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2011 SHOT Show Coverage |
Page 5 |
The 2011 Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show has wrapped up for another year. It was held at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The SHOT Show is not open to the public. In order to gain entry you have to have some association with a related business. However in many cases the "association" was loose at best. Photos were prohibited except for credentialed members of the press. This was my first time at SHOT and I was not quite sure what to expect. Sensory overload was the feeling of the day. If it was new and hot, it was on display at SHOT. If it was new and top-secret it was hidden away at SHOT. We didn't get the extensive coverage we had hoped for, but we will be better prepared for next year. Page 1: McRee's Precision; Tactical Intervention Specialists; Chuck Mawhinney Page 2: Manners Composite Stocks; Badger Ordinance; GA Precision Page 3: Nightforce; Accuracy International; |
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Vortex Optics Vortex had two items of interest to Tactical Shooters. First the Viper PST was on display. The quality of this optic is excellent. The turrets have a very nice feel to them and all controls work like they should. The reticle design is the same as in the Razor HD we reviewed sans the "christmas tree" of dots for holds. I spoke with Vortex about utilizing the same EBR-2 reticle as in the Razor HD and they mentioned it's not out of the question for future versions. Vortex had the latest version of the Razor HD on display. This is their flagship Tactical scope. The latest version features a redesigned ocular lens assembly. This new assembly is reported to allow for a larger eyebox. This was one of the few complaints about the original Razor. In line with Vortex's amazing customer service, customers may send in their Razors for the update. This is NOT a recall, but only an update. Customers are cautioned not to rush to send in their scopes. Some new ocular assemblies are on hand at this time but a slew of scopes coming in may cause delays. While the Viper PSTs drew most of the attention at the booth, but Vortex had a new hunting oriented scope on display. The Viper HS seems to be based off the PST design, but is equipped with the "Dead Hold-BDC" reticle. The exposed elevation turret is calibrated in 1/2 MOA clicks with 24 MOA per rotation. The windage is calibrated in 1/4 MOA clicks with 12 MOA per rev. The elevation can be ordered with one of Vortex's new BDC turrets matched you your load and rifle. Additionally the windage turret is capped. We spoke with Vortex Reps about some changes that could make the Viper HS an excellent tactical scope. They seemed receptive and only time will tell if they choose to implement some of our suggestions. We are confident that Vortex really is listening to what shooters want. |
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Bell & Carlson Bell & Carlson manufactures OEM stocks for several rifle manufacturers to include Remington. Most of the B&C stocks are composite and feature an aluminum skeleton inside the stock. At their booth Bell & Carlson had several items on display. One of particular interest was a cutaway showing the internal structure, filler and external shell of the stock. There is a lot of misunderstanding about B&C Stocks. I have repeatedly heard that they have a foam core. This is far from the truth. Wade Dunn of B&C took the time to describe to us how the stocks are constructed. The shell is composed of a carbon/kevlar fiber in an epoxy matrix. This is similar to Manners and McMillan stock construction. The aluminum chassis is then bolted into a fixture and a foam/fiber reinforcement is then poured into the cavity. This produces a stock that is extremely rigid and durable. The exterior of the stock is then finished with a painted on color. The recoil pad is glued on and the forward sling swivel studs are threaded into the internal aluminum skeleton. Two of the latest B&C stocks on display were the M40 and the Light Tactical. Both use the aluminum skeleton design. The Light Tactical has been out for a couple years and is the same stock I have on a personal M700. It feels very natural to those of us who grew up with the M40A1. The internal chassis makes the stock extremely repeatable. I can remove the action from the stock, clean it and reinstall it without loosing zero. I am excited to get my hands on the M40 stock because it uses almost the same construction as the Light Tactical. It omits the butt-hook and raises the comb as high as it can go while still being able to remove the bolt. The M40 has a longer "bedding block" that extends forward of the recoil lug. This provides a surface for those who like to leave a bedded pad under the chamber area of the barrel. Wade went over a very interesting presentation, unfortunately due to their booth staffing we were unable to get it on video. We look forward to presenting you some more detail on B&C stocks in the future. |
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Kel Tec We were unable to get to Kel Tec's main booth, but in the LE Section they had their new KSG (Kel Tec Shot Gun) on display. This is a rather interesting bullpup shotgun. It features two separately selectable tube magazines holding seven rounds each. The safety is a "cross-bolt" design, but functions in reverse of the Remington 870. The action release is placed to fall under the trigger finger at the front of the triggerguard. All controls are ambidextrous and ejection is to the bottom. The action cycled smoothly during dry firing. This is a design I feel has quite a bit for the defensive and competitive shooter. |
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