2013 SHOT Show Day Three Wrap-Up
Matt Korovesis 01.17.13
The third day of SHOT is my last, and perhaps for good reason. The people I went to meet for my first hands-on this morning complimented my authentic “Vegas drag” and rapidly expanding bags under my eyes. Guess that means it’s time to go home and get some rest.
One thing I’d like to highlight in this post that I’ve done a poor job of in the past few is that SHOT is not all about guns (though they may make the best featured images)—many companies feature their upcoming hunting, tactical, and outdoor clothing and gear at the show. I’ve included some of those items in this write up to give attention where it is due.
Beretta
One of Beretta’s new offerings in 2013 will be the 92 Compact. This pistol feeds from 13-round magazines and features an accessory rail. The nickel-colored version I shot at Media Day had a good trigger and was very controllable. I was also able to get my hands on the .22LR versions of the ARX160 (a rifle and pistol), which make excellent plinkers.
Sig Sauer
Sig’s big draw this year is their new MPX submachine gun and its attendant semi-automatic variant. The MPX operates using a closed and locked rotating bolt with a short-stroke gas piston. Keeping with modern firearm development, it is very modular: the barrel length, caliber (9mm, .40 S&W, or .357 SIG), and stock configuration (folding or telescoping) can be easily adjusted in the field. The MPX-C is the semi-auto variant, and has a 6.5″ barrel with a permanently affixed 9.5″ muzzle brake. The overall lengths of the gun with the stock folded or fully retracted—in the case of the telescoping stock—are 26.7″ and 28.1″, respectively.
Webley & Scott
Any gun history aficionado must have been excited by the news that Webley & Scott would be making a comeback. My friend Denis Isbister of Wild Fish Wild Places and The Birdmen swears by ’em (especially his WS 900), and now that I was able to get some experience with them I can see why. Their first guns made quite an impression, and the lineup they have for 2013 is very appealing. There’ll be Webley & Scott side-by-sides, shotguns in smaller gauges, and tactical pump action shotguns. The 12 gauge WS 612P20T Tactical Pump Shotgun specifically is a solid firearm, and will definitely give comparable offerings a run for their money. In addition to a 5+1 shell capacity, it has a top-mounted Picatinny rail and 20″ barrel. Webley & Scott are also working on their own bolt-action rifle—a sneak peek of which is in one of the images below!
Danner/LaCrosse Footwear
LaCrosse Footwear is introducing some high-quality boots designed specifically for the hunter this spring and fall. One of them, the AeroHead, is composed of a neoprene core and a lightweight polyurethane shell, which gives the boots unmatched insulation and durability. In testing the AeroHead was subjected to millions of wrenching flex tests, but came out in one piece.
Debuting later in 2013 and perfect for the backcountry outdoorsman is the East Ridge. The East Ridge is made of waterproof full-grain leather with a 900 Denier nylon upper. GORE-TEX lining provides an additional layer of waterproofing. Completing the package is a Vibram Hunter sole.
SOG Knives
SOG Knives is the industry’s go-to for durable, high quality edged weapons and tools. Like LaCrosse, they’ll be introducing some hunting-specific products this year. The Huntspoint S and Huntspoint B are made for skinning and boning and come with a leather sheath. The Twitch XL and Twitch II knives are now available with classy wood handles, bringing a little bit of tradition to these modern blades.
Ideal for the camper, hiker, and mountaineer is the BadAxe Backcountry, which has a forged axe head, glass-reinforced nylon handle, and a saw that conveniently and smoothly fits in the axe’s handle. The collapsing finger guard on the saw is particularly snazzy.
LaserMax
LaserMax’s products are very unique in the way that their designs flush with the aesthetics of the guns they mount on. This year the’re releasing several new lasers in their CenterFire series, specifically for the Ruger LCR, Beretta Nano (which looks like a natural extension of the gun itself), M&P Shield, and Colt Mustang. The Colt Mustang’s CenterFire is only available through Colt, and the LCR, Nano, and Shield lasers will retail for $149. A $249 green CenterFire laser for the LC9 will also be up for grabs.
LaserMax will also be introducing a laser for the Ruger 10/22 that goes where the front barrel band normally is and also features short Picatinny rails on both sides of the barrel. It’s an excellent addition to one of America’s most popular guns.
Streamlight
Streamlight is the industry standard lighting solution provider for law enforcement, the military, tactical enthusiasts, and general outdoorsmen. One of the premier optics products for the hunter this year will be the new TLR-1 Game Spotter beams out a long-range green light for game pursuit in low-light conditions. Like many Streamlight products, it easily latches onto Picatinny rails. Running on its two 3-volt CR123A lithium batteries, it’ll give a sportsman nearly two hours of runtime.
That’s all I have time for tonight. I’ll be putting together another whole-show summary within the next several days, so keep an eye out for that. For more SHOT goodness, continue to follow our SHOT Show page for additional news and product details.
I've been a history and gun enthusiast since I was a kid. I love to shoot just about anything, from silenced bolt-action .22s to fully automatic heavy machine guns, and I love even more when I get to write about them. My main interests are modern small arms and the military small arms of World War II and prior conflicts, with a particular focus on Russian and Finnish firearms. Reading about guns like the Mosin-Nagant rifle in books and on the internet got me interested in collecting, shooting, and writing about them, and I hope to do the same for others through my work.
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