My SHOT show experience has begun! SHOT show report thread.

[RX-178]

At the time of this posting it's 4:00 AM local time in Las Vegas, NV.

I have just woken up in my hotel room after having arrived at around 6:30 PM local time, from DRIVING here from El Paso TX, and promptly going to sleep.

Later this day, (Monday, 18th Jan 2010) I will be going to the convention center to help set up the company's booth, and make sure it's approved by the show administration.

SHOT show will open to non-exhibitors on the following day, Tuesday 19th Jan 2010.

So here's the deal. If anyone here on THR is curious about something that may be displayed at SHOT, here's what to do:

1. Find the relevant exhibitor on the list. ( http://www.shotshow.org/en/2010-Exhibitor-List-/ )

2. Post the company name and their booth number in your reply to this thread, and post specifically what you want to find out, and what questions you'd want to ask the people at that booth.

I'll try my best to get to as many booths and relay as many of your questions as possible. Hopefully other THR members that will be in attendance will read this thread and help out also.

 

[Shung]

thx a lot for this RX-178 ! i'm sure it will be much appreciated !

I'd like to know, if possible, more about the MAGPUL ms3 sling, and the differences with the ms2.

MAGPUL : 14073

 

[dom1104]

Ruger, booth 11538

Will you copy the Kel Tec PF9. Please.

Also if you notice any single stack pocketable 9mms, please dish!

 

[Straight Shooter]

RX,

Very cool of you to do this!

Springfield Armory 11773
Springfield Armory 12027

1. What are their plans for an XDm .45? (Probably won’t get a straight answer on this)

2. What are their plans for an XDm 3.8 compact? (same length, shorter grip)

Also any play by play you can offer would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

[autospike]

Ruger, booth 11538
The new SR9C. How does it compare to an M&P compact with the smallest backstrap? Is the grip significantly thinner - is distance from backstrap to trigger face noticeably shorter?

Glock 14049
4th Gen - The pics I've seen of the interchangeable backstraps are disappointing. It looks to me the the smallest backstrap available isn't really any smaller than a regular 3rd gen gun. True?

S&W 13227
Model 632 Pro
How are the sights? Will .327 defensive loads function as designed from that 2 1/8" barrel. Any anecdotal info on felt recoil compared to .38+p or .357 out of a similar J-Frame.

AE Light 20238
Mark 11 LED Tactical Flashlight
Is this thing pocketable? It looks as if you can switch from full bright to strobe instantaneously using the second switch. True?

Thanks!

 

[RX-178]

Just got back from the convention center.

I can't BELIEVE they're using this place next year too. It is just entirely too small for a trade show the size of SHOT. As I recall, it's taking up three or four floors of the convention center just for booths.

Did finish setting up the booth (Booth L130 for those of you in attendance when the show opens tomorrow), but have to go back there before 15:30 today to register for a booth next year (it's 12:20 at the time of this posting).

The event security are a bunch of morons. I got bounced back and forth between the same two parking lots because both security guards at the respective lots were convinced that their parking lot was not the one for unloading cargo.

Yeeeah, that's right. Jerk around a bunch of angry, impatient, and tired firearms industry company employees. Seriously, if any of you people thought the show is chaotic when it opens, you have to see it when the booths are in the process of being set up the day before the show starts. I am now convinced this is the real reason that concealed carry is prohibited, because all the beaurocracy in the management gives off the heavy atmosphere of a third world 'you need a gun and a bribe' place.

But everything got taken care of... tomorrow should be easier. I hope.

 

[jawrat]

yep, it's all run by the mafia. or at least it sure seems so. vendor lock? freeman is the only game in town and to say that they're disorganized would be charitable. i'm still waiting for our gear at our booth. it's gonna be a long night here...

 

[gunnutery]

Charter Arms | MKS SUPPLY, INC. 15549 CARR (Charter Arms Rimless Revolver) They state on the website that it will be available early this year.

Springfield Armory 11773
Springfield Armory 12027
Aside from the XD, is there anything new/innovative going on with the company?


Great idea and thank you for taking the time for us!

 

[Trebor]

And to think that SOOO many people prefer that SHOT be in Vegas rather then Orlando...

 

[Superlite27]

+1 for Straight shooter's post (#4).

Springfield Armory 11773
Springfield Armory 12027

Status of possible XDm .45 and XDm compact (any caliber, only include possible shorter barrel length)

 

[wishin]

Rx-178

Thanks for the offer. You're a one of a kind.

 

[RX-178]

Well, the pre-show day is over. It's 16:40 local time, and everyone was supposed to get their booth done at 17:00.

when I left there just 20 or so minutes ago, I'd say barely half of the booths had been set up. There were large pallets still in the middle of the aisles. The GunsAmerica booth was literally just a black carpet floor, and none of their booth items had been delivered!

To think this place has been booked as the SHOT show location until 2012...

Hopefully there's actually a show tomorrow. I will keep you updated.

 

[Ident35]

Vltor booth 20171

Bren Ten.

1. Who is the distributor
2. When will it be available
3. Cost

 

[armoredman]

They should come down to Phoenix, where we had the NRA convention. Doesn't hurt it's a hop/skip/jump for me.

If you have time, Czechpoint, 2907, anything new with vz-58 rifles.

CZ-USA, 15751, the new P07 updated, any new pistols. Thanks very much, and if you can't, that's OK, I appreciate the effort, sir.

 

[jawrat]

its now 16:20 local time and we *still* don't have the majority of our gear for our booth. this place is a complete mess...I really wasn't planning on being here all night, but it is sure starting to look like I will be....

 

[RX-178]

It is 17:00 local time at the end of the first day of SHOT. I have just returned to my hotel room after the show.

Shung:

I'd like to know, if possible, more about the MAGPUL ms3 sling, and the differences with the ms2.

The MS3 is the same design as the MS2, however the MS3 is made from dedicated components that were made specifically for the design. The MS2 incorporated more common components that were obtained off the shelf.


dom1104

Will you copy the Kel Tec PF9. Please.

I actually rephrased that a little, but the response was: 'As Ruger is a publicly held company, we cannot reveal any information until an official announcement.'


Straight Shooter

1. What are their plans for an XDm .45? (Probably won’t get a straight answer on this)

2. What are their plans for an XDm 3.8 compact? (same length, shorter grip)

XDm .45 will be released later this year.

There are no current plans for a 3.8 with a shorter grip, but 'never say never' (their words).


Autospike

The new SR9C. How does it compare to an M&P compact with the smallest backstrap? Is the grip significantly thinner - is distance from backstrap to trigger face noticeably shorter?

I didn't notice any difference in the thickness of the grip, but I wasn't paying much serious attention to that. I don't know if the M&P compact I handled had the smallest backstrap or not, but the distance between backstrap and trigger face was noticably shorter with the M&P.

4th Gen - The pics I've seen of the interchangeable backstraps are disappointing. It looks to me the the smallest backstrap available isn't really any smaller than a regular 3rd gen gun. True?

That is true. HOWEVER, the Gen4 Glock frame is still molded beneath the backstraps. Without any backstraps attached, it's equivalent to a Short Frame. So if the smallest backstrap is too big, you remove all backstraps and use it without one.

Model 632 Pro-How are the sights? Will .327 defensive loads function as designed from that 2 1/8" barrel. Any anecdotal info on felt recoil compared to .38+p or .357 out of a similar J-Frame.

The sights were pretty standard tritium sights. Pretty big for a pocket revolver like that. The S&W rep said that the .327 would function as designed from that barrel, and also said that the recoil was EXACTLY (his emphasis) the same as a .357 magnum.


gunnuttery

Charter Arms | MKS SUPPLY, INC. 15549 CARR (Charter Arms Rimless Revolver) They state on the website that it will be available early this year.

Because their patent on the CARR has not been finalized, they did not have any for display at SHOT. They said that their release plans had not been changed.

Springfield Armory 11773
Springfield Armory 12027
Aside from the XD, is there anything new/innovative going on with the company?

Didn't see anything new.


armoredman

If you have time, Czechpoint, 2907, anything new with vz-58 rifles.

I saw vz-58s with side folding stocks, rail forends, wooden stocks, lots of different configurations.

Also saw California compliant vz-58s. Don't know the details on that.

There were also 5.56 vz-58s with what looked like proprietary transparent magazines. Don't know if any of that is new or not, I hadn't heard of Czechpoint before your post.



Didn't get around to going to CZ-USA, AE Lights, or VLTor. Couldn't find them actually. I'll try to get to them tomorrow. My next post will be about other stuff I observed.

 

[Shung]

Thx a lot for the informations mate !

that's very kind of you !

 

[RX-178]

Taurus:

I didn't spend time in their booth, but as I walked past, I saw a poster of a Taurus Judge shotgun. Not handgun. It had a wooden stock, and wooden forend.


Beretta:

They've added a shotgun to their Storm series, the 'Tx4 Storm autoloading shotgun'. Looked like a standard semi shotgun. No pistol grip, no light rails, no magazine extension. Just a shotgun with black polymer furniture, and a breacher muzzle. It does have ghost ring sights and a top rail. Felt like an average semi shotgun to me.

The ARX-160 was also shown there as being a 'Storm' product. I didn't handle it.


Charter/Hi Point

I saw the full line of Chiappa Rhino revolvers there at the booth! I had not been expecting that.

 

[GunsAmerica Fan]

The show is a total fubar this year. We didn't even get our booth stuff until 7pm last night and I almost got in a fistfight with security. It's bad, and it's not just next year, it's a three year commitment. It happened though. We gave out a lot more than 200 tshirts it was swamped. Day 2 (day 3 really) tomorrow. Out on the town tonight.

We are 2330

 

[Almond27]

XDM .45 later this year!! I hope this is true.

 

[RX-178]

So, anyone else have more questions? There's 3 more days of this for me, I might as well make the most of it, information wise.

 

[gunnutery]

RX-178, thanks a lot for checking on all this for us.

 

[Sox]

RX, thanks for your time man. I'm most interested:

1. Steyr any word on their new pistol line?
2. Sig? supposed striker fired gun?
3. HK any plans for smaller P30? or striker fired design?
4. CARACAL- when is this cool thing comin to States and who is importing?

Thanks again, for helpin those of us who aren't there you lucky dog! Keep up the good work.

Dave

 

[RX-178]

Sox

1. Steyr any word on their new pistol line?

I actually was at the steyr booth earlier today, but there weren't any pistols there. At all.

 

[Dimis]

Man RX you are one busy fellow

any chance you got a camera to catch a few of the off the wall things at SHOT?

id kinda like to see this "judge" shotgun

ive always wanted a revolver shotgun like the russian 20 gauge (model excapes me as of right now)

see anything on the steyr or MSAR (cant remember which) AUG in .45ACP?

i cant think of anything that may be coming up that hasnt been mentioned but keep us posted on those curve balls that get thrown out at SHOT

and thanks for the look out