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Practically Shooting

2019 NRA Convention and Show


BarryinIN

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Done.  

I’m tired. 

 

Summary:

Attendance figures won’t be out for a day or two, but this may be the most crowded of the four I’ve attended.  The others had a day with lighter traffic, but this one stayed pretty busy throughout until the last few hours.  

 

With all the political infighting going on inside the NRA this weekend, you couldn’t tell this on the show floor.  Most attendees seemed oblivious.  It was like being at a sporting event where it’s nice to be close to the action but you don’t know what really happened until you see the TV broadcast later.  

 

The seminars were good.  My favorite was one by Steve Tarani on current and emerging threats.   If you get a chance to attend an NRA Annual Meeting, don’t skip the seminars.  There is a lot of good information to be had in 60-90 minutes.  It’s hard to tear myself away from the acres and acres of cool things to look at, but I’m always glad I did.

 

My biggest surprise was the Colt King Cobra.

I had seen Colt’s new King Cobra in shops but had not looked one over because I wasn’t interested.  I had low expectations.  When you are standing in front of a wall of them at a show like this, you might as well look. 

Its not bad. 

It could be finished better externally, but I can say that about a lot of guns.  Overall, the basic operation of it was pretty smooth.  I’ve never liked the DA trigger of Colt revolvers but I liked these.  

 

Let’s put it this way.  Put on a blindfold or just be honest with yourself and handle a King Cobra and a GP100, and I think you’ll say the Colt feels better. 

 

I still think the Colts are overpriced.  The Cobra is bad enough, and the King Cobra is worse.  I don’t see ME getting one as long as I can get a used S&W K-frame for half the cost, but that won’t last forever.     

 

The best innovation I saw, if you can call it an innovation, was from Taurus.  I’m not a fan of their products but they have some good ideas.   I forget the model number, but they have a DA revolver that comes with a .38/.357 cylinder AND a 9mm cylinder.  Press a button on the right side of the frame above the trigger, then the yoke and cylinder can be pulled out the front of the frame for the swap.   Essentially, they’ve exchanged the front side plate screw for a push button.  Slick.

 

Since I'm talking DA revolvers, Charter had a Bulldog in .41 Magnum.  With all the .454 and .480 giant revolvers out there, I’d be willing to shoot any of them before I’d shoot one of those little .41 Mag Charters.

 

There is always a small company there with a prototype that may or may not get off the ground.  I forget the name since I saw it on my way out yesterday when I was beat, but they had a semiautomatic Bren gun.  That’s different.   If I had a Land Rover, I’d need one.

 

CZ had the new bullpup version of the Scorpion 9mm carbine.   Neat if you like bullpups.   

 

Ruger’s new Wrangler was there.   It was about what I expected.   No more and no less.  I keep reading comments online by people who’ve never seen one about the “pot metal” frame.  If it’s pot metal, it’s the heaviest pot metal I’ve ever seen.

 

ETS, or Elite Tactical Solutions, who makes clear and tinted magazines for Glocks, is adding mags for the S&W M&P (Standard and extended) and AR-15s.  

 

Magpul usually has a flamboyant display with a minigun-equipped vehicles and cigarette girls carrying trays of swag, but they kept it pretty tame this time.   They are now making furniture for CZ Scorpions and MP5-types.   Since the Ruger PC-9 takedown carbine came out, people have been asking if Magpul will make a stock like they have for the 10/22 takedown.   It’s kind of slick since the two halves connect together when apart, and it has storage space.  I was maybe the 10,000th person to ask about it this weekend, and got a “cannot confirm or deny” answer, which I’ll take as a “someday”.

 

I didn't see Chuck Norris, but I did see Ted Nugent.   Better yet, I met a crewman from the WWII B-29 atomic test group and Medal of Honor recipient Sammy Davis.

Edited by BarryinIN
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