Random thoughts from the SHOT Show 2012

[JudgeColt]

I am back from the SHOT Show and in front of my home computer, where I can more easily post. I have quit lugging a lap top with me when I travel and have adopted an iPad as my sole “road” access device, but typing on an iPad is not easy for me so I did not post while at the SHOT Show.

In an earlier post today, I gave a summary of my conversations with Brent Turchi, known as “Bjt72” here, about the future of Colt. In this post, I want to mention some of the most significant guns I saw. Some comments will relate to Colt.

To me, some of the most significant new guns at the SHOT Show were .22 rimfire guns by the major manufacturers. The rimfire pistol that appealed to me the most is the Smith & Wesson M&P 22. It is a full-size replica of the centerfire M&P, but in .22 caliber. It is available with a 12-round capacity magazine where that capacity is legal. (Smith should copy the design of the Kel-Tec PMR-30 magazine and make a double-stack magazine of similar capacity for the M&P 22.) If centerfire and rimfire M&P pistols were on a table so one could not see muzzle, I do not think one could tell the difference between the two without picking them up. That is important since many shooters like a rimfire version of a centerfire handgun. Colt has NO rimfire of any kind, and has not seen fit to reintroduce even the .22 Conversion Unit, “shooter” examples of which are now selling on the used market in the $500 range.

The Ruger SR22 is a rimfire version of the SR9/40 pistol, but smaller in size. It has a maximum magazine capacity of 10 rounds. It is a neat little pistol, but I much prefer the Smith & Wesson M&P 22. That said, the smaller size of the SR22 will appeal to many. I will probably want one of each.

I have said for years that Colt should reintroduce a .22 rimfire version of the Model P. USFA has a 12-round version of the Single Action Army, and that would be ideal and logical for Colt to copy. While Ruger has not seen fit to chamber its Vaquero in .22 rimfire, it has increased the capacity of the Single Six to ten rounds, and calls the new version the Single Ten.

While Colt has abandoned the 2-inch snub market, Ruger and Smith & Wesson have introduced “modern” polymer-frame .38 caliber snubs for the concealed carry market. Both are very popular. Now Ruger has seen fit to chamber its LCR (Light Carry Revolver) in .22 rimfire. It has an 8-round capacity. Ruger has also chambered its SP101 in .22 rimfire using an 8-round cylinder. That is THREE new .22 rimfire handguns from Ruger! Colt has none.

The Colt line of semi-automatic AR-15-linage rifles is improving. Colt has even seen fit to factory-install Magpul furniture, magazines and sights on some models! Flash suppressors (GASP!! How evil!) are now standard on everything but the target rifles! Small pins are now standard. That change in philosophy is great to see in Colt. (The receiver bridge that prevents installation of an auto-sear is still there, so not everything is as it was before Colt decided to be “politically correct.”) I did not mention it in my “Future of Colt” post, but Colt Commercial has to buy its semi-automatic rifles from Colt Defense since Colt Commercial does not make them. I guess I philosophically knew that, but Brent Turchi confirmed it. Brent also confirmed that all Colt commercial rifles are fully mil-spec. The Colt Commercial rifle line is really extensive now, with monolithic receivers and piston-driven actions available on some models. The model line is so extensive, I speculate that it will be difficult to find many of the models.

The only LE901 (the .308 Winchester AR-15 clone) on display at the Colt commercial booth was a camouflage-finish version, which is not shown in either the commercial or military catalog. Strange. I wonder if the 901 will finally be shipped in quantity this year? There are many waiting to buy one.

Kel-Tec still cannot deliver the KSG 14-round shotgun in quantity. I was told that only about 500 have been shipped to date. Colt is not the only manufacturer who cannot meet demand. (The Kel-Tec PMR-30 remains in very short supply too.)

I remain intrigued by the Siaga 12-gauge box magazine semi-automatic shotgun. Now that there are more aftermarket magazines with high capacity, I probably should buy one. I wonder if the ATF will reclassify the gun as a “Destructive Device” like it did with my USAS-12 box magazine shotgun?

There was a 12-gauge shotgun built to look like an AR-10 (I do not remember the brand and the literature is in the box with the other literature on its way to me.) I might prefer that to the Siaga, but I suspect the Russian Siaga is a more reliable and robust shotgun.

The literature is also in transit for an AR-10 lookalike in .338 Lupua that really looked intriguing. It is the only semi-automatic .338 Lupua there is. The maker claimed the rifle is in service with the military. It is an expensive gun, but probably worth it.

In an ENTIRELY different direction, I rediscovered the KRISS Vector family of firearms (www.kriss-arms.com) I had seen at a prior SHOT Show. The primary offering is a sub-machinegun in .45ACP. As anyone who has ever fired a .45ACP sub-machinegun can attest, muzzle climb is a major problem. The Vector design uses an articulating bolt that pivots DOWN so that when the bolt hits the bottom of its stroke, its inertia forces the muzzle down to counter the muzzle rise caused by recoil. The barrel axis is very low to start with, so the result is a .45ACP sub-machinegun with no muzzle climb. KRISS offers semi-auto versions in “pistol” configuration and rifle configurations. (The “pistol” version looks like the sub-machinegun without the folding shoulder stock to make it legal. An SBR semi-auto version with the folding stock is offered to duplicate the appearance of the SMG for anyone who wants to pay the tax.) The design uses Glock 21 magazines, and there is an ingenious “kit” to convert a 13-round standard Glock magazine to 30 rounds. It is a brilliant design, and did not come from one of the major tactical arms makers, like FNH.

I always pickup about 75 pounds of literature at the SHOT Show and ship it home (at considerable cost!). (I have been a literature collector my entire life, and see no reason to quit now!) I was surprised to see that Smith & Wesson did not have a 2012 commercial catalog at the SHOT Show. All it had were 2011 versions! I was told that there will be a 2012 catalog later. That sounds like Colt in the 1980s, using a carry-over catalog and a “new products” supplement! Colt’s 2012 catalog is nice and has nice pictures, but does not picture every model. It does have a nice Model O chart at the back with all features and dimensions, etc.. Kimber pictures each of its multitude of pistols in easy-to-follow charts. The FNH catalog is two-sided catalog about 3/8-inch thick (165 pages!), with one-half being devoted to the commercial line, and the other half to the military/law enforcement line. It is full of detailed information, and is one of the most informational catalogs offered by any manufacturer. Ruger has a “2012 Retailer Counter Reference Guide,” which contains 90 pages of detailed information and pictures. Again, that is what a catalog should be. Colt Defense has a very attractive catalog with a unique “pebbly” cover texture that contains a lot of information and great pictures. It is well-noted that the AR15 (nee M16) is 50 years old this year. The logo says “50+ Years – Jungle, Sand & Snow.” (Of course, nothing is said about the select-fire AR-15 being first developed by ArmaLite!)

I have rambled enough, but I know some forum members would like to go to the SHOT Show and cannot, so perhaps my ramblings will give a flavor for what it is like.

[DPris]

Judge,
Which receiver bridge?
The one that was artificially included & required the "civvie" cutout bolt carrier?
Denis

[JudgeColt]

Which receiver bridge?

The "cross web" behind the trigger area in the lower receiver and just ahead of the spot where the upper receive lug sits.

[mergus]

Judge, thank you for that rambling. Some day I would like to go to the Shot Show, but with family and work obligations being what they are, that ain't going to happen anytime soon. As a result, I live vicariously though others.....

Mergus

[what would you say]

I would also like to thank you for your words on the show. I have never been and certainly liked to know what there was to see there. Regarding your thoughts on the new .22 caliber firearms out there, it is paying off for Ruger in my opinion. I ran right out and snapped up the SP101 .22, the SR22, and saving up for the single Ten. These are affordable guns that are affordable to shoot. In the economy today, Ruger and other brands are making the smarter move in my opinion, considering the cost of ammunition. Let's hope Colt chooses to join the group for business sake. Thanks again.

[ralph7]

judge, your "ramblings" are welcome.
i've never been to a shot show.

[broknaxl]

Thanks again for inside info from the Shot Show! I to wish that I could attend. maybe some day. And I'm also a literature collector. The guys I go to the shows with are amazed at all the stuff I bring back. I spend countless hours going through it at my leisure. Thanks again Judge.

[DPris]

Thanks Judge, thought you were refering to the insert that requires the cutout bolt carrier.
Those are both gone. Both "civvie" & LE ARs are using the standard M-16 full-round carrier.
Denis

[JudgeColt]

Correction: The Smith & Wesson M&P22 is NOT really a Smith product. I failed to read the fine print. It is a Walther-made product just like the current Colt .22 caliber offerings. Since Smith and Walther are so closely aligned, that adds some style points, but not many. That leaves the Ruger SR22 as the only "real" new .22 caliber pistol offering by a major manufacturer.