As I slowly winged my way home from Las Vegas, I had plenty of time to contemplate both the beauty of the world and what I had seen and experienced over the previous week. As an experience, SHOT Show is incredible; as a platform for the launch of new products, it was not so great.
To be sure, there were some mildly interesting things, like the new Springfield XDS45, and a few really impressive things, like the T/C Dimension rifle. But the overbearing presence of zombie-themed targets, ammo, optics, firearms, and knives was incredibly annoying. Whether or not it increases sales, it cheapens the brand involved and brings too much of a fantasy, toy-like feel to a market centered on the production and sale of deadly weapons. Zombies are not real, but bad people are – when will we see “ammo designed to kill bad people” marketed as such?
Back on the subject of the T/C Dimension, I was really impressed with it. It is affordable, it is available, it appears to be cleverly as well as practically engineered, and it has features not seen on rifles anywhere near its price. I’m perfectly happy with my Remington 700, but I really like the concept of the Dimension, and will probably end up with one.
HK had a lot of 417s on display. The lighting at their booth wasn’t ideal, but I was able to work with it. I especially liked the “PSG417,” as I called it.
I spent some time talking to some guys with German accents who really knew firearms. They were very interesting to talk to.
In an unsurprising move for a German company known for having everything in ordnung, even the stickers were well-organized.
Seeing how various companies market products was really interesting. Practically any firearm company with a Turkish connection, such as SAR Arms and ATI, used scantily clad women to attract attendees. One AR company (I forget the name, had never heard of them before) used super-tactical looking dudes in ATACS camo to push their rifles on media day, but when another media person asked what made their rifles different, they launched into an explanation about how tight their magwell was and how tight the BCG to receiver fit was. That, and the fact that they left Condition 3 rifles lying around well behind the firing line – then tried to pass the buck about it – led me to walk away without sampling their products.
Sig stuck all of their quality products on a wall that none of the Sig reps really wanted to talk about, mainly because none of them came in rainbow or diamond plate editions. That the Sig 553 was shown in pistol configuration is no coincidence.
I talked to Larry Vickers at the Daniel Defense booth. He’s lost weight, but gained some gray hair. I told him so. He seemed to have mixed feelings about my comments.
On the subject of ignoring companies, Knight’s Armament prohibited taking pictures of their products at the show, and so did a few tactical vehicle manufacturers. That’s fine – their competitors weren’t as mentally challenged, and saw their new products receive much more media coverage. Chances are that if I can take a picture of an HK417, a Colt 901 or an FN Ballista, I’m not in violation of ITAR by taking pictures of an SR15, which is old news anyway, but quite attractive with a light grey and black color scheme, or what was probably supposed to be foliage, but which looked more like an attractive seafoam green that I would see on the walls of a bathroom in an upscale art gallery.
Colt is manufacturing the Bulldog crank operated, five barrel weapon. You can buy one for the bargain price of $50,000. That is actually a bargain price. Seriously. They have been made in small numbers by tiny shops in recent years, for over $70-80,000.
Random thought: airsoft is big. Some of the guys who were representing airsoft websites and magazines had crews and equipment that rivaled all but the biggest firearm media organizations. Airsoft isn’t my thing, but the airsoft people I encountered seemed very nice. I hope they had a good time.
Apparently, people who read my blog in the industry got the impression that I walk around in ¼ber-tactical attire. I don’t. I don’t like associating myself with that appearance and the impression that it gives. However, it was pointed out to me that I wore a huge, “overcompensating” watch and conspicuously carried a knife and flashlight. My only defense was that I wear these things for practical purposes. As an aside, my J frame/ankle holster combo was “made” (by a woman!) for the second time in the four years I’ve been carrying with that method.
Media Day at the Range was a circus. It was better from a user standpoint than the AAC shoot, which closed down two hours early, but there were a ton of people there who basically just wanted to play with toys, making it harder for those who wanted to sample and write about new products. I lost track of how many times I was asked if I was familiar with AR-15s before being handed one – it would seem that some people made fools of themselves.
One of the more bizarre incidents at Media Day was when I was on the long rifle range and came upon some Bushmasters with MOE furniture and what I think were Swarovski 1-6 scopes. There was one really fat guy who was standing nearby – he was wearing a Freedom Group polo shirt. I asked him if I could shoot one of the rifles, to which he responded in the affirmative. Another guy handed me a fully loaded 30rd mag, which was an oddity on a day when you were otherwise lucky to shoot 5 rounds.
I looked at the ammo, which appeared to be 52gr HPs, then looked up to ask someone what ammo it was. Both guys were gone. I was left alone. I had no idea what I was supposed to be reporting on – the rifle? The scope? The ammo? The optic was perfectly zeroed, and I hit steel at 550 yards more often than not, which I was pretty happy with, considering the wind, projectile, and MOE handguards. When I missed, it was by a few inches. But I’m still at a loss as to what I was supposed to be evaluating.
Very few manufacturers bothered to ensure that their firearms were shooting to point of aim. Barrett and HK did a great job of this, while, for example, Armalite did not. Even Aimpoint only used laser bore sighters, though I was still on target at 75 yards with the Micro-equipped Ruger Mark III. Some companies apparently didn’t think members of the media would want to hit their targets, or, perhaps more accurately, thought they were incapable of doing so. The long rifle range didn’t seem to have many of these problems. I was on steel 100% at 950 yards with the Sako TRG in .300 Win Mag.
My last day at the show was incredibly hectic. I was running around trying to see the people and things I had missed over the previous four or five days. I saw about half of the people and things I wanted to see, but I also unexpectedly met some people that were really cool. Overall, it was a good trip.
One of my last (planned) stops was to see my friend Mauro at Technoframes. They make replica ammunition and super-high-end display and carry cases. Beautifully crafted stuff.
On my way out the door, I encountered a USMC EOD tech who had lost both legs and part of at least one hand in Afghanistan, and was at the show in part to display some unique tools that he had a hand in designing. If you are reading this, please contact me.
After that discussion, I picked up my bags and paid $60 for a cab ride to the airport. I did this because time was of the essence (although my entire flight ended up being at night anyway – I spent too long at the show); in other times throughout the show, I literally went hungry because I refused to pay the exorbitant prices the hotel restaurants were charging for basic food that wasn’t very good to begin with. Luckily, I had brought energy bars: Snickers and Hershey’s.
At the airport on my way out of town, I ran into two guys who looked like they had just come from SHOT. We made small talk about the show and flying. When I found out that they were with Dillon Aero, I told them that I load with a 550B and love it, and when I needed some small parts a few years back, Dillon sent me what I needed right away, without any fuss. I didn’t have time to tell them that I thought Dillon provided a level of customer service that every company should aspire to before they flew away in their totally sweet Pilatus PC-7 that you might have seen in some of the Dillon publications. It’s cool to see that they actually use it, and that it’s not just a (turbo)prop for attractive models to stand next to.
What do you mean, the M1A/M14 should not exist…? Thanks.
The M1A/M14 was a hastily cobbled together solution to a problem that had been already solved – and better solved – by other countries.
Being a Garand Lover, I disagree that it should have never been created. Sure the Fal and various Roller Delayed Blowback rifles where more modern. But the M14 is still one damn fine Battle Rifle.
Plus without the M14 one could argue that Eugene Stoner might have never seen a problem with Fully Automatic battle rifles and never would have created the AR-15.
The AR-10 (what Stoner designed) was nearly a parallel development of the M14.
I Understand that. But most people do not. However without the M14 it would not start the turn of events that would lead to the AR-10 and furthermore the AR-15.
The AR-10 was actually developed to compete against the M14 in the original magazine fed 7.62×51 solicitation. The AR-10 was not developed as a result of the specific existence of the M14.
Also, Project SALVO and the SCHV studies that led to .223/5.56 were effectively started around the time of the Korean War – not after full auto .308s were regularly available.
Well, the Garand had its place. Specifically, the M1A/M14 should not have existed as a development of the Garand.
I see your point, You must understand that you have a very rare view on this subject. A dissertation on your views through your blog or video would be intriguing.
Not that rare a view.
The M14 only exists because of NIH syndrome, and some poor decisions on George Sullivan’s part.
It’s my view as well. I think that the US should have adopted the .280 British cartridge, preferably in an AR-10 platform or at least the FN FAL. The AR-15 platform, sadly, would have been too small to chamber the .280 (it’s 7x43mm, but has an OAL of 65mm). I do wonder how well an AR-10 or AR-10 like rifle would have worked with the short, fat case of the .280. I’m sure they could have worked it out.
Nice insights Andrew. Couldn’t agree more about the whole Zombie thing. Sends the wrong message imo. Looks like SHOT was a great experience for you, thanks for all the great coverage you have been doing. Love the pictures in here, really covers a good spectrum of emotions and ideas.
Dan
Thanks. I might start getting back into blade reviews in a few weeks, might bounce a few ideas off you via email.
Love the M14 but I agree with you it was not the best choice for a select fire battle rifle.
I cannot agree more about Knight’s being ridiculous, and do not understand why they even bother having any presence at all in the commercial firearms sector. I am a buyer for a sporting goods retailer, and once approached Knight’s at SHOT 2009, telling them we would like to carry their rifles. I was basically told “get lost” by their booth attendants! Oh well, their loss, I enjoy selling many LWRCs, Noveskes, and JP enterprises just fine, thank you. Oh, and those companies let you take pictures, too!
I’m a little puzzled over what the bottom-right corner of the first photograph is.
It certainly looks like one would have a great time there (Shame it’s at least a 9 hour flight from Amsterdam…)
If you mean bottom left – that’s the badge on the instrument panel of my airplane.
Yeah, I confuse those sometimes. That’s what you get when you’re a lefty and your kindergarten teacher believes everyone is right handed.
You fly your own airplane?
Curious, what is your preferred ankle holster, particularly for a J frame?
Thank you
I use a DeSantis Apache. It seems to work quite well. I have not used any others for any significant period of time.
Thanks everyone. All of you are wrong. No, just kidding!! Thanks.
Been writing about how unsafe the Zombie fad/culture is, on my forum. Of course, this angered certain factions, something about “big tent” and “more is better”.
I’ve always viewed balance as being crucial. More products isn’t better, when they could be spending time on real/practical products. But who gives a shit about being practical, when you can look cool being tactical (same old rehash).
Now people think I’m trying to say I’m better than them, that I “look down” on all those fanboys, that not everyone can “shoot as much as you do”. Really? Just like buying their expensive guns that sit in their safes, people can prioritize and make what they REALLY want, happen.
But it’s easier making excuses to make yourself feel better. I should know, I’ve done it in the past.
Good, factual, writeup. I might be a fanboy to hate you for your FNS comment. Oh wait, you actually said you preferred another FN product to it. But I didn’t read that. I was too busy pre-ordering the new Zombie EOtech… it’s VERY practical and will get a lot of use when I practice mag dumps. 🙂
While I understand your point about the M14’s development, I don’t agree with you. It may be more correct to say that the M14 should have existed earlier and it’s really the Garand (in it’s typical form) that shouldn’t have existed. By that, I mean that the Army nixed the idea of making the Garand magazine fed which, IMO, wasn’t a good decision even though the Garand obviously proved itself.
Also, while the decision to chose the M14 over the FAL was questionable, I find it to be a much more enjoyable rifle to shoot and the M14 has proven itself in battle quite well. It’s performance justifies its existence.
The M14 is hard to make, doesn’t share tooling with the Garand (which was the whole justification of adopting it over the FAL), relatively unreliable (yes, compared to an AR series gun), heavy, and difficult to maintain as an accurate firearm.
It does, however, possess a somewhat better trigger than the FAL.
I’ve never heard any significant concerns are stories about M14s being unreliable. I have an M1A (a later model with cast receiver) and it’s been flawless. There don’t seem to be any stories out of Vietnam or more recent wars about M14s being unreliable.
Then you simply haven’t looked hard enough.
Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0-3OQsnR-w
Or shop around for advice from respected rifle course instructors with regards to the M14/M1A. There’s a reason those courses are flooded with AR-15s and the occasional AK.
The M14 may be the most overrated rifle in existence for reliability.
How many rounds have you put through your M1A? I hear all too often about these “ultra reliable” M1As/M14s that have low round counts and which have been positively babied throughout their lives. Rarely do you see the rifles put through serious dirt/grit resistance tests, and when they are, they tend to choke.
They’re not awful weapons, they’re just overshadowed by numerous lighter, more reliable, more accurate firearms, and they basically have been since they were the T44.
Yes, I’ve seen that video. Without seeing an AR15/M16/M4 go through the same exact conditions, I can’t extrapolate out how the two platforms would compare. As for mine, it’s had about 2000 rounds through it, which I realize is not an exhaustive test.
Every source I’ve seen says the M14 was replaced due to weight, ammo capacity and controllability under full auto fire. These are similar reasons (as well as cost) as to why all the courses have ARs and similar in them.
Do I think the M14 is as reliable as an AK? No but the Garand (from which the M14 derived its action) is certainly known as reliable and as I mentioned, the reports from Vietnam and Iraq/Aghanistan were all good.
I used to work in a veteran’s home, and I got the chance to talk with the residents about their experiences, as well as their equipment.
They considered the BAR and Garand to have mediocre to acceptable reliability, but good hitting power. For WWII vets, the M1 Carbine was a hit, while it was less popular with Korean veterans.
The) reports about M14 reliability that I’ve heard from in-theater suggest that they do not possess greatly superior reliability to AR-15s, (both rifles com associated with love ’em or hate ’em stories) and the rifles themselves are much better taken care of and are fed in-spec ammunition (which is not true of AR-15s.
I did not get to shoot an FNS, why are you of the opinion that it was much inferior to the FNX handgun?
In my estimation the FNS seemed to be an uninspired Glock clone that nonetheless possessed some potentially attractive tradeoffs versus the FNX. The trigger pull was worse than the X, but not terrible for a striker-fired gun, and the bore axis was much lower. But then, I merely got to handle them. What was your impression from shooting the S?
The trigger was indistinct and I didn’t find it especially easy to control. In fact, for a 9mm pistol, it was not good at all. However, I only fired a dozen or so rounds through it.
Call me surprised. I would have thought the lower bore axis would have made a significant difference.
Do you think you could get your paws on one for a review?
I believe the EOD Marine you are looking for is David Lyon, President of Forwad Solutions LLC. The number is 877-801-4541.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, I’m in contact with him.
So where you carrying at the convention when that lady made you? I know I would, regardless of their rules, and I’m sure lots of others do as well.