I am a fan of STI and also a big fan of the 10mm which they now offer a couple. It is always nice to take a look at their pistols.
Every STI on display had an exceptional fit and finish. Everything on each pistol has tight tolerances but yet remains smooth functioning. This includes the Trojan.
(click on a pic to enlarge)
I am a fan of RRA. IMO, they build a good product for the money. They are one of the few AR companies that has an accuracy guarantee on their rifles and have always supported multiple caliber platforms like the 6.8SPC, 458 SOCOM, etc. when other companies wouldn't.
One of the products that I was interested in was another that you wouldn't expect someone to make. The first was a revolver from a 1911 company (Kimber), and this one was a 1911 from an AR company (RRA). And not just an AR but a polymer framed 1911. I was thinking weight savings, slim line, and front/back strap checkering.
Well, these took a while to come out and I had a chance to take a look. And after hearing how well-made their prior line of all steel 1911s were, I have to admit that I was very disappointed in the Poly.
Lightweight? Umm...it didn't seem that much lighter. Their specs say 32.64 oz. A Colt 1991 is 35oz.
Slim? Umm...not at all. In fact, I think it is fatter than a ParaOrdnance double-stack! When I mentioned this, the rep. felt it necessary to point out that it was not in fact a double-stack.
Checkering? Yes! This was done very well. Some might find it aggressive, but I liked it.
Fit and finish? Well, that is where I have to say I was disappointed. They will need a serious breaking in. I don't just mean tight barrel/slide, slide/frame, etc. But everything. The trigger, the slide lock, and especially the safety. It was all very STIFF.
I didn't try out their regular line of 1911s since they are so highly regarded. I do wish that I did. I was just very surprised at the Poly.
(click pic to enlarge)
That's it for tonight. More to come tomorrow!
The Remington, err, Freedom Group booth was huge! It was a very nice walk in arrangement of multiple vendors (Bushmaster, DPMS, AAC, etc).
They had a nice display of the RM380 with multiple versions to play with. In the exact same spot and arrangement as they had for the R51 two years back. That begged the question, of course, WTF happened to the R51? So I asked.
The rep. was a little embarrassed and said that the project was still active, however, that they had not fully worked out all of the problems (holy cow!) and that they would not release it (again that is) until they were all resolved. I offered my support of the concept (it felt great in the hands and a polymer lightweight +P pistols sub-$450?) but that I wouldn't be holding my breath. I do hope that they get it worked out, but from the looks of things - I got the impression that they just wanted to forget that it ever existed and move on.
I wasn't super excited by the RM380.
More suppressors you say?
One of the companies that I wanted to visit was Rugged Suppressor. They come highly recommended from SilencerShop.com, especially now that they are not a supplier of SilencerCo (don't know the story on that deal).
Who are they? Apparently, the founder is the former head of SWR prior to it being bought out by SilencerCo. If I heard correctly as I was walking up, the Octane was his design.
I took a look at the Obsidian. If is a modular pistol suppressor. You simply twist off the bottom part of the suppressor and it removes a baffle and part of the tube leaving you a "short" suppressor. Probably of not a lot of functional need - but very cool.
I talked baffles and longevity with them. Their baffles are made of a proprietary material called "Stellite." They said that it is much more durable than stainless and aluminum. MSRP is $950.
The product looked good and they have the knowledge to make good suppressors, but my only concern would be that they are a very young company having only launched their first product in 2014.
P.S. to the person that asked me to go to the Strike booth, my apologies! If you click on the below pic you will see that it was actually at the top of the list in my notebook to visit. I couldn't find it on the first pass and never got a chance to try again. Sorry.
(click pic to enlarge)
Speaking of suppressors, I also stopped by the AAC booth and chatted with one of their reps. It was nestled in the "Freedom" booth along with several other brands like Remington, Bushmaster, etc.
I chatted with them about using aluminum baffles and they were very adamant that their aluminum baffles lasted longer than stainless, were lighter, and had better sound suppression despite others' printed numbers. You can write it off as just company propaganda but sound tests I have seen do seem to indicate that shooters perceive the sound from a TiRANT to be less than other brands - despite what the print #'s indicate. Regardless, nice products and the person was very knowledgeable as we chatted suppressor cleaning.
One of my favorite booths to visit was SilencerCo. They had plenty of product on display that you could handle and the staff was attentive and friendly. I was hoping that they were going to have a modular pistol suppressor (a full size that you can take a baffle out and make a short length) coming out but they have no plans currently. Both Rugged and AAC have one now.
However, they had one of the coolest pistols at SHOT that I got a chance to handle: The Maxim.
Initially, I wasn't too interested due to how bulky it looks in pictures and that it was based on the S&W (tm) M&P (tm) pistol. I am pleased to report that the final specs are in and the pistol will take Glock 17 mags AND Glock sights!
Handling the pistol was a completely surprise. It is not heavy or front-heavy what so ever! It is very manageable and promises to be a great shooter. While they may not be building a modular suppressor they are building some out of the box stuff. Remember when the wild looking (not round) Osprey came out?
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There has been a lot of questions on this somewhat of a surprise new product. I have to admit, being a revolver fan, I was excited about it myself. Not too many new revolvers, especially from a non-revolver company.
The K6s was not a disappointment. It is a cross between the Ruger SP-101 with its beefiness and a S&W (tm) J-frame magnum or more specifically the 640 Pro (tm) with its sights and moon clips. The price reflects this (the other product has an MSRP of $839).
The trigger was very good (keep in mind stock pistol) - Smooth pull that is not too long. The initial pull stacks a little but I suspect that it is on purpose. The grips were decent - they had both rubber and wood although the wood is not in the catalog. These were pre-production guns as noted by the wood grips that were stamped "SHOT Show 2016" and their SN's.
Some things I noticed: They rotate counter clockwise and the back-strap is serrated. It's cut for moon clips. Overall it is very well done. I can't wait to see what other models they come out with (with moon clips hopefully semi-auto round chamberings are next).
(click on pic to enlarge)
Check out the SN and the SHOT Show grips:
So, a bunch of us were waiting patiently in line to look at, what appeared to be, the only K6s in the booth.
After viewing it, leaving, we all noticed that there was a stack of them on display a few feet away. LOL
Here are pics of the K6s brochure. I include it here because I know that not everyone has seen it yet, and it also contains all the details:
Nighthawk had a set of absolutely fabulous custom Browning HiPowers on display!
These pistols were amazing. The trigger was AMAZING, what you expect a good single action pistol to be. The shape of the trigger was almost straight, unlike most HP triggers including the C&S. Much thinner than the C&S also. Definitely for and from 1911 folks. The grips (there were wood and synthetic) were THIN. This is great considering that thin HP grips are hard to find now.
I had the chance encounter of being at their booth at the same time as some of the guys from FN actually taking a look at the pistol. I am not sure if they were too happy with the pic but they did reluctantly agree. I said that I thought it was amazing custom work and they agreed. Very cool chance meeting.
By request, I stopped by the Tisas Booth while I was there. They make very inexpensive 1911's. I would tell you more but the staff had no interest in talking to anyone. Literally no one.
So, the pistols seemed OK. They were a little rough but looked like they would be functional after a good break in. Reminded me of a Norinco, but something about them seemed cheap. I don't know if it was the steel or the finish or maybe the parts it just didn't feel as good as, say a RIA.
Now, don't call me jaded just yet. I was trying to be objective. In fact, another Turkish Brand Sarsilmaz just a day early left me super impressed. So much that I will be getting one down the road.
The Tisas line? Not so much. The 1911 is an intricate design. It is n expensive design compared to modern standards. It is not something that you can skimp on.
Click on pic to enlarge.
SHOT Show 2014 - Highlight #9 - STI's (2) 10mms & superb 1911s
Written by reg mathuszI have seen an STI or two. But I have never seen their entire line. They have a lot to offer other than the Spartan (entry level 1911 which is most commonly seen at gun shops in my neighborhood).
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they offer (2) 10mm's! This is nice considering that a few years back they offered none.
Additionally, I was duly impressed by their 1911 line. Their variety is amazing. Build quality phenomenal. They build superb 1911s. I am a huge fan of their wide-body pistols. If I buy another 1911 (and you know I will) my next one will be an STI.
Click on pic to enlarge.
First the 10's
A few others that I liked
More...
SHOT Show - Highlight #8 - Sarsilmaz! (Turkish CZ clone) aka SARArms aka EAA SAR
Written by reg mathusz
I stopped by the Sarsilmaz booth Media Day because it didn't look too busy. What I saw pleasantly surprised me. They have a pretty good line of pistols, mainly looking like CZ's, USPs, and Walther P99s.
They reminded me of entry-level Tanfoglio pistols, but nicer. They were well put together and the triggers were very nice.
I shot the one in the bottom picture, it was a polymer frame 9mm. Very pleasant to shoot an accurate. It does not have a decocker if it is important to you. There was a line of people waiting to shoot one after I was done. Nothing like the sound of a functioning pistol to pique folks' interest.
I wouldn't mind owning one. I would choose it over an entry-level Tanfoglio like the EAA Witness.
Click on pic to enlarge.
SHOT Show - Highlight #7 - the BrenTen lives, according to VLTOR
Written by reg mathuszIt wasn't at their booth. I looked. So, I cornered one of the reps and asked them about it. Mainly I wanted to know why they would spend so much $ on the project and abandon it (original designs, re-design, prototype, secure the rights to the BrenTen name, etc).
To my surprise he replied that it wasn't dead. In fact, he said that they had just released a blog post update about it. I couldn't find it. That was disappointing. Maybe it is buried somewhere, but the fact that they didn't even have the prototypes that they had from years ago wasn't encouraging.
He reiterated the previous blog posts that there were problems with the original castings. Fair enough, but we have been hearing this for a while. But, I remain hopeful. After all, he could just have said that the project was DOA and ended the conversation quickly.
SHOT Show - Highlight #6 - the legendary Sphinx!
Written by reg mathuszI have heard about these for YEARS but never seen one. Even the rep. referred to it as a mythical unicorn of pistols. I stumbled across them locked in a plastic container. The rep was kind enough to unlock it and let me handle one. They were not available to shoot. He told me that the final U.S. version would come with a polymer frame. The aluminum frame will still be an option (and is not SN'd).
This pistol feels great. 100% ergonomic in the hand - the only thing that feels as comfortable to me is a Browning HiPower. The tolerances on the pistol are amazing. It is smoother and tighter than any other CZ-pattern pistol I have felt. That includes CZ-Custom and Tanfoglio Customs.
I didn't ask about price or availability. Unicorns are rarely inexpensive.
Click on pic to enlarge.
SHOT Show 2014 - Highlight #5 - Jamming the new Ruger GP100 Match Champion
Written by reg mathuszThis was a really nice pistol and I was glad to see Ruger come out with a competition GP100. I am a huge fan of the GP100 line in general. Except it jammed. Repeated attempts of clearing I could not get it to function. Check out the picture though. It was really dirty. Weird thing is that it had been firing Hornady Critical Duty (or was it Defense).
They took it off the line and gave me another one. Ah, much better! Weight and balance is great. Trigger? Better than a stock GP100 but they have some catching up to do against the other company's SSR (tm - owned by that company). Grips much better than the giant Hogues they put on the GP normally, but again not quite up to par. I don't know what MSRP is in comparison though.
LCR with hammer in the pic? Winner!
Click on pic to enlarge.
