Shari’s SHOT Show Roundup
Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 12:14 PMBy Shari Spivack
Springfield XD-S .45ACP Handgun
AmmoLand Gun News
Las Vegas, NV --(Ammoland.com)- Four days at SHOT Show 2012 in Vegas was hardly enough time to see every one of the thousands of exhibitor booths on the show floor.
I was able to peruse a good amount of the products however, and this is a quick round up of my top picks.
Handgunner Backpack
It seems like I am forever in search of the perfect range bag which I am convinced does not exist. I currently use a combination of two small, very average range bags that are manageable to carry but require two trips from the car and have a small number of deep pockets where keys, safety flags and earplugs seem to go missing on a regular basis. When I saw the new shooting backpack in the G.P.S. Wild About Shooting line displayed in the new product area at SHOT Show, I knew right away it was worth a closer look.
Called the “Handgunner Backpack”, the bag has a large front pocket on the lower portion that zips open to reveal a four handgun foam storage cradle that removes for cleaning or to simply transfer to a gun safe after the range visit. The cradle holds small to medium handguns in a vertical position by the trigger guard. The pocket is reinforced to protect your handguns and the top of the compartment is also reinforced to hold ammunition and keep it from sagging into the lower area that holds the storage cradle.
Each of the side and top pockets are labeled with pictures to indicate what items are stored in them. GPS calls it their Visual ID Storage System. Pocket identifiers include eyes, ears, keys,binoculars, targets, staple gun… you… get the idea. Everything is easily accessible and has a place. The bag will be available in black only and easily sits on the back for quick transport on a range trip. A rain cover is also provided to protect the bag if you get caught in a downpour.
As time at the range is precious, I like my range bag to be orderly. I don’t want to spend time looking for my staple gun when the wind starts blowing. This bag fits the bill and it also is a free standing platform to work from on your bench.
The Handgunner will retail for $119.99 and be available in the Spring. (www.goutdoorsproducts.com)
Springfield XD-S .45ACP Handgun
I was fortunate to have the chance to try out some of the new products at Range Day as well before the Show started. There were so many fantastic guns to see but at my last stop I fired the XD-S at Springfield Armory’s tent. The next two items on my personal wish list are a small, concealable firearm, as well as a .45 caliber pistol. The XD-S is a slim, single stack frame pistolin .45 ACP which may just fit the bill for both of these items.
The XD-S is a polymer frame, striker fired gun and is the smallest pistol available in the Springfield Armory XD family. It includes many of the features of the XD. A compact pistol is essential for someone with my petite build to conceal, but small pistols can be painful on the hands to shoot. The small frame of the XD-S fit my hand well and was fairly comfortable to shoot.
Some of the statistics on the XD-S: Overall width 1”,overall length 6.3”, overall height with magazine 4.4”, 5 +1 rounds, and it weighs in at 29 ounces. A few of the other features include a picatinny rail system to accept lights, lasers etc,two interchangeable backstraps for customizing your grip and easy disassembly as with the XD. If you are in the market for a concealable pistol with these specifications, it is worth a look.
There are plans for a model in 9mm to be available in the summer. (www.springfieldarmory.com)
Sun Devil Colored AR15 Uppers & Lowers
As a person who enjoys building AR15s, one of my personal show favorites were the colorful matching flat top upper and lower receivers by Sun Devil Mfg. Not a new product, but the first time I had seen them and they are quite striking in person. The hard anodized finish comes either in satin black or colors that are so deep and true that that it adds an almost classy look to your AR15 even in the bright pink. I would definitely consider the deep blue to add some fun to my AR without getting into brightly colored plastic furniture.
See their website for pricing and other details www.sundevilmfg.com.
Sticky Holsters
It is difficult to stop here, as there were so many great choices depending on what you were looking for. I was hoping to find some new accessories and gear for women, but unfortunately I found nothing particularly new or interesting. And my search for a holster that works well with female clothing and a petite frame brought me up empty again. Sticky Holsters is a possibility to try out,the female representative at the booth said she carried comfortably for three days wearing a skirt on a show floor (not at SHOT Show), and that is a good endorsement.
The holster works with compression and sits inside the waistband or pocket. www.stickyholsters.com
As usual almost all the products for women included pink earmuffs and shooting glasses and pink camouflage clothing. I did try out the Mini Ztek shooting glasses by Pyramex and they were very comfortable. I wear Smith and Wesson youth glasses and if you have a small face or need glasses for a child, the Mini Zteks are a good fit and have soft, non-slip rubber tips over the ears and they come in several colors as well. The representative in the booth said they are having a particularly hard time keeping the pink color in stock.
Of special note in the clothing department is Prois hunting clothing for women. Prois makes very attractive and quality clothing and many of the styles come in smaller sizes as well. They also have a few shooting shirts in their product line. (www.proishunting.com)
As a big Under Armour fan, I had to make a stop by their booth. I am not a hunter, but the selections from UA almost made me want to be. Although almost everything displayed was in a camouflage pattern (it is hunting clothing after all), the clothing fit the company’s image of good looking, comfortable sport wear, particularly my favorite, the hats.
About Shari Spivack;
I am a wife, mother and firearms instructor who has my own passion for shooting, teaching and continuing to educate myself with all types of firearms in a safe and responsible manner. It is always my pleasure to talk to other women gun owners – please feel free to email me at Shari@shootstraightnj.com
