SHOT Show 2024 was a mix of old and new. 

2023-2024 is an “off” year for the gun industry. Learning their lessons from back in 2016, the industry as a whole seems to be in a holding pattern waiting to see the results of the 2024 election. That means, overall, fewer “shiny new objects” and many more cases of old standbys with updates of older products and product lines, but there were still quite a few innovations and cool-factor products to be had if one looked hard enough. 

“SHOT” stands for the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade show, but perhaps should be renamed as the SHOTT Show- The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor and TACTICAL Trade show due to the huge expansion of tactical, military and law enforcement vendors and products in recent years.

.22 Creedmoor 

Everybody knows that innovation in the ammunition world typically starts with a wildcat cartridge. As a matter of fact, most of the non-military chamberings out there today began as the humble creations of a tinkerer with access to a milling machine. The .243, 7mm08, .260., 280, .25-06, and many others resulted from necking down base cartridges such as the .30-06 and .308 smaller bullet diameters. The hottest, newest cartridge on the market is no exception.

The big buzz at industry day at the range this year was the new .22 Creedmoor cartridge. 

A wildcat cartridge for the past few years has been brought to the market by Hornady, who is known, especially as of late, for bringing and legitimizing wildcat cartridges to the market.

The .22 Creedmoor offers a .22 projectile that delivers high energy at extreme speeds with a super flat trajectory. Compared to the darling of the long range world, the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .22 Creedmoor exits the barrel at a blazing 3,285 fps and drops 87 inches less at 1,000 yards, with equal resistance to winddrift. That’s over 7 feet. 

Combine that with an almost negligible recoil level, and that means more rounds downrange with less fatigue and better shooting. If you want to ride the wave of the hottest new thing, you’d better put your order in for this new caliber ASAP.

Canik’s Taran Tactical-Designed TTI Combat (pictured above)

This gun was the talk of the show. 

Built on a brand new polymer frame designed by noted tactical competitor and “firearms trainer to the stars,” Taran Butler, the TTI combat includes numerous features found on some of the best custom tactical pistols at a price that is downright unbelievable. 

The TTI combat has aggressive, rip texturing, aborted, inflated barrel, a brand, new compensator, a diamond cut, flat face, 90° break trigger, three different magazine base pads, three different thickness of back straps, a brand new designed slide release, and an optics cut that allows for the lowest profile seating of red-dot sights. It comes with a custom holder and a hard travel case. 

All of this innovation comes at an unheard-of sub-$1,000 price point. 

Double-Stack 1911s 

The 1911 platform remains one of the most popular and effective actions on the market today, despite its age. Tennessee-based Tisas USA has a brand new line of double-stacks in 9mm that use 17-round, flush-fit STI-pattern magazines, all at a sub-$800 MSRP. That’s an extremely value-level pricing strategy, especially considering what many other firearms in the same space are going for. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Jacob Grey firearms introduced its new “2011” double stack, 1911-framed handgun, the TWC 9. This aerospace-inspired double-stack is optics-ready and comes built on a frame machined from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum. With a weight of only 30 ounces, a flared magazine well, and a 1:10-twist stainless steel barrel, this gun should definitely be both a shooter and a pleasant competition or even duty gun.

With numerous custom features, the JGTWC9 sells at a retail price between $2,500 and $2,900, depending on options. 

An Interesting New “Old” Knife Style

The Karambit blade shape has a rich and storied history that goes back to early Sumatra and Malaysia. Today, much smaller versions of this hooked-style blade have been adapted into effective tactical and personal defense knives. 

Columbia River Knife and Tool has a long and storied history of designing some of the best knives on the market. Turning ancient history into modern, everyday-carry efficiency this year, they released the CRKT Provoke.

While most folding knives open from the side, CRKT’s newest design incorporates something they call kinematic technology. Simply nudge the upper crossbar of the knife with your thumb while the rest of your fingers grasp the handle, and the blade lunges forward and locks into place. 

This system brings much greater utility for both everyday carry and tactical use versus the older side-opening Karambit-style knives. 

MSRP $100-$225, depending on handle type. 

Thermals, Thermals, Thermals 

It used to be that thermal riflescopes and binoculars were reserved for tactical and special forces divisions of the United States armed forces. That, fortunately, is no more. 

After entering the general public retail marketplace several years ago, more and more companies are realizing the potential in selling thermal imaging devices to John Q Public. 

Because of this mass migration into the space, the retail price of most thermals has gone from a high in the five-figure range to a more manageable $2,000-$8,000. That’s not cheap, but it does greatly transform a previously limited customer base from the most well-heeled to within the reach of the average Joe.

Practically every optics booth I visited at the 2024 SHOT Show touted their new lines of consumer-focused thermal optics. That’s a definite market trend, and one has to believe that if there wasn’t demand, there probably wouldn’t be so many different companies getting in on the action. 

Tactical Retailer spotted new optics from Armasight, ATN, Fusion Thermal, InfiRay, Trijicon, Pard, Pulsar, Sellmark and more. This is absolutely a category to pay attention to if you’re not already stocking a selection of thermal devices. 

Innovative AR-15 Technologies 

It’s no secret that pump-action shotguns have been some of the most reliable weapons on the marketplace since their early invention. The simplicity of the system and sturdiness of its associated parts have caused pumps to be adopted thousands of military, police, tactical instructors, and, yes, even hunters all over the world. 

After as many years as the AR-15 platform has been in the marketplace, the overall quality of the platform has reached the peak performance level it is likely able to. Despite this higher quality, we all know that any self-loading firearm design can experience malfunctions. Things such as bad ammunition, maintenance issues, and even simple mechanical failures are the most common reasons why a self-loading firearm will jam. Previously, clearing a malfunction on your AR-15 platform required taking your hand off of either the forend or the trigger. This can destabilize your aim or even cause you to come entirely off target. In high-pressure situations, when a firearm fails, the operator may be pulled out of the fight to attempt to clear the weapon or even need to switch to a less effective side arm.

Either of these solutions take up precious time in a firefight situation that may only be seconds long and leave the shooter and their team vulnerable during the time it takes to clear the jam.

Enter the new Bilson Arms forward-charging system. With this system, a shooter can quickly cycle the weapon while not needing to move their hand off the weapon. A simple pump — similar to that of a pump-action shotgun — can clear the weapon effectively without taking the shooter’s finger off the trigger completely.

Currently available in six calibers from 9 mm to .450 Bushmaster, the BA-15 FC (and BA-9FC for the 9mm version) represent an innovative solution to an all-too-common problem. 

MSRP: $1750-$1850. 

Olympus Arms “Recoil-less” AR-10 

While “recoil-less“ maybe a little bit of a reach, the Olympus arms Vulcan returned to the 2024 SHOT Show with some large improvements over last year‘s model. The Vulcan platform uses a long-recoil operating system, similar to that of a Browning Auto 5 and its various stepchildren on the market, in which the rifle’s barrel reciprocates through the full length of the action. This very effectively absorbs and mitigates the recoil from a .308 or 7.62X 51 mm military caliber round to decrease the perceived recoil to the shooter to the similar level of an AR-15. 

Typical AR-15 and AR-10 platforms have a hard or polymer buttplate, offering little recoil absorption. This new technology from Olympus Arms allows the shooter to fire more rounds over a longer period of time without any cumulative recoil effect. 

Want to have the performance of the Vulcan in many other calibers besides 7.62 x 51 mm? You can easily convert the rifle to fire additional calibers with a simple, 60-second, no-tool barrel change. 

Play Ball!

One of the most interesting pieces of equipment I saw at the SHOT Show was one squarely aimed at the law enforcement and tactical crowd.

The Bounce Imaging 360° tactical camera helps to keep tactical teams, safety and rescue personnel, home and security, defense and special operators, contractors, crisis and hostage negotiators, and more people safe by utilizing a 360°, multiple-camera system that sees in all directions and at the same time is able to be viewed by multiple personnel.

The users are able to easily scan attics, crawlspaces, and other hard-to-reach places without ever entering them. When breaching rooms or buildings, users can avoid the “fatal funnel” by simply throwing the camera into the room or down the hallway, or even by deploying it on a long pole an attached rope. Tacticians can also leave the camera system behind them while moving forward to allow 360° view of everything behind them. While not bulletproof, the polymer core is resistant to damage, and the removal of one camera in the system does not affect the performance of the others.