SHOT Show 2005
New Sixguns, Semi-autos Galore Debuting at Vegas SHOT Show
By Gun Week Staff
The shooting landscape is filling up with new revolvers and semi-automatic pistols this month as gunmakers premier their pistols at the 2005 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 28-31.
It’s a big tent, with something for everyone, whether you’re into target shooting, shopping for a new personal protection or duty pistol, looking for a hunting handgun, a plinker or something that can handle multiple chores.
Ruger’s Blackhawk is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and there are a lot of sidearms in .45-caliber, most notably the first-ever .45 ACP from Kahr (PO Box 220, Dept. GWK, Blauvelt, NY 10913; phone: 845-353-7770; on-line: www.kahr.com).
This new polymer-framed lightweight has a 3.54-inch match-grade barrel with polygonal rifling. The trigger breaks at 7.5 pounds. Dubbed the Kahr 4543, it has a textured black frame, matte stainless steel slide and low-profile white bar/dot combat sights (optional 3-dot tritium sights are available). Weighing a scant 17 ounces, the 4543 is less than an inch wide at the top of the slide, while the grip is exactly one inch wide, with a single-stack six-round magazine. It is 6.1 inches in length and 4.8 inches high. Each pistol comes with two magazines and a trigger lock.
Taurus (16175 NW 49th Ave., Dept. GWK, Miami, FL 33014; phone: 305-624-1115; on-line: www.taurususa.com) will make headlines with a new version of their popular 24/7 double-action semi-auto pistol in .45 ACP. It has a polymer frame and steel slide, indexing memory pads on the grip and Posi-Traction serrations on the slide. The magazine release is recessed, and the magazine holds 10 rounds. Weighing 26 ounces, it is available in both stainless and blued models.
A second .45 ACP pistol is the compact PT 745, a seven-round model with a single-stack magazine, narrow grip frame, and 3.28-inch barrel.
In the revolver arena, the new Taurus UltraLite .44 Magnum features a forged alloy frame to reduce weight to 28 ounces. Dubbed the Hip Carry, it is built on the Raging Bull frame in blue or stainless steel. Taurus is also introducing a .44 Magnum version of its Tracker revolver, with adjustable sights and a 4-inch barrel.
For the Cowboy crowd, Taurus is finally delivering the Gaucho, a single-action wheelgun chambered in .45 Colt, featuring the Taurus Security System and integral transfer-bar action. It comes in blue or stainless steel.
Smith & Wesson (2100 Roosevelt Ave., Dept. GWK, Springfield, MA 01104; phone: 413-781-8300; on-line: www.smithand-wesson.com) is unveiling yet another big bore hunting handgun, the Model 460 XVR (Extreme Velocity Revolver) in a new caliber, the .460 S&W Magnum. It launches a 200-grain bullet at more than 2,300 feet-per-second (fps) from the muzzle. The cartridge is slightly longer than the .500 S&W, but recoil reportedly lighter (who can tell with that much horsepower?). It has a five-round cylinder, 8&Mac251;-inch barrel with interchangeable compensator, adjustable rear sight, interchangeable gold bead and Hi-Viz green dot fiber-optic front sight and a finger-groove rubber grip.
Other entries include a new Jerry Miculek signature series Model 625 revolver in .45 ACP. It has a narrow trigger, wood grip and 4-inch barrel. Also in .45 ACP are four new variations of its Model 1911, including one Doug Koenig signature model. Two of these guns are fitted with Crimson Trace Laser Grips, and have Scandium frames.
A new Model 60 J-frame revolver has a 5-inch barrel and adjustable sights, while two other J-frames, the Model 432 in .32 H&R Magnum, and the Model 637, an alloy-frame gun in .38 Special, have Crimson Trace LaserGrips. Both have 2-inch barrels.
Replacing the K-frame Models 65 and 66 respectively are the new L-frame Models 619 and 620 with two-piece barrel designs made from stainless steel.
Word has it Smith will unveil a couple of new .41 Magnums—one a Mountain Gun—and a big X-frame revolver in .44 Magnum, a bit later in the spring.
Kimber (1 Lawton St., Dept. GWK, Yonkers, NY 10705; phone: 888-243-4522; on-line: www.kimberamerica.com) is launching several new models, in .45 ACP, 9mm, .38 Super and 10mm, plus a new conversion unit in .17 Mach 2. The Warrior is a commercial version of the pistol adopted by a special US Marine Corps unit, with an internal extractor, KimPro black matte finish, light rail, tritium night sights, ambidextrous safety, lanyard ring and extended magazine bumper.
The 9mm Tactical Pro II has all standard features of the Tactical series including a 4-inch match-grade bull barrel with full-length recoil spring guide rod, an aluminum frame with front strap checkering, and extended and beveled magazine well. It also has a match grade trigger, two tone matte finish and night sights.
Kimber’s Stainless TLE/RL II in .45 ACP is nearly identical to the blued pistol adopted by the Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT team, with an integral sight rail. The smaller Pro TLE/RL II Pro Carry version has a 4-inch bushingless barrel.
Kimber has a new conversion unit for .17 Mach 2 with 5-inch barrel that will fit standard 1911 pistols. There’s also a complete pistol, the Rimfire Target 17 Mach II, with adjustable sights.
More new 1911-style pistols are coming from Dan Wesson (5169 Route 12 South, Dept. GWK, Norwich, NY 13815; phone: 607-336-1174; on-line: www.dan-wessonfirearms.com). Built on a Commander-size frame, the new stainless PT-CBOB joins the Patriot series. It has a 4.25-inch match-grade barrel, external extractor, and fixed night sights including an XS Express front sight. It is available with a bobbed mainspring housing from Ed Brown.
The full-size PM7-S (Pointman Major Seven) is a competition-class pistol with 5-inch match-grade barrel, Bo-Mar style adjustable rear sight and dovetail front target sight, Commander-style hammer, beavertail grip safety, beveled magazine well, match grade trigger, extended thumb safety, lowered and relieved ejection port and exotic wood grips.
With a stainless steel Officer’s frame mated to the 4.25-inch slide and barrel PTM-CCO is another Patriot series addition. It wears XS Express 24/7 night sights, and has a match-grade barrel, beavertail grip safety, checkered wood grip and Commander-style hammer.
Sigarms (Exeter Corporate Park, Dept. GWK, Exeter, NH 03833; phone: 603-772-2302; on-line: www.sigarms.com) is putting more emphasis this year on the double-action models that have been winning government contracts, namely the P226R-DAK pistol, chambered in either 9mm, .357 SIG or .40 S&W. Featuring a Picatinny rail and either a Nitron or two-tone finish, it has a 10-round magazine. The similar Model P229R-DAK, also chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG and .40 S&W has a 6.5-pound double-action only trigger pull, a Picatinny rail, and Nitron or two-tone finish. This pistol also comes with a 10-round magazine.
For the IPSC crowd comes the stainless P226 X-Five, a target grade pistol in 9mm or .40 S&W. It has a 5-inch barrel, adjustable rear sight, extended and beveled magazine funnel, extended frame, wide, extended beavertail, adjustable trigger with short stroke, ambidextrous safety, grooved front strap and wood grip panels.
The new Px4 Storm semi-auto from Beretta (17601 Beretta Dr., Dept. GWK, Accokeek, MD 20607; phone: 301-283-2191; on-line: www.berettausa.com) is designed around a modular platform. It has a polymer frame with interchangeable back straps and reversible magazine release buttons in three different sizes, and a captive recoil spring assembly with integrated buffer.
Chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W, it has a 4-inch barrel, luminous three-dot sights, safety/decocker, an accessory lanyard stud and a Picatinny type rail on the front of the frame. In 9mm it comes with two 17-round magazines, and in .40-caliber, with two 14-round magazines.
Colt’s (PO Box 1868, Dept. GWK, Hartford, CT 06114; phone: 860-236-6311; on-line: www.colt.com) new Special Combat Government Series pistols are available in a two-tone or hard chrome finish. Chambered in either .45 ACP or .38 Super, they feature a skeletonized trigger, ambidextrous thumb safety, steel checkered mainspring housing, Smith & Alexander grip safety and magazine guide, a Colt Custom Shop tuned action, extended thumb safety, a Bomar dovetail rear sight and Heinie dovetail front sight, and Commander hammer.
There are new additions in Colt’s Defender XSE series, with three-dot carry sights, including a ramp rear, in the Government, Commander and Lightweight Commander versions.
Lastly, Colt is adding a .38 Super chambering to the Gunsite Series, and the same chambering in a 1991 series Commander.
The new Buck Mark Hunter from Browning (One Browning Pl., Dept. GWK, Morgan, UT 84050; phone: 801-876-2711; on-line: www.browning.com) is chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It is designed with a heavy, round 7.5-inch barrel, with an integral scope base. It features Browning’s Pro Target rear adjustable sight and TruGlo/Marble front sight.
Springfield’s (420 West Main St., Dept. GWK, Geneseo, IL 61254; phone: 800-680-6866; on-line: www.springfieldarmory.com) new XD model is chambered this year in .45 GAP. The company will also be delivering its subcompact XD models with a 15-round magazine for guns in 9mm and 12-round spare magazine for those chambered in .40 S&W. The magazines will have a sleeve around the bottom that mates with the bottom of the compact grip frame.
Springfield is also introducing a Defender in .45 GAP with a 3-inch barrel. Also chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W, the pistol features Novak night sights and a beavertail grip safety. There are also two high-capacity versions of the GI .45 with Parkerized finish, and the stainless steel Trophy Match in .40 S&W. The .45 will hold a 13-round magazine, while the .40-caliber comes with a 15-round magazine.
The big news from Para Ordnance (980 Tapscott Rd., Dept. GWK, Toronto, Ontario MIX 1C3; phone: 416-297-7855; on-line: www.paraord.com) is the arrival of its all-black Stealth Carry in .45 ACP. It has a non-reflective finish of Para Kote over the stainless steel slide and frame, and black polymer grip panels. Weighing 30 ounces empty, the Stealth Carry is 6.5 inches long and 4.75 inches high, with a single-stack 6-round magazine, 3-inch ramped and coned barrel with guide rod, extended slide lock, beavertail grip safety and firing pin safety, Novak Extreme Duty adjustable rear sight, LDA (Light Double Action) trigger and a bobbed hammer.
Also from Para Ordnance is a stainless steel version of the LTC (Lt. Colonel), with a 4.25-inch ramped, coned barrel with guide rod. It has a 7-round magazine, Cocobolo stocks, competition hammer, and white Low-Mount three-dot fixed sights, plus the Canadian company’s exclusive Power Extractor. The Hi-Cap LTC has a 14-round double-column magazine and a green finish on the slide and frame with black fire controls. Made from stainless steel, it has three-dot Low-Mount fixed sights.
The new Colonel LDA high capacity model has a 14-round magazine, 4.25-inch barrel, white Low Mount three dot fixed sights, competition hammer, and black polymer stocks.
Para’s new Para OPS pistol has a 3.5-inch barrel, match-grade trigger, three-dot fixed Low Mount sights, Cocobolo stocks, bobbed beavertail and low-profile slide lock.
From Charles Daly (PO Box 6625, Dept. GWK, Harrisburg, PA 17112; phone: 717-540-8518; on-line: www.kbi-inc.com) comes a new steel-frame Model 1911, and pistols in the shorter Commander and Officer’s Model sizes. The choices include high-cap models chambered in .45 ACP and .38 Super, plus one model in .40 S&W. Additionally, KBI is also debuting a couple of double-action ZDA models featuring loaded chamber indicators and a low-round indicator. There is one in .40 S&W and the other in 9mm.
ADCO Sales (4 Draper St., Dept. GWK, Woburn, MA 01801; phone: 800-775-3687; on-line: www.adcosales.com) is importing a new CZ-style double-action pistol created by Sarsilmaz and Bernardelli that is chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W. Featuring a hammer-forged upper, the polymer-framed pistol can be converted from one caliber to the other with a change of slide, barrel and magazine.
Cowboys will warm up to the new Schofield and Remington reproductions from Uberti (17603 Indian Head Hwy., Dept. GWK, Accokeek, MD 20607; phone: 301-283-2981; on-line: www.benelli-usa.com) now being imported by Benelli. Selections include top-break Schofields in 1st and 2nd Russian models, plus the single-action Remington 1875 Army Outlaw in .45 Colt and the 1890 Police in .45 Colt or .357 Magnum.
North American Arms (2150 South 950 East, Dept. GWK, Provo, UT 84606; phone: 801-374-9990; on-line: www.naa-minis.com) will now offer their tiny rimfire revolvers in .17-caliber. The tiny wheelguns that have traditionally been chambered in .22 Long Rifle are now available in .17 Mach 2, while revolvers previously chambered for .22 Magnum now also chambered for the .17 HMR.
European American Armory (PO Box 1299, Dept. GWK, Sharpes, FL 32959; phone: 321-639-4842; on-line: www.eaa-corp.com) will revamp the Witness pistol series this year. New models feature polymer fames with integral rails. EAA is also offering its pistols with full-capacity magazines for the first time in a decade. The Witness P (Polymer) full-size and Witness P compact are chambered only in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP, while the Witness P Carry is chambered in 10mm and .45 ACP.
For handgun hunters, the new Thor is a large single-shot pistol with a Model 1911-type frame, topped by a single-shot barrel. It has an integral rail mount for scope rings, an exposed hammer and both thumb and grip safeties.
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