S.H.O.T. Show 2013 Recap!

S.H.O.T. (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show 2013 happened last week. It is the first year where I was able to go S.H.O.T. Show for all four days. I was also able to go to the Media Day at the Range, where only media personnel were allowed in. Media at the Range is a day for approved media personnel to just go shoot guns. As all of you know, California is very restrictive on guns and because of that, I have never shoot a fully automatic gun before; that is until that one cold Monday morning.

After getting pass security, Bob and I ran straight to the KRISS booth where we shot the KRISS Vector. Upon arriving, the representative from KRISS immediately set us up to shoot the KRISS. The KRISS we shot were suppressed, and it was able to shoot semi automatic, 2 round burst, and automatic. Mounted with an EO Tech holographic sight, the KRISS is deadly accurate, especially on the 2 round burst. Both rounds will hit the same spot, since the gun has a high rate of fire. However, the full automatic function on the KRISS was very controllable, but it still takes time to adjust to it. After shooting the KRISS, Bob and I shot some other cool guns that are suppressed. Then we stumble upon the IWI booth where we both shot the Tavor. The weapon is very light, and it has very little recoil. Overall, Media Day at the Range was very fun, and I will never forget it.

On Tuesday, which is the first day of S.H.O.T. Show, we stopped by KWA and checked out their new releases. The gas blow back Masada caught our eye, and of course, the new line of Sphinx gas blow back pistols. According to KWA, Sphinx pistols are actually very popular in Europe, because of their quality and craftsmanship. According to KWA Mike, every Sphinx pistol is hand fitted, and therefore they have exceptional quality control. The Sphinx pistols also have a unique design, where the pistol slide is extremely low profile. But having a low profile slide, the recoil is decreased substantially, because less weight moving back equals less recoil. The airsoft version is exactly the same, which is amazing. I can’t wait until it comes out on the market.

After KWA, we passed by the Blue Force Gear booth where we met Mr. Chris Costa. The GITV Crew was lucky enough that Mr. Chris Costa gave us his time and an interview. He went over some special features on a new Blue Force Gear Bag which he has his idea implemented into. Watch the following Videos for more information.

Next we stopped by Spartan Import, where we discovered that VFC has released a gas blow back version of the Smith and Wesson M&P compact. This gun is fully licensed by Smith and Wesson, which is awesome! We also learned that G&P has produced a line of M16 VN, again, fully licensed by Colt. It was very exciting at the Spartan Import booth, because when I first started to play airsoft, the M&P, or the fully licensed Colt M16 were not available.

Our last stop for the day was Condor Outdoor. Condor has released at least four new products during S.H.O.T. Show, which were very impressive. First, they released a new low profile plate carrier called the Cyclone Plate Carrier, which can take a 10×12 inch plates. Condor also came out with a new hydration pack which can be attached to their existing chest rigs. But what surprised the GITV Crew is the fact that Condor came out with an extremely light weight chest rig, which has no MOLLE webbing. Instead of MOLLE, it uses laser cut on the fabric, which creates the MOLLE Slots. This is truly a game changer as the trend right now is lighter gear.

On day two, we went back to the KWA Booth to speak with the MagPul PTS representative about the KWA Masada and the PDR. We have received a lot questions regarding the Magpul PTS. PDR. According to Alex from PTS, the PDR is in immanent release, which means they should be here at your local airsoft store very soon. Watch the below video for full interview with Alex from PTS.

After speaking with Alex, the GITV crew went to the Umarex booth and checked out a new speed loader prototype which is a “must have” for every airsofter out there. The new speed loader will not make a mess when loading your mid capacity magazine out in the field. Also new for this year, Umarex will be coming out with the Beretta ARX 160 assault rifle replica airsoft gun. This rifle was introduced at SHOT Show last year at the Beretta Booth. It is a new rifle that uses the 5.56 NATO round. I thought it was pretty cool and I wished that they would come out with an Airsoft replica. Low and behold, Umarex manufactured the replica of this amazing rifle. I can’t wait for it to come out on the airsoft market!

G&G this year surprised us all. First they come out GK5C GL right before SHOT Show, and they released the M1 Garand at SHOT Show 2013. Watch the below video for a more detailed description.

At the ICS Booth, there are a lot of cool new stuff from ICS that will be released this year. Below is a video where Francis from ICS talks about the new releases from ICS. Also The ICS Garand is coming along and should hit the airsoft market very soon.

Last but not least, Z SHOT. The most amazing product we saw at SHOT Show this year was the Knights Armament chainsaw. The guys at Knights Armament converted a M249 into a hip firing beast. Ares has produced a replica chainsaw, with the licensing from Knights Armament. I know I can’t wait for this to come out!

There are also other cool facts from other booth that are very interesting.