February 26, 2014
By Dennis Adler
Every year, armsmakers and others in the firearms industry roll out their best and brightest new products at the annual SHOT Show, and it always seems that there are a handful of standout new guns and products that either rewrite the book on the physics of gun-making or dazzle us with unorthodox engineering.
We are always drawn to those that exhibit exceptional innovation or are of historic importance. In every instance, there is something very interesting about the gun/product featured here and why it is worthy of mention in this article. Prepare to be astounded, enriched with history, and enticed to add to your collection.
Check out the Blue Book of Gun Values Top 10 Firearm Industry Awards for 2014:
Boberg XR45
The 'wow ' factor in gun design cannot only come from styling, but size. Make something really big and it will almost always attract attention, but remake or reengineer that same idea into something really small and it will attract a following! This is the world of arms designer Arne
Boberg. Today, there are very few manufacturers who have truly redefined the basic operation of semiautomatic handguns like Boberg. His semi-autos use an innovative reverse magazine feeding system and rotating barrel, locked breech design.
Read MoreNew Colt Peacemaker - Sam Colt Commemorative
This is a gun that, by the nature of its design, is 142 years old! It is the Colt Peacemaker. As far back as the mid-1830s, Samuel Colt was having his guns engraved for presentation and that tradition has continued to this day through the
Colt Custom Shop, which has produced some of the finest engraved guns of all time. For 2014, the Custom Shop pays tribute to the company's founder in the year of his 200th birthday with a limited edition Single Action Army model.
Read MoreCrosman Benjamin Nitro Piston 2
The
Crosman Nitro Piston 2 is everything a gas spring has never been until now. It cocks easily, yet delivers tremendous power; it removes all vibration from the firing cycle, it is as quiet as a silenced pre-charged air rifle, and it has a two-stage trigger that's second to none among rifles in this class. There has never been a powerful breakbarrel gas piston rifle like this before.
Read MoreAirForce Airguns Escape Precharged
New from
AirForce Airguns of Fort Worth, TX, is their Escape line of pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles for users focused on hunting and survival. The PCP rifles were designed with the input of TV personality, hunter, and survival expert Ton Jones and provide more muzzle energy from less weight than any other PCP air rifle available today.
Read MoreGlock 42
There's something to be said for coming late to the party. More importantly, when you enter the room all heads turn in your direction. Thus, the inclusion of the Glock 42 on our list. This, in no uncertain terms, is the gun we have been waiting for and when I say 'we ' I mean everyone; the
Glock 42 is a subcompact, slim frame, .380 semiautomatic. The famed Austrian armsmaker has actually been manufacturing a .380 model for years (the Glock 28), but it has only been available to the U.S. Law Enforcement community. That said, with the debut of the Glock 42 (a smaller gun than the Glock 28), we have a new category subcompact with the smallest frame, slide, and barrel length ever offered by Glock.
Read MoreIntegrated OEM Laser Devices from LaserMax and Ruger
Combining firearms with lasers isn't exactly new; it's been done since the late 1980's (see the old Terminator movie where Arnold is wielding a 4lb silver laser tube atop a longslide ATM hardballer). Most of today's lasers are clamp-on boxy devices that stick out like 35 in. mud tires on a Prius. That is what's different about the OEM laser systems from
Ruger and
LaserMax.
Read MoreRemington R51
This is a new design based on a very old design and a very old armsmaker, E. Remington & Sons. When you look at the new
Remington R51, your eye immediately notices the semi-auto pistol's retro chic lines and you think, 'Where have I seen that before? ' If you are a collector, the immediate answer is in the gun's name, R51. The basic design and engineering of this new 9mm +P pistol dates back to the early 20th century and the original Remington Model 51.
Read MoreTac-Con 3MR Trigger
Who in their right mind wouldn't want to turn their AR-15 into a highly efficient, 'magazine unloading system, ' blowing through what's become very hard to find ammo, with greater ease than ever before? Seriously, some things are just too much fun NOT to have, and we think the new
Tac-Con 3MR trigger system falls into that category. At $495 MSRP, that's only the beginning of the total cost; think about all the ammo you'll need to burn through showing off this NFA-approved, ultra-short reset trigger to all your range buddies!
Read More.22 Winchester Super Magnum Rimfire
Who wouldn't want to own the hardest hitting, fastest, and absolute flattest shooting rimfire in existence? The new
Winchester Super Magnum (WSM) Rimfire blurs the lines of power for traditional centerfire and previously inferior rimfire cartridges. Believe it or not, this cartridge offers .22 Hornet (centerfire) performance at roughly half the cost!
Read MoreWinchester Longbeard XR
Winchester's Longbeard XR has a new and revolutionary hardened resin that totally encapsulates the shot pellets. A Shok-Lok buffer is inserted as liquid that actually flows into the interstices between the steel Hex Shot pellets, then hardens to create a buffered and cushioned, monolithic shot charge. The Buffer then disintegrates into powder after exit from the muzzle.
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