Ok,I just walked in the door from the first day of the 2009 SHOT Show. Let me say one thing:
Wow.
Over the next few hours I will be posting photos and information on new guns, holsters, and other gear from a lot of manufacturers. It will probably take weeks to get all of the information put up, but I will get some of the more interesting stuff up tonight.
So, hang in there. The information is coming…right after I down a sandwich!
The annual Media Day at the Range has come and gone. I have to say, it was fun. I got to shoot, eat, and talk with some of the best gun writers and trainers alive today. While it is impossible to capture and relate all of my experiences, here are just a few photos from today.
Sig Sauer introduced a new pistol: the Sig P238 Subcompact. The P238 is a single action .380 ACP pistol designed for the concealed carry market. It is designed to be carried cocked and locked much like the time-proved 1911 pistol.
The P238 is clearly aimed at the same niche that Ruger entered last year with the LCP. Time will show if Sig can take a piece of this hot market with a single action .380. MSRP starts at $515, but the gun can be found much cheaper on the street.
SIG SAUER P238 Specifications
Caliber: .380 ACP (9mm short)
Frame Material: Aluminum
Frame Finish: Black Hard Coat Anodize
Slide Material: Stainless Steel
Slide Finish: Nitron or Natural Stainless
Length Overall: 5.5″
Height Overall: 3.9″
Width Overall: 1.1″
Barrel Length: 2.7″
Sights: Post & Dot Contrast, SIGLIGHT Night Sights
Sight Radius: 3.8″
Weight w/out mag: 15.2 oz.
Mag cap: 6 rounds.
Click here for the SIG P238 information page.
From the Sig press release:
SIG SAUER, Inc., the leading manufacturer of commercial, law enforcement, and military
firearms, proudly introduces the P238, in .380 ACP; specifically designed as a concealed carry or backup
handgun for legally armed citizens or law enforcement professionals.Reacting to many requests from the marketplace for a subcompact SIG SAUER pistol, engineers designed the new P238 as a smart looking, small handgun built with the same accuracy and reliability as large frame SIG SAUER pistols.
With an overall length of just 5.5 inches a height of 3.96 inches, and weighing just under a pound, the SIG SAUER P238 is the ultimate firepower in an all metal frame concealed pistol. The P238 is built on an anodized alloy beavertail style frame with fluted aluminum grips for comfort and a secure hold during rapid-fire usage. The stainless steel slide features the popular SIG SAUER slide serrations and improves overall performance and accuracy.
Additionally, the contrast or SIGLITE® Night Sights are removable and adjustable for windage. The sear and trigger return spring are redesigned to prevent spring over-ride of the ejector during assembly.
Two finishes are available; Two- tone and corrosion resistant Nitron®. The new SIG SAUER P238 is shipped in a lockable hard case with one 6 round magazine at an MSRP starting at $515.00 for the Nitron® with contrasting sights.
A few days ago, a photo leaked of a possible new tactical version of the Ruger Mini-14. At the time, I stated that it looked like a Mini-14 with the ATI stock on it. Well, that is exactly what it is.
Ruger was showing the “new” Mini-14 at the 2009 Media Day at the Range. According to the Ruger rep, ATI is manufacturing the Strikeforce stock with the Ruger emblem and shipping them to Ruger, where the Mini-14 is assembled and shipped to dealers. According to the rep, that’s it: no other new features or items that you wouldn’t get by ordering your own ATI Strikeforce stock and putting it onto a Runger Mini-14.
The Mini-14/20CF is finished in matte black and fitted with the ATI stock. This stock has a quad rail fore and an adjustable, side-folding buttstock. It is a nice set-up and feels solid. The folks at Ruger say these are already shipping and are already on some dealers shelves. The MSRP is $872.
I said at the time that I didn’t think this was a show stopper, and it wasn’t. Very few people were looking at it, and fewer still were shooting it. The Ruger LCR was clearly the big announcement from Ruger.
Ruger’s show stopping announcement is the new part-polymer revover: the Ruger LCR. The LCR, or light, compact revolver, is a five shot, .38 +P self defense gun and Ruger’s follow up to the run-away success with the LCP.
In production now, the LCR is a unique revolver, blending elements of the traditional small-framed revolver with the advancements of modern polymer guns. Read More…
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) approved all models of the Smith and Wesson M&P pistol after a two-day, 10,000 round torture test. The DEA now approves the pistols for on and off duty carry by its agents. Read the S&W press release here.
The range and the shooting open in just a few hours. I am on the way there now. I will have first hand accounts of the much anticipated new Ruger products as well as those from other companies. Stay tuned!
The Ruger LCR: Light Compact Revolver
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UPDATE: The Ruger LCR is real and was available for shooting at the 2009 Media Day at the Range. I’ve got a first review of the Ruger LCR with my impressions of the gun here.
Click here for more information on the entire line of Ruger LCR revolvers.
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I just had someone send me a photo of a revolver that appears to be a hammerless Ruger that is unlike anything I have ever seen them make.
I do not have confirmation that this is the “Show Stopper” that I talked about before, but it is definitely different. In fact it even looks as if it may have polymer parts!
The ergonomics clearly look like a gun designed for CCW. In fact, it looks like it is very thin! It is impossible to tell from a two-dimensional photo, but it appears the cylinder has only four chambers, suggesting that emphasis was placed on making this a very slim gun.
Keep in mind that this is not from an official Ruger press release. It may turn out to be a hoax.
Taurus is always innovating. Now they are hiring.
Bob Morrison, the president and CEO of Taurus International, said on Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk, that Taurus is hiring 50 people for its Miami facility to manufacture guns right here in the US of A. Morrison stated that import restrictions prevent the manufacture of certain small handguns overseas and then their sale in the United States. Taurus manufactures its guns in their home country of Brazil.
Referring to Taurus product announcements at the upcoming 2009 SHOT Show said “I’ll give you a clue…smaller guns that can’t be imported have to be made in the U.S. There are no restrictions to the size if they’re U.S. made, so we might be making a couple of smaller guns.”
This statement would seem to confirm the article I wrote regarding statements made by Michael Bane and Taurus product announcements.
Morrison also actively solicited resumes from people that (1) want to manufacture guns for Taurus, and (2) want to live in Miami. Contact them directly with your information.
For those that don’t already know, the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) was the anti-gun straw man created for the purpose of negating the gun vote in national elections.
Over at Change.gov, the transition web site for the Obama administration, they have a list of special interest groups that have met with, or submitted documents to President-elect Obama. In this play at open government, the transition team has a .pdf file of what exactly was submitted to the Obama team. That is, for everyone but the American Hunters and Shooters Association.
I’m not big into conspiracies, but I do find it odd that the American Hunters and Shooters Association’s information for the incoming President has been left off of the site.
