2014 SHOT Show - Magpul Industries

Duane Liptak of Magpul was interviewed by the folks over at Arfcom about the new products they were releasing at the SHOT Show. The one that immediately caught my eye was the PMag for the AK-47. If it is as reliable as the steel mags from the Eastern Bloc nations, they will have a winner on their hands.

Liptak said that they didn't release many no products this SHOT Show due to the relocation and he wouldn't be giving any sneak peaks. However, he did say that Magpul would be releasing a number of new products over the coming year even as they relocate to Wyoming and Texas.

2014 SHOT Show - Stag Arms

In this video from Arfcom, Stag Arms talks about their new Model 3T-M. Working with their 3-gun team, Stag Arms added features to this AR-15 which allows the shooter to make use of some of the shooting techniques of 3-gunners.

Now if they would only tell us if they have decided if they are moving to Myrtle Beach or Houston.

2014 SHOT Show - EOTech

One of the new products released by EOTech is an add-on red and IR laser for their 512 and 552 holographic sights. As you can see in the video below, the laser add-on replaces the normal battery holder.

2014 SHOT Show - MagPod

The MagPod has been talked about for a long while but it is finally coming into production according to their Facebook page. I had a post about it over two years ago. It is supposed to be available come March of this year.

I still like the idea and will probably buy a pack to at least try it out when they are finally released.

2014 SHOT Show - Blue Force Gear

Blue Force Gear makes the Vickers Sling among other things. I have a few of them and think they are very well made slings for my AR-15.  The Vickers 221 shown in the video looks very handy if a bit spendy.

2014 SHOT Show - Gov. Rick Perry

The 2014 SHOT Show brought a lot of people to Las Vegas including Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX). While he doesn't say so in the video below, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he was doing some industrial recruiting while in Las Vegas.

I'm sorry that Perry blew up in the 2012 GOP race for president. While he might not have been able to name a third cabinet department he would cut, I think he does have a good understanding of what businesses need to succeed unlike the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Slide Fire Bump Sled

Over the next couple of weeks I plan to highlight some of the products shown at the 2014 SHOT Show. Some will be practical and some will be like the Slide Fire Bump Sled which looks like a fun way to burn ammo.

Slide Fire is known for their stocks which allow semi-auto firearms to "bump fire" or simulate full automatic firing. The Bump Sled is a concept product much like concept cars at an auto show - cool looking but not necessarily practical or ready for the market. It mounts an AR with a Slide Fire stock upside down in a cradle which connects to Browning M-2 style spade grips.

As to why Slide Fire developed the Bump Sled, according to an interview with the KitUp blog, it was for fun and to provide an entertaining product to the consumer.

You can see it in action in the video below. I guess one could use it to provide suppressive fire when the Zombies invade. In the meantime, it looks like a fun way to plink if you don't care about the cost or availability of ammo.

2014 SHOT Show - Day Three With Gunblast.com

Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com starts off his overview of Day Three of the 2014 SHOT Show with the new S&W L-frame based .44 Magnum revolver and concludes with Ascendance International's rail systems made out of nTherm. These provide heat protection along with the Picatinny rails. In between these two are companies like Bond Arms, Winchester, and Lipseys.

2014 SHOT Show - Day Two With Gunblast.Com

In his overview of Day Two at the 2014 SHOT Show, Jeff Quinn starts out by interviewing Rob Leahy of Simply Rugged leather. I have one of his pancake holsters for my Colt Detective Special along with a belt pouch for a speed strip which is truly ingenious.

Among the others also shown is Caracal which has introduced a chassis-based rifle. Unfortunately, they didn't discuss the problems with the Caracal pistols which resulted in a total recall.

2014 SHOT Show - Day One With Gunblast.Com

As the 2014 SHOT Show came to a close yesterday, I realized that I still hadn't posted these overviews from Jeff and Boge Quinn of Gunblast.com.

In the video below, Jeff looks at a number of new firearms including a 3-Gun AR from Colt Competition which guarantees a MOA at 100 yards.

2014 SHOT Show - Ed Head On Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Edition

As part of their Day Two roundup, Ed Head and Tommy Sanders of the Outdoor Channel examined the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Ruger 10/22 that was designed by customers. Instead of calling it the 50th Anniversary Edition, they could just as well name it the Appleseed Edition because it seems like a stainless and polymer-stocked version of the RWVA's Liberty Training Rifle.

2014 SHOT Show - Media Day With Gunblast.Com - Part 2

In Part Two, Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com again previews a number of new firearms being released at SHOT Show.

Included are a number of revolvers from Smith and Wesson including the reintroduced Model 66, the Model 686-6 in .357 Mag, the 5-shot 460 S&W Magnum, and the Model 986 in 9mm. This last gun seems to have very minimal recoil with the 9mm.

Speaking of low recoil, Armalite has introduced the AR-31 .308 Target Rifle that has a muzzle break more like one would see on a Barrett .50 BMG rifle.

Sig Sauer held their portion of Media Day at a separate range from what I understand. Jeff shot the new Sig P320 which is their first striker fired pistol and the Sig MPX submachine gun. It is a damn shame that the Hughes Amendment prevents us from being able to buy one of those because it looks like a great gun.

2014 SHOT Show - Day One With Ed Head And Tommy Sanders

The Outdoor Channel is streaming live interviews from the SHOT Show at different times during the day. The host of it is Tommy Sanders who used to host the outdoor block of programming for ESPN. In the recap of Day One of the SHOT Show, he talks with Ed Head of Gunsite and Downrange,tv.

Ed makes the point that he really hasn't seen anything that was new and revolutionary. Rather, it has been an evolution of existing product lines. Much of these evolutionary products are aimed at the new shooters and especially those that are younger and women. These are the growth areas of the gun culture and smart companies are the ones who have responded with new products for that segment. He mentions Ruger in particular as a company that has seen good growth from their new products.

The other thing in this interview that caught my ear was Ed's description of the mood of this year's SHOT Show. He said people seem upbeat and united. He contrasted that with last year when the SHOT Show came about a month after the shootings in Newtown and the mood was gloomy. We expected to be hit with both new gun control laws and Executive Orders aimed at firearms. As Ed notes, the community rallied and beat back much of this. He says the AR-15 was the firearm that provided the rallying point. I'm not sure if I totally agree on that but it is an interesting point.

2014 SHOT Show - Media Day With Gunblast.Com

Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.Com shows a number of the firearms and optics that he tested at Media Day. Contrasting with last year, it doesn't seem quite a cold and windy.

Among the firearms shown in the video below include the Glock 41 and 42, the Ruger American Rimfire, the Double-Star Compact Constant Carry SBR, and Colt Competition 14.5RR. The optics shown include scopes from Burris, Trijicon, and MSE.

On The Eve Of The SHOT Show

Media Day at the 2014 SHOT Show starts tomorrow and I won't be there. Sigh. One of these years I will get a chance to return to the SHOT Show.

The one and only SHOT Show I attended was the one in Dallas in 1996. I was working as the part-time bookkeeper for a knife company and I got to help man the booth. I did get to leave the booth occasionally and I was like a kid in a candy store. It was awesome. It is one of those things everyone needs to do if they ever get the chance.

I won't be at the show but Exurban Kevin will be and he is arranging a New Media Meetup. It is scheduled for Tuesday night at 9pm at The Bourbon Room in the Venetian. See the instructions at the link on how to RSVP.

In addition to helping organize the New Media Meetup, Kevin has kindly compiled a list of 12 things bloggers and new media types should do at the SHOT Show. Actually, it is a list everything you shouldn't do if you ever hope to establish any sort of relationship with a firearms company or any other vendor. Doing some of these things might even be hazardous to your health such as numbers 7, 8, or 10.

To those who will be attending the SHOT Show, I hope you have a great time and I look forward to reading and/or hearing your reports from this great event.

How Big Is The SHOT Show?

According to the infographic from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shown below, pretty damn big!

Many years ago I worked for a local knife company that had a small booth at the SHOT Show. As a result, I got to attend the 1996 SHOT Show held in Dallas, Texas. I was awed by the size of it all back then when it was just a shadow of what it has become. With luck and good scheduling, I plan to attend next year's SHOT Show and I'm sure I'll just be blown away by it all.

Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.