Day 2: Greetings From the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando!

On January 11-12, Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio volunteer Clint Lake attended the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando, FL. Following is Part 2 of a blog on his experience.

By Clint Lake

Today I'll start out with the top highlight of the day - Talking 1911's and Glock's with Gunny R. Lee Ermy during a Glock promotional picture signing!

Gunny was the nicest celebrity I ever met, next to Cam Edwards. By the way, he shoots a Glock .45 GAP and has put close to 20,000 rounds through it.

Now onto some cool stuff!

Click on 'Read More' for the entire commentary.

Trijicon:

ACOG 4x32 (Enhanced Combat Optical Sight):
Although rather expensive, this sight combines a red-dot sight married on top of a 4x32 scope. The red dot is not as 'protected' as an EoTech and sits very high on the sight. Otherwise if you can afford it it is probably the most rugged, all purpose sight available.

EoTech:

Model 557 Holosight:
New for 2007 is a redesign of their 552 model. The protective hood is more angled and the battery compartment is cantilevered to fit over AR type handguards. What is really nice is that the controls are now placed on the side of the unit instead of in back. Considering that rail space is decreasing due to magnification optics, iron flip up sights, etc. this is a modification that should have been thought of with version 1.0. The actual holosight has received a change as well. With the 557 EoTech has added a series of 1MOA aiming dots that are vertically aligned and calibrated specifically for the drop of a .223 bullet. The reticle provides 4 aiming dots for target distance of 0-300m, 400m,500m, 600m.

3x/4x Magnifying Scope:
A really cool addition to the EoTech line is a magnifier that can be mounted behind the holosight but uses the holographic reticle of the holosight that is positioned in front. The magnifiers can be attached to a 'Flip-to-Side' mount that can get the scope out of the way when all you need is the close range holosight. When flipped to the side the magnifier is very solid and doesn't flop around.

HK:

Although I was very impressed with all their rifles HK416, G36, and MP7 (PDW) I seriously doubt any of these will be available to civilians. The one thing that totally impressed me was their SA80 magazine. This is considered to be the best and most reliable M16-style magazine in the world. The cost is high for a mag ($50ish) but the construction is top shelf. The spring and follower operates incredibly smooth. The only down side is that it is made of all steel and heavy (half a pound empty). No coupling two of these bad boys together to take on your next hike!

FN:

FS2000 Tactical:
This .223 rifle will be available to civilians sometime this year and wins the coolest rifle award. It looks like the rifle that Ripley used in 'Aliens 2'! It has a bullpup design with a 17.4" barrel, uses standard M16-type mags and has a gas-operated system using a rotating bolt lock-up. Fired cases are ejected through a forward port away from the operator. The standard rifle comes with backup iron sights but sports a very long accessory rail for optics.

Magpul Industries:

Pmag:
This is an AR-type mag that is made of lightweight polymer and has a 'viewing' window to show the operator how many more rounds are left. Like the HK mag this mag has an anti-tilt follower.

That's it for this year. I'm sure you will all be reading the specifics about this stuff in the year to come from all the gun rags. But at least everybody has a head start on planning their Christmas wish list for this year!

Best wishes,

Your Roving BFA Reporter