Just returned from the Shot Show...

[Rastoff]

...and WOW is there a lot of AR stuff out there. Without exaggeration, the Shot Show was 50% AR stuff. Considering all the shooting accessories and different types of guns, we are hugely focused on the AR.

Also, most of it was just variations on a theme. Very few innovative additions to the AR line. I guess that shouldn't surprise me because it's a good platform and well thought out right from the beginning.

There was one accessory that caught my eye:


This is a carbon fiber forearm. Carbon fiber is not new to the world of ARs, but this is a use I haven't seen before. By winding the fiber into threads they've made this lighter than you can imagine. The 15" version is about 4oz. Picking it up feels like it's made of air.

While standing at the booth another guy picked one up and said to the manufacturer, "I'll bet you'd be upset if I crushed this." Without missing a beat the manufacturer told him to try; he couldn't, I couldn't. I'm sure this isn't as tough as a solid aluminum forearm, but it is very tough. The biggest drawback is the $280 price.

[Rastoff]

Another interesting product was the new Vudu scope from EOTech.



What's unique about this one is the reticle. It's a first focal plane reticle. Nothing truly unique about that, but EOTech has taken advantage of the reticle changing sizes as the magnification is changed. Take a look at this:


When it's set to 1x, the reticle is much like the standard circle you'd find on the EOTech HWS. However, when the magnification is set to 6x, you see the image on the right. This gives you both a nice circle for close in shots and a reticle in MOA or mrad or BDC markings for ranging or hold-over when taking longer shots.

Again, while innovative, it's pricey. This retails for about $1,300 and isn't shipping yet, but soon.

[alwaysoutdoors]

Cool report.thanks. Apparently, the AR and related accessories make up a vast majority of sales and thus your findings reflect this. I'm not a huge AR fan, but it is pretty cool to change an upper in about 5 seconds and have a "new" gun.

[5point5sixGUY]

"The Late Boy Scout" released a video about this handguard yesterday.

YouTube