Industry day at the range at Shot Show 2024 was cool, damp, and slightly less crowded than I have seen before. It is a subjective judgement. I did not ask for attendance figures, and I did not count displays or people attending. There was plenty to see and numerous guns to shoot, silencers to listen to and innovative devices to consider. A knit cap over electronic ear muffs may not be stylish, but it is warm, and does a great job of preserving hearing capacity.
The Ruger eight-shot .22 Hornet Super Redhawk was very pleasant to shoot. Shooting at steel targets at relatively close range (which had already been hit multiple times) did nothing to demonstrate the capability of the revolver for long-range varmint control. The integral scope mounts make the revolver a natural for a pistol scope. This correspondent jokingly asked a person at the Ruger booth if the company was going to offer .22 LR inserts, as Smith & Wesson did for their .22 Jet revolver 50 or so years ago. I flippantly mentioned the possibility of it as a bear gun with full metal jacketed rounds.
It is a high-quality revolver. I am all for consumer choice and for satisfying markets. It is fun, well-made, and a hoot to shoot. It will be reported as a .22 or smaller caliber revolver, in the manufactures reports.
Another revolver this correspondent shot was the short-barreled, six-shot Kimber in .357 magnum, both with 125 grain magnum cartridges and a cylinder of .38 special. All shots were fired in double action. The .357 mag rounds stung the hand a little but were easy to shoot and control. I wouldn’t want to shoot hundreds of them. The .38 special rounds did not sting the hand at all. A stainless revolver was a good choice on a damp day. The action was smooth and easy to use. The red star on the right hand is an entrance stamp. The author broke protocol by removing the safety glasses for the photograph.
At the Kel-Tec booth, this correspondent shot a short-barreled rifle (SBR) version of the P50 in 5.7 mm. It was extremely easy to shoot. Quick hits on a 3/4 sized silhouette at 70 yards were simplicity itself. Compact, light, with a 50 round magazine, it is easy to see the defensive potential.
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Kel-Tec P50, R50 Magazine 50-Round 5.7x28mm | MidwayUSA | $ 29.99 $ 26.99 |
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Kel-Tec P50 Picatinny Adapter | MidwayUSA | $ 69.99 $ 62.99 |
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Kel-Tec P50 5.7x28mm FN Pistol 9.6" Barrel 50+1 Round Black | MidwayUSA | $ 791.99 |
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Kel-Tec Pistol Grip and AR-15 Stock Adapter with Collapsible Stock for Kel-Tec SU-16, SU-22 Black | MidwayUSA | $ 125.00 $ 112.50 |
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The Kel-Tec KSG410 was available as well. Light, easy to handle, compact, with the reliability of a pump action, it is an attractive package. The recoil was mild. After learning to shoot pump guns in my youth, the action was pretty simple. It might take some training to learn to switch the magazine tubes automatically.
The KS7 12 gauge bullpup wasn’t available. It is sometimes listed on sale at AmmoLand. Either the KSG or the KS7 could make a good Canadian wilderness gun. Both are considered unrestricted firearms in Canada.
The Ruger LCP Max was fun and pleasant to shoot. This correspondent expected more recoil. It wasn’t there. The LCP Max was an easy pistol to use and shoot. The circumstances made accuracy impossible to evaluate.
The Industry Day at the range was a good introduction to new products. There were far too many items available to mention in a single article. Dry Fire Mag has a new system to reset the trigger on semi-autos for dry firing practice. There is the option of a laser to show where you would have hit. Bill Thompson of Spartan Forge showed off his software, using the most sophisticated models, LIDAR data, GIS data sets, and GPS-collared whitetail deer studies to aid in hunting deer. I was impressed. Bollé Safety Glasses had a booth. The pair this correspondent used for half a year in 2023 were wonderful… until I misplaced them in Wisconsin while supervising an eight-year-old.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
