19 Jan 22
 
2022 SHOT Show, 2nd Day
 
This day was taken-up with meetings, but I did get out on the floor for a time:
 
DSA President Dave Selvaggio is the kind of gun-company CEO for whom I have a lot of respect! He was there today, all day, talking with customers and buyers alike. He has staff there too, but Dave himself is not afraid to greet and talk with everyone who stops by!
 
DSA manufactures a wonderful, American-made FAL, called the SA58. When you want an FAL, DSA is the one to see! I have several and travel with them regularly.
 
Like most quality manufacturers, DSA is backordered. SA58s retail for a little under 2k
 
Dave indicated that the price of ammunition has contributed to a significant cost increase in “breaking-in” his rifles, which he suggests all new owners do. So, now his gunsmiths are doing much polishing and precise fitting before rifles go out the door, more than before!
 
Another gun-company CEO whom I consider a modern American hero is Justin Moon, president of Kahr Arms. Like Dave, he was on the floor today talking with his customers, all day long.
 
Kahr has become a major player in the 1911 market, as well as producing their bread-and-butter line of small carry-pistols. Many manufacturers are now introducing small, flat, single-column! pistols. Justin has been making them for several decades, and Kahr pistols and customer service customer enjoy an outstanding reputation.
 
S&W’s line of M&P, Shield, and EZ pistols have quietly moved from a “jointed,” or “articulated” trigger to a trigger-tab safety system (found on nearly all other modern pistols designed for serious purposes).
 
FN is, so far, sticking with the jointed-trigger system with their M509 pistol, just adopted by LAPD.
 
Jointed triggers work fine, but the trigger-tab system is less likely to be involved in UDs, because rearward pressure confined to the sides of the trigger (as the gun is holstered) can’t push the trigger to the rear far enough to discharge the pistol when it is equipped with a trigger tab.
 
I’m not sure how big an issue that is (I’ve never seen it happen), but S&W is apparently convinced the change is necessary!
 
The S&W EZ, equipped with a grip-safety (and optional manual safety), features a “conventional” trigger (non-articulated, and is without a trigger-tab)
 
More tomorrow!
 
/John