Lyman’s got a new product that is designed to help you when shooting from a bench; it is called the Bag Jack. In simple terms, it is a scissor jack platform that can be used to raise your front bag rest. This allows you to get the perfect height for the rifle you are using regardless of how tall your bags are. If you’ve ever been at the range trying to get a bag rest at just the right elevation by using a second bag or backpack to stack the first on – well, I suspect you know what I’m talking about.

Ever had a gas key that came loose? I know I have, especially with some of the bargain prices bolt carrier groups that I have bought over the years. The Michiguns MOACKS Plain is designed to allow the home gunsmith the ability to stake the gas key screws properly without expensive machines. This particular BCG is an IWI that I purchased on closeout and hasn’t come loose yet, but it is a matter of time in my opinion.

Having gone through the Simunitions instructor program, I can attest to the fact that it Is some of the most realistic force on force training available to law enforcement and the military. Although at first glance the program may look like a more realistic version of paintball, the use of converted firearms and following  use of force guidelines make Simunitions a recognized training component of numerous agencies world wide.

Named as “A dramatic and wide-reaching change in conditions, attitudes, or operation”, Mark 7 Reloading has started showing their forthcoming Mark 7 Revolution reloading stand. Known for their Dillon 1050 and 650 electronic drives, the Revolution is Mark 7’s first foray into their own reloading machine, and it’s not a small jump. Mark 7 touts the machine can load up to 3,500 rounds in one hour.

When I first heard about the Vickers Tactical Mag Catch and Slide Stop I thought to myself, this is a solution looking for a problem. Many months later I gave in and bought both of them for my Glock 43 to see what all the fuss was about.

Marine Corps Times has reported that Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is in the process of evaluating a number of either picatinny mounted or scope integrated laser range finders to issue at the squad leader level in the infantry. The budget for the system is around $16 Million, with the overall goal to get 1,800 units to the Fleet by 2018, with full issue ending in 2021. The article mentioned that the price for such a unit could be $10,000, which is quite expensive for a rangefinder, but there is probably more to it in the contract details than what the article mentions.

TangoDown has developed a slim fit protective cover for the Trijicon Miniature Rifle Optic (MRO). Designed to take the impact of bumps and abrasions, the lightweight polyurethane cover comes in black or FDE but can be dipped or painted with most coverings. For $35, the iO cover is cheap insurance for your pricey optic.

Caldwell Shooting Supplies is releasing a universal handgun magazine loader that can take both double and single stack designs. It works via inserting a magazine into the holder, tightening a knob down, then inserting a round at a time into an opening, and squeezing a sort of trigger that presses the round into place while at the same time pushing down on the follower, allowing the round to seat in place, while making room for the next round. While the charger material is polymer, the handle is aluminum, allowing an easier loading experience. MSRP is $34.99, $10 less than the stated MSRP of $45. Scott F. covered this product at SHOT 2017 on Industry Day, but this is the first time the MSRP will be published along with the official press release with more detail on the product.

This image was captured by U.S. Army soldiers on post outside Mosul, Iraq and ran in Stripes. A seemingly very uninteresting image apart from the Drone Defender propped up against the concrete wall. Due to Daesh’s increasingly lethal use of drones not just for surveillance/forward observation capabilities but also dropping lethal payloads on Iraqi forces, it appears the the U.S. Army has taken this threat very seriously and is deploying purchased Drone Defenders, mounted on an AR lower receiver. I suspect that warfare is slowly going to take a huge step in the drone direction, not just for conventional usage, but also with irregular asymmetrical usage by such terrorist and insurgent groups worldwide. This is mostly due to the ease of purchase and manufacturing of drones, which also ties into the world wide proliferation of cheaper and higher quality electronic equipment. Daesh’s use of drones would have been unheard of among previous insurgent groups a decade ago, but not it is of enough concern that the U.S. Army is employing these Drone Defenders among soldiers standing post.

Hoppe’s #9 has been a benchmark gun cleaning formula for decades. Now they are attempting to garner attention from the exploding AR-15 market. Their new Hoppe’s Black is formulated to lubricate, protect, and clean your modern sporting rifles in the most extreme conditions imaginable.

Hoppe’s #9 has been a benchmark gun cleaning formula for decades. Now they are attempting to garner attention from the exploding AR-15 market. Their new Hoppe’s Black is formulated to lubricate, protect, and clean your modern sporting rifles in the most extreme conditions imaginable.

The P3 Racker is a new product that was specifically designed for those with disabilities or the elderly, persons who might otherwise not have sufficient hand strength to functionally rack the slide on a semi-automatic handgun. Although I cannot see this tool being used in a self-defense situation, this allows for those who still want to enjoy a handgun collection at the range, without having to jeopardize any safety aspect, or overexerting when using the handgun.

Hoppe’s #9 has been a benchmark gun cleaning formula for decades. Now they are attempting to garner attention from the exploding AR-15 market. Their new Hoppe’s Black is formulated to lubricate, protect, and clean your modern sporting rifles in the most extreme conditions imaginable.

Strike Industries has released a sneak peak of a product on the companies social media page, detailing the unveiling of the companies latest product, a picatinny mounted weapon retention system. Essentially the system mounts to the picatinny rail of a carbine, rifle, or ever submachine gun, and is ‘fed’ into a sort of “V”-shaped wedge. Here it can be locked into position so it doesn’t come out, or it can be left to rest at the bottom of the “V”, without being locked but also very accessible. For now the system is MOLLE compatible, but I’m sure if it is met with success, it could be expanded to other mounting systems, such as on a belt, or even an interior vehicle mounting surface somehow. Strike didn’t have the product on hand during SHOT, as I assume the company probably didn’t have production versions ready to go yet and thus didn’t want to show a product that they weren’t going to fully introduce yet.

Picatinny Arsenal is currently conducting trials and experiments on a prototype system named the “Ballistically Optimized Sniper Scope” (BOSS). Essentially it is the Army’s entry into what Barrett has been accomplishing with the BORS for a number of years, or a number of similar digitally optimized and guided scopes that many precision rifle/scope companies in the industry are pushing for. The Army’s variant appears to be attached to a Leupold Mark 4 6.5–20×50mm ER/T M5A2 (standard issue for the Remington XM 2010, pictured is a KAC M110 instead).

If you want to run your Heckler & Koch rifle with original accessories only here’s your chance.

Gladius makes custom kydex holsters. One of their latest holster designs is for use with a bullet proof vest.

As Hornady continues to slowly grow their offerings of the ELD-X and ELD Match they are trimming down the A-MAX. The A-MAX for many years proved to be a great bullet for reloaders. Where the A-MAX may have fell short over time is in its polymer tip. Both the ELD-X (Extremely Low Drag – eXpanding) and ELD (Extremely Low Drag) Match employ what Hornady calls a “Heat Shield Tip.” It is meant to resist deforming, or basically melting, while in flight. The A-MAX is a good bullet in its own right, but does not have this new technology.

Rifles Only had some neat products on display during the 2017 SHOT Show. Rifles Only, based out of Kingsville Texas, is a  training facility that offers long range rifle shooting and training. Aside from long range shooting, Rifles Only also offers classes for carbine, long range hunting, high angle shooting, high risk protection detail, field craft, pistol, instructor education, as well as helicopter assault training.

Bad Company Tactical has had one of the more unique products that I’ve seen over these past two shows. When it comes to having something that would actually be extremely useful and not some tactical gimmick like the Tac Sac or the Picatinny rail compensator.

Alan of Battle Comp posted this online. I found it amusing. It looks to be made by CustomGunRails.com.

Stupid gun laws develop new solutions, and there seems to be no limits on either.

Illinois based Manticore Arms has ruffled up some feathers again by introducing CZ Scorpion EVO magazines, both translucent but in clear and “Smoke Tint” polymer colors. Both are $29.95 and will be available by late February or March of this year through Prepper Gun Shop’s online base. Feed lips are metal, and are within the polymer bodies. Capacity is 32 rounds, with round markers along the side of the magazines at 12,22, and 32 respectively. They can be easily disassembled via a floor plate at the bottom of the magazine. The magazines also count for 922r compliance, so that frees up room to add more parts or retain foreign parts for the actual EVO firearm. The magazines have also been tested in both semi-automatic and fully automatic modes for functionality.

Tacoma based Rite in the Rain has made a name for themselves with their extremely durable outdoor waterproof line of notebooks and paper. This year the company is delving into shooting targets with the same durability that the company has been known for. In fact, the company set up a water display where water was actually dripping on the targets throughout SHOT. Currently the company offers a number of target formats, pictured below are specific self defense formats and U.S. Army qualification targets. The qualification ones even have handy measurements for zero and shot placement reference measurements printed on them and behind them. There are other target formats available, just not for display at SHOT.

DragonTail is a firearms cleaning company out of Minnesota that has been bringing cleaning products to market since 2014. They are an alternative to the extremely popular Boresnake currently put out by Hoppe’s. The Boresnake is probably one of those products that will have very far reaching effects many years from now because of the pure simplicity it has brought to readily cleaning barrels. It doesn’t do as good a job as several patches running through a barrel, but it certainly bridges the gap between nothing and those patches you might have left at home.

Ascendance International is an interesting company. They make a unique handguard system made of Entherm. Entherm is their made up name for the thermoplastic material that they make their handguards out of. The material has great thermal mitigation properties. They had a gun equipped with one of their handguards out at Range Day and it went through 10,000 rounds of full auto fire and the handguard did not get hot enough to prevent shooter’s from holding it.

D.I Optical is a South Korean company that has dealt mainly in optics mounts to heavy machine guns such as the .50 BMG M2, and automatic grenade launchers such as the 40x46mm High Velocity Mk.19. Recently at SHOT the company unveiled their new DILAD02, a laser aiming module with very similar dimensions to a PEQ15, but at more than half the price with a suggested retail price of $550. The device comes with a picatinny mount and has visible and IR laser capabilities. Body is made from 6061-T6 aluminum and it is waterproof to three meters, weighing 8.8 ounces. It takes one CR123A lithium ion battery, inserted into the forward section, alongside the firing port. Controls are from the rear, while calibrations are made by two dials along the side that utilize a sort of Aimpoint cap type system with the two exposed dots. The system can be activated by a press button on top, or can have a pressure switch plugged in from the rear. Battery life is listed as up to 10 continuous hours on a 20 mW setting, while 35 continuous hours on the 5 mW setting.

When it comes to armor for your body, vehicle, or more special purposes, Angel Armor likely has not what you want, but rather what you need! They specialize in law enforcement and civilian protective armor ranging from preventing stab attacks to centerfire rifle cartridges. At SHOT Show 2017, Angel Armor showcased multiple products marketing to everyone from school children to high level law enforcement.

Armatac makes a dual drum magazine. At first glance one might think of a Beta C-Mag. However, that is as far as the similarities lie. The Armatac drum holds 150 rounds of 5.56. It is compatible with .300 blackout. The length of the ammo is crucial. 2.260 is the maximum length the ammo can be otherwise it will cause the drum to malfunction. Due to the method that the drum feeds ammo, it can work with full-length blanks. According to the representative, the Armatac drum does not need any form of lubrication like other drums.

Badger Ordnance has been a very innovative precision rifle accessory company for some decades now (this year the 35th anniversary). The companies products have been used in competition and in Military/LE circles for almost just as long.