These are very cool. They appear to be well-made and I took pics of this display (instead of the hands on one) because they had the cut away of their interesting baffle construction. Also, as it happens a person who works for the company that builds the baffles for SIG was there. In short, the message from him was that the baffles are extraordinarily high quality.
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By now everyone has seen the (awesome) Glock 40 10mm long-slide pistol and the tiny Glock 42 and 43 slimline compacts.
What I hadn't seen in person yet were the new 17 MOS and 19 MOS pistols. Very cool!
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The Hornady Iron Press is an impressive piece of equipment. I really like the accessory mount, however, I have to admit I was drawn in and then disappointed that it is not a turret press. They had their line of mini-safes on display too. I have reviewed the entry level model very favorably against the GunVault.
Ok,
Colt fans don't think that I am being negative towards Colt, because I am a fan -- but I didn't see anything exciting or new at their booth. I can confirm for 10mm fans that the Delta Elite (the current O-frame model) was there again this year. Missing again, was the Enhanced O-frame/XSE displayed previously. I didn't think to ask about it.
Here are a few pics that I snapped while I was there (yes, all from the Colt booth):
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Sarsilmaz (or commonly SARARMS) may not be a name that you are heard of. However, they are a renown firearms maker from Turkey. Their claim to fame are CZ-style pistols. I had the opportunity to shoot several at SHOT in 2014. I was genuinely impressed. I liked them better than the standard line (not the Match series) of EAA Witness Tanfoglios. SARARMS had a very good presence this year also - two separate booths with a lot of items on display.
However, that changed this year. They have introduced several new higher end models which may give pistols like the Witness Elite Match and Witness Elite competition pistols. For those that are not familiar with the higher end Witness line, they really shouldn't even called Witness. They should be re-branded their own line. Anyway, here is one of the new pistols:
It was VERY nice. I asked the rep who the importer is and they responded EAA. Hmm...EAA, who I just compared the pistol to as the primary competition. EAA who already offers several different lines of imported CZ-style pistols? Well, that doesn't seem ideal.
You may have noticed that there are a couple of SARARMS pistols available from companies like CDNN for reasonable prices (sub-$300). They are an extraordinary good by IMO. My only complaint is that they appear to take their own mags, at least without going online and possibly modifying them. I asked the rep about this and he said that he was confident that the new pistols would work with Tanfoglio mags, although of course, recommended theirs.
This year they demo'd something new, that I unfortunately didn't get to try, but the rep said was by far the most popular item at Industry Range Day. I'll leave the pic here and let folks Google as I don't know too much detail. Unfortunately, at this time there is no importer:
You may have my range experience with the Tavor from SHOT Show 2014. I am a big fan, they simply shoot straight and are great ergonomically. Of course, that is not all that IWI offers and they had quite a big on display this year.
More...
Carry On!
This year I decided to end my embargo of going to the "Smith & Wesson" (tm) booth.
I figure that since they are a presenter at the SHOT Show and that I am media that I should be ok going to their booth and showing pictures of their trademarked products without fear of additional threats of litigation. I should point out (per their cease and desist letter) that I am not affiliated with the company or products and that any logos or products shown are registered trademarks of the company.
Anyway, I wanted to go to the booth to meet some really great shooters. I did actually ask the reps a question, which I did not really get an answer to, but I will cover that in a later post. Onto the shooters!
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Julie Goleb and Jim Scoutten!
Julie Goleb!
Jerry Miculek!
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.
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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.
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That's it for tonight. More to come tomorrow!
