2009 SHOT Show Report:
Guns, ammo, dry boxes, batteries, lights
and everything in between
by John C. Krull
Gun Week Production Manager

Every new year starts off with the expectation and preparations of attending that year’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Shot. This year SHOT was held in Orlando, FL, and NSSF, the owner of the trade show, says that attendance was up from the last time that the show was held in Orlando.

Next year, to the delight of exhibitors and attendees alike, the show is moving back to Las Vegas for several consecutive years. The 2010 show will be held at the Sands Convention Center, Jan. 19-22.

Here now are some of the products that I saw while in Orlando.

Everyone has heard of and seen the Energizer bunny on TV, the one that keeps going and going. For the last two years now I have visited with Nicky Roberts at the Energizer Holdings Inc. (533 Maryville University Dr., Dept. GWK, St. Louis, MO 63141; phone: 314-985-2000; online: energizer.com) booth, and each year she has shown me new and to me exciting batteries and products. It often seems to be the typical line from the advertising people to say that they are excited about this or that product. It is hard for me to really get excited about one, but the new Lithium batteries from Energizer are exciting to me.

Most of us are familiar with the CR123 Lithium batteries used by the new breed of high-intensity flashlights. While these batteries are very costly they have a shelf life of up to 10 years. What I have been looking for and are now produced by Energizer are Lithium AA and AAA batteries. Energizer has two categories of Lithium batteries. Each supplies more power for a longer period of time than the AA and AAA batteries that we have been using for years. The Advanced Lithium will last four times longer, and weigh 33% less, than ordinary alkaline battery, and they will perform in temperatures between 40 and 140 F degrees. They can be stored for 10 years. Great for your survival bag. The only negative thing that I can say about them is that they are expensive, having a suggested retail price of $7.99 for a four pack. That works out to $2 per battery. While this is a drawback, I think the advantages outweigh there cost.

The Ultimate Lithium is Energizer’s second lithium battery. This version has greater features than the Advanced. These will last for up to 8 times longer than alkaline batteries while still being 33% lighter in weight. They operate in the same temperature range as the Advanced but will last for up to 15 years in storage. Their price is $9.99 for a 4-pack. So price wise I think you are better off going this way. Either of the aforementioned Lithium batteries can be used in an flashlight or other item where you have been using alkaline batteries. The AAs, for example, can be used for longer life in any item rated for AA alkaline batteries. So far, the only place I have seen them for sale has been at a BJ’s Club, but Walgreen’s, Target and Best Buy are supposed to have them also.

While on Energizer I also want to mention their Hard Case Professional Headlight. I already own a couple of headlights which I have come to find indispensable. There are certain jobs you need to do in the dark that you need both your hands and a headlight puts the light where you need it. This light has a strap that not only goes around your head but another that goes over your head. The lights are LED for long service. It works on 4 alkaline or Lithium AA batteries and has a retail price tag of between $35 and $40. Try one; you will like it.

I’ve been looking for a .308 rifle for myself. Since I have always been satisfied with my Remington (870 Remington Dr., Dept. GWK, Madison, NC 27025; phone: 800-243-9700; online: Remington.com) Model 700s chambered for .30-06 and .17 Remington, it seemed natural to visit Remington’s booth to take a look at their Model 700 in .308 Winchester. What I saw there was much better than I would ever have expected.

New for this year is a Model 700 VTR in .17 Remington Fireball and in .243 Win. The VTR stands for varmint, target rifle. This is a really good-looking gun. It first came on the market in 2008 in .223 and .308. This rifle has a triangular, contoured, target-grade barrel, which reduces weight, enhances rigidity and promotes rapid heat dissipation. The barrel is 22-inches in length. The muzzle has an integral muzzle brake that is machined-in during production.

For optimal accuracy, it is fitted with the new Remington X-Mark Pro Adjustable trigger. This allows for consistent 3˚ pound trigger pulls set directly from the factory. The trigger can be externally adjusted within a range of 3 to 5 pounds with the tool that’s included.

The Model 700 VTR barreled action is mated to a newly designed, synthetic stock with vented beavertail forend and black overmolded grip areas. This unique stock design is another exclusive feature available only on the VTR. The rifle weighs about 7.5 pounds with an overall length of 41-5/8 inches. This rifle fills all the requirements that I have had for a varmint, tactical, target grade rifle. I hope to be testing one this Summer. The retail price of the VTR is between $825 and $872.

MTM Case-Gard (MTM Molded Products Company, 3370 Obco Ct., Dept. GWK, Dayton, OH 45414; phone: 800-543-0548; online: mtmcase-gard.com) has been producing outstanding molded plastic products for us shooters since 1968. I often wonder what shooters kept their stuff in before MTM came along!

They have several new products for 2009. The one that caught my attention first was their new Survivor Dry Boxes. Presently, I use several of the different dry boxes offered by MTM. The Survivor Dry Boxes come in two sizes—10x7x3 inches and 10x7x5 inches. These all-weather carrying cases offer excellent protection from extreme conditions for gear such as cell phones, cameras, ammo, GPSs, wallets and any thing else you don’t want damaged by the elements. Extra features that you would not expect are a built-in compass and a signaling mirror. They have three latches—one each on the non-hinged sides—with the MTM O-Ring seal. They will even float and can be locked with a padlock. They are priced at $8.99 and $11.99, respectively.

For you .50 caliber shooters, MTM has introduced a 10-round Slip-Top Ammo Box. These boxes cradle the round of ammo at the shoulder not on the bullet. They will accommodate .50 BMG, .50 DTC, .460 Steyr, HS .460, and .416 Barrett caliber rounds. The retail price of the box is $4.50 each.

Birchwood Casey (7900 Fuller Rd., Dept. GWK, Eden Prairie, MN 55344; phone: 800-328-6156; online: birch-woodcasey.com) is offering some exciting new choices in their Shoot-N-C® line of targets. They have added four new styles of Shoot-N-C targets to their lineup for 2009.

The new Shoot-N-C 8-inch Laser target comes with 8˚-inch highly reflective Laser Spots™ with an adhesive backing to attach to the bullseye. The Laser Spot reflects light back to the shooter creating a highly visible aiming point. They are great for shooters using laser sights. Hits outside the bullseye are easily seen by the halo left around the bullet hole in the face of the target.

The Shoot-N-C “X” targets feature a crosshair design overlayed on the face of the target that simulates the crosshairs on a scope, making it easy to sight in on the bullseye. The targets are available in 8- and 12-inch sizes with extra pasters to match the aiming point.

Birchwood Casey also has a new Shoot-N-C Crow target for challenging and fun shooting games. It features a 3-inch bullseye centered on the target for people who want to keep score. All Shoot-N-C targets leave a bright chartreuse ring around bullet holes, making it easy to see your hits without the need for a spotting scope or binoculars.

The suggested retail price for the Shoot-N-C 8-inch Laser target is $8.80. The Shoot-N-C “X” 8-inch targets sell for $7.30 (6 targets, 24 pasters) and the 12-inch target sells for $12.20 (5 targets, 120 pasters). The suggested retail price for the Shoot-N-C Crow target is $7.80 for a 12-pack.

Birchwood Casey’s also has a new Perma Fin™ air cure gun finish kit. The Perma Fin is a revolutionary new finish that allows shooters to easily refurbish the metal on their firearms. Perma Fin is a single component, water-based polyurethane resin liquid that provides excellent adhesion to not only metal firearm surfaces, but to plastic and rubber as well. It can be applied with an air brush or a fine paint brush to provide a durable, long lasting black satin finish.

Perma Fin air cures, so no heating or baking of parts is required. There is no mixing of components, no harsh chemicals, and because it is water based, clean up is simple and easy.

It is available as a kit with an air brush, 1 pair of vinyl gloves, 1 abrasive sanding pad and two 3-ounce bottles of Perma Fin, or in individual 3 ounce bottles. The retail price for the kit is $64.40 and $16.10 for a 3-ounce bottle.

And, finally, Birchwood Casey’s new Sharpshooter™ targets offer shooters a host of different challenging options for target practice or shooting games. Sharpshooter targets are constructed of tough corrugated plastic that will stand up to the elements and plenty of rounds of shooting. Animal shaped targets include Crows and Prairie Chucks in a 7˚-inch size and a 24x48 inch Bear silhouette.

The Crow and Prairie Chuck models come with Shoot-N-C overlay targets and the Bear with two Shoot-N-C 12-inch crosshair targets and 48 repair pasters. Two 24-inch round Sharpshooter targets are also available in a Bulls Eye or Sight-In version. Both targets are great for long range shooting and can also be used in conjunction with any Birchwood Casey adhesive target.

Whether it is sighting in or just a fun day of plinking, Sharpshooter targets can help you hone your shooting skills. Crow and Prairie Chuck models sell for $8.80, the Bear silhouette sells for $13.90, and the round Sharpshooter targets sell for $6.50.

Winchester Ammunition (Div. Olin Corp., 427 N Shamrock St., Dept. GWK, East Alton, IL 62024; phone: 618-258-2365; online: Winchester.com) has often been an innovator in the ammunition field. As a result of increasing customer demand for lead-free products across the United States, Winchester will be offering three lightning-fast, lead-free rimfire bullets, chambered for both .22 Win. Mag and .22 LR this year. The Winchester Super-X® lead-free bullets are well-suited for practice and ideal for small game, varmint and pest control. They are designed for maximum expansion and they are extremely accurate. These products use a patented technology to achieve a totally lead-free bullet. These three bullets join Winchester’s wide selection of traditional lead projective rimfire products designed for precision target shooting, silhouettes, plinking, small-game, varmint hunting and pest control. The new Super-X .22 Win. Mag features: a muzzle velocity of 2,200 feet per second (fps) with a 28-grain JHP bullet. Rounds will be packaged 50 in a plastic pack.

The new Super-X .22 Long Rifle rounds will have a muzzle velocity of 1,650 fps, with a bullet weight of 30 grains in both the THP (tin hollow-point) and TRN (tin round nose). They also will be packaged 50 per plastic pack.

Shooters can thank Winchester for their foresight in producing such a round.

Browning (One Browning Place, Dept. GWK, Morgan, UT 84050; phone: 800-333-3288; online: Browning.com) has introduced an all new autoloader to the shotgun market—the Maxus—an event that was previously announced in Gun Week. I had the opportunity to shoot the Maxus the day before the SHOT Show started, along with a number of other gun writers. It was a joy to shoot and was not only accurate but did not abuse the shoulder as some shotguns do. I told Kevin Howard, media relations man for Browning, right away that I really needed one of them to do some shooting with and to do an article on.

This is what Browning has to say about the Maxus. It is a high performance, ultra-reliable autoloading shotgun. It delivers up to 18% less felt recoil for greater shooting comfort, with 44% less muzzle jump for more accurate follow-up shots. Plus it has a 19% faster bolt speed and 24% faster lock time than the nearest competitor.

Another feature of the Maxus is a turnkey magazine plug. This makes installing and removing a magazine plug as simple and quick with any vehicle key.

The Maxus has the Invector-plus choke tube system to produce consistent patterns. Also there is the magazine cut-off that allows you to easily unload the chamber to change loads without cycling a shell from the magazine. There are several other key features to the Maxus but we will talk about them when we do an article on the gun itself.

ThermaCell®, (100 Crosby Dr., Suite 102, Dept. GWK, Bedford, MA 01730; phone: 866-753-3837; online: thermacell.com) the only butane-operated mosquito repellent system is now also a cover scent. ThermaCell has added a new hunting-friendly cover scent to its mosquito repellent technology that not only creates a 15x15 foot zone of protection against mosquitoes and black flies, but also helps to disguise hunters from a deer’s best defense....its nose. Utilizing the same highly effective mosquito repellent as the original ThermaCell unscented mats, the new Earth Scent also emits the smell of musky dirt and decaying leaves—a convincing scent designed to mask human odors and linger continuously for up to four hours per mat.

Earth Scent mats work in all ThermaCell Mosquito Repellent products. The unit operates on a single butane cartridge, which heats a mat releasing allethrin, an insect repellent that is a synthetic copy of a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers. Each butane cartridge will operate the unit for 12 hours.

ThermaCELL has been evaluated and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safety and effectiveness. The ThermaCell Earth Scent mosquito repellent refill kit includes one butane cartridge, three Earth Scent mosquito repellent refill mats and has an MSRP of $6.99.

That is it for this year’s SHOT Shot report. There was lots more to see and lots more to report on which will be done in some of the other articles in this issue. And over the next few months we will be reporting in depth on these and many other products we saw at the 2009 SHOT Show. If you want to know more now, you can visit your favorite outdoor and firearms retailer. And when contacting any of the manufacturers to mentioned in this article, remember to tell them that John at Gun Week sent you.
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