2009 SHOT Show: Day IV [Archive]

Frontpage

01-19-2009, 02:38 AM

Troy Tactical Mirror Sights

There's a fine line between amazing gadgets and gimmicky Rube Goldberg contraptions, and any gizmo pushing the limits of awesomeness will ride right along that razor edge.

This is the case with the Troy Tactical Mirror Sights. In our opinions, these are the best gun accessory we've seen at the show.

The Troy Tactical Mirror Sights appear at first glance to be a somewhat bulky set of back-up AR-15 iron sights.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_troy_mirrorsight_irons.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/troy_mirrorsight_irons.jpg)

They fold out of the way when not in use (not shown) and utilize Troy's Diamondhead iron sight system.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_Troy_diamondhead_sight.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/Troy_diamondhead_sight.JPG)
Diamondhead rear sight.

Instead of a circular aperture, the rear sight uses a diamond-shaped hole. This is matched with a diamond-shaped front sight hood (not seen above); Troy claims this permits very fast sight acquisition. Although I couldn't pick up the sights much faster than I can with a standard aperture, it's easy to see how enough practice could fix that problem. The square sides of the front sight hood combine with the flat-sided rear aperture to make it instantly obvious if they're out of alignment.

This is nice and all, but our eyes didn't bug out until the Troy representative, grinning wickedly, flipped up the rear sight and snapped it sideways, revealing a mirror mounted on the bottom.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_troy_mirrorsight_side.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/troy_mirrorsight_side.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_troy_mirrorsight_rear.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/troy_mirrorsight_rear.jpg)

The mirror is designed so that when flipped up its reflection lies along the sight axis previously occupied by the rear aperture, as seen here:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_troy_mirrorsight_mirro.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/troy_mirrorsight_mirro.jpg)

But the magic doesn't really start until a cowitnessed reflex sight is used in conjunction with the mirror:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_troy_mirrorsight_dot.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/troy_mirrorsight_dot.jpg)

The mirror preserves all the parallax-compensating attributes of the reflex sight and permits shooting the rifle around a corner or over a barrier. Because it's through a mirror, aiming adjustments require moving the rifle in the opposite direction from normal, but adapting is fairly easy--the visual equivalent of backing a trailer.

A civilian whose legally-justified use of firearms is limited to situations of immediate danger may have limited scope wherein these sights can be used without the potential for serious legal liability, but that doesn't make them any less cool.

Walther

Can you believe we almost forgot to mention yet another tiny .380 handgun introduced at the show? Walther also tossed their hat into the ring with the PK-380. Like Kahr's P380 and Sig's P238, this is a scaled down version of a larger firearm. We didn't check to see whether or not it was blowback or locked breech; sorry.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_walther_pk380.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/walther_pk380.jpg)

Walther also had a variation of their existing P22 with a different frame material:
http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_walther_p22_anthracite.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/walther_p22_anthracite.jpg)

Walther's SP-22 target pistol is visually intriguing with its apparently flared forward end and top rail.
http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_walther_sp22_right.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/walther_sp22_right.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_walter_sp22_left.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/walter_sp22_left.jpg)

Glock

Glock had a surprisingly large booth with a lot of people in it for a company whose product line looks pretty much identical. Don't get me wrong: I like Glocks and respect their standardization and reliability. However, this makes for a pretty boring and predictable product line, which is one thing that makes them attractive to departments and organizations that don't like issuing unique and precious snowflakes for sidearms.

That being said, if you've seen one Glock you've pretty much seen them all, so here is our photojournalistic evidence for Glock's presence in the 2009 SHOT Show:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_glock.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/glock.jpg)

Glock also makes entrenching tools and knives. Viva la difference!
http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/tn_glock_entrenching_tool.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day4/glock_entrenching_tool.jpg)

Putting the Tact in Tactical

The following items are geared mainly towards the law enforcement communities or those with excessive amounts of money who need to not only keep up with the Joneses, but perhaps break into their home, taze them, and take their stuff.

Crisis Response Truck:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_crisis_response_truck.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/crisis_response_truck.JPG)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_crisis_response_truck_front.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/crisis_response_truck_front.JPG)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_crisis_response_truck_rear.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/crisis_response_truck_rear.JPG)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_crisis_response_truck_rt.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/crisis_response_truck_rt.JPG)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_apc_crisisresponse.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/apc_crisisresponse.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_apc_driverseat.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/apc_driverseat.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_apc_console.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/apc_console.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_crisis_response_truck_inside.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/crisis_response_truck_inside.JPG)
Passenger compartment.

Broco

In answer to the age-old question of how to enter a structure while causing immense property damage in a tactical manner, we have the technologies produced by Broco.

First up is a door breacher, but in a lighter and more ergonomic form factor to permit usage in confined areas. Never again find yourself trapped in the outhouse.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_broco_portable_ergonomic_breacher.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/broco_portable_ergonomic_breacher.jpg)

The Diamond Ripper is not a James Bond villain, but a diamond cutting blade designed to work equally well on metal, concrete, and wood in order to eliminate untactical blade changes.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_broco_diamond_ripper.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/broco_diamond_ripper.jpg)

What could possibly be less high-speed and more low-drag than dragging a couple acetylene tanks toward a tactical entry scenario? We couldn't think of anything, either, which is why the tactical torch pack is such a Godsend.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_broco_tactical_torch.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/broco_tactical_torch.jpg)

Protective Products International

We are told that using a car for cover is one of the poorer decisions to make while being shot at, but Protective Products International challenges that conventional wisdom with their car door armor plates.

Demonstration showing the penetration of a police car door for various calibers:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_door_bulletholes.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/door_bulletholes.jpg)

The armor plating installed within the car door:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_doorpanel_armor.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/doorpanel_armor.jpg)

We spoke with the company representatives about new developments in bullet- and blast-resistant materials and got an interesting insight: Armor companies run years behind the current state of the art due to the liability risk of selling a product that hasn't been tested extensively enough to guarantee that it will not fail in an unexpected manner. Companies who try to get a leg up by rushing a new technology to market gamble with the lives of their customers and the future of the company; the rep listed off several companies whose product failures either forced them into bankruptcy from lawsuits and/or the inability to afford liability insurance.

When it comes to bulletproofing, why should humans have all the fun? Given the total saturation of the firearms market with tactical products, it's only natural that companies should branch out to new, nonhuman territory. The handle atop Fido's vest increases his operational versatility tenfold: For instance, he can now function in the formerly restrictive field of carry-on luggage or bowling-ball cases.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_dog_kevlar.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/dog_kevlar.jpg)

One last PPI product that caught our attention (it was hard to miss) was this bullet-resistant vest for instructors whose pupils struggle with the concept of "downrange."

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_firearms_instructor_vest.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/firearms_instructor_vest.jpg)

--

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day1/tn_mossberg_nonlethal2.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day1/mossberg_nonlethal2.JPG)

Our Day I coverage included Mossberg's new less-than-lethal shotgun. This was developed in conjunction with Taser, who produced self-contained Taser projectiles for use in Mossberg's firearm. We visited Taser's booth to get the other side of the story, which naturally focused more on the projectile side of things.

We were very impressed with all parts of the shotgun, especially the fact that it's built so that it's impossible to chamber a standard shotgun shell, removing the possibility of deadly mistakes in high-stress situations.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_taser_boltface.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/taser_boltface.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_taser_display.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/taser_display.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_taser_opened.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/taser_opened.jpg)

Miscellany

Here are a few of the miscellaneous photos that we didn't have the time to shoehorn into earlier days' coverage. We took almost 1,000 photos over three days, and the human body can only endure so much image manipulation.

Browning Grade VI Interior system for safes:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_Browning_safe_grade_system.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/Browning_safe_grade_system.JPG)

Browning DPX system for interior safe storage:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_Browning_safe_dpx_system.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/Browning_safe_dpx_system.JPG)

Tactical Safe. We're not making this up; it's actually marketed as a "Tactical Safe" optimized to store tactical weapons and tactical accessories. This just goes to show that nothing is safe from tactical.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_browning_tactical_safe.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/browning_tactical_safe.jpg)

Got an itch?

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_da_bears.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/da_bears.JPG)

No longer is it necessary to choose between shooting or stabbing:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/tn_glock_bayonet.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day2/glock_bayonet.jpg)

Fogger! No, not the game--the product is called 'FlashFog' and when the system is tripped it spews a huge volume of nontoxic fog into a room; within seconds, visibility is reduced to less than an inch. That's when the high-intensity strobe lights turn on, flashing sixteen times per second. This frequency was chosen so as to overload the optic nerve while avoiding the potential liability of an epileptic seizure.

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_flashfog_booth.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/flashfog_booth.jpg)

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_flashfog_light.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/flashfog_light.jpg)

To describe the effect as blinding is understatement; it's an intrusive, disorienting assault on everyone's favorite sense. Closing one's eyes doesn't make any difference, as the strobe is bright enough to work clean through eyelids.

FlashFog is marketed as a tool to fight burglars, but it should work equally well on mother-in-laws.

(Note from Fang: This was Clinotus' joke, sweety.)
(Note from Clinotus: Don't listen to him honey; this was all Fang and I was just kidding, anyway.)

RiverRock lighting:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_riverrock_lights.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/riverrock_lights.jpg)

RiverRock recharging mechanism:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_riverrrock_recharge.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/riverrrock_recharge.jpg)

Control panel for a trap thrower; I just use a string and someone shouting, "pull!"

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/tn_trapthrower_controlpanel.jpg (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day3/trapthrower_controlpanel.jpg)

But then, such elaborate measures seem to fit this thrower pretty well:

http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day1/tn_pull.jpg.JPG (http://230grain.com/images/articles/shot/day1/pull.jpg.JPG)

Frontpage

01-19-2009, 02:39 AM

Trends and Comments

380 reasons to love the shot show.

While the 9mm vs. 45 debate rages on for some concealed carriers, many manufacturers seem to have avoided the discussion completely this year by pushing to the market of a variety of small semi-auto handguns in .380. Offerings include the sensational P238 from Sig Sauer, the P380 from Kahr, Kel-Tec P3AT clones by both Ruger (LCP) and Taurus (738), the Micro Desert Eagle from Magnum Research, and the PK380 from Walther.

Optimistically, we hope this is a sign that the market is actively reacting to the need for deep concealment firearms. We also hope this means we are attracting more female shooters for whom a smaller yet sufficiently powerful firearm would be ideal. At the very least, the new batch of small .380s will be an additional option for those who must trade caliber for concealment.

We don't know what started the miniature revolution, but we certainly welcome the innovation and variety we have seen to date. In the long run, it may even transform the hoary 9mm vs. 45 debate into a concealment vs. shot placement debate. Stranger things have happened.

Many colors

A few years ago some dedicated hobbyist took an old Liberty Training Rifle, stripped the wood stock of varnish, slapped some pink paint on it, and gave it to his daughter--who may or may not have added a Hello Kitty sticker, much to the chagrin of the Sanrio corporation.

From that humble beginning, the trend of modifying grim, black rifles into frilly pink princess-ware has expanded to the point that mainstream manufacturers are getting in on the action. We were hard-pressed to find a single manufacturer who doesn't offer some sort of pink-hued arm transparently targeted at the fairer sex. Either this trend is a transient phenomenon that will die out due to lack of market, or it indicates a generational change in the demographics of the shooting community. It's worth keeping an eye on it.

Pink: It's the new black.

Culture

Thousands of gun enthusiasts and industry figures in one spot: If you believe the liberal media, that many dangerous, drunken, meth-addled loners (with Freudian fixations on their implements of death and destruction) in one place is a recipe for mayhem that can only result in fully-automatic weapons flooding our schools and peaceful gated neighborhoods.

We were all frothing with righteous indignation about the hypothetical "liberal media" take on the SHOT show when we realized that we were wearing press badges. My God--we were the liberal media! Alas, we figured that out too late to change our story:

From January 15th through 18th, Orlando's Orange County Convention Center hosted the 31st annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade show. More than 60,000 vendors, exhibitors, attendees, and press were present, and you could not have found a nicer crowd of people. Everywhere you looked there were firearms, firearms enthusiasts, revelers, story tellers, salesmen, saleswomen, dealers, suppliers, hunters and outdoorsmen. There were no stabbings, muggings, or raging gun battles. In fact everyone observed the rules of safe firearms handling, and the hall was filled with the happy clicking percussion of guns being dry-fired, muzzles aimed high.

Ask a question--no matter how silly--and it got a well informed answer. Need some advice? No problem. Want to compare products within a few feet of each other? Not an issue. Given the widely-understood destructive streak inherent to gun nuts, we're at a loss for how things went so smoothly. It couldn't have been the smell of gunpowder in the morning, pleasant though that may be, as there were no live weapons present. Perhaps it was the fact that the attendees' masculinity was dampened by carrying around the ubiquitous tote bags used for transporting swag. Some might advance the theory that it was just a bunch of people joining together in a veritable Mecca for their shared enthusiasm, sharing common interests in a place where nobody had to feel guilty for really, really, liking guns.

Nah--what a crazy idea.

This one will have to remain a mystery as we wrap our primary SHOT coverage to a close, futilely attempt to cram swag into our suitcases, and head home. We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed being there to report on it.

Bringing you left-wing reporting at its most rabid,

-The staff at 230grain.com.