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SHOT SHOW Day Four
bacwoods home ^ | Jan 22, 2010 | Massad Ayoob

Posted on 01/22/2010 5:09:23 PM PST by smokingfrog

It’s the third day of the SHOT Show for the dealers attending, the fourth day for the professionals who got there early for set-up and networking and advanced product testing.

AR15 rifle variants are everywhere. One theme this year of our host, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), is that “AR” stands for “America’s Rifle.” It’s good to see new companies coming in and being innovative. American Spirit Arms introduces an AR15 with a bolt operating lever located on the left side above the magazine, like an FN FAL. This eliminates the one non-ergonomic feature of Gene Stoner’s Armalite design in this writer’s opinion: the awkward T-handle at the rear of the action. The price is competitive, the action is smooth, and the handling IS faster. Heckler & Koch’s take on the American AR, shown as a non-functional prototype last year at SHOT, is shown this time as a functional prototype, and seems to draw much from the company’s 416 rifle.

Chiappa of Italy introduces a reasonably priced .22 Long Rifle version of the AR15, and also their intriguing Rhino revolver, reminiscent of an earlier Italian design, the Mateba. The barrel is parallel to the lower portion of the frame instead of the top, bringing bore axis down and thus reducing muzzle rise. The action of this “upside-down” .357 Magnum feels surprisingly smooth. There are already holsters being made for it, and it will accept a 6-shot speedloader for an L-frame Smith & Wesson. Instead of a round cylinder, this revolver’s is hexagonal: you don’t see hexagonal cylinders every day, at a revolver match OR a geometry class.

(Excerpt) Read more at backwoodshome.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Hobbies; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: banglist; shotshow; shotshow2010
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To: 2111USMC; USNBandit; NVDave

When these people get lawyered up for this, I am going to assume they will be getting some top grade legal reps. This should mean that the legal beavers will bring up a host of issues that will be mighty embarrassing to a lot of people who otherwise would be off the screen. If this happens, I predict that this case will implode very quickly.


21 posted on 01/22/2010 7:41:55 PM PST by Tainan (Cogito, ergo conservatus)
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To: NVDave

If the same finish is the one that’s on the Mateba, it will be beautiful. Remember, form follows function and in this case by a whole lot.

No muzzle flip means more to me than a barrel that looks too tall.

My only complaint is the wish they had chambered one in .45 Auto with full moon clips.

I’m waiting for the stainless steel version.


22 posted on 01/24/2010 6:28:46 PM PST by Shooter 2.5 (NRA /Patron - TSRA- IDPA)
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To: Tijeras_Slim

It was designed for no muzzle flip even with heavy loads. Try that with your “top of the chamber” barreled revolvers. This is a change that’s been long due for the last hundred years.


23 posted on 01/24/2010 6:31:09 PM PST by Shooter 2.5 (NRA /Patron - TSRA- IDPA)
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