All Outdoor

One of the neat things I saw on the  SHOT Show floor is a .22 LR Garand from Kingston Armory in Kingston, New York.

The rifle is built to replicate the original in look, feel and heft. The heart of the design is a .22 caliber receiver based on the design of the Ruger 10/22, but made of steel, not aluminum. The receiver is housed in a stock and hand guards made from real American Walnut.

The attention to detail continues to the fittings. The newly manufactured front and rear sights are also made of steel and follow the pattern of the original. The detachable rotary magazine is mounted on the inside of a steel floorplate. Standard 10/22 magazines will also work. All parts are new originals, no surplus parts are used.

I spoke with the father and son team that designed and manufactures the rifle. They said their goal was to create a replica that would pass for the 30 cal original in all but the closest inspection. I believe they have succeeded.

The M1 Garand replica is joined by a .22 M14 replica made to the same standards. Both rifles retail for $699.

At the 2015 SHOT Show, I came across a nifty little item for displaying European-style trophy skulls of deer and other game animals. It’s called the Skull Hooker, and like so many great products, it’s simple and effective.

At the 2015 SHOT Show, I took a turn through the press room, in an area where exhibitors place information about things they wish to call to the attention of us writers. I noticed a small card showing something called the Ready Aim Rifle Carrier by All Day Gear. I’ve been down a similar road before, having previously reviewed a similar product that didn’t really cut it – and if there is a better way to carry a rifle or shotgun when hunting, I want to know about it.

It’s no secret that Winchester and Browning – the gun makers, that is – are owned by the same folks. Both companies have introduced new bolt action centerfire rifles this year. I had the chance to handle both at the 2015 SHOT Show – here’s the rundown on the new Winchester.

Rifle maker G&A Precision is known for the extreme accuracy of their custom rifles. Since 1999 the company has been serving the needs of hunters, law enforcement officers and other who need the performance that comes with a hand-built precision rifle.

Company founder George Gardner talks about his company’s new products at the 2015 SHOT Show in this video.

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I’m not much for jewelry, but I don’t like to be without a Leatherman. When I travel by air, I really miss having my handy-dandy Juice for all those incidental things that come up.

AG Composites introduced new products in their line of carbon fiber rifle stocks at the 2015 SHOT Show. In addition to the M1A stocks previously offered the company is adding new variations and is also producing a line of carbon fiber stocks and hand guards for the AR-15.

In this video AG Composites rep Dave Tandy explains the benefits of carbon fiber stock technology and shows off some of their new products.

It’s not a problem for everyone, but it is for many of us: my hands often get cold when I’m hunting. What to do about it? Well, there are a number of options – including one that I only recently learned about – electric hand warmers.

Last month, I wrote about a new bulletproof baseball cap that’s in the works by BulletSafe, a company that makes and sells low-cost bulletproof stuff.

The great thing about the SHOT Show is that you never know what you’ll run across there – so I make a practice of walking each and every aisle and looking at every booth. It means miles of walking, maneuvering around lollygagging rubberneckers, and sore feet – but it also lets me discover stuff that I would have missed. The GameXtractor is one such item.

What can I say? I’m human. I don’t *want* to care when there are people in the room who have been on TV. I don’t *want* to think that when I touch them I feel a little bit better about myself.

The good folks at Filson have teamed up with Shinola of Detroit to offer a brand new line of watches. These watches are so new that I’m pretty sure the gallery below may constitute the most info you can find about them online.

I was able to stop by the Elcan booth at SHOT 2015 for a little hands-on time with Elcan’s Specter offerings. I had already shot with the Specter DR at Range Day, and was beyond impressed with the optic’s combination of clarity, wide field of view, generous eye relief, and overall quality, so I actually spent most of my time looking at their (relatively) new $3,100 MSRP Specter TR 1-3-9.

Eotech holographic weapons sights are popular with shooters who prize the sight’s ability to aid in quick target acquisition with it’s easy to use reticle.

The company premièred two new sights that run on 1.5 volt AA batteries. In this video a company rep explains the feature set of the new night vision compatible Model 558 and the non-night vision compatible Model 518.

The popularity of commercial night vision optics has increased significantly in the last decade. As the technology has improved, prices have dropped, and what was once almost exclusively seen in the hands of military and law enforcement has become more popular for things like varmint control or feral hog hunting.

The Night Optics line includes standalone, weapon mounted, and helmet mounted units suitable for a variety of uses. In this video a Night Optics rep discusses two of their products that are especially suitable for night time hunting.

The Crimson Trace company has been one of the leaders in handgun mounted lasers. As acceptance of lasers for defensive shooting has grown what was once seen as a novelty has become widely accepted as the benefits of laser assisted aiming became obvious.

The latest trend in the field has been the emergence of the green laser instead of the more traditional red laser. The advantage is that green lasers are easier to see, especially in daylight or other bright lighting conditions.

In this video a Crimson Trace rep talks about a pair of new products introduced at this year’s SHOT Show. It’s telling that both products are green lasers. As the company moves more and more towards green lasers perhaps it’s time for a name change: How’s Emerald Trace sound?

Leatherman has finally jumped on the prepper/buscrafting bandwagon with the Signal, a totally new multitool that they’ve unveiled at SHOT 2015. The Signal is a lightweight, full-sized multitool that comes with the standard compliment of tools, plus a few extras: pliers, can opener, saw, awl, and removable pocket clip, hammer, replaceable wire cutters, diamond-coated file, bit driver, whistle, and ferro rod.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. In fact, I’m convinced that’s true most of the time. So when I met a certain fellow at SHOT Show 2015 Range Day who’d taken a notion to create camo patterns to grab the interest of kids – and put them on clothing that kids won’t outgrow quickly – I felt like I’d found something worth talking about.

One nice surprise I found while walking the floor at SHOT 2015 was Esky coolers. I’d seen some of the other high-line iceboxes, but this name was new to me. I quickly learned that it’s a young brand, just a year old and a division of Coleman, which has been selling coolers for a long time now.

One of my favorite things I discovered on SHOT Show 2015 Range Day was Winchester’s new Shot-Lok ammo. This stuff provides tight patterns both near and far, as I saw for myself.