My son and I went with a buddy and his dad to the NRA show in Indy this morning. I got to see and handle a bunch of stuff that I've been curious about, and figured I'd share some observations.

Ruger/Marlin: They had the new 336 and 1894 (.44 Mag) there. Both were very nice. Both are still way expensive. I asked the rep if parts would be backwards compatible with my existing Marlin rifles, and he said they couldn't commit to that, and also stated that they likely won't be selling parts, which is disappointing. I also got to handle the SFAR which I think is a neat concept and felt like a pretty nice, well-executed rifle.

Beretta: the 92XI is a nice gun. The Manhurin revolvers do indeed have a spectacularly smooth and consistent DA trigger pull, although the SA doesn't have anything on a good Smith, IMO. The 1301 is nice, the A300 Patrol is also very nice, although the rep said it is made in Turkey, unlike my old A300 Outlander that says "Made in USA" on the side of the receiver. He said the 1301 is assembled in the US with many of the parts imported from Italy. The PX4 is still interesting to me, but the controls are sharp and difficult to actuate, and the grip texture doesn't lend itself to a secure hold.

H&K: Finally got to play with an LEM trigger. It's not bad, but still doesn't compete with a Beretta or Sig. The H&K DA trigger is atrocious. The P30 grip still feels very nice in the hand, but not good enough to make up for that goshawful trigger. I don't see the point in one of these over the competition, especially at the price premium.

Henry: Their center-fire leverguns are nice. The Homesteader didn't really endear itself to me...awkward and heavy with stiff controls. Their new revolver line felt like Charter Arms junk and is appalling considering the pricepoint.

Springfield Armory: Their booth was huge and well set up. They had every option imaginable available from their catalog. The Prodigy is nice. It is smooth and feels very good in the hand. I really like the balance of the shorter one. I kind of want one. So does my son. I also got to spend some time with a few M1As. I've wanted one for years, but haven't really put hands on one to look it over. The stock fit on some of them was quite bad, and the bolt on every single one had a ton of slop and bounced back and forth when cycling the action. Neither of my Garands do this, and neither did the M14s we used to have at work. I'm kind of over wanting one now...which may have saved me money, or cost me more because now I'm going to look at more expensive options. The Helion is a goofy awkward thing...I didn't want one before, now I really don't.

Holosun: This was my first chance playing with an SCS. I like the small footprint and found it to be easy to present and acquire. He said they had no plans to do anything for the Beretta RDO platform, though.

Aimpoint: Also my first time playing with the Acro P2. I like the idea of closed emitter...I don't love the bulk on top of the slide.

Sig: Got to hold an X-Ten for the first time. Felt good in the hand, but still too big. Their booth was huge and slammed...didn't get a chance to ask if there were plans for a compact. The Romeo2 is nice, and I think I prefer it to the Acro.

Rock Island: Had a really awkward conversation with a pushy sales guy who tried to get me to pose for a picture with a crappy AR-style shotgun with a giant magazine (which he called a "clip"). I was not interested and managed to politely decline.

YHM: I got to handle a Phantom .22 for the first time. Mine has been in ATF jail for about 4 months now, and it wasn't in stock at my LGS and had to be ordered in so I've never seen it. I was really impressed by the light weight and build quality...I'm even more impatient to get mine now.

VZ Grips: They had a great booth and it was cool to put hands on the actual products and feel the different textures and contours. The sales guy was sincere and helpful, and I will likely be buying some product from them for my 1911s and Berettas.

Langdon Tactical: This was probably the highlight of the whole show. The staff were very laid back and good to talk to. I asked about optic mount solutions for the factory 92X and the guy took me over and showed me a couple of guns, and the next thing I know I'm talking to Ernest Langdon himself. Great people, very knowledgeable and helpful...I'm not sure I want to deal with an optic on my 92X at this point, but I may look into a trigger job because I just want to do business with that company now.

Overall it was a good day, a chance to get some questions answered, and fun with my son. He got a wave from Hickock45, which made his day .

Thanks for the rundown.

I’m excited about the Holosun SCS. I have a SCS 320 on order - supposed to ship by the end of the month.

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Trijicon: Also my first time playing with the Acro P2. I like the idea of closed emitter...I don't love the bulk on top of the slide

Trijicon had the Aimpoint in their booth?

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Trijicon had the Aimpoint in their booth?

You saw that too.

The SCS is a pretty slick configuration. I have one on a MOS G17. So nice to NOT have an adapter plate and additional attachment screws as potential weak points in the mix, and having the ability to co-witness with standard height sights.

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Originally posted by 12131:

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Trijicon: Also my first time playing with the Acro P2. I like the idea of closed emitter...I don't love the bulk on top of the slide

Trijicon had the Aimpoint in their booth?

Sorry, fixed.

I thought about trying to go, that’s as far as I got. The last for me was years ago, enjoyed it.

I remember the long line to say hello to the ‘Gunny’. Hickock45 would be cool to meet, likely shorter line than Gunny.

I’m not as negative on LEM or even a heavy DA pull with the trigger, kinda depends on what one’s use is. Of course seated in a proper holster is always key, but a firm initial or LEM pull has its place. I’m referring to the ‘low probability’ CC Joe citizen, as opposed to the 25 yard line at the range, buddy has a 1911.

The NRA convention has lots of cool stuff to check out under one roof.

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Originally posted by sourdough44:

I’m not as negative on LEM or even a heavy DA pull with the trigge...a firm initial or LEM pull has its place.

But, that LEM is soooo very easy to stage, like I used to do with my Smith revolvers.

Thanks for the insights.

You know it's funny how different people see things... I for one love my Hellion/VHS2. But I'm a bullpup guy.

Interesting about the A300 Patrol. Considering I got to handle one yesterday at work and it says "Made in the USA" on it. But I suppose some parts come from Turkey, maybe. All companies tend to play games with "made in", "assembled in", "born in" these days.

I was looking at competitors to my 365, and the Savage guys have a really nice pistol in their Stance platform. Unlike Taurus' G line, however, they've been behind the curve on updating and evolving their products. When I told them that if they'd put one out with a 12 round mag, nightsights, and an rmr cut I'd buy one, one of the guys got all asschapped and stomped off.
In clear contrast, check out the Mossberg mc2sc nightsight version. If the great unwashed ever discover it, 365 will have some competition.

There are certainly no shortage of competitors to the P365 out there...enough so that I kind of felt like the micro-compact 9mm striker-fired handgun had supplanted the AR-15 as the thing everybody had to sell a version of this year. It's cool to see the options out there, but I have big hands so it's not really a market segment that does much for me and I didn't delve too deeply into what was out there.

92fstech, have you ever been to Shot Shot?
if so, how does it compare?

we did Shot this year, probably will skip next year and may hit the NRA show

Everything I’ve seen says the Beretta A300 is made in the U.S.

https://www.police1.com/police...un-TtZDueEsdDwpK1C4/

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Originally posted by lyman:
92fstech, have you ever been to Shot Shot?
if so, how does it compare?

we did Shot this year, probably will skip next year and may hit the NRA show

Nope, although I'd love to. My buddy who I went to the NRA show with went to SHOT 2 years ago, and he said it was way bigger. We got through the NRA show in about 4 hours and I felt like I got to see everything I cared to see.

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Originally posted by dcowboyscr:
Everything I’ve seen says the Beretta A300 is made in the U.S.

https://www.police1.com/police...un-TtZDueEsdDwpK1C4/

That's been my understanding as well which is why I was kind of surprised when he said that. Could be some of the parts are made in Turkey and assembled in the US? All I know is my older A300 clearly says made in USA on the receiver, but the rep at the show said the A300 was made in Turkey and has been for a long time, while the 1301 is assembled in the US using a number of parts imported from Italy.

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That's been my understanding as well which is why I was kind of surprised when he said that. Could be some of the parts are made in Turkey and assembled in the US? All I know is my older A300 clearly says made in USA on the receiver, but the rep at the show said the A300 was made in Turkey and has been for a long time, while the 1301 is assembled in the US using a number of parts imported from Italy.

The rep probably confused Tennessee with Turkey; pretty easy mistake to make. I hear that Gallatin is often referred to as the Istanbul of northern Tennessee.

Question: Was there any Sat. PM concert/event?
Didn't see any mention, usually some good country acts.

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I also got to handle the SFAR which I think is a neat concept and felt like a pretty nice, well-executed rifle.

I keep hoping that someone will figure out that rifles like these could be a whole new ballgame for ARs in 7.62x39 and 6.5 Grendel. I understand the magwell is a bit oversized for such a purpose and that smaller and lighter .308s are the Next Big Thing In The Market, but when I look at the SFAR all I see a big-ass bolt head and bolt stem in an AR15-sized package.

As for the Henry pistol (and its looks that only a Lead Design Engineer could love), I'm kinda surprised they didn't start with .22s and .32s.

I'm glad you and your son had a good time!

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Originally posted by smschulz:
Question: Was there any Sat. PM concert/event?
Didn't see any mention, usually some good country acts.

Not sure...we just went Friday morning to look at guns. Didn't really pay any attention to the rest of the agenda.

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I keep hoping that someone will figure out that rifles like these could be a whole new ballgame for ARs in 7.62x39 and 6.5 Grendel. I understand the magwell is a bit oversized for such a purpose and that smaller and lighter .308s are the Next Big Thing In The Market, but when I look at the SFAR all I see a big-ass bolt head and bolt stem in an AR15-sized package.

I think it's kinda cool that they can cram .308 performance into a smaller lighter package. I've done the 6.5 Grendel thing, and IMO that round is just fine in a standard AR package, but it doesn't pack the same punch as a .308. It's also stupid expensive, even to reload, due to the brass.

I was pretty impressed overall with the feel of the gun...same goes for the Springfield Saint. The handguards in particular are well-designed...very similar in concept to the Aero Atlas S-One that I've liked for years...rail segments front and back and a thin, smooth profile everywhere else. The attachment methodology is pretty decent, too...I prefer a direct attachment to the barrel nut rather than the cheap clamp-on style. The guns felt solid and well-built, but still trim and lightweight.

The A300 is made in TN, NOT Turkey. Whoever you spoke to is misinformed. The barrel is made in Turkey, that's it.