Story & Photos
by Glen I. Voorhees Jr.
Western Field Editor

The annual Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show is the premier trade show of the year for those in the firearms and related industries. For many of the smaller companies, it is the only opportunity to present their products to distributors, dealers and foreign buyers.

It is also an opportunity for companies to judge the competition. In many cases products are introduced that are companion or add-on features for existing firearms. One example is Wild West Guns and their add-ons for Marlin lever guns.

I have written several articles about Jim West, his company, Wild West Guns (7521 Old Seward Hwy., Dept. GWK, Anchorage, AK 99518; phone: 800-992-4570; on-line: www.wildwestguns.com) and his extraordinary Marlin takedown lever rifle called the Co-pilot. West specializes in customizing Marlin lever rifles into the handiest takedown powerhouses you have ever seen.

While "smithing" the Marlin, he has encountered what he says are two weaknesses which he has tackled by producing replacement parts that don't require outside help to install. The first is a one-piece, beefed-up extractor.

"You don't want an extractor malfunctioning while hunting dangerous game in brushy country," West said. Step two is a new trigger that improves the existing Marlin trigger by about 50%. Directions say they must be installed by a competent gunsmith but, after talking with West and looking at the product, I was able to install them without aid of a third party. If you are a Marlin owner, then a Wild West catalog is a must.

Linda Powell, manager of press relations for Remington Arms (PO Box 700, Dept. GWK, Madison, NC 27025; phone: 800-243-9700; on-line: www.remington.com), is another one of the savvy people in the firearms industry. Powell escorted me on a "walk around" of their new products. While there isn't space enough to describe all of the new products-many of which have already been reported in these pages-I will pick out two items that caught my interest.

I have had the opportunity to test each of their Ultra-Mags as they were introduced to the shooting public. Ranging in calibers from 7mm Ultra-Mag. to .375 Ultra-Mag., Remington has brought the "fast movers" to new heights. I used a 7mm on an aoudad hunt in Texas. The only loading that was available was the 140-grain Nosler Partition bullet at an advertised 3,425 feet-per-second (fps). Wow!

This year they have brought to the table a 160-grain Nosler Partition at 3,200 fps. Double Wow! This adds new dimension to the 7mm and should move it to the front of the Ultra-Mag series in popularity, followed by the .300 Ultra-Mag.

Powell told me that Remington is introducing the popular Short Magnum to their line. First offerings are 7mm Remington SA (short action) Ultra-Mag., and .300 Remington SA Ultra-Mag.

These rounds are intended for the popular Remington Model Seven rifle. The advantage the new 7mm and .300-caliber offer is that they are designed to give you magnum velocities in a short action rifle. This is an over-simplification, and I will have more on that at a later time. A quick glance at the velocities shown in the accompanying chart will give you an understanding of the thought behind the cartridge.

It is clear that these new rounds achieve magnum velocities on a short action. They do not reach the velocities of the long action Ultra-Mags. The 7mm Remington Ultra-Mag. is the hottest factory-loaded round available.

Custom Grips
Sporting Arms Custom Grips (8448 Fourth Ave., Dept. GWK, Hesperia, CA 92345; phone: 760-948-6886; on-line: www.woodgrips.com) was new to me and I have since learned their grips are new to the industry. Sporting Arms specializes in exotic Cocobolo wood grip panels for the 1911 pistol. If you are not familiar with this highly figured wood you are in for a surprise when you first see it. Cocobolo comes from a certain region in Central America. Its color ranges from reddish/orange to deep burgundy and may contain all of those colors in one set of grips.

These hand-crafted grips come with a choice of smooth or checkered finish. The hand-cut checkering is 20-lines-per-inch, and impeccably executed. I was shown a set of ultra-thin grips that proved to be exactly what I was looking for for my carry .45. Standard grips are 1/4-inch thick while these are only 5/32-inch. That may not seem like much, but try it and you will be amazed at the difference.

Sporting Arms has now branched out into Ruger single-action grips. I have ordered a pair for my .44 Mag. Bisley. The single-action checkered grips are bordered with 18-lines-per-inch-hand-cut. If you own a 1911 or Ruger S/A, their catalog is a must.
Tristar

Marty Fajen, head of Tristar Sporting Arms (1814-16 Linn St., Dept. GWK, North Kansas City, MO 64116; phone: 816-421-1400; on-line: www.tristarsport-ingarms.com.), has been in the firearms-related business for many years. I did a piece on her imported 20-gauge side-by-side several months ago. Tristar's SA Limited Model 411 is the best looking imported side-lock that I have seen. Like most side-locks, it is a box lock with faux side plates. True side-locks are too expensive to make these days to be able to offer a shotgun at an affordable price.

Not anymore! Fajen is importing a true side-lock that retails for under $900. My test gun is dubbed the Derby Classic 12. It takes 3-inch magnum shotshells, shoots like a dream, and would fool anyone on the range into thinking you have been to Abercrombie's. More on this side-by-side in a later issue.

Winchester
In my opinion, the best news from Winchester Firearms (US Repeating Arms Co., 275 Winchester Ave., Dept. GWK, Morgan, UT 84050; phone: 801-876-3737; on-line: www.winchester-guns.com) is that they are now shipping the long-promised Model 1895 in .405-caliber. I have it in my hands with ammo on its way. I should have a report soon on this reintroduction of a great hunting round.

Winchester is at the crest of the popular wave that is becoming known as the "Short Magnums." I mentioned earlier that Remington had "short mags" ranging from 7mm to .375.

Winchester now offers .270 WSM and 7mm WSM in addition to the .300 WSM they introduced last year. All of these new loadings are available in the Model 70 action. The one that sparks my interest is the .270 WSM. Offered in their light mountain rifle, this should be a favorite with high country hunters. Winchester's best load, in my opinion is their 140-grain Fail Safe. The stats on this cartridge are very impressive as can be seen in the chart.

I am sure this will be the top of the line in popularity in the WSM series.

Kahles
I was introduced to Kahles by Robert Fancher, promotion director for the Swarovski Group, which owns Kahles (2 Slater Rd., Dept. GWK, Cranston, RI 02920; phone: 800-426-3089; on-line: www.kahlesoptik.com).

I topped off a Remington .375 Ultra-Mag. with a 3-9x42 Kahles scope. This scope has a built-in ranging devise that really works. Read the directions and it performs as advertised. Kahles optics are priced below the Swarovski class scopes, but I am very pleased with the performance and must admit that I cannot tell the difference in optics.

At one of the shooting events for outdoor writers at the SHOT Show, I was able to shoot a .300 Short Mag. at ranges out to 500 yards using a Kahles scope with their exclusive ranging device. After I got the rifle zeroed for me, I was able to break clay birds at 500 yards without holding over the target. All I had to do was follow directions and, in minutes, I was able to call my shots at all ranges. Great for the mountain hunter where range is often a question mark.

This year Kahles is zeroing in on the .22 rimfire market with a quality scope specifically aimed at the most popular caliber on the market. This 2-7x36 RF American Hunter is ideal for small game hunting. Karen Lutto, public relations director, says that a special promotion provides a brick of Winchester Super-X .22 LR rimfire ammunition with the purchase of the scope.