go to SCI as well. Check out Silencer Central. They are releasing a .46 can as well as a .338 can. How does their products stack up?

  17. Any new or trick-looking conversion kits for Sig or Glock pistols where you can integrate the pistol lower into an upper (minus the slide) making it an “AR pistol” looking weapon.

  18. Hill and Mac – their long overdue STG-44. It has been any day now for 2 years. Glowing enthusiastic reports from all your colleagues in the gun press. So what’s the story?

  19. New Bushmaster BA30
    New SOG knives
    New Kershaw knives
    New Gerber stuff
    New Primary Arms optics
    PSA AK-105
    Etc., etc.

  20. Convince S&W it’s long past time to rid their revolver line of the much hated Hillary Hole and NOT send every Performance Center pistol through the swiss cheese machine, including the 5 1/4 inch threaded barrel 10mm version that I’m waiting for with cash in hand. Thanks, that will be all. For now, anyways.

    • Oh, since you’re at it, could you stop by the Ruger booth and ask them if they could start putting out some of their revolvers again… and maybe take a little pride in the final product again ?

    • yeah dumping the Hillary hole is a good idea. Probably save them bucks for a feature no one ever uses

  22. Wish List – 1.) Remake of SAVAGE 99, but using modern technology. Hybrid Aluminum frame with STEEL machined load bearing insert. Caliber/sized for .223/.300 Blackout type cartridges. 2.) Accessories for older shooters, as racking the slide on some pistols is hard. 3.) Next generation of DIY goodies.

    Things I would like to see – Next generation of accessories, like LASER Sights, LPVO (1 1/2x – 4x) with lighted crosshairs.

  24. Please get a sit-down with the ammo industry executives and spell it out for them: The current state of ammo unavailability is dragging on too long, and we cannot allow this to become the new normal. It doesn’t help the status of our RKBA when we have big problems for newbies to find ammo at their LGS to do their primary training.

    Please tell the execs that we understand you’re running your existing capacity flat-out, which leaves no margin for mechanical failures, line stoppages for any reason (sickness in the plant, etc). It’s appreciated – and it seems at this time that these extraordinary efforts are insufficient to meet demand.

    What does it take to add capacity, and what does it take for the industry execs to admit this, which outfits are seeking to expand, when will they do this, and where will they be seeking to do this?

    • I want to know how PSA is progressing on their steel cases ammo manufacturing. I know it’s still a ways off for their line us up but the Russian steel is going to dry up and if you think ammo prices are high now, wait until we lose that supply entirely.

  25. How about the latest from Kreighoff, Perazzi, maybe even Beretta if you want to slum it a little, just so the guys around here can complain about anything that costs more than a Mossberg 500. We need the fodder.

    • Whatever you cover is OK with me. I watch a huge volume of gun channel’s doing the same. I’m here mainly for the politics…

  26. I really want to know if the Dan Wesson DWX is ever going to be actually produced? I’ve been saving my pennies…

  28. #1 Now that CZ has bought Colt what new products?
    #2 Given all the bad press the NRA leadership is getting, how is this affecting the NSSF?
    #3 A side by side comparison between the EAA/Girsan and Springfield Armory SA-35? Also how SA views the retail price gouging?
    #4 Trends / Exhibition booths for 3D printing, additive manufacturing, and new technology.

    • As a follow up to Gaston’s #1. How will said purchase affect and/or change the quality of new products coming out of the Colt facility and the Dan Wesson facility. Will both be folded into one? Will they both be totally separate but equal subsidiaries? Secondarily, will DW ever produce the Valor in a Bob-tail configuration again?

  29. Forget guns. How about booth babes? Hot ones. They might be a little easier to get than ammo and they cost less too.

  30. Moderate priced optics NOT made in chicomland.

    If fact EVERY product shown/demonstrated as for country of origin. If chicom pass it by and tell the vendor why (the American firearm buyer does not finance or support the PLA).

    • No such thing any more, hasn’t been for many years. Every gun optics company in the U.S. today now uses either manufacturing in China (and other places), or they use parts or assemblies made in China (and other places) then imported and the item is assembled here in the U.S.

      ‘Made In U.S.A.’ does not mean the item was 100% made in U.S.A. – it never did. Basically it just means either assembled in the U.S. with ‘mostly’ U.S. made parts or sourced from a U.S. based importer supplier to qualify as ‘Made In U.S.A.’

      • Wrong. Considerable qty of decent reasonable priced optics coming out of the Philippines. Supposedly some use Japanese lens. But NO ONE knows where the bits and pieces come from other than perhaps the brand on the box. IE – at Shot ASK.

        Brownells/Midway/et just can’t bring themselves to identify country of origin.

        • Its correct.

          I said “(and other places)” – its possible some things can come from the “Philippines” but at some point in all firearms optics now there will be a part or parts made in China.

          But they all know where the parts come from. Because they don’t know when you ask them does not mean where the stuff is put together for that company they do not know where the parts come from.

      • You’re being funny, but I’ve often wondered why more weapons weren’t easily changeable. Granted, I couldn’t design or engineer such a thing, but don’t the manufacturers have a lot of people sitting around dreaming of such things?

        Hey, I have gloves that are ambidextrous. My socks don’t care which foot they go on. How hard can a pistol or a rifle be?

        • Playing around with a single action pistol it seems they’r pretty ambidextrous. In my opinion they seem more slanted to left hand use.

  33. Focus on the stuff that is obtainable, 99% shipping in volume in 45 days or less.

    If it can’t be built, shipped and delivered, who cares?

  34. Ask Bond Arms about the longer barreled Bullpup 9L they teased ~2 years ago.

    +1 for the Ruger-made Marlins.

  38. I’d be interested in anything that isn’t one more rehash of an AR or another striker fired, poly frame Glock clone.

  39. If German Sport Guns (or their US importer) is there, please ask if they plan on importing the .22 LR versions of the StG 44, AK 47 and the MP 40 replicas?

    A friend has the StG 44 and it is a hoot to shoot.

    …reviews of these fun-gun .22’s would be entertaining and informative to read (I suggest JWT or Mr. Valdes…their thoroughness combined with their humor works for me).

    Ixnay on boring AR run-of-the-mill uppers, lowers, tactifool crap.

    Maybe an interview with Federal, CCI, Winchester, etc on the State of the Primer shortage and what steps they are taking to remediate along with projected timelines.

  40. I hope you visit the Kel-Tec booth and ask them if they’ll introduce a 6 1/2″ to 7 1/2″ barrel model on their fine PMR-30 semi-auto 22 Magnum pistol. The 22 Magnum needs just a bit longer barrel to burn the powder. It’s a great gun.

  41. Ruger’s new lever action Marlins, and Henry.

    Also need to find a reasonably price controlled feed bolt gun in .35 Whelen or 9.3×62 that can replace the 9.3×62 CZ 550 FS which is no longer being made.

  42. I’d like them to cover Primer-armageddon. Been trying to find them now for about 6 months. Starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel out here in sunny socialist California.

  43. I need some 30 super carry brass, rounds or dummies to work on a project.

    I would also be curious if the round matched the 8mm patent drawings floating around.

    An oddball request I realize.

  44. Ammunition, ammunition, and if you have any extra time: ammunition. Seriously. There are plenty of ammunition producers there. I want to know about their plans for facility expansion. New sources of raw materials, etc., etc. New firearms, new calibers, who cares if we can’t even keep our current firearms fed.

  46. Don’t waste one syllable on any company that is not there and cover more of the small and medium sized booths. In the past shot show coverage seemed to simply for the big five, or so, companies. New ideas and new companies are fun.

  50. With all of the excitement over the SA-35, I’d be very keen to learn more about this little tidbit that I somehow missed…

    New FN High Power
    There is no information about this firearm on FN’s website as of this writing (January 17, 2022). This is the quote from the photo below, which looks to be a sign from SHOT Show: “Newly remastered FN High Power. This iconic firearm has been reimagined into a modern arms masterpiece for today’s handgunner that you’ll have to see to believe, including a signature 17-round magazine, improved ergonomics, fire control, a larger ejection port, and a streamlined barrel lockup design. See you soon!”

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