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Another great day at the SHOT Show Industry Day At The Range is in the books, and we have coverage from some of the hottest new products displayed at the range. Once again media members and buyers make their way to the Boulder City Rifle and Pistol club in the desert outside Las Vegas to test products from some of the most popular brands in the industry. While there is certainly too much to cover in a blog post after the busy morning, here are some of our favorites from the day. Joining us this year at the range was frequent Gritr Sports blog contributor Pete Rogers. The biggest trend this year was easy to notice, more and more brands, be it rifle, pistol or even ammunition manufacturers, are employing suppressors to showcase their new products. It’s a welcome change that makes for an enjoyable shooting experience, and it’s evidence that the industry is truly ready to embrace silencers in all aspects. It’s also a call out to lawmakers that the ease of purchase for suppressors in the market needs to change.
Dead Air Armament
Our favorite stop without a doubt at range day was the Dead Air booth. They had several of their great products available to try, and everything was a blast to shoot. First up was the Dead Air Wolf-9SD that sports an innovative design where you can either use the full can for maximum silence or screw part of the can off, replace the front, and utilize a shorter, more carry-friendly suppressor.
Next up was a extremely popular product, the Dead Air Wolverine PBS-1. This device allows users to attach a suppressor to the often “suppressor unfriendly” AK platform, and in addition to reducing noise and felt recoil, the device also reduces gas blowback from the AK. The AK platform is always fun to shoot, but the Wolverine almost makes it feel like a completely different firearm (while still maintaining the AK appeal of course).
We were also able to test the Ghost-M 9mm and the Mask Rimfire Suppressors on the handgun platform. Needless to say, we loved everything from this manufacturer and we simply love all their products.
Phone Skope
The concept of a smartphone adapter for optics is nothing new, but up until now we haven’t seen anything that effectively records images from a rifle scope. Enter Phone Skope’s newest adapter, made specifically for rifle scopes. We met the creator of this new device inspired by the imaging structure of a microscope. This adapter sits at the end of the eyepiece and transmits images to the phone mounted off to the side. While you’d assume this design would add bulk to a otherwise streamlined rifle and scope setup, the whole thing actually functions quite seamlessly. This adapter fits a variety of smartphone models, and you can take still images or video, although video is definitely the more appealing and easier to operate option. This is definitely a cool gadget for those looking to capture that epic shot without much investment. MSRP is only $149.
Browning
We checked out several products from Browning including their dedicated Buckmark .22 pistol ready to accept a suppressor. We were able to try out the Winchester Super Suppressed .22 LR 45 Gr Subsonic round in this cool little rimfire pistol.
Up next was the Browning X-Bolt Pro Rifle with the Browning BXR Rapid Expansion 6.5 Creedmoor round. This pro-level rifle ($2300 MSRP) makes the most of the ultra-popular 6.5 Creedmoor round and it’s sure to be a desirable option for hunters for years to come. What’s that attached to the X-Bolt, a SilencerCo Suppressor of course. The added suppressor really transforms how the rifle shoots, and any effect on accuracy from the can is minimal.
Kel-Tec
Finally a little post-script, a quick stop at the Kel-Tec booth reminded us that Kel-tec RFB Bullpups in .308 are extremely fun to shoot and really have the best factory triggers in the bullpup platform. Once loaded up, we went an easy 5 for 5 with this battle rifle, just another reminder why we make the trek out to the desert year after year at SHOT Show.
More SHOT Show 2018 coverage is coming tomorrow from the showroom floor.
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