Victor Company has been around since 2010.  In that time they have been big supporters of precision rifle events, sponsoring numerous Snipers Hide Cups and Competition Dynamics events.  The owner, Michael Victor, is himself an avid long-range shooter and competitor.  So it makes sense that the products coming out of Victor Company are designed to meet a need for the end-user not just make a buck.

Some people say that in the US, the time of AKs is over – most good import lefts the shores. But I think it is in US companies that we must place our hope. Some say that US AK manufacturers are failing, they are weak and only seeking riches, not even trying to make a quaility product. But looking at some companies from the SHOT SHOW 2019, I would have to disagree. One of those companies was  United Defense with their new line of Kalashnikov rifles – AK103 X1, X2 and X3.

Alien Gear has had their Shapeshift Modular Holster System out for some time now. In fact, our esteemed Editor in Chief, Tom, reviewed their ankle holster after using it for work for roughly 4 months with positive feedback. With the ability to seamlessly transition from Outside-the-Waistband (OWB) to Inside-the-Waistband (IWB) to Ankle and other positions of carry, it is no wonder why this is such a popular option from Alien Gear Holsters. While Alien Gear did not unveil a flurry of new holsters at SHOT Show 2019 they did bring us even more options through their Shapeshift Modular Holster System with a NEW Core Carry and Expansion Pack.

Rumors of the death of the integral silencer are greatly exaggerated. If you remember back about a year ago, TFB traveled down to Southern Virginia to visit TBA Suppressors, a manufacturer that prides itself in the production of magically quiet integrally suppressed weapons. I was impressed at the clean lines and performance of TBA’s Sicario Ruger MKIV. So much so that I decided to invest in one of my own this year – and regular readers of my reviews (if there are any) will note that I am very careful in the places I decide to spend my gun money.

While walking down in the basement of SHOT Show last Tuesday, I saw David Fillers of SDS Imports and he invited me to a special 9×39 event at Battlefield Vegas last Thursday. Since our resident 9×39 fan, Nathaniel F wasn’t at SHOT Show, I decided to go for him and I am glad I went. Piedmont Cartridge had a number of specially built guns chambered in 9×39.

At the Military and Law Enforcement section of the Heckler and Koch booth at SHOT Show 2019, there were a number of firearms rocking a new weapon laser with HK markings on them. Later I found out they are made by Brolis Photonics in collaboration with H&K. The Brolis M3 Laser is a European version of a PEQ or DBAL laser.

In this #SHOTShow episode of TFBTV, I talk with Kevin from Davidson’s. While you may be aware of Davidson’s being a huge distributor for firearms, what you may not know is about Gallery of Guns. The Gallery of Guns lets you purchase firearms, to include a bunch of Davidson’s Exclusives, directly through your local gun shop. They have exclusive offerings through Sig Sauer, Begara and Les Baer to name a few.

FN Herstal is upgrading their 509 lineup with the 9mm “Midsize” handgun. The Midsize was intended to be shorter in the grip with a shorter(16 round capacity) magazine allowing folks to carry it better while in an appendix mode of carry. This allows it to be more concealed while being covered by an overgarment.

Griffin Armament quietly announced a line of tubeless silencers at last week’s SHOT Show. Named the EXPLORR, the lightweight cans come in 300RUM, 6.5CM and .224, feature Griffins QD mounting system and sports a smaller footprint than other options. The Watertown, WI based company also released the 30-SDK as a ‘5.56mm-sized silencer with 30 caliber performance’. And even though they were introduced later last year, I finally got to lay hands on their new GLOCK barrels with the Minimalist Carry Compensator. The thread on device is like a thread protector with benefits.

Most readers have probably never heard of Capstone Precision Group, but if they are at all involved in precision shooting and reloading they have most certainly heard of the companies within the group.

At last year’s IWA 2018 I saw the TILO thermal sight. However the booth at IWA had non-working versions. But the form factor of the TILO thermal sight is ground breaking. Imagine something the size of a GoPro camera but it is a thermal sight.

While checking out the new lights at the Streamlight booth, their tan pistol light caught my eye. The TLR-VIR II is Streamlight’s take on an IR laser pistol light. They also have a laser integrated HLX weaponlight and a new shotgun weaponlight.

Taurus has brought their TX22 handgun to SHOT 2019 this year. It is a striker-fired, full-size handgun that is chambered in .22 LR. As the Taurus representative points out in the video, many .22 LR handguns are clones of or simply conversion kits of standard 9x19mm or .45 ACP handguns that have been converted. In this case, the Taurus handgun has been designed with the intent of optimizing the .22 LR cartridge in a handgun platform. Magazines have a capacity of 16 rounds, and barrels can be ordered that come threaded so users can mount suppressors if they want to.

The Steyr Monobloc was one of the things I was most excited to see at this year’s SHOT.  While I don’t feel that having a monolithic barrel and action will offer any great gains in accuracy, repeatability or reliability I do feel that Steyr is pushing the envelope forward.  JFK’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech comes to mind, “Not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”  And like going to the moon this one rifle will likely not be the pinnacle of this technology, but rather lead to other innovations in the future.  Even putting all that aside it is one elegant looking firearm.

Chiappa is adding a couple of new additions to the product line. First off is the advanced PPD finish on the Chiappa Rhino line. The finish was extremely eye-catching from all around those who walked by the booth. MSRP is $1500 right now and the Rhino in this configuration will be available in March of this year.

SureFire had a number of new lights on display at SHOT Show 2019. The XLV2 is probably the most interesting one. It is an all in one WML.

Magnetospeed, the makers of the magnetic field chronographs have come out with three new items at SHOT Show 2019. Their Riflekühl barrel cooler is for competition shooters and can help save time between shooting strings. Their U-Pod is an evolution of the Magnetospeed mono pod and now they have a smaller and more affordable target hit indicator targeted for closer range steel games.

In this episode of TFBTV’s SHOT Show 2019 coverage, James visits SCCY’s booth to see what they have new for SHOT 2019. Apparently, SCCY is introducing a new doublestack .380 CPX-3 that appears to compete with the new S&W M&P .380 in that it isn’t designed to be as small as possible, but instead, it’s made to be easy to control and shoot. Check it out.

Dead Air Armament is known for their small, but impressive portfolio of silencers and they were in attendance at SHOT Show 2019. While they did not have any new silencers for us at this show, they did unveil some new accessories. The most notable one was their New E BRAKE or blast diverter.

Beretta shotguns have been around for a while through the 1301 Tactical line, currently available in a number of finishes and configurations. But most recently Beretta partnered up with Aridus Industries out of Pennsylvania in order to bring to industry an upgraded version of the 1301 Tactical but with a number of upgrades to include some Magpul accessories.

When it comes to unwavering support of law enforcement, military and civilian shooters, the industry has no better friend than DSG Arms. Not only do they have a wide selection of guns and gear at excellent prices, but they also build a lot of products in house, turning from a dealer/distributor to a full-blown manufacturing complex in just a few years. Catching up with my friends this year, I was able to take a look at their latest version of the  DSG Arms Ranger Rack – a modular and customizable organization system that can be hard mounted or clipped into a vehicle for rapid deployment.

In the last few years,  Palmetto State Armory expanded its product line and and became one of the biggest AK manufacturers in the US. At the SHOT SHOW 2019 they presented a new line of Kalashnikov-pattern rifles under the name AK-E (Enhanced).

The Glock 19X was one of the big announcements at SHOT Show last year. In case you’ve been living under a 1911, the Glock 19X is essentially a Glock 17 frame with a Glock 19 slide. Whether you’re a fan of the new crossover Glock or not, they have been selling very well. If you’re someone who is into building 80% frames, good news! The folks over at the GlockStore just released their new Glock 19X 80% frame at SHOT Show 2019.

Lancer’s new L30 AIR (Aerial Interdiction Rifle) was designed for gunners from an aerial platform.  Chambered in both .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor, this rifle was designed with being lightweight for caliber as well as compact.  The upper receiver was developed with weight reduction in mind, and lacks a forward assist and dust cover.  Further weight reduction is achieved with the selection of Rubber City Armory’s Ti Bolt carrier group.  It’s skeletonized rail is compatible with most rail mounted brass catching or deflecting devices, a must when used from most helicopters.

I preach the gospel of hearing preservation through the use of silencers (and/or over-the-ear muffs) to all of our readers on a regular basis. Shameless plug: Catch TFB’s Silencer Saturday every, well, Saturday, here on the blog. But maybe we should be just as adamant about protecting our vision. A quality pair of sunglasses is a lot like picking out a top tier optic: when you find the right glass it’s almost mind blowing. Revision Outdoor, the sibling to Revision Military, was recently launched to bring advanced eyewear to hunters, shooters and outdoorsmen in styles that don’t scream law enforcement or military.

Are regular Kel-Tecs not elusive enough for you?  M-Carbo (Military Carbine Brotherhood) is now officially partnered up with Kel-Tec in the production of 1000 special edition SUB-2000’s.  These SUB-2000’s will come with a special quick-flip optic mount that accommodates for full folding of the SUB-2000.  Other upgrades include:

If you’ve done any sort of square-range MIL/LE firearms qualifications, you know that most courses of fire are geared towards weapons familiarization and liability control over teaching actual tactics. Punching static paper targets on the same range, quarter after quarter does little to prepare a shooter for adverse situations, let alone an actual battlefield. At Sig Sauer’s range day during last week’s SHOT Show, we were able to observe live fire drills against enemy units that would advance, retreat, wound and die like real adversaries. The creator, Marathon Targets, builds autonomous robotic target systems that communicate as a group based on realistic training scenarios.

In this episode of TFBTV’s SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range coverage, James talks to Quarter Circle 10 about their pistol caliber carbine AR15s, including the builder kits for them, and new comatibility with MP5 and SIG P226 mags.

On the Sunday before this year’s SHOT Show, TFB and TFBTV were invited to attend the Sig Sauer Range Day at the Clark County Shooting Complex about 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas. The complex itself was incredible, with bays that catered to every type of shooter imaginable. Sig had arranged for a type of ‘Opening Ceremony’ that was an awesome display of former special operations guys dropping in via parachute and assaulting a group of autonomous motorized targets. The MCX-outfitted unit was backed up by a team of former soldiers and law enforcement officer from the Sig Sauer academy. The sweet display of force lasted about 20 minutes followed by an analysis of the the guns, gear and tactics used by each of the operators.

It is hard to find an AK enthusiast who does not know about Zastava. Founded in 1853 in Serbia, to this day Zastava Arms remains to be one of the largest arms manufacturers in the region. For many years, several companies imported Zastava AK variants which became very popular in the US. But recently, just before the Shot Show, Zastava announced creation of Zastava Arms USA – exclusive importer and distributor of Zastava Arms products for the US market.