Its that time of year again. Time for the Ducks Unlimited Outdoor Festival in Memphis, Tn. Here's the report on new toys and info gathered.
This years show was good, but you soon noticed who didn't come. Beretta didn't show, but since they didn't come last year nobody was surprised. Colt was also a no-show. Not that anybody cared. The shockers were that Taurus, Remington, Kimber and Dixie Gun Works didn't come. Wichester did show, but their display was pitiful. The whole thing could have fit into a phone booth. I had wanted to ask the folks at Kahr about the rumored .45, But they too stayed home. A sign of the times I suppose.
Vehicles: Chevy was showing off their latest 4X4, The Avalanche. Imagine taking a Suburban and turning everything behind the second seat into cargo space. Then fold that rear seat down, remove the rear wall and you've got an open bed 8 ft long. Throw in built in lockable storage in both rear fenders and you get an impressive vehicle.
Ford has done a similar conversion on their Expedition. But instead of a removable rear wall, they chose to go with a removable rag top. The Chevy wins on looks, but its only a 1/2 ton chassis. The Ford has the heavier frame and suspension. At $40,000+ I don't think you'll be seeing alot of them.
Mercedes Benz was showing off their SUV, but the show stopper at their tent was the doorprise they will give away. Get this. A Mercedes Benz Bicycle! Not just any bike, but a titatium framed, ten speed, soft tail Mountian Bike with disc brakes no less. BTW: the suggested retail price for a Mercedes bicycle is $3000. My younger son has his fingers crossed.
Guns and shooting:
I got a chance to fire the Para-ordinance LDA. Believe what you've heard. The DA trigger IS that good.
Heckler & Koch brought all their toys! The had a big hit with a .45 USP which was equipt with an Optima Sight and a sound supressor. I was surprised at how well the supressor worked. Much quieter than I had expected.
H&K also had their two newest rifles. The SL8-1 in .223 and the USC in .45 acp. Pictures at http://www.hkpro.com it is year 2000 and Star Wars small arms are here. My two sons shot these and were impressed with both. BTW: The SL8-1 we saw was the same light blue color as the USC. The pictures in the link show it as white.
Ruger has brought back the .44 mag semi auto carbine. The new Deerfield Carbine is a modified Mini-14 action with a 4+1 rotary magazine. The rifle looks and handles alot like the old Deerstalker. It comes standard with a machined reciever and Ruger scope rings. Its one weak point is that it has the same crappy fold down rear iron sight used on the Mini Ranch Rifles. This rifle screams for good iron sights not a scope.
Smith & Wesson (I know most of you don't care, but I'm gonna report it anyway) has gone past Titanium with their new Air Lite Sc revolvers. The Sc stands for Scandium. A rare metal which when a small amount is mixed with other metals results in a extremely strong yet lightweight alloy perfect for making guns. (at least according to the advertising hype) They had a 7 shot 3inch L-frame .357 Mag that weighed in at 18.5 oz and a J-frame .357 at 10.9 oz. I handled both of these new lightweights and frankly the idea of touching off a full house .357 in either of them scares me to death. OUCH! I really don't see any advantage over the current Titanium models, but I guess S&W needs a new gimmick.
Finally (bet you thought I'd never get here, did ya?) I had a talk with the Browning factory rep and I'm sorry to report that the beloved P-35 Hi-Power has indeed been discontinued.
It seems falling sales and the CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE were just too much for Browning to risk the cost of production on anymore. Makes ya sick don't it?
I also had a long talk with the S&W rep, but that's for another thread.
So, if your anywhere near Memphis, you've got one more day. The DU Outdoor Festival is loads of fun.
Oops, had some trouble with the hyperlink.
------------------
TFL's official "Curmudgeon Member" and damned proud of it!
TFL End of Summer Meet, August 12th & 13th, 2000
[This message has been edited by Grayfox (edited June 03, 2000).]
This years show was good, but you soon noticed who didn't come. Beretta didn't show, but since they didn't come last year nobody was surprised. Colt was also a no-show. Not that anybody cared. The shockers were that Taurus, Remington, Kimber and Dixie Gun Works didn't come. Wichester did show, but their display was pitiful. The whole thing could have fit into a phone booth. I had wanted to ask the folks at Kahr about the rumored .45, But they too stayed home. A sign of the times I suppose.
Vehicles: Chevy was showing off their latest 4X4, The Avalanche. Imagine taking a Suburban and turning everything behind the second seat into cargo space. Then fold that rear seat down, remove the rear wall and you've got an open bed 8 ft long. Throw in built in lockable storage in both rear fenders and you get an impressive vehicle.
Ford has done a similar conversion on their Expedition. But instead of a removable rear wall, they chose to go with a removable rag top. The Chevy wins on looks, but its only a 1/2 ton chassis. The Ford has the heavier frame and suspension. At $40,000+ I don't think you'll be seeing alot of them.
Mercedes Benz was showing off their SUV, but the show stopper at their tent was the doorprise they will give away. Get this. A Mercedes Benz Bicycle! Not just any bike, but a titatium framed, ten speed, soft tail Mountian Bike with disc brakes no less. BTW: the suggested retail price for a Mercedes bicycle is $3000. My younger son has his fingers crossed.
Guns and shooting:
I got a chance to fire the Para-ordinance LDA. Believe what you've heard. The DA trigger IS that good.
Heckler & Koch brought all their toys! The had a big hit with a .45 USP which was equipt with an Optima Sight and a sound supressor. I was surprised at how well the supressor worked. Much quieter than I had expected.
H&K also had their two newest rifles. The SL8-1 in .223 and the USC in .45 acp. Pictures at http://www.hkpro.com it is year 2000 and Star Wars small arms are here. My two sons shot these and were impressed with both. BTW: The SL8-1 we saw was the same light blue color as the USC. The pictures in the link show it as white.
Ruger has brought back the .44 mag semi auto carbine. The new Deerfield Carbine is a modified Mini-14 action with a 4+1 rotary magazine. The rifle looks and handles alot like the old Deerstalker. It comes standard with a machined reciever and Ruger scope rings. Its one weak point is that it has the same crappy fold down rear iron sight used on the Mini Ranch Rifles. This rifle screams for good iron sights not a scope.
Smith & Wesson (I know most of you don't care, but I'm gonna report it anyway) has gone past Titanium with their new Air Lite Sc revolvers. The Sc stands for Scandium. A rare metal which when a small amount is mixed with other metals results in a extremely strong yet lightweight alloy perfect for making guns. (at least according to the advertising hype) They had a 7 shot 3inch L-frame .357 Mag that weighed in at 18.5 oz and a J-frame .357 at 10.9 oz. I handled both of these new lightweights and frankly the idea of touching off a full house .357 in either of them scares me to death. OUCH! I really don't see any advantage over the current Titanium models, but I guess S&W needs a new gimmick.
Finally (bet you thought I'd never get here, did ya?) I had a talk with the Browning factory rep and I'm sorry to report that the beloved P-35 Hi-Power has indeed been discontinued.
It seems falling sales and the CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE were just too much for Browning to risk the cost of production on anymore. Makes ya sick don't it?I also had a long talk with the S&W rep, but that's for another thread.
So, if your anywhere near Memphis, you've got one more day. The DU Outdoor Festival is loads of fun.
Oops, had some trouble with the hyperlink.
------------------
TFL's official "Curmudgeon Member" and damned proud of it!
TFL End of Summer Meet, August 12th & 13th, 2000
[This message has been edited by Grayfox (edited June 03, 2000).]
