Author: Frank Woods

I had a lot of walking and talking to do at SHOT this year, and along the way I stopped and took pictures of things that were interesting enough for me to stop and ask questions about, either stemming from my own curiosity or because a bunch of people were asking and unsure, and I wanted to set the record straight. 

Let’s get right to it.

EOtech: OGL

• Looked a little bit bigger than an NGAL but smaller than a PEQ-15/LA-5
• VCSEL emitters: Yes ✅
• Price: Somewhere in the 2-3K range for Full Power unit, pending
• Commercial Release ETA: Unknown

Maxim Defense: PDX-SD

• Hearing Safe 5.56 can @ 138db
• Textbook example of a PDW when .300BLK
• Not too small to fully equip with laser, WML, switch, etc

Glock: G47 & G49

• Going forward, the G47 is replacing the G17. Same performance and dimensions for greater modularity. Should have happened years ago.
• Includes new performance trigger
• G49 is the factory “G19L”: The G47/G17 length slide on a G19 frame. The G49 was not on display, and the commercial release is unknown, though it has been pictured before (see above). If you already own a Gen 5 G19, drop the G47 slide into the frame and you’ll have a G49

Beretta: 92XI SAO & A300 Ultima Patrol

• 92XI translates into “9211”; 1911 style Beretta 92 series 
• Frame based safety is intuitive and easy to use, crisp single action trigger pull
• Everything from the M9A4 in an SAO/1911 style of operation. If you love Beretta M9s and 1911s, this one’s all you, especially if you already have a bunch of Beretta M9 mags

A300 Ultima Patrol; US made solution to 1301

• Beretta Italy would only send 10K 1301s a year to the US, despite demand for more; this was developed to supply that demand
• Being USA made bypassed 922R compliance requirements
• Factored in most aftermarket mods and demands: M-LOK slots in handguard, grippier texture, 1913 optic rail, flared loading well
• Accepts chokes
• Langdon version in the future
• Retails for under 1000, easy buy-in for a rugged semi auto shotgun compared to a Benelli M4

FN: IWS

• I got special permission to go hands on with this thing and check it out in person
• Lightweight and handy, easy to point
• Proprietary mags are Magpul PMAG Gen M3 type; Stock and Grip are in house/”white label”
• Lower is reminiscent of the ACR; AR style safety & mag release, ambi bolt catch/release 
• Ambi Charging Handle position lower and more rear set than usual; not hard to use, just takes some getting used to

• It would not surprise me at all if this ended up taking the job of the XM5 (now XM7): Lighter, sleeker, overmatch and armor defeat capable without higher pressure/lesser barrel life ammo, lighter ammo and more rounds per mag (25) and therefore more rounds per soldier than XM7, meaning minor decrease in soldier load for greater effect on target vs M4A1, BIGGEST factor: The Army is already buying the IWS, and it costs less per unit than the XM7. As far as proprietary ammo and mags go: So what? They were already going to do that with the XM7 anyway. End result: Lighter weapon, lighter cost, same effect on target and capability, compared to the XM7. We’ve seen switcheroos like this before. We’ll expand on this later.

Knight’s Armament: KS-1 Hands on

• URX6 rail & New Ambi lower
• New Ambi Controls were easy to use right handed, didn’t have to break grip on fire control to use right side bolt catch/release like I usually have to do with the LMT/LWRC/DD style of ambi controls
• New Suppressor shroud doesn’t add significant front end weight or offset rifle’s balance

Geissele: Joy MK5, GFR, MK20

• JG-06 Joy MK5 AKA VSASS was shown to us years ago. Now it’s finally coming to the commercial market
• Will be available in both 7.62×51 & 6.5 CM
• Has full ambi controls: Mag Release, Safety, Charging Handle, Bolt Catch, Bolt Release

• Stoner Cut receivers, BUT NOT SR-25 receiver compatible; It was originally…but along the way it was decided to get away from that. Receiver pins & lugs will not line up between Geissele Joy and KAC SR-25 receivers. 

• Receiver Extension Plate (between receiver and barrel nut); Specific purpose unknown
• Muzzle device threaded for proprietary Geissele suppressors (not on display)
• Technically the first commercially available large frame “SR-25 size” Geissele rail, but proprietary to the extended upper receiver; Though it’s not hard to imagine a minor tweak to the CAD file on the receiver and barrel nut end to produce an SR-25/DPMS spec rail

• Estimated Price of ~$6,000 at retail

• GFR had a conspicuous anchor laser engraved on it. I wonder who that’s for ??
• GFR-X: Select Fire version
• MK20 rail: Super skeletonized M-LOK rail for fast cooling; Commercial Release TBD, currently for CBP contract guns

Eleven 10 Gear:

• New IWB CAT-7 carrier, perfect for EDC/CCW market
• SOFTT-W version in development

Ops-Core: Powered rail suite

• Lights, IR strobes, other electronic accessories directly mounted to and powered by rail, powered from a battery pack
• Last year it wasn’t on the floor, and only shown in private behind closed doors

Nocturn Industries: Chimera

• Articulated Quad Tubes
• Comes with Photonis 4G Echo tubes for $15,000; Elbit & L-3 tubes and higher FOM either way would increase price 
• Chassis available alone for $7500
• Uses standard 18mm tubes (GPNVG-18 tubes proprietary in comparison)
• Polymer chassis said to be extremely durable and impact resistant, comparable to Katana chassis
• Quad tube chassis in standard stowed/up position placed a lot of weight forward on the helmet. Folding the articulated arms while stowed noticeably moves weight and center of gravity rearward towards head/helmet. 
• If one side is articulated upward while deployed, you could run a thermal optic on your rifle, and aim with an MFAL using the NV over the other eye
• Individual pod shutoff: The upward articulated side will turn off automatically when lifted
• Utilizes battery pack (sold separately), can be used with onboard battery via adapter to utilize counterweight instead
• CR123 batteries with onboard adapter, battery pack can use AA or CR123 batteries
• Onboard illuminator in bridge
• All polymer chassis and bridge; Development of hybrid with aluminum bridge and arms could not be confirmed or denied

OTTO: LynQ Pro Team Tracking Device

• See Video for in depth tech demo
• Commercially Available: $3000 for 2 units
• Extremely useful for Armed Citizens; better to have 1-2 radios and multiple LynQs per squad vs Every person worrying about having a radio
• OTTO supports Armed Citizen capability and ensures their products will be available to the commercial market for all lawful purposes

Magpul: X4 HUD

• Range Finder component separate
• Can dial in range holds manually or leave on automatic
• HUD programmable for rifle & caliber
• Not noticeably heavy despite the bulk
• Estimated Cost: Less than $3,000
• Unrelated, but noticed 45 degree offset MRDS scope ring mount can be seen by picking head up and aligning with shooting eye, no need to fully cant rifle against shoulder

Bushmaster: ACR

• I was surprised to see Bushmaster even had a booth, but I noticed only AR rifles on display
• I walked by just in time to hear the rep tell someone the ACR wouldn’t be happening for a while, and it sounded like it wasn’t going to be remotely soon judging by his tone and body language

That concludes the roundup. Now that that’s out of the way, I want to speak on a growing trend I’m pleasantly surprised to see:

100% Ambidextrous AR Lowers: This is when the Mag Release, Safety, Bolt Catch, and Bolt Release are ALL accessible on both sides of the lower receiver. Consider, that every “Next Gen” weapon design in the last 10 years at least has been incorporating this design feature. There is no reason NOT to apply it to the AR since it’s so easily done.

THIS is the way the industry is moving, and it’s nice to finally see more of the bigger companies not only adopting it but getting contracts with weapons so designed, where in some cases the contracts are calling for them anyway. All together so far, off the top of my head:

• Knight’s Armament
• Heckler & Koch
• ADM
• LWRCI
• Daniel Defense
• LMT
• SilencerCo
• Sarsilmaz
• Radian

The writing is on the wall for the industry: Get with the program or fall behind. We’ve previously established that the AR-15 isn’t going anywhere; but the standard AR lower layout since 1959 is on the way out. We’re talking about one extra cut in the lower, with one drop in part replacing one that’s always been there, with an extension on it but otherwise the same form factor (SiCo/HK ver). That’s it. 

Get it done guys, the future is now

Stay Dangerous.

Stay in this L.A.N.E.

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