2018 SHOT Show

I.O. Inc. Mini Revolver Makes Progress for 2018

At last year’s SHOT Show 2017, we were excited to see Inter Ordnance venture into different territory than what they are known. In their booth, they had micro revolvers similar to what you have probably seen from the likes of North American Arms.

Until recently, I.O. Inc. was largely known (for better or for worse) for the AK platform rifles which they began producing in the mid-2000s – and which gained a less than stellar reputation for quality and reliability; something with which the GunLink team has had first hand experience as owners of one of their duds. A few years later, I.O. shut down their AK production, moved to a re-tooled production facility, and began cranking out higher quality AKs (and, later, ARs) and started work on rebuilding their sullied name.

So when we saw the diminutive .22LR revolvers, dubbed the Valkyrie, in their booth last year, our interest was piqued, despite the fact that they were, at that point, nothing more than rapid-prototyped titanium samples with 3D printed grips with an MSRP of $260 and an expected ship date of last spring. And then… crickets.

This year in the I.O. Inc. booth, they had what appeared to be (nearly) production models of the minuscule SAO revolver, now apparently named the Escort.   Continue reading

Is the New Sig P365 the Perfect Carry Gun?

It is a reasonable question to ask. The latest pistol offered by Sig Sauer is small, light, compact, and has a respectable round count for a pistol this size. While it may not be a hand-filling, full-on combat pistol, it does look like it will mark many of the boxes on any CCW checklist; and it might just be THE new concealed pistol.

While some folks will always want to carry something more along the lines of that combat pistol, many just want something that works, is effective, and is easy to carry. Obvious comparisons that come to mind are the Glock 43 and Smith & Wesson Shield – both fine pistols in that role, and quite popular.  But then Sig did this.

The Sig P365 maintains approximately the same one inch width that it shares with both the G43 and the Shield and, at 4.25 tall, is about the same height as the 43 while about half an inch shorter than the Smith. The new Sig, however, gains a big advantage for those hoping to pocket carry it: with a 5.9″ OAL, it is a quarter- to half-inch shorter than the S&W and Glock, respectively. While that reduction in length won’t matter much for carrying it on your belt, this smaller size will likely be quite noticeable in the pocket.    Continue reading

Mossberg and Remington Unleash Double-Barreled Blast of Mag Fed Shotguns at SHOT Show 2018

Mag Fed Shotgun Showdown

A few weeks ago, Big Green made a lot of noise with their launch of the new Remington 870DM that involved a bunch of marketing-department-generated secrecy and rumors and buzz that culminated in a live online product unveiling of what turned out to be (much to nobody’s surprise) a detachable magazine fed model of their popular pump action 870 shotgun.

Then, last week at SHOT Show 2018, Mossberg introduced a competing detachable box magazine fed version of their popular pump action 590 shotgun called the 590M.

Nothing ground breaking, earth shattering, or game changing, but pretty cool products from the two main sport and defense shotgun manufacturers in the US. But the big question on our minds around here is “why did it take so long?” Or maybe it’s “which one is better?” We’ll try to answer at least one of those below.

Of course, box magazine fed shotguns are nothing especially new. Semi-auto box-fed shotguns have been around for a while. Black Aces Tactical does it with their Mossberg 500-based shotguns. And what about Hurricane Butterfly’s Typhoon 12, based on Hawk’s Chinese Remington 870 clone? Adaptive Tactical has been offering their Venom conversion kits for Mossberg/Maverick shotguns for a number of years, although they kind of cheat by feeding into the magazine tube and/or using a rotary magazine.

So, while feeding fat, blunt, sometimes ribbed, plastic, rimmed cartridges with varying lengths and weights from a magazine may be a challenge, it is not impossible. So, other than being difficult, why did it take so long for the major players to make their own? Our guess is that they were just taking a wait-and-see track and finally noticed the interest in this market segment based on the other third-party offerings.

As for which one of the new offerings from the big manufacturers is better, we’ll give you some info about them and let you decide.   Continue reading

Pistol Sights of SHOT Show 2018

Rear SightsFace it, pistol sights are kind of a boring topic. There is not a lot of real estate for mounting fancy optics, pistols are not typically used for long distance shots that necessitate heavy duty upgrades, and, often, it can be a difficult or impossible task depending on the pistol. Many concealed carry guns have integrated sights machined into the slide, proprietary dovetail mounts that make it hard to find sights for, or simply require a pricey tool to do (unless you’re not afraid of whacking on them with a punch and hammer or if you use this one weird old trick).

And pistol sight upgrades are usually just not sexy unless you have a tricked out race gun topped off with the latest, greatest, highest speed, lowest drag optic, which seems to be the latest trend for “carry” guns. You will certainly find more “2-pound trigger of the week,” “custom Louis Vitton laser stipling,” “unicorn horn speckled platinum infused Cerakote,” and “slide cut” talk at the gun counter and on Instagram than you will “I put new sights on my self defense handgun” talk.

But, alas – we did manage to find some interesting new products on the show floor that fall into this obscure category. Despite all of the above, upgrading the sights on your defensive handgun is often one of the most practical and affordable ways to make it better and more useful.

Below are the top three most interesting new (new to us, at least) pistol sight upgrades we found on the SHOT Show 18 show floor, and an honorable mention that will help you with the others.   Continue reading

Brownells Makes History, Launches Retro Rifles Line

Models include four 5.56mm and two .308/7.62 variants

It’s been 79 years in the making and last week at SHOT Show, Brownells joined the ranks of America’s gun manufacturers. Given the company’s long history of serving the firearms community with firearms, parts, and accessories, it only makes sense the company’s first firearms are legitimately old school – retro AR-15 rifles that will appeal to those interested in historically accurate recreations of early models of America’s Rifle.

Brownells newly-created Retro Rifles line features four 5.56mm variants and two .308/7.62 variants.  The 5.56mm models feature the correct styling for rifles issued to GIs in the 1960s. The .308/7.62 models reflect the lightweight styling of Eugene Stoner’s original AR-10 design.

Several models are available and shipping now. The BRN-16A1 is a close copy of the iconic M16A1 first fielded in 1960s. The matte gray anodized receivers mimic the originals and the rifle features black furniture with period-correct contours with a full fence M16A1 profile lower receiver and a 20” 5.56 lightweight chrome-lined barrel with 1-12″ twist that terminates in a M16A1 Flash hider. The upper features an M16A1 bolt carrier group with phosphate finish and chrome lining and a standard charging handle. The 16A1 ships with a 20-round aluminum magazine, all for a $1300 MSRP.   Continue reading

Fausti Celebrates 70 Years of Beautiful Shotguns at SHOT Show 2018

While visiting the exhibitors at the 2018 SHOT Show, we had the opportunity to stop by the Fausti booth, congratulate them on their platinum anniversary, and have a look at their high end shotguns.

Fausti has been manufacturing hunting and competition shotguns since 1948, when Stefano Fausti founded the company. Although the beautiful looks and craftsmanship of their classic over-under and side-by-side guns are a bit north of our typical scattergun budget, we can certainly appreciate them and would be proud to have one in our collection.

The Fausti mantle is carried into the company’s 70th year by Stefano’s three daughters, Elena, Giovanna, and Barbara. Giovanna took some time out of her schedule to go over some of their core and boutique shotguns and show us what they are doing to mark seven decades of craftsmanship, as well as invite us to their Fredericksburg, Virgina, headquarters of Fausti USA branch which was established in 2009.

Fausti is celebrating the occasion with introduced two handmade new shotguns, an commemorative O/U and a commemorative SxS model.   Continue reading

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