So are we going shooting next Saturday too?
I went to the NRA gun show in Dallas for a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday. We made and 1.5 hour drive there and back both days just to go. The show was AMAZING! I got to touch and play with so many guns, suppressors and gear. I seriously wish I could’ve gone all three days.
Because we only had a couple of hours each day to go, I didn’t take many pics and was frantically running around trying to see as many booths as I could.
So my general thoughts of the following products are below.
STI 2011 pistols- The high end race 2011’s from them are incredible. One of the finest guns I’ve ever held in my hand. The triggers were unbelievably good. Their mid-tier stuff is nice as well. Their lower tier guns are not worth what they charge.
Pulsar thermal night vision scopes- Are incredibly light weight now and awesome! Can’t wait to own one…one day. I was blown away by these scopes and the picture in picture (allows you to zoom in for your first shot and then use the larger picture to take follow up shots on pigs as they run).
Trijicon Thermal night vision scopes- Heavier than Pulsar but they feel like they can take a hit and keep going. However…one of the scopes had screen burn from being on too long. I looked through it and the image of the buildings purlins were stuck on the screen
Rugged Suppressors- I liked them overall. The mounting system is good but not DeadAir good.
Salient Glocks- The Salient pistol triggers are trash (John Wick 2 pistol). I can’t believe how bad they are…makes me doubt everyone on youtube who says they are great. The slide cut serrations are so sharp they cut your fingers… These pistols are not worth what they charge.
OSS Suppressors- Are now lighter than the old ones but still too complicated for my taste…At least they are reasonably priced now.
Benchmade Knives- I got my Benchmade knife sharpened for free but they used some other knife sharpening company to sharpend my knife and not a Benchmade employee which kinda pissed me off. I didn’t have time to play with any of their knives due to the amount of people at their booth.
H&K booth- I swung by and played with the new striker fired VP7. The trigger sucked and the layout of the controls is goofy. They have a looonnggg slide release bar on the right side of the gun which is just stupid. I can see that getting hung up on someone’s holster.
Pelican Booth- Stopped by and talked with their guy for 10 minutes (which is a long time at these shows). Got some good info on upcoming products, gave the guy some good feedback on the soft coolers, pelican luggage and swapped stories. He gave my buddy and I free Pelican flashlights. J We got to hold the new Pelican Air line (light weight) and those cases are WORTH the money. They are crazy strong and lightweight. HOWEVER, Pelican is releasing a new cheaper line called “VAULT” which is similar to their other products but at a cheaper price point. I was not impressed with them at all and advise you to stay away from them. I understand why Pelican is doing this but think it will hurt their reputation in the long run.
Smith & Wesson- Stopped by just to play with the new 2.0 9mm Core pistol (I think that’s the name). It wasn’t as good as I was hoping. I like my Glock better.
Volquartzon- Amazing .22 pistol stuff. Can’t go wrong buying stuff from them. Their Carbon Fiber barrels are amazing. They have one of the best pistol grips I’ve ever held. Fit my hand like a glove.
SilencerShop- I spoke with these guys for 10 mins (again, that’s a long time at these shows). I was able to confirm in person that the SilencerCo Omega is not the right can for me. For field use and hunting, the Omega is great. But for full auto, Carbine classes or a lot of precision shooting will actually make the epoxy that’s holding the can’s ends together release. Also the heat generated overtime will cause the outer shell of the can to crack. The rep looked very hesitant to say anything bad about them as they had just gotten SilencerCo retailer status back. I got to hold the Sandman S and the L version. They are heavier than I imagined but seem like a well-built stout can. I will be buying the L version since it’s an 1.5” longer and has better suppression numbers. I thought there would be a bigger difference in length & weight between the two there’s not much difference.
CZ- Stopped by and held some of their pistols. Sadly, was not impressed. All of them weighed way too much, the triggers were gritty and the slide action was meh. I was seriously disappointed in them and have pulled them off my “Gun Wish List”.
Desert Tech- I got to hold the new Desert Tech MDR!!!!......and was not impressed at all. SO FREAKING PISSED. Man, we were let down. The trigger sucked, it was so freaking heavy and the bolt release was goofy. My buddy has been wanting to buy one since their press release a few years ago on this rifle. It’s nice that it’s small and compact but there’s so much weight too it. We’re guessing it’s because all of the internals are beefed up to handle the .308 conversion kit. The MDR can be swapped from 5.56 to .308 in like a minute with some tools and parts. We’re hoping Desert Tech releases a lighterweight 5.56 version that can’t be swapped over to .308 (something that I don’t need or want). HOWEVER, I got to hold their bullpup bolt action rifles and they are as good as I was hoping. The trigger is amazing, the bolt throw is smooth and while it is a heavy gun it feels balanced.
F1 firearms- Their AR coating are amazing! I wasn’t impressed with their AR’s overall.
JP Enterprises- Stopped by and played with their new PCC rifles. Love em! Wish I had a need to buy one Also go to feel their new drop in triggers and they are just as good as the old triggers.
Magpul- Stopped by and played with the new Magpul bipod. It sucks sadly…too much play, the legs fall down too easy (I can see them falling down in the field). It feels like a first gen product that needs to have issues worked out. Also played with their new precision stock. I liked it, it had everything I needed and wanted but my buddy wasn’t too impressed.
NightHawk- 1911’s and 2011’s were nice but not STI nice.
Hudson- Held their new pistol. The trigger is weird since they have an inverted safety blade on the trigger. This is another guy that is overhyped by the media.
Again, sorry I didn’t get any pics. But at the next show, I will be staying all day and taking lots of pics.
Only pic I took
View attachment 9751
It rained just enough on Friday to get everything soggy and muddyI did a few weekend shoots there years ago. It is pretty nice to see what it has grown into. It does look like a mudfest which sucks for busting rust off the guns.
Get the biggest one you can afford
Ah, fair enough. We made the mistake of getting one that would fit perfectly inside a closet and have outgrown it by at least doubleI don't have room for the biggest one I can afford. I'm just looking for something to get me through my first house. I'm not going to be there forever and can get a big one next time. I really only need to keep a few guns in it. Any overflow can be stored in the monster safe at my parents house just a couple miles away. I figure a 16-20 gun will give my plenty of room for my 5-6 guns, ammo, personal documents, etc.
I don't have room for the biggest one I can afford. I'm just looking for something to get me through my first house. I'm not going to be there forever and can get a big one next time. I really only need to keep a few guns in it. Any overflow can be stored in the monster safe at my parents house just a couple miles away. I figure a 16-20 gun will give my plenty of room for my 5-6 guns, ammo, personal documents, etc.