Tag Archives: shot 2024

From the Basement of SHOT Show

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One of the most uncovered things at SHOT Show last month, I thought, was the Rhineland R3000.

The what?

Exactly.

With styling that evokes the classic Walther WA2000 bullpup, the R3000 is constructed using full-size AR10 parts compatible with SR25-pattern magazines.

At its heart is a custom monolith extruded T7075 aluminum receiver married up to a Shilen match grade barrel with a stainless steel barrel nut, a low-profile gas block that fits under a full-length M1913 top Picatinny rail designed for top or side-mount bipods, a CMC match grade trigger pack, HK pattern push pins, and an American walnut thumbhole bullpup stock.

Note the side-charging bolt carrier group.

If you ever thought, hey, I’d love a WA2000 clone in .308 with AR10 compatibility, then the R3000 could be for you

They also have an R2000, which is the same thing but in an AR15 5.56 concept.

Baa, Baa .45

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While on the ground at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas last month, we came across a Government Issue .45 1911 that looked more at home in the South Pacific in 1943. 

As part of its Air Aces Series, Auto-Ordnance had its new Black Sheep 1911 on display. Crafted by the folks over at Outlaw Ordnance, the artists start with an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 and then apply a carefully researched red, white, and blue Cerakote finish that emulates a World War II aircraft associated with famed Marine air ace Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. 

A functional work of art, underneath the custom Cerakote finish, the Black Sheep 1911 is still an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 in .45 ACP. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Note the “rivet” pattern, the sheet of Rising sun victory stencils, and the correct “Lucybelle” nose art. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

lso, note the “belly” of the gun is left in the white to emulate the aluminum body of an F4U Corsair. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The aircraft Boyington was photographed with in November 1943, White 86 (BuNo.18086), was an F4U-1A Corsair of the same type he flew with the Black Sheep. Ironically, no records confirm he ever flew it in combat and the bird was made up specifically for the photoshoot. As such, it included 20 Kyokujitsu-ki rising suns, one for each confirmed Japanese aircraft he had shot down by that time, his name, and the nickname (“Lucybelle”) of his then-girlfriend, Lucy Malcomson. He would later fall out with Malcomson, leading to a bitter court case and, when the 1970s TV show “Baa Baa Black Sheep” would recreate this plane, Boyington, then on his fifth wife, advised the producers the plane was named “Lulubelle” instead.

A late model Goodyear FG 1D Corsair (BuNo 92246), one of only about 100 Corsairs left, is painted to emulate White 86 and is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com) 

It has Boyington’s name stenciled under the cockpit but no “kill” flags or Lulubelle/Lucybelle nose art. I guess NNAM didn’t want to wade into that controversy

x

Smith J-frame for the win

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The odd thing about carry guns, even in a day when the market is awash in micro-compact 9mm pistols like the P365 and Hellcat, is that the snub-nosed revolver still sells and sells very well. I have often carried one over the past 30 years, either as a BUG to my primary or when in a non-permissive environment.

This thing has tagged along with me more than I care to admit

Billed as the ultimate small-frame carry revolver, S&W debuted a new line of SAO aluminum J-frame snub-nosed wheel guns at the SHOT Show this year. 
 
The new Ultimate Carry line is offered in a Model 642UC (stainless) and 442UC (black) Airweight Centennial format in a 5-shot .38 Special as well as a new 632UC and 432UC in 6-shot .32 H&R Magnum. All feature a fresh style of .140-inch XS Tritium front sight with a dovetailed .160-inch black serrated Novak-style U-notch rear sight and flush-cut “High Horn” VZ G10 boot grips. Going past that, the internals have been beefed up with titanium pins (rather than the standard aluminum) as used with the Scandium frame models to add durability over the years and a much-improved trigger pull. 

They both look and feel great.

The weight on the Smith & Wesson Ultimate Carry is right at 16 ounces. Note the enclosed ejector rod shroud, beveled cylinder front edge which aids in carry, and VZ G10 boot grips that have been updated to provide a higher backstrap on the gun.

More in my column at Guns.com.

New CMP 1911s?

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The CMP has been in the Army surplus M1911 business for the past half-decade, drawing up to 10,000 each year since 2018 from a dwindling supply of 100,000 mostly World War II-era guns long-stored at the Anniston Army Depot. However, everyone realizes these guns are in short supply – leading to a lottery system by CMP to sell them to the public with prices starting at $1,050 for even a very well-worn pistol – and eventually, the Depot will run dry. 

With that in mind, in a partnership announced at the SHOT Show, the organization and SDS have teamed up with Tisas to produce a special CMP M1911A1 model for sale to the public to help fund its national youth-focused marksmanship efforts. 

The production of a new-manufactured M1911 for the CMP is big news. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The .45 ACP Government model, according to SDS, will be “a museum-grade reproduction of a mid-war M1911A1 as it was issued during the Second World War.” This will include “United States Property” markings, a Type E hammer, and reproduction WWII-style brown plastic grips – although an extra set of walnut double diamond checkered grips will be included with each gun. 

In a nod to the special status with the marksmanship organization, they will be “CMP” marked. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The slide, frame, and small parts will be Manganese Phosphate finished, and there will be no MIM parts used in the manufacturing process. Like most Tisas 1911s, it will have Series 70 internals. 

Sure, they are made in Turkey, but Tisas makes a hell of a 1911.

The cost, sold through the CMP, will be $479. 

Shark in the Water

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I thought this was one of the nicest guns at SHOT last week.

Beretta came to Las Vegas with something that any Selachimorphaphile, single-action handgun purist, model 92 fan, or budding USPSA competitor is sure to find of interest: the 92XI Squalo.

The Squalo – “shark” in Italian – earned its name, says Beretta, due to the “sleek and formidable nature” of the animal and its namesake 9mm pistol’s inclination to “stand out in a sea of competition.”

Optics-ready with a Vertec-style frame and DLC-coated trigger internals, it has a single-action-only trigger with a manual frame-mounted safety lever. A gray overall finish and custom Hogue G10 grip panels help pull off the moniker.

It comes standard with a Toni Systems flared magwell and has superb texture on the grip, akin to that of a shark’s skin, one could say.

Meanwhile, at the show itself, Beretta had an example decked out with gold accents and a comp, the latter giving it a very “Professional” kind of vibe

I think I need one.

H&R is delivering when it comes to throwback ARs

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The reformed Harrington & Richardson Arms, now with a very NoDakSpud flavor, is chugging right along to bring black rifle collectors all the things.

As I covered last year from SHOT ’23, the modern H&R with NoDakSpud founder Mike Wetteland as CEO is back and ready to make some extremely sweet guns that just ooze old-school cool.

Growing from three throwback models last year– a basic M16A1 clone, the H&R 635 9mm, and H&R 723 carbine– the company has in the meantime added a gray or black XM16E1 complete with triangular handguards and 3-prong flash hider with options for either a trap or no-trap stock, an A2 rifle with a 20-inch barrel and round handguards, an A2 pencil profile carbine with a CAR stock, an XM177E2 clone, and an Air Force 604 model with a 1:12 twist barrel– and they are only getting warmed up.

I stopped by the booth at SHOT ’24 last week and spent some quality time with Wetteland where he gave us the rundown on the entire current and planned (possible) future H&R collection.

It includes:

An “Aberdeen Brown” maple wood stock A1 variant, which is man cave-worthy. These will be available within the next month both as complete rifles and furniture sets. There will also be a distressed walnut version.

Reminiscent of the early 1980s DMRs, check out this resto-mod flat top. Wetteland says this is inbound shortly, scope not included, and advised to ignore the RRA mount.

An early 1990s Delta-style JSOC tube gun, Wetteland said this is a throwback to the days before the arrival of the quad rail mafia and was an armorer-level hack that high-speed guys did to allow them to mount lights and lasers. He stressed that, while H&R may not make this as an all-up gun, uppers, and parts are likely to be made to allow home builders and collectors to steal this look.

And this…

More in my column including a 10-minute interview with Mike, over at Guns.com.

Want to know the coolest thing I saw at SHOT Show?

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Probably the coolest story coming out of SHOT Show involves one of the largest state-owned firearms plants in the world spooling up to send pallets of iconic guns to anxious consumers in the U.S.
 
PT Pindad (Persero) dates to 1808 and since 1950 has been the primary domestic arsenal for the Indonesian military. Back in the mid-1960s, with the Pacific Rim country’s shift to embrace the West, Pindad began to acquire a series of licenses to make firearms locally in Java. These included two from Beretta to manufacture the PM12 9mm submachine gun and the BM-59 battle rifle in 7.62 NATO. In 1984, Pindad secured the same sort of technical package and license to produce the FN FNC 5.56 rifle. Of note, Indonesia was the first country to adopt the FNC, even before Sweden and Belgium. 
 
Now, commercial variants are headed to American shores. 

 
I interviewed Pindad reps, along with their importer, Nevada-based Terratek USA, at the SHOT Show last week to get the details. Terratek, a Type 08 FFL, has signed an MOU with Pindad for joint marketing, manufacturing, and assembly of Pindad’s products in the U.S.
 
“We hope to leverage Pindad’s long history and expertise in this industry to create jobs and diversify the economic footprint in the Las Vegas Valley,” said James Ferguson, General Manager of Terratek USA. “What Pindad brings to the table extends beyond the defense industry as their portfolio spans across heavy machinery manufacturing, electronics, and a plethora of commercial applications.”

Kate Ferguson, Director of Terratek USA, Samuel with Pindad with a PM-1 9mm, Yayat Ruyat (VP of Marketing, Sales, Business Development) with a PM-3 9mm, and Tom Saras with Pindad with an SS1-C. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

More in my column at Guns.com.

A Tale Told in 8 SHOT Shows

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For the record, this was not a factory option from Hudson (Photos: Chris Eger)

I was on the scene when the H9 had its first debut back at SHOT ’17 as well for the introduction of the updated H9A the following year. Sadly, I also covered the pistol’s demise along with its parent company in early 2019 – a short but spectacular run. This downfall came immediately after Hudson failed to appear at SHOT that year.
 
Shortly after came a federal bankruptcy sale, with several Billie Hudson’s patents acquired by Daniel Defense, followed by market research pointing at the Georgia-based black rifle maker seriously looking to reboot the pistol.

Fast-forward to SHOT ’24, and the new Daniel Defense H9 has made its return to the market.

More in my column at Guns.com.

If you want a cheap MP5 clone, they keep getting cheaper…

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The Cold War-themed Tennessee-based subsidiary of SDS Imports has gone MP5 and plans to hit the market with two very affordable 9mm roller locks.

“While we take our inspiration from the days of caterpillar mustaches, Thomas Magnum and Sonny Crockett, our contemporary products represent the cutting edge of technology in design and manufacturing for government and commercial clients,” notes MAC as part of its company ethos.

And what could be more 1980s cool guy vibe than an MP5, right? 

The new MAC-5 series are both 9mm pistols that use a very well-known style of roller-locked blowback actions and are compatible with HK and most other aftermarket products designed for MP5 variants. Both models have a 1/2x28TPI muzzle thread under a tri-lug, adjustable rear sights, use a paddle-style mag release, and sport a SEF pattern trigger with a 4.25-pound pull. They are HK claw mount compatible and have button-rifled barrels with fluted chambers.

The series introduction includes two models, the short MAC-5 and the shorter MAC-5K.

The Military Armament Corporation MAC-5 is 17.9 inches long with an 8.9-inch barrel and is 5.5 pounds unloaded. (Photos: MAC)

Meanwhile, the MAC-5K is 13.7 inches overall with a 5.8-inch barrel and weighs 4.6 pounds.

While it is not clear who the manufacturer of these semi-auto MP5 clones is, MAC says they are “Built on modern tooling based on original HK specs and decades of expertise,” which would seem to point to MKE in Turkey, who has been in the MP5 biz for generations. That would track as SDS gets most of their other stuff (Tisas, etc) from Turkey.

Similarly, Century has been importing its AP5 line from MKE as of late while Virginia-based Zenith had long been an importer for MKE before striking out to make guns domestically.

The MAC-5 Series pistols have an MSRP of $1,099– which could be lower at dealers– and ship with a premium case, sling, two 30-round magazines, cleaning kit, tri-lug flash-hider, trigger lock, and instruction manual. That undercuts all but the most fire-sale sub-MAP AP5s, is roughly half the ask of an American-made PTR-9, and is about a third the price of a German-made HK SP5.

I’ll bring you more on these from this year’s SHOT Show.

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison…

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The 1980s-1990s stainless Mini-14 GB-F is an enduring work of beauty that hails from an age of VHS tapes and when MTV played music. (Photo: Chris Eger)

The original .223 caliber Ruger Mini-14 “180” series as debuted in 1974 had all-wood furniture – even atop the handguard – and was only sold to the public with five-shot magazines.

A few years later, it was offered with 20-round mags, the option for a factory folding stock, and a select-fire variant (the AC556) for government (military and LE) contracts. These guns were also offered with what Ruger described as a “Government Barrel,” which included a flash hider and bayonet lug. These appeared in as far-off places as the Bermuda Defense Forces and Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Then, starting in the second season of the “A-Team” in 1984, in which the factory-outfitted folding stocked stainless commercial Mini-14 with aftermarket flash hiders made a regular appearance, the gun marched into everlasting pop culture status.

Eventually, the stainless Ruger Mini-14 Government Barrel, Folding Stock, or GB-F, was added to Ruger’s commercial catalog, at least until the mid-1990s when it was killed off by the Federal “Assault Weapon” Ban. After the controversial AWB expired in 2004, the original Mini-14 and Ranch Rifle were discontinued in favor of an improved variant that allowed the easy mounting of optics and had an improved barrel profile and twist rate that improved accuracy and decreased heat sensitivity.

This “pre-ban” 186-serial prefix stainless Mini GB .223 in the author’s collection dates to 1994, has the original 1-in-7 twist barrel, a short rounded rear sight, and has a stainless Sampson folding stock installed, making it something of a faux GB-F. Until very recently it saw service in the Maryland State Corrections system. (Photo: Chris Eger)

Everything old is new again

With all the aesthetic of the old-school classic 1980s stainless Government Barrel Folder model, Ruger has reached into the vault to bring back an updated icon.

The new model Mini-14 Tactical variant includes a throwback style protected blade front sight with “ears” and an underbarrel bayonet lug, a factory-installed flash suppressor, and an integral stainless side-folder stock along with walnut furniture and a polymer pistol grip.

Unlike the guns that look like it from a couple of decades ago, it is chambered in 5.56 NATO, has integral scope mounts machined directly on the solid steel receiver, carries a tall ghost ring rear aperture sight, and has a threaded barrel with a 1-in-9 twist rate.

The MSRP is $1,849, which is about $500 more than other current Mini-14 models in the company’s Tactical series. But keep in mind those other models don’t come with a folding stock – which Sampson makes for $300 and are sometimes tough to get – while Ruger-branded stainless 20-round Mini-14 mags are basically unobtainium, so there’s that. Plus none have a GB-style barrel. 

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