The Column, No. 14:

SHOT Show 2006

This year's SHOT Show was well attended, with total participants closing in on 40,000. It has outgrown the huge Las Vegas Convention Center, requiring a large tent structure to be erected outside near the main entrance to accommodate new exhibitors. A novel could be penned trying to touch on everything. Here are just some of the highlights that caught our attention in Las Vegas this year.

The 2006 Olympic Class Sporter line from Anschutz appears basically unchanged from 2005. Of course, when you are already building the best, improvement is difficult and usually incremental. The Anschutz target rifle line is the most advanced in the world, and seems likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The Company remains firmly in the hands of the Anschutz family, as it has for some 150 years now. Family ownership seems to be the bedrock upon which some of the best companies, who produce the best products, are grounded.

Austin & Halleck has their own "instant release" breechplug that we found interesting, and their Black Ice Coated/Kreiger barreled lever action front loader with a '92 action seems ready for imminent release. According to Ray Crow, the A & H inline shotgun has been quite well received since its late fall (2005) introduction.

The nice folks at Beretta were proud to show us their Model 90-TWO, updated and improved in many ways over the U.S. military's Model 92F. It is available in 9x19 and .40 S&W calibers.

The new pistol has a 9x19 magazine capacity of 17 rounds, a 4.9" barrel, and polymer grips with a MSRP of $798. Beretta USA promised to provide one of these pistols for a Guns and Shooting Online review, so stay tuned.

Browning had many new shotgun models on display; and the new semi-auto "Gold Superlite Hunters" had a wonderfully lively and balanced feel to them. Browning has shaved about half of a pound off of them compared to their standard Golds, and they did it in the right place--by use of a titanium alloy magazine tube. We've always appreciated the Golds, which have always been solid performers, and this approach makes them one of the most appealing upland semi-autos we've ever handled. Browning did a great job with this new, faster handling model. There is a review of the Browning Gold Shotguns on the Shotgun Information Page.

Browning Citori O/U shotguns, while not inexpensive, continue to represent one of the best shotgun values on the market. These are smooth, well designed guns that feature a tapered locking bolt, barrels struck full length, and a replaceable hinge pin. The selective single trigger selects, the selective ejectors eject, and the action opens and closes smoothly right out of the box. (Any crudely fitted gun that needs to "wear in" will also wear out.)

The newer Browning Synergy O/U guns retain their Euro-trash styling and lack the Citori's quality features, but cost just as much. Recent models are available with plastic stocks, the perfect complement for these "new age" O/U guns.

On the rifle side, Browning is reintroducing the legendary T-Bolt rimfire rifle. This .22 LR caliber rifle features a straight pull bolt action and a new, polymer, "double helix" rotary magazine. The Browning Semi-Auto .22 and BL-22 remain in the line in a variety of grades.

The centerfire A-Bolt (bolt action), BAR (semi-auto), and BLR (lever action) hunting rifle lines continue in a myriad of models. They will carry the water for the Belgian holding company that owns both Browning and Winchester/USRAC, since the Winchester Model 70 and Model 94 rifles are no more.

Aside from their various Match Target AR-15/M16/M-4 style rifles, Colt has always been best known for their superlative handguns. For 2006 the handgun line has been reduced to Model 0 (1911 Government) pistols and Model P (Single Action Army) revolvers.

The 1911 pistols come in several flavors, including the 1991 Series, Defender, Series 70, XSE Series, Special Combat Government Series, and the Gold Cup target pistol series. These pistols come with a MSRP ranging from $764 to $1498. The Gold Cup National Match pistol carries a MSRP of $992.

The various SA Army revolvers have a MSRP of $1380 in color case/blue finish and $1530 in bright nickel finish. Even on the frontier, these were not cheap revolvers, costing a top hand about half a month's pay. Seen in that light, not much has changed.

Cor-Bon's Peter Pi Jr. is building custom rifles for the serious shooter. These are impressive examples of the modern stainless/synthetic specialty rifle. Pete offered to let us review a sample hunting rifle, and we are inclined to take him up on that, so watch Guns and Shooting Online for future developments.

CZ-USA showed side-by-side shotguns featuring Anson & Deeley boxlock actions with Greener cross-bolts. These are available in frame sizes-to-match the gauge configurations across the board. The CZ Ringneck models had a good fit and satisfactory finish, and better triggers than we expected from a Huglo (Turkish) manufactured side-by-side, with good furniture and an attractive price point. The soft-soldered barrels are regulated to about 32 yards, and we loved the way the guns mounted. CZ is going to please a lot of shooters with the price of these guns.

The Dakota Arms display featured their fine bolt action and single shot rifles, as well as their original double barreled shotguns. The Dakota boxlock side by side was one of the nicest doubles shown. It is a trim, attractive, high quality, and very well put together gun. Unfortunately, most of us will not be able to afford its commensurately high price. Those who can will be getting a fine gun.

Glock has been promoting their 10mm Auto Model 20 in recent years as a field pistol. Guns and Shooting Online has finally decided to review the big Glock to see just what kind of a hunting pistol it might be. Glock's Gary Wade agreed to supply a pistol for review, so keep watching these pages if an autoloader is your idea of an ideal big bore field pistol.

Several Glock models are now available in OD green for the U.S. market only. But not available in the U.S. are the .380 ACP caliber Glock models 25 and 28. Sad, as these pistols have earned a reputation as the mild mannered Glocks.

Among the best buys in a high class double barreled shotgun were the Spanish Grulla side by sides. Around $7500 gets a true sidelock in the tradition of the English game gun with chopper lump barrels, bored chokes, swamped rib, double underlugs and a clean breech face, selective ejectors, twisted triggers with very good pulls, beaded trigger guard, highly figured European thin shell walnut stock and forend, fine line checkering, checkered butt, and 100% coverage hand engraving. It's an awful lot of gun for the money.

Henry is helping to fill the void left by the disappearance of the Winchester Model 94 and 9422 rifles by maintaining their excellent line of Made in the U.S.A. lever action rimfire rifles. These are smooth, accurate, and available in a wide variety of styles. Read the Guns and Shooting Online reviews of the Henry rimfire rifles on the Rimfire and Product Review pages.

New from Henry is a .357 Magnum version of their brass framed Big Boy rifle. (The Big Boy is already available in .45 Long Colt and .44 Magnum.) We will be reviewing the new .357 Henry for Guns and Shooting Online as soon as production samples become available.

Melvin Forbes was happy to show off his New Ultra Light Arms semi-custom smokeless muzzleloaders. True to the foundation of all his rifles, they are indeed dreamboats to carry.

Knight Rifles has their "Knight Vision" ready to go, along with the "Long Range Hunter." The Knight Vision looks to be popularly priced. It now has a weight saving alloy receiver, improved flip down extractor, and looked to be solid product to me. The crisp but heavy trigger as the only area needing attention. Naturally, it all depends how they shoot, but Knights are typically good to great shooters thanks to some excellent barrel quality.

Marlin's centerfire lever action rifle line has been updated by the addition of the XLR series. These are variations optimized for use with Hornady's new LeverEvolution ammunition. New for 2006, the XLR .30-30 comes with a 24" stainless steel barrel featuring Ballard-type rifling. There is no barrel band, rather the 5-round magazine is held to the barrel by a "floating" dovetail attachment. The stock and forearm of all XLR series rifles is fabricated from laminated hardwood, and the butt wears a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. Marlin has promised to make one of these new rifles available for a Guns and Shooting Online review.

Marlin's reintroduced "L.C. Smith" shotgun bears no actual relationship to the storied American double (to which Marlin owns the rights). The current guns feature false sideplates and appear shoddy and poorly fitted, much as you might expect from Fausti product that is also imported by Traditions. We could detect no resemblance between these models and the once-proud L.C. Smith guns. It was a bit of a bummer.

Mossberg was showing the new short action version of their Model 100 ATR bolt action rifle. This will be available with either a walnut finished hardwood stock or a black synthetic stock. They are also offering Marinecote finish/synthetic stock or Marinecote/Dura wood stocked "Combo" versions of their long action 100 ATR rifle. These come with a factory mounted (in Weaver style bases and rings), silver finish, 3-9x variable scope.

Perazzi showed the most expensive shotguns I saw at the show, including a 4 gauge set of lovingly stocked and engraved over/unders for something like $475,000. We handled and mounted the 20 gauge, and it was pretty nice. Somewhat more affordable were the multiple variations of their MX series competition guns.

A stop by the Remington booth gave us a glimpse of the somewhat cobby "Genesis" muzzleloader, with a "Torchcam" flip-up primer loading cap that looks to sell some high scope rings. Not a "Remington" at all, the Genesis is imported from the plains in Spain by Traditions. The models we looked at had typical gritty, sloppy "Traditions" triggers; all in all, a real shame. It is, "Optimized for use with Remington Kleenbore 209 Muzzleloading Primers." What that means remains a mystery.

The extensive Remington centerfire rifle line has grown even larger with the addition of a line of imported, Eastern European made hunting rifles using Mauser 98 actions. These had the usual full length extractor for controlled feed and a sliding safety at the right rear of the action that allows low, over bore scope mounting. They are supplied with checkered, laminated wood, Monte Carlo style stocks stained a walnut color. The long action version is called the Model 798, and the short action is the Model 799. Standard long action calibers come with 22" barrels, long action magnums are supplied with 24" barrels, and short action rifles come with 20" barrels. Charles Daly previously imported the same basic line of rifles.

An attractive addition to the popular Model Seven short action line is the CDL. This is, essentially, a smaller version (2 3/8" shorter) of the popular Model 700 CDL bolt action rifle, with the same general appearance and features. It is a handsome and very worthwhile addition to the Model Seven line.

In shotguns, Remington has introduced the 12 gauge, gas operated, bottom-ejecting Model 105 CTI autoloader. This uses a rotating bolt and a receiver body made from titanium with a carbon fiber top cover. The 105 CTI weighs 7 pounds, comes with an R3 recoil pad, and is claimed to be the softest shooting Remington autoloader ever made. It is supplied with an FAA approved locking hard case.

Remington has also expanded their cobby, imported (from Russia with love) SPR line of single barrel and double barrel shotguns. The less said about these, the better.

At the other end of the double gun spectrum is the new for 2006 reintroduction of the Parker gun. This is available only in 28 gauge, and only in AAHE grade. Only a very few will be offered, and the price is $49,000. Contact Remington for details.

Ruger, another family owned concern that has enjoyed considerable success, was showing a new 22/45 Hunter model of their Mark III .22 LR target pistol. This new variation uses a polymer grip mated to a fluted stainless steel barrel. The front sight is made from a light gathering HiViz plastic, and the rear is a fully adjustable, shallow "V" notch. The combination seemed to us to be particularly well adapted for use in the field, and we will be reviewing this new .22 autoloader in the near future.

The 12 gauge Gold Label side by side shotgun is finally being shipped (in limited quantities). One of our staffers finally received his, which had been back ordered for over 3 years, during the SHOT Show. The Guns and Shooting Online review of this much anticipated shotgun will appear soon. And our review, unlike most of those you have read based on pre-production prototypes, will be of a true production example. Meanwhile, we were told not to hold our breath waiting for a 20 gauge Gold Label.

The last Ruger tidbit we have for you is that the elegant falling block No. 1H Tropical rifle is now being offered in caliber 9.3x74R. This old cartridge throws a .36 caliber bullet from a cartridge about as long as a maiden's arm. Its killing power is actually about comparable to the short action .350 Remington Magnum cartridge, which is certainly nothing to deride, but the 9.3x64R sure looks more impressive!

Beretta USA is the sole importer of rifles made by Sako of Finland. This 85 year old European manufacturer has a reputation for turning out a high quality product. The big news for 2006 is that Sako will be introducing the first rifles chambered for the new .338 Federal cartridge.

Beretta USA's Tom Leoni has assured us that a Sako production rifle in .338 Federal would be forthcoming for Guns and Shooting Online to review as soon as they become available. (The early reviews seen in some print magazines of a .338 Sako rifle are based on a custom built, Hart barreled prototype.) The new Sako 85 Grey Wolf rifle shown above, soon to be available in .338 Federal, features a stainless steel barreled action and a checkered grey laminated wood stock.

Savage Arms is poised for a huge year, after stunning the industry with the Accu-Trigger on their centerfires and their 10ML-II muzzleloader, they are doing it all over again with their popular rimfire line. Savage CEO Ron Coburn stressed that the Accu-Triggers we tested were "straight from the factory" and they were no less than fabulous according to our trigger fingers.

Among the new rimfire offerings with the Accu-Trigger are two exciting .17 HMR varmint rifles, both featuring walnut color, laminated wood stocks with beavertail forearms and detachable sling swivel bases. The Model 93R17BTVS features a stainless steel barreled action and a thumbhole stock, while the Model 93R17BV Low Profile features a high luster blued barreled action and a traditional varmint style stock. We have been promised one of these new rifles for review as soon as they become available.

Savage Arms surprised us with their new line of Over/Unders, the "Milano" line. Co-developed by Savage Arms and I. Rizzini of Italy, Savage decided to fly first class, and we're glad they did. These shotguns are supplied with excellent mechanical single triggers, take standard Invector choke tubes, and balance perfectly. The European walnut stocks are excellent, the metal to wood fitting precise with no proud wood, and they are available in .410, 28, 20, and 12 gauge. The jeweled barrels reminded us of the engine turned Winchester Model 101s of years past, and the engraving is subtle and tasteful. These new Savage guns are available at a street price that is going to give crate-wood Beretta and lower-end Browning Cynergy buyers a lot to think about.

Thompson Center has given a lot of attention to their Encore, and done a first-class job of it. A 90 degree, quick release breechplug, longer (28") fluted barrel, a Navcom/Limbsaver enhanced buttstock, three position hammer, standard XS Sights Power Rod, and tasteful engraving all combining to make the new Encore "Pro-Hunter" the most desirable Encore muzzleloader yet. It shows a lot of effort, with impressive results far beyond a merely cosmetic overhaul. Good job by T/C!

For 2006 Weatherby is emphasizing their Vanguard rifle line. No longer the poor stepchild of the flagship Mark V, the Vanguard is now seen as the key to Weatherby's continued success. The featured products for 2006 are the Vanguard SUB-MOA hunting rifles, introduced last year, and a new for 2006 SUB-MOA Varmint model. There is also a new for 2006 Vanguard Varmint Special. The latter comes with Weatherby's usual 1.5" three shot group at 100 yards guarantee.

There are matte black and stainless steel barreled actions for the SUB-MOA hunting model. These feature pillar-bedded Fiberguard synthetic stocks, tan with black spiderwebbing for the rifles with matte black actions and black with grey spiderwebbing for the stainless steel action. A Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad is standard. All Weatherby SUB-MOA rifles are guaranteed to be capable of shooting .99" or smaller groups at 100 yards, and come with factory test targets to prove it.

The new SUB-MOA Varmint model comes with a black barreled action, a #3 contour barrel with a target crown, and a hand laminated composite stock that incorporates an aluminum bedding plate. This stock is tan with black spider webbing. At the show we arranged to review a Vanguard SUB-MOA rifle for Guns and Shooting Online in the near future.

The Winchester/USRAC display (and 2006 catalog) was somewhat depressing, as it featured a wide range of Made in U.S.A. Model 70 and Model 94 rifles that will no longer be available due to the closing of the historic Winchester New Haven factory. The "Rifleman's Rifle" and the "Gun that won the West" have passed into history. We were told that there are no plans in the foreseeable future to transfer the production of these rifles to the Far East, where Browning bolt and lever action rifles are produced.

The Winchester centerfire rifle line in 2006 will consist of Browning produced/Winchester labeled Model 1885 High and Low Wall single shot rifles plus replica Model 1886 and Model 1895 lever actions. The shotgun line is centered on re-labeled Browning Gold models in the "Super X" series. There is also a selection of Winchester brand imported over/under guns in the "Select" line.

Some rough looking .22 rimfire rifles made in an Eastern European country are being imported and marketed under the Winchester name. These will not impress those who remember the Winchester Model 52 bolt action, Model 9422 lever action, and Model 77 autoloading .22s.

ATK/Federal and Sako have teamed-up to offer ammunition and rifles in the new .338 Federal caliber, already extensively covered in Guns and Shooting Online articles. Federal's Jason Nash has promised to supply us with .338 Federal ammunition as soon as the Sako production rifles are avaiable for review.

While the .338 Federal cartridge is the big news from ATK/Federal, the Fusion ammunition line also attracted considerable attention. Fusion bullets use a pure copper jacket electrochemically joined to a pressure-formed lead core.

Fusion rifle offerings range from .243 Winchester to .338 Win. Mag. New for 2006 Fusion handgun hunting ammo was announced in calibers .347 Magnum, .41 Rem. Mag, .44 Rem. Mag, and .454 Casull. We will get some of this Fusion ammunition to review on Guns and Shooting Online.

Barnes Bullets has been on a roll lately, introducing more products than ever. They have lowered prices on their acclaimed MZ-Expander muzzleloading line, and offered new packaging across the board.

Adding to the popular MZ-Expanders, Spitfires, the new XPB's, and renewed interest in the Barnes Originals, comes the new for 2006 TMZ polymer tipped muzzleloading bullets. These offer the flat trajectory of the Spitfires combined with the low-velocity positive, controlled expansion of the MZ-Expanders.

2006 is a big year for Barnes. Look for availability of the majority of the new Barnes products by approximately the end of March, and be sure to grab a copy of their new DVD while you can.

Cor-Bon/Glaser, founded by Peter R. Pi and famous for their top rated DPX, Power Ball and JHP handgun ammunition, is introducing a premium line of DPX rifle hunting ammunition. All of the new DPX hunting ammo will be loaded with Barnes Triple-Shok bullets. Initial caliber offerings will include .223 Rem, .22-250, .243 Win, .25-06, .270 Win, .270 WSM, .270 Wby. Mag, .280 Rem, 7mm RUM, 7mm Rem. Mag, .30 Carbine, .30-30, .308 Win, .30-06, .300 Win. Mag, .300 Wby. Mag, .300 RUM, and .45-70.

You can tell from this somewhat eclectic list of calibers that Cor-Bon is focused on the specialty/premium market with this new line of hunting rifle ammo. We spent some time in conversation with Peter Pi, Jr. and he will be sending Guns and Shooting Online some of this new ammunition to review.

We enjoyed a brief visit to the Fiocchi booth, and Carlo Fiocchi had the dubious pleasure of listening to Randy half-heartedly grumble a bit about the discontinuation of the Nickel-HV loads that has brought down so Illinois pheasants for him. The Fiocchi Golden Pheasant loads have done a great job (particularly their 1-1/8 oz. #5 16 gauge load), and we were delighted to hear that Fiocchi factory buffered loads are in the works for late season pheasants and turkey. We suggested that Carlo call them "Super Golden Magnum Elite Nickel Xtra Pheasant Supreme Bufferbangers," but Carlo was strangely non-committal. The Golden Pheasant loads as is have done a super job. Thanks, Carlo!

Harvester sabots is busy expanding their offerings for muzzleloader shooters.

Hodgdon powder continues to lead in the black powder sub market with their competitors apparently stuck in neutral. For smokeless powder reloaders, the extensive Hodgdon line was complemented by their acquisition of IMR powders in 2005. They seem set to dominate the powder market, at least for the time being.

Nosler bullets, a family owned company located in Bend, Oregon, had a tidy display of their increasingly diverse line of products. That line now includes their famous bullets, unprimed brass, Reloading Guide, Custom Ammunition, gun safes, and the Nosler Custom Rifle (NCR).

Recently, Nosler re-introduced their Solid Base Bullets. Years ago the Solid Base, with the addition of a polycarbonate tip, became the famous Ballistic Tip bullet. Now the somewhat less expensive to manufacture (and for the consumer to purchase) Solid Base, a soft point spitzer bullet with a solid boat-tail base, has rejoined the Nosler line.

Remington has expanded several of their ammunition lines. Of particular interest are the additional Managed-Recoil centerfire rifle cartridges, Managed-Recoil Buckhammer shotgun loads, and Managed-Recoil STS target shotshell loads.

The concept of lower recoil loads is a welcome one, and we are glad to see the line extended. Guns and Shooting Online reviewed Managed-Recoil rifle loads shortly after their introduction, and that article can be found on the in the "Ammunition and Cartridge Articles" section of the Rifle Information Page.

Remington also seemed proud of their new Wingmaster HD shotshell loads. These high density lead alternative loads are said to out perform Remington's previous Premier Hevi-shot loads. The individual HD shot pellets, made of a tungsten/bronze/iron alloy, are uniform in size, round and smooth. They are 10% denser than lead and 56% denser than steel shot. We examined a bunch of them, and they are actually quite attractive, looking much like copper plated shot.

When asked, the good folks at Sierra bullets confirmed that they have no plans to introduce a bonded core bullet. They maintain, correctly, that a well designed soft point bullet typically flies truer and kills game faster.

The current hype about retained bullet weight is just that, hype. They also pointed out that their marketing surveys showed that Sierra bullets were the choice of older and more experienced hunters, while the ballyhooed "premium" bullets were purchased by new and relatively inexperienced shooters who are more susceptible to the latest fads, having little experience of their own on which to base bullet buying decisions. Altogether, an interesting conversation with the Sierra staff.

Winchester/Olin, with a bit of egg on their face for trying to sell their standard W209 primer as a specially packaged (and priced) muzzleloading primer now has a new "Triple Seven" 209 primer allegedly designed to kill some of the troublesome Hodgdon Triple 7 fouling crud. Due out in a month or two, we will see if they have done anything substantive. As best as we could discern, Winchester/Olin didn't do the testing, Hodgdon did. If or how or why or to what extent it might work, Olin couldn't say. So, a box of them will tell the tale when they become available.

Bigger news from Winchester/Olin involves their new XP3 bullet, slated for introduction in calibers .270 Win, .270 WSM, 7mm WSM, 7mm Rem. Mag, .308 Win, .30-06, .300 WSM, and .300 Win. Mag. As with nearly all premium bullets, the XP3 is touted as suitable for game from whitetail to elk.

This is a Winchester designed and produced bullet (not a CT/Nosler product) that is slated to eventually replace the Fail Safe bullet. (The latter simply does not expand fast enough on deer size game.) The new Lubalox coated XP3 features a bonded, partitioned lead rear core and a homogeneous gilding metal front section. There is a red and black polymer tip to initiate the expansion of what would otherwise be a hollow point design. At the back is a boat-tail to increase the bullet's BC. This bullet seems to incorporate all of the trick design features of just about all previous "premium" bullets, from the Nosler Partition to the Barnes MRX (which the new Winchester offering resembles in concept). It will be supplied in Winchesters new Supreme Elite ammo line. Winchester will be sending us samples of this new ammunition for review.

Also new from Winchester/Olin for 2006 are Xtended Range Hi-Density shotshell loads. These are specialized loads for waterfowl and turkey hunters using round shot that is heavier than lead and much heavier than steel.

Perhaps the most interesting news from our friends at Bushnell was the announcement of the Yardage Pro Riflescope. This versatile instrument incorporates a 30-800 yard laser rangefinder in a riflescope. We suspect that this represents one version of the future of riflescopes. The fully multi-coated new Bushnell scope also includes Bushnell's bullet drop compensator turrets. These are a set of 5 BDC turrets calibrated to match the most popular calibers and bullet weights. Suggested retail price is $899, and the Yardage Pro Riflescope is supposed to be on your stocking dealer's shelf by May 2006.

Hawke scopes, a British company selling scopes manufactured to their specification in Asia, are entering the U.S. market. They feature a rangefinding reticle with multiple aiming points adjusted for the specific trajectory of your rifle's caliber and load. Rimfire models are also available, and we hope to obtain one of these interesting scopes for review when they become available.

Leupold & Stevens of Beaverton, Oregon was promoting their new VX-L "Eclipse" line of riflescopes. The VX-L line received its world premier on Guns and Shooting Online (see our articles about the VX-L scopes on the Product Review and Scopes and Sport Optics pages) so we will be brief here.

Basically the VX-L scopes have a curved slice removed from the lower edge of their big objective lenses to allow low scope mounting. The lowest possible scope mount is desirable because it minimizes parallax and improves the balance and handling characteristics of the scoped rifle. In other respects the VX-L scopes are state of the art with superb edge-blackened optics, extremely robust construction, index matched lens system, Diamondcoat multi-coatings, argon/krypton filled and sealed waterproofing, dual spring titanium/nitride/stainless adjustment system, dual spring erector system, lockable fast focus eyepiece, and Leupold's unsurpassed Full Lifetime Guarantee (not "warrantee").

Other Leupold introductions for 2006 include a VX-III 4.5-14x40mm Adjustable Objective riflescope, and four new shotgun/muzzleloader scopes in the VX-I and Rifleman lines. VX-I and VX-II scopes are now available with Ballistic Aiming System reticles. These are intended to help shooters make accurate long range shots. Like many of the remaining top outfits in our field, Leupold & Stevens is a proud, 5th generation, family owned company.

A visit to Meade (who owns Simmons, Weaver, and Redfield) revealed a complete line of Simmons Master Series riflescopes. All previous Simmons scopes have been discontinued, including the previous top of the line Whitetail Expedition series. The Aetec is the new top of the line, followed by the ProHunter, ProDiamond, ProSport, Crossbow, 22 Mag, and Blazer. New Simmons handgun scopes are in the ProHunter line. A red ring below the elevation adjustment knob identifies Master Series scopes. We hope to be reviewing a Master Series Aetec scope soon.

Also from Meade, the return of the Redfield name to the top rank of scopes is expected sometime in the spring. The new Redfield line of four models (the smallest of which is a 3-15x52mm variable!) is intended to compete with the world's best scopes, high end models from companies such as Leupold, Schmidt & Bender, Zeiss, and Swarovski. Meanwhile the Weaver line, including the excellent Grand Slam series, remains unchanged for 2006.

Nikon is attempting to market the "ultimate muzzleloader scope," their Omega 3-9x40mm scope. Nikon says, "The new BDC-250 reticle, with its unique ballistic circles, allows the shooter to accurately and ethically shoot out to 250 yards by providing instant aim points, taking the guesswork out of where to hold on the target at longer ranges. Accuracy you would expect from a centerfire is now possible with a muzzleloader."

Naturally, Nikon has no clue as to the specific powder/projectile combination any muzzleloader chooses to use, and no scope I've heard of makes a gun more accurate. What Nikon has done is basically lift the idea behind the Burris Ballistic-Plex reticle, adding circles instead of lines.

Sightron, a Guns and Shooting Online favorite, has some goodies in the works to compliment their already impressive and extensive line; more on that later in the year. Sightron still appears to be among the top brands for a combination of affordability, performance and value. Let your own eyes be the judge on that, of course, as they are the only ones that matter.

Battenfield and Birchwood-Casey have new offerings too numerous to list, but well worth checking out. The latter generously provided us with free samples of their Shoot-N-C rifle targets, which were much appreciated.

Caldwell, a division of Battenfeld Technologies, is famous for their shooting rests, target stands and targets. They, too, were generous with targets, giving away samples of their Orange Peel 8" bullseye targets. Thank you, Caldwell.

The recoil abating Caldwell Lead Sled shooting rest has become a standard fixture of Guns and Shooting Online rifle reviews. If you do much centerfire rifle shooting, you need a Lead Sled.

Garmin has done a comprehensive updating of their industry-leading GPS lines. These are well worth investigating at your local retailer.

Portland, Oregon knife maker Gerber showed a plethora of models. Their line offers something for practically everyone, from pocket knives to utility tools to hatchets to conventional fixed blade hunting knives. Among the most popular models among sportsmen are the Freeman fixed blade hunting knives and the made in U.S.A. Gator folding hunters. Request a copy of Gerber's thick 112 page 2006 Product Manual to get a feel for their diverse lines.

Gerber's Mark Schindel showed us a big LMF Tactical knife that he had been ceremoniously presented by a satisfied customer. This particular knife had been used to cut through the fuselage of a downed helicopter, electrical cables and all, to allow the escape of an American soldier under heavy enemy fire. The blade showed some high voltage electrical burns, but was otherwise undamaged, while the insulated handle protected the knife's owner from shock; he continued to use it for the remainder of his tour in Iraq. Mark will be sending us a Gator folding hunting knife for a Guns and Shooting Online review that will appear on our new Outdoor Accessories Page.

Kick-Eez has some new recoil pad offerings that are interesting and, together with Limbsaver pads and the Pachmayr Decelerator, continue to lead the industry--according to our shoulders, anyway.

Leatherman, another Oregon company, had a fine display of their high quality knives and versatile combination tools.

Like computers, anything electronic is obsoleted so fast that rangefinders and related items just get better annually from most manufacturers. 2006 is no exception to that general rule. The new Leupold RX Digital Laser Rangefinder line exemplifies that trend.

Western Powders has introduced an impressive full line of gun care products.

Most of the manufacturers we talked to were extremely upbeat, with a big increase in preorders this year already in the bag. That's a good thing, as that means more and better choices for all of us.

It was a great SHOT Show and a real treat to visit with, among others, Peter Pi Jr. of Cor-Bon/Glazer, Anthony Imperato of Henry, the legendary Margaret Sheldon of Ruger, G. Todd Eberhart of Winchester Ammunition, Jason Morton of CZ-USA, Ty Herring and Coni Brooks from Barnes, Tony Aeschliman of Marlin, Laurel Smith of Beretta, Savage Arms' Ron Coburn, Brian Herrick, Cathy, Paula, and the entire Savage Team, Black Powder Hunting publisher Debra Bradbury, Sierra President and G.M. Bob Hayden, Sightron's Allan Orr, Leupold's Pat Mundy, Weatherby's Aaron D. Smith, ATK's Jason Nash, shooting legend David Tubb, Carlo Fiocchi (of Fiocchi Ammunition, no surprise there), world's greatest reloader Hartmut Broemel and, of course, the Guns and Shooting Online crew--of which Chuck, Randy, Jack, Bob, Jerri, Kathy, Rocky and Nathan were able to attend this year.

The weather was spectacular even for Las Vegas, sunny and clear with highs in the low 70s F. Even the Cabela's Dock Dogs were in great form, looking like they could put a few polar bears to shame. It was a great time among some wonderful people and one of the best run, best attended industry gatherings in recent memory.