I’ve been attending SHOT Show now for almost 20 years. While I try and have a plan, I always end up coming home and realizing I missed things I would have liked to have seen. There’s simply too much to cover in four days, with 14 miles of aisle way covering multiple floors in two buildings. This years was no different. Still, you can’t help but stumble upon interesting stuff while you’re there. Looking back on the show once I was home for a bit, I picked out some of things that stood out to me, so here they are in no particular order.
AS Designs FRT Triggers
I ran into AS Designs on Monday at Industry Day at the Range. They had a variety of rifles set up with FRT and Super Safety triggers. I ran a .45 ACP UMP clone which was pretty slick. I’d never actually shot a UMP, let alone one with an FRT installed. My buddies ran a 7.62×51 MR762 clone. They carry parts for a lot of popular semi auto platforms and are priced pretty competitively. FRT’s are fun as long as you can afford the ammo to feed them!
Chiappa S.A.A. Black Thunder
While everyone seemed focused on the new Rhino L Frame .44’s at the Chiappa booth, my eye was immediately drawn to a single action revolver on display. I grew up shooting Ruger Blackhawks and did Cowboy Action Shooting for a number of years, so I have a soft spot for single action revolvers. The one in question was a very modern looking .44 Magnum with slab sided barrel and cylinder, and Picatinny mount on the top. It looked a lot like an upgraded Ruger Super Blackhawk. The name was the S.A.A. Black Thunder.
While the name Black Thunder brings about thoughts of 80’s action movies, this is a revolver for the 21st Century with roots going back to the 19th. It’s based upon a beefed up version of Chiappa’s Colt 1873 Single Action Army clone, and fitted with a Ruger Super Blackhawk style grip frame. It comes with Hogue rubber grips and is chambered in .44 Magnum. It also comes with a nice set of adjustable sights with a fiber optic front post. Chiappa has 5.5 and 8 inch versions available, with the 5.5 inch one I looked at showing an MSRP $1,135.00.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of coverage on these yet, but the Black Thunder is on my short list of guns from SHOT to try this year. I think it would work great with a Midwest Industries brace or stock too, which leads me to my next entry.
The Midwest Industries Bounty Hunter
I saw the Bounty Hunter drop on social media and knew I had to make my way to Midwest Industries booth to check them out. They did not disappoint either. MI’s Bounty Hunter series consists of a skeletonized stock or brace designed to fit many common large frame revolvers. They’re reminiscent of their lever action rifle stock line.
The Bounty Hunters come in brace or stock form, depending on whether you want to Form 1 your revolver or not. They’re made from 6061 hardcoat anodized aluminum for the grip, stock, and Z-beam and come with three Midwest Industries universal shell holders that allow you to store up to six rounds of ammunition.
I handled a number of the models they had on display and I have to say it’s a heck of a lot easier managing some of those behemoth wheel guns with the Bounty Hunter installed than it is using them free hand. The MI reps said it especially comes into its own if you’re firing more than a cylinder or two out of them on range day. I can definitely see that. Installation is simple. If you can swap out grips you can install Bounty Hunter. It essentially just replaces your factory grip with the MI version, which has a mounting point on the butt for the brace or stock. You can carry the revolver in a holster like normal and quickly attach the stock once you’re at the range or at your hunting spot. Or, you can flip the brace around so that sits pointed forward under the barrel to reduce the size so you can stuff it in a back pack until you’re ready to use it. MSRP is $314.95 and these should start shipping in the first quarter of the year. If I get a Black Thunder, I’m getting one of these to try out too.
Get Grips
Another company I ran into at Industry Day was Get Grips. They make Glock 19 Gen 3 and 43X lowers with all of the touches you’d expect from a custom mod. The owner and designer, Dusty Sroufe worked on the PSA Dagger as well as the Taurus TX22 projects amongst others. He has a ton of experience and it shows when you pick up a Get Grip frame.
With a Get Grip frame you basically get a factory frame that offers all of the ergonomic and functional upgrades that you’d see on a custom frame. They look good, but more importantly feel good in the hand. I got to handle and fire both their 43X and 19 sized frames and was impressed.
I was even more impressed when I found out the pricing. The frames are not only extremely well thought out but also extremely affordable. The G19 frame is only $162.99 with Glock OEM internals, and $114.99 with aftermarket internals. I found out that the aftermarket parts are from SCT and I’ve had excellent luck with their parts. The frames are available in Black, FDE, Green, Gray and Matte White. The 43X frames are priced the same and available in the same colors except the Matte White.
They’re also doing their own slides so you can can build an all Get Grips optics ready gun for just a touch over $350 if I priced things out correctly. That’s a heck of a deal for 43X or 19 build with premium features. I plan on getting one of each at some point to test out.
Gideon Optics
I’ve been working with Gideon optics since last SHOT show and have tried out a bunch since then. They’ve worked great and are reasonably priced. They’re also located only an hour from me which is kind of neat. A couple things jumped out new for this year. The Pebble and Mediator XL were at the opposite end of the red dot spectrum.
The Pebble is designed specifically for the S&W M&P Bodyguard 2.0. It’s thin and designed as a direct mount on a stock slide, no slide cuts required. You replace your rear sight with one from Gideon that has mounting points for the Pebble. The red dot is contoured to the slide and keeps the whole package as trim as you can get while still mounting a usable red dot. It’s available in red and green dot versions and has an MSRP of only $219.99.
If you’re running a carbine or PCC and have some room then the Mediator XL might be what you’re looking for. It’s a rugged enclosed emitter design for full weather and debris protection with a user selectable red 3 MOA dot, or 68 MOA circle dot reticle. The Mediator XL runs on a CR123 battery and has a 50,000 hour run time. The big red dot makes it easy to find your dot without sacrificing field of view. Sometimes smaller is better, but with a nigger optic you do get some benefits when it comes to terms of usability. MSRP is $379.99.
Harrington & Richardson
I’m a big fan of Harrington & Richardson’s line of retro M16 clones. I do a lot of retro builds and have used a ton of their parts in them. H&R continues to bring back designs of the past in civilian, semi auto modes and this year was no exception. They had on display clones of the Colt 605, 607, 633 DOE, and even a 606 squad auto. The 605 is the original Dissipator build with a 16 inch barrel and front sight base mounted way out at the end. The 607 is the first carbine variant of the M16 with a unique collapsible stock and muzzle device.
The 633 is a 9mm clone of the subguns designed for and issued by the Department of Energy for use protecting nuke plants in the 1990’s. Last but not least, the 606 was the first attempt at an M16 squad support weapon. While they never went into production, they make for a neat variant to own today. The heavy barrel and bipod would be great with FRT trigger installed in fact.
If you’re a fan of those early M16 variations, and have tried your hand at building your own, you know that it’s often tough finding the right parts, especially for the 607. H&R makes it easy for you to experience history now with complete guns, as well as the parts to do your own.
SNT Defense Daewoo K2
Speaking of clones, SNT Defense is working hard to bring back the old Daewoo K2. I shouldn’t really say clone because these won’t be clones, they”ll essentially be Daewoo’s made by the same folks who made them back in the 90’s. SNT Defense is the U.S. based subsidiary of SNT Motiv, who is the South Korean defense contractor that formerly operated as Daewoo Precision Industries.
They announced these at SHOT last year and hoped to have them in the country already but sometimes things churn slowly in the firearms import world. Between our goofy import laws (can’t we get rid of the ridiculous 9229r) import restrictions at this point?) and trying to make the South Korean government understand why Americans want or need a “military grade” rifle like the K2 things have been creeping along.
When I spoke with one of the reps at the show about the South Korean government being part of the slow down I suggested he invite the bureaucrats to come and visit the US for a bit. We know a thing or two about semi auto rifles here, they aren’t exactly unleashing something new on us if they allow the K2 to be exported here. Not to mention the fact that Daewoo had imported them prior to the Clinton Assault Weapons ban and even afterwards in a neutered form for a while. Regardless, SNT Defense is hoping things get ironed out by this summer and have long term plans for manufacturing the Daewoo line here in the U.S. in Las Vegas.
The K2 was an early piston gun and had a very good reputation back in the 90’s. It was adopted by the Republic of Korea in 1985 and while they’re the main user, it has also seen fairly widespread use through Asia, Central America and parts of Africa since then. It was always a bucket list rifle for me so I’m, keeping my fingers crossed that they get the import issues worked out this year, In the meantime, I may need yo build a clone of the license built ROK M16A1’s that predated the K2 in Korean service using a Bad Attitude Department lower.
Streamlight PolyTac 1X
I’ve used Streamlights throughout my career in law enforcement and had even used them personally well before that. Whether its a weapons light or a handheld light they usually have something worth looking at. At SHOT this year the PolyTac 1X caught my eye. This handheld flashlight has a 5 hour run time on its high mode, which is 500 Lumens, and 14 hours on the 40 lumen low mode. It’s under 5 inches long and weighs just 2.93 ounces. It’s made from a tough high impact polymer and is available in black or bright yellow. The best part though is that it’s a tri-fuel system and will run on either a single CR123A Lithium battery, single SL-B9 Rechargeable Battery Pack, or a single AA Lithium or AA Alkaline battery. That makes it a great EDC light and an even better bugout or emergency light since it’ll run on most common batteries. Battery life and output obviously depends on what you have in it with base specs being for the SL-B9 battery. MSRP with an included SL-B9 rechargeable battery is $89.00.
Tier 1 Tactical
There’s no shortage of AR manufacturers at SHOT so it can be hard to pick one to highlight. I liked the vibe of the folks at Tier 1 Tactical though, so they get my nod this year. It’s a 2 man, veteran owned small business with the goal of making a better AR. Rather than jump in the heavily saturated low end AR market they decided to focus on making a premium AR that’s competitive with other top tier makers (thus the Tier 1 I suppose) but that offers features that those makers don’t. Aside from a meticulous build and attention to detail, they have some unique parts that they make in house. The first is a proprietary barrel nut and gas block designed for the most rigidity.
Next is their barrels which are either dimpled or fluted for weight reduction and heat dissipation. They also have a handguard that’s extremely lightweight while maintaining stiffness and a solid feel. Their lowers accept standard AR parts and come with match triggers, 45 degree throw ambidextrous safeties, and ambidextrous bolt releases. They’re making builds primarily in 5.56, .300 Blackout, and 6mm ARC currently although they do show 7.62x39mm and .350 Legend rifles on their website as well. In addition to rifles they also do AR pistol builds and sell their barrels and other parts individually. If you’re looking at getting a top end rifle with some unique features, and willing to give a veteran owned business that’s fairly new to the industry a shot, then check out what Tier 1 has to offer. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Vanguard Arms
I was drawn to the Vanguard Arms booth by the Tensei, a Nambu Type 100 SMG clone, from Charles Calleja, The Gearhead Gunsmith. Vanguard is actually a group of small makers who think outside the box with their designs and support one another’s work. I talked to a few of the folks that make up the group at the show, and have followed up some since then.
Ethan Middleton of Middleton Made described the group as a think tank or skunk works for small arms design. On his Facebook page he further describes Vanguard as “an umbrella group of grassroots designers, engineers, and manufacturers that put our heads together to build cool stuff. We rely on one another to take advantage of our strengths and offset our weaknesses, and the end result is often unique designs that larger companies simply don’t have the time, resources, or manpower to develop on their own.”
It consists of Roswell Rifle Works, Gearhead Gunsmith, Armada, Nopel, Minman Firearms, Middleton Made, Titus Arms, and Novox Research. Some of the folks work with the mainstream firearms industry, others are doing their own thing. Between them they support each others work and help turn ideas into reality. Ethan said that if you come with an idea of some sort of product, even on a napkin, they have the people to design it, manufacture it, and help market it.
By the time I found Vanguard on Friday I didn’t have nearly as much time as I needed to see everything and talk to everyone but I loved what I saw. The folks that make up Vanguard are doing unique projects that big companies won’t. In addition to the Tensei SMG clone from Gearhead, Middleton Made had a slick Sten mag adapter for standard AR lowers which I plan on getting, as well as a really slick launcher that can be had in 37mm, or as an 80% 40mm launcher that you can Form 1 and finish yourself. Not sure if it was in the booth but he also makes a 1/2-28 to 3/4-16 Thread Adapter for use with 3d printed suppressors. That’s also on my 2026 project list. Roswell is making a 9x39mm US made version of the SR-3M submachinegun in semi auto, Novax does their X-SD 9mm barrel kits as well as the Brass Goblin Deterrent muzzle brake. Titus does 3d printed designs including the 5.56mm NylAUG and .32 ACP TA61 Scorpion machine pistol clones. Minman is located in my home state of Pennsylvania and does SLS printed firearms accessories, and does printing for the other folks in Vanguard. Armada doesn’t have an online presence yet but is doing bullpup AR and 10/22 chassis. He wasn’t there Friday when I swung by so I didn’t get to talk to him.
Last but certainly not least is Nopel who is making 3d files for the RBC-9, a belt fed 9mm carbine, the BALR (Bolt Action Light Rifle), and what may be the most unique item I saw at SHOT, the M1337 manually operated, 3d printed minigun. I’d been seeing stuff on this on social media for a while now and it’s essentially a minigun inspired gatling gun that can be built at home. I don’t think my 3d printing skills are up to the challenge yet but I love the idea of it. You can read more about it here.
I appreciate the passion and the creativity that guys that make up Vanguard have. They’re creating a mix of bringing back the old stuff in a usable form, like the Tensei, and making completely new projects while leveraging the latest technology available. I love too that they’re working together to make this happen and are helping each other succeed in the process. I’m ending my round up with the folks from Vangaurd, and really was only able to touch the surface of who they are and what they do.
Wrap Up
It’s easy to get drawn in by the big names at SHOT, and as media you pretty much have to check out what they’re doing. Often though, the most interesting stuff I find is not the latest stuff that everyone else is covering. Tucked away in the corner of the booth, or down in the lower level where a lot of the smaller innovators tend to be, you end up stumbling across some fantastic stuff every year, even if you aren’t specifically looking for it.