At the SHOT Show -- 2014

[Frank Ettin]

After missing last year

....I'm Back....

And it's still wall-to-wall people.

My first stop was ParaUSA, and this neat little 1911 caught my eye:

The Executive Carry -- 3 inch barrel, .45 ACP, anodized aluminum frame and ion bond finished top end.


And new this year is this Black Ops Recon in 9mm Luger -- 4.25 inch barrel, rail and double stack magazine.

Remington continues to expand its 1911 line.

It's added a 1911 reproduction which will probably be limited to 1,000:

And these two also intrigued me:

The one on top is a true Commander size with a 4.25 inch barrel and a bushing.


And while it's not a 1911, the new R51 in 9mm Luger is very neat:

I had also forgotten what a physical trial SHOT can be. So more tomorrow.

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[Frank Ettin]

Here's something new from SIG. It looks like it was produced with John and Spyros in mind:

And from Colt a Commander top end on an Officers grip frame, one of my favorite set ups of concealed carry:

Some nice Ed Browns --

A Stealth Gray Special Forces:

A Kobra Carry Light Weight with a 10-8 rear sight:

And if you need a barbecue gun (I like the treatment on the front-strap):

If you're interested in laser grips, this new model from Crimson Trace boasts full "double diamond" checkered cocobolo and a relief cut for an ambi-safety:

Another interesting accessory comes from the folks at Americase. They can die cut the interior foam to fit you gun (if they have the pattern). And yes, they can do this for a 1911, although it looks like this one is for a SIG:

I'll be back with more tomorrow.

[Frank Ettin]

As promised here's more (and I'm glad that my feet need to hold out only for one more day).

Some new things from our friends at Armscor --

A compact model with rail, full length dust cover, fiber optic front sight, adjustable combat rear sight and magazine well:

A full size in 10mm similarly set up:

And a double stack in .40 S&W:

Suppressors seem to be generating a lot of interest, and I've been noticing many makers now offering guns set up for suppressors. Here are Kimber's entries --


In 9mm:

And .45:

And although not 1911s, Kimber offers some interesting compact models --


In 9mm Luger:

And .380 ACP:

Korth, the German firm noted for high quality, precision finished (and high price) revolvers has come out with an almost 1911. Using a 1911 bottom end, Korth uses a fixed barrel and a roller locking system similar to that used by Heckler & Koch in the P9:

Nighthawk has some interesting additions to its line. Designed for real use in the real world, the Costa series is available in Commander and full size models, with or without a rail and in both .45 ACP and 9mm Luger. Note the contour of the slide:

And Nighthawk also now has a stainless version of its compact T4:

They'll be something special to close out the show tomorrow.

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You may discuss this article in our Forums Site at: http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.ph...2014-SHOT-Show

[Frank Ettin]

The last day --

I passed by the Browning booth, and it looks like their diminutive 1911 in .22lr has been popular. They're showing quite a number of variants now:

This is the latest -- with the desert tan frame:

And (the other day's joke aside) SIG seems to have entered the 1911 market in a big way:

But now it's time for me to wrap it up, so our last stop will be Cabot.



The big buzz has been Cabot's folded Damascus slide 1911:

This is a one-off, exhibition gun with mammoth tooth grips and titanium nitride coated small parts. The slide is true forged, folded Damascus steel, rather than Damascus pattern steel produced using one of the more modern processes. Michael Hebor, COO at Cabot, explained that it was especially difficult steel to work.

Another show piece is the "mirror image" set:

The grips are genuine, hand done scrimshaw.

A unique, if somewhat controversial, feature of Cabot guns is the use of extremely precise machining techniques resulting in interchangeability of parts. This can facilitate the production of "mix-and-match" sets, e. g., a gun with multiple barrels and/or slides. Michael showed me this set with a second slide set up for Bullseye competition, a compensator and an extra barrel for the compensator:

The fitted case is by Marvin Huey.

And finally, since folks had been asking about a Commander size gun, Cabot has been working on one. This is the prototype:

It's a true Commander size with a 4.25 inch barrel. It sports a bobtail; and, since it was conceived as a "working" pistol, a "hard use" Richter TitanKote finish. According to Michael, they haven't settled on sights yet so I referred him to my article in this e-zine.

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You may discuss this article in our Forums Site at: http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.ph...2014-SHOT-Show