26 Jan 18
2018 SHOT show, Last Day:
The Show is over for another year!
Most vendors are telling me order-writing is down slightly from last year. However, attendance was strong. Attendees were polite, but serious. We are all there for a purpose!
Don Trump Jr showed-up briefly.
Of note today:
Coast makes a wonderful, and bright, clip-on flashlight, the HX4, for under $20.00. I’m going to get a bunch of them. I carry a Coast HP3R flashlight daily (along with my Firstlight T-Max LE), but the little HX4 is so inexpensive, I can supply a copy to all my grandchildren!
At the SIG booth, I took another look the MCX Vertus. 300Blk with a 9″ barrel and folding “arm-brace” (stock). It is a non-NFA SBR, and a really nice one. Ideal car-gun. They even have a smaller version, also non-NFA, with a 5″ barrel, and retractable “arm-brace,” called the “Rattler.”
The Rattler is a little too small for me, but the Vertus is just the right size! Equipped with an Aimpoint T2, the
Vertus will make a wonderful low-profile travel companion.
I might have to get a copy!
In the interim, I now have a copy of SERT’s “Sneaky Bag.” It fits my non-NFA M4 and XCR (one at a time, and with stock folded) just fine, along with five extra 30-round magazines, a flashlight, and several other accouterments. Looks like a skateboard case. The important thing is that is does NOT look like a gun-case!
It replaces a similar bag by 511. My 511 bag served me well for two years, but my rifle’s flash-suppressor finally wore a hole through the end.
At the Blackhawk booth (Blackhawk, along with Eagle load-bearing gear, Bushnell Optics, and a bunch of others is now a division of Vista Outdoor), I saw Blackhawk’s “Multi-Point Sling.” It’s a nice system, and I’ll be using a copy shortly.
At the Eagle section, I saw the ERGO. It is worn between the body and body armor, and it maintains a 4cm air-space between the two. Designed for hot climates, it allows air to continuously circulate under armor (hard or soft). I suspect the ERGO will be popular with troopers assigned to the Mid-East!
Bushnell makes a 1-8X compact riflescope, ideal mounted a 308 rifle, like the XCR/M, or the POF Revolution, for under $500.00. The combination yields a genuine 500m+ rifle, effective all the way out!
Stiner’s iteration of the same optic costs nearly 3k!
During the entire Show, coming and going, I saw no protestors, and there were no “incidents” I witnessed, nor heard about. Everyone was civil. It all actually went pretty smoothly!
Staff is adequate. Restrooms are adequate. Restaurants are adequate. Accommodations are adequate. Transportation is adequate. There was a police presence, but it was far from overwhelming. Some security guards were openly armed (pistols), more than was the case last year.
Las Vegas is designed for big events like this!
We had a great time, saw many old friends, made many new ones, did some business, updated ourselves. That is what trade shows are for!
/John
