[Ed: Here’s a glimpse at this year’s awesome SHOT Show in Las Vegas this week. Again, we appreciate GATdaily for sharing. It’s the newest, greatest shooting life stuff, without the politics. For more, check out SHOT Show News & TV .]
SHOT RANGE DAY is the day we wait for every year – the day that those of us who type for a living get to fondle and test shoot the new toys for the year – on someone else’s dime. Here is a quick overview of my very windy day on the range.
First impressions on what I got to shoot:
Colt King Cobra – my first impression is that this gun is a fairly easy shooter for a .357. I often shoot a revolver in IDPA, so six-shooters are not unfamiliar to me. The King Cobra had a nice trigger pull, and was a pretty smooth operator. I was impressed.
Mossberg’s new MC1 pistol – was small, concealable, handled nicely and pointed naturally for me. I was able to hit the reactive paddle on the steel silhouette easily and repeatedly, and the clear 9 mm magazine made an interesting addition.
Mossberg’s “Nightstick” version of the 590 Shockwave – I’ve never shot any version of the Shockwave before. It was kinda fun just for giggles, but it had a good bit of recoil for a hip-fired weapon. For those who can control it, it’s cool. But I think I’ll personally stick to shoulder-fired shotguns.
New Glocks – the G43X and G48 –I take back the eyerolls that I made when I first heard about these tweaks. They are VERY GOOD tweaks. The G43X basically eliminates the need for the +2 magazine extensions that I have installed on my base G43 mags. The G48 is as fun and controllable as my G19, but slimmer and somewhat easier to conceal. Contrary to what I may have thought previously, these definitely fill previously unoccupied niches.
I also spent some time with the Norma ammunition folks. I shot just about every caliber they brought. But I had particular fun with their .17HMR varmint round. This little powerhouse was very flat-shooting and accurate out to the 150- ish yard steel even in stiff wind gusts. Me likey. But now I have to buy a .17HMR gun in order to play with that round some more. Hmmm… maybe for squirrels?
There were some non-firearm items of interest as well.
I checked in with the Peltor ear and eye protection folks. I have an appointment with them later in the week, so I’ll have more information on their latest then.
Knife-throwing from Buck Knives – I tried out their knife-throwing challenge again this year, and stuck two-out-of-three! I won a very nice folder, which I plan to keep for my own self, rather than giving away as swag to my gun club friends – sorry guys!
Throwing knives – A new pediatric skill
I found a new insect repellent called TrueTimber Bodyguard. This tweaked my inner pediatrician, because unlike DEET, this product is safe for pregnant women and infants down to about 2 months of age. It is effective against Lyme-carrying ticks and also against Zika- carrying mosquitoes. I will definitely be looking into this more closely.
There was much, much more, but those were the highlights. I’ll be looking into some of these more in-depth as time goes along, so keep an eye out.
And keep your eyes turned here at GAT daily for more as SHOT Show 2019 continues!
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—’Dr. LateBloomer’ is the pen name of a female general pediatrician (MD, MPH, FAAP) who enjoys competitive shooting sports, including IDPA, USPSA and 3-Gun. Evil semi-automatic firearms are her favorites.