February 14, 2008 installment

The Best and Worst of SHOT Show 2008

SHOT Show 2008 was the largest to date with 1,948 exhibitors utilizing 715,000 square feet of floor space. There were a lot new products introduced as well as new variations on existing products and our Editors and writers will be busy for some time sorting through the new items and reporting on them both in our magazines and here on the web sites. Personally, I felt this was one of the best shows in years as far as useful new product ideas are concerned and shooters are fortunate to have an industry that is responsive to their wishes. There were, however, a few new introductions that had me scratching my head. Following is one man's opinions on some of the best and worst new products introduced.

Ruger's New Attitude
It has been almost two decades since Bill Ruger alienated a lot of shooters when he sent a letter to Congress suggesting that magazines over ten rounds capacity be banned. His comments in an interview with Tom Brokaw further enraged those of us who realize the Second Amendment is not about hunting: "no honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun. . ." and "I never meant for simple civilians to have my 20 and 30 round magazines. . .".

Yes, that is a 20-round magazine you see hanging from Ruger's new NRA Mini-14 and it is available to civilians. Hopefully, the standard capacity 20-round magazine will soon be available in all the mini-14 lineup.

There are shooters who to this day still boycott Ruger products due to Bill Ruger's aiding and abetting of the so-called Assault Weapon Ban that we had to live with for a decade. But thanks to some long overdue changes in policy from Ruger in recent months perhaps we can finally put the past behind us and move on. Bill Ruger contributed much to the firearms industry and the sport of shooting and it is a shame that some seem to remember him only for the one misguided position he took. The powers that be should have ended this policy of magazine capacity restrictions long ago but better late than never.

The recent introduction of the Ruger SR9 shocked a lot of shooters due to the handgun's factory supplied 17-round magazine. I felt then it was just a matter of time before Ruger corrected a poor long-standing policy of only supplying civilians with five-shot magazines in their Mini-14 rifles. That proved to be the case as Ruger unveiled a new Mini-14 NRA rifle with 20-round magazine.

To further illustrate Ruger's new attitude a new pocket pistol for self-defense was introduced – the LCP in .380 caliber. This the first pocket size self-defense autoloader ever offered by Ruger and it is a compact little handgun clearly not designed for hunting. It has a 2.75-inch barrel and an overall length just a shade over five-inches. Magazine capacity is six rounds and advertised weight of pull of the trigger is eight-pounds. If this little hideout gun proves as reliable as other Ruger handguns it should be very popular for concealed carry where more potent firearms are too bulky.

Return of a Classic. . .Almost
I have long been a fan of the Winchester Model 70 controlled feed action. I'll go a step further and state that I feel it is the finest American design among bolt-action hunting rifles. A lot of savvy shooters share my opinion of this classic design but the general shooting public has been understandably turned off by the fickle marketing and hit and miss quality control over the years. It has been a rocky road for the rifleman's rifle but perhaps it will finally find its footing and its niche in the marketplace. The new rifles will be made in my home state of South Carolina and the quality of workmanship appears to be excellent.

The controlled feed Model 70 Winchester has been reintroduced but there have been a couple significant changes. What was one of the best and simplest hunting trigger designs has been idiot-proofed. The result is a still crisp yet safer trigger with a little heavier pull perhaps than was possible with the original design, but it still provides a light enough pull for hunting purposes and has actually been improved in regards to take-up and overtravel. As much as I like the old Model 70 trigger I have to admit it did require some mechanical aptitude to adjust properly. This new trigger was likely a smart move in our sue-happy society. The other change is the addition of an internal bedding block to enhance accuracy. Otherwise the new Model 70 is the old Model 70 discerning hunters have appreciated for generations.

A Bolt-Rifle Bonanza
The bolt-action rifle remains the firearm of choice for a majority of hunters and this popularity is reflected in the many new designs and variations on existing designs introduced recently. Today's shooters have an unprecedented choice of designs, materials, and caliber choices. Here is a look at a few new models that should prove popular.

The Savage Model 25 Varminter T is scaled for cartridges in the .223 class, including the popular .204 Ruger. The 24-inch medium taper barrels provides enough heft for stable shooting yet you won't get a hernia carrying this gun in the field. Weight is 8.35 pounds. Features like a 60-degree bolt throw and Savage's excellent Accutrigger make this a pleasant rifle to shoot. The Model 25 is also available in a more conventional varmint stock and in a Sporter model with 22-inch lightweight barrel.

When Thompson Center introduced the ICON we were told other variations of the design would follow. They did not waste any time. New this year are ten new variations of the ICON including long-action models plus a choice of stainless and blued models with black synthetic or camo patterned stocks. There are also custom shop models like the fancy walnut stocked model with rollover cheekpiece you can see pictured behind TC's Ken French.

Sako rifles have a superb reputation for quality and out-of-the-box accuracy but have always been a bit pricy. They still are but the new A7 model comes in under 1000 bucks suggested retail. This lower price is due in part to some lower cost materials like the injection molded stock and a polymer shroud but the rifle is still loaded with features. It has some of the same features of the Model 85 including a separate bolt release button that allows the rifle to be unloaded with safety engaged and a trick magazine release, some might say tricky magazine release, that prevents losing the detachable single stack magazine in the field. If you prefer the magazine can be left in and loaded through the port like a box magazine. The rifle has Sako's traditional quality of workmanship and should appeal to shooters who want the Sako features at a more reasonable price.

Superfluous Safeties
Among the many excellent new and improved firearms introduced at SHOT Show 2008 were a few questionable entries. We have had to suffer some atrocious design changes in recent years due to our litigious society that tends to make safety the sole responsibility of manufacturers while relieving individuals of blame for carelessness and incompetence. While manufacturers have in general done an excellent job of improving safety without making firearms overly cumbersome this SHOT Show, like others, had a couple new entries that have been lawyerized.

Kudos to Mossberg for introducing an economical and well-made lever gun that copies strongly from the venerable Model 94 Winchester, but unfortunately the Model 464 Mossberg incorporates the worst feature ever added to the lever-action rifle. The top tang safety is not only unneeded on a traditional lever-action it is a nuisance. The Mossberg Model 464 is a nice looking lever-action with obvious quality in materials and manufacturing but an additional safety stuck on the top, or anywhere else, is an abomination. Surely modern safety features built into the action like a transfer bar negate the need for such add-ons. If manufacturers are so concerned with the safe lowering of the hammer why doesn't some ingenious designer come up with an unobtrusive hammer drop mechanism?

Springfield has felt the need to offer an ambidextrous thumb safety to their excellent and already safe XD handguns. Fortunately it is available as an option and models without the unneeded safety are still available. I suppose there is a bright side to this model. Those who wish to alternate between carrying an XD and a cocked and locked 1911 will be very familiar with the safety and disengaging it will be a natural move.

Long Live the Double-action Revolver
The double-action revolver remains popular as a hunting and general use handgun and has had a sharp resurgence in popularity recently as a self-defense weapon. Smith & Wesson has been largely responsible for this as they have pulled out all the stops in developing and marketing new variations of their classic design.

Among the latest wheelguns in the Smith & Wesson lineup is the Night Guard Series. These matte finished snubbies have Scandium frames to reduce weight and come with XS Tritium sights for low-light self-defense work. The Night Guard series is available in .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .44 Special, .45 ACP, and .44 Magnum in appropriate for caliber frame sizes.

Smith & Wesson has revived many of its classic models in the Classic line and one of the newest of the old handguns to go back into production is the Model 27 .357 Magnum. It will be available with four or six-inch barrel in either bright nickel or blue finish. This is a heavy duty N-frame revolver that takes full advantage of the .357 Magnum's performance capabilities and will stand up to years of hard use with heavy loads.

Another notable Smith & Wesson handgun returning to the lineup this year is the Model 610. The 10mm has a small but loyal fan base and there was uproar from these folks when Smith & Wesson dropped the 10mm revolver form the lineup seven years ago. Now it returns in a choice of four or 6-1/2-inch barrel in a brushed stainless finish.

Loads of Performance
Ammunition companies seem determined to meet every need a shooter might have and the resulting lineup of available ammo is staggering. The past couple years have seen a lot new slug loads introduced for those people who live in shotgun only states and this year was no exception. Winchester introduced two new slug loads. One is called Rack Master and is available in 2-3/4 and 3-inch 12 gauge loads. Both propel 1-1/8-ounce slugs and utilize a WinGlide stabilizer. The other new slug load from Winchester is in their Supreme Elite XP3 line and propels a 300-grain Sabot slug at a respectable 2100-feet per second in the 3-inch load.

Lightfield is a small manufacturer but is dedicated to producing some of the most deadly and accurate slug loads available. Their Lightfield Lites are reduced recoil loads that still provide good expansion and excellent accuracy due to the interlocking slug and sabot.

Hornady recently expanded their LEVERevolution line to include the .357 and .44 Magnum. You do not need a lever gun, of course, to appreciate the improved external ballistics of these polymer tipped rounds. They work great in revolvers and should add some effective range to your favorite wheelgun.

Innovative Accessories
SHOT Show 2008 was filled with shooting accessories, as always. Many were simply copies of past products with perhaps a snazzy finish added. Some, however, were not only innovative but useful. Flashlights are certainly a useful item but it did seem everyone was trying to get a slice of that market this year. Most were of good quality and attractive finish but one offered a useful feature that rates mention here.

Gerber introduced the Omnivore flashlight. It is a .7 watt LED light with patent pending multi-battery functionality. Lithium CR123 batteries are the undisputed favorite when it comes to providing a powerful and brilliant light but they are expensive for everyday use. The Omnivore solves the problem by handling not only CR123 batteries but AA and AAA batteries as well. The CR123 batteries still produce the most light and highest run time but the more economical and readily available alkaline batteries handle daily chores quite well.

The Caldwell Fire Control shooting rest looks very promising. I will have to get some range time with it to confirm its usefulness but I see no reason it should not work as advertised. In a nutshell the extended lever allows easy fine-tuning of shot placement from a solid shooting position. This rest should be of special interest to prairie dog shooters who use a benchrest in the field.

I have only scratched the surface here in regards to products introduced at SHOT Show this year. As mentioned at the outset, watch for more in-depth coverage to come both in our magazines and on this web site.

January 11, 2008 installment

First Impressions: Nitrex Optics

Five years ago, ATK (Alliant Techsystems Inc.) decided to get out of the consumer sport optics business and sold Simmons Outdoor Group to Meade Instruments. This sale consisted of three well-known optics related brands: Simmons, Weaver, and Redfield. At the time an ATK spokesperson stated the consumer division wished to focus on ammunition, as ATK owns Federal, CCI, and Speer ammunition. Now, it appears the company is entering back into the sports optics arena with its introduction of the Nitrex brand of riflescopes and binoculars.

ATK has introduced a new line of optics under the Nitrex brand name. Selection is limited initially with three models of riflescopes and four models of binoculars. The riflescopes available are a 3-9X42mm, a 3-10X50mm shown here, and a 6-20X50mm AO. The binocular line includes the very useful 8X42mm shown here, plus a 10X42 model, and a couple of compacts in 8X25mm and 10X25mm. You can view the complete line at www.nitrexoptics.com

This change of heart at ATK has me wondering if the company ever truly intended to stay out of the optics business entirely or if a new line of optics was planned all along.

It's easier than ever to start from scratch in the optics business. Huge optics manufacturers throughout the world stand ready to produce glass of any quality and price for various customers. With clever marketing and viral Internet practices, quality products can quickly gain a following. Some of the best optics are made in Japan and ATK was wise to go there for their new line. If the new Nitrex line of optics proves half as tough and reliable as the advertising claims it should do well in the marketplace.

But enough speculation on marketing strategies. Let's get down to what truly matters to most shooters. Are the new Nitrex optics from ATK worth considering next time you need a new riflescope or binocular? I have field-tested a production sample of each and my evaluation follows. I will offer an overview of the riflescope and binocular tested then sum up my opinions on Nitrex optics in general.

Nitrex TR1 3-10X50mm Riflescope
Once I got past the pretty packaging I found a huge riflescope in the box and little else. There were no lens caps or luxury cleaning cloth. Just a bare bones matte finished scope in a clear plastic sleeve. This is not a bad thing and set a theme that carried over to the binocular I tested as well. The goal seems to be to offer simple no-frills optics with excellent glass at an affordable price. The scope looks a little retro with its small adjustment turrets and the only accent color is a small red logo on the elevation turret cap. Did I mention it's a large scope? It's right at 15-inches long with the fast-focus eyepiece dialed out to accommodate my tired old eyes and there is plenty of ring space to adapt to most any mounting system.

The TR1 3-10X50mm is a large riflescope with superb optics for low light hunting. For size comparison it's shown here (top) next to a Nikon Monarch 3-9X40mm scope. The Nitrex TR1 riflescope tested is in matte finish but a gloss black finish is available.

There's no adjustable objective and none is truly needed at 10X and under. An adjustable objective is provided on the 6-20X50mm model. All lenses in the Nitrex line of optics are fully multi-coated and a look down the tube showed a large bright and crisp view. There was no tunnel vision effect you sometimes get on lesser scopes. In short, the sight picture is superb. Eye relief is 3.5 inches.

I mounted the scope on a 25/06 Pro Hunter barrel on my Encore using Warne quick detach rings and base and headed for the range. Boresighting put me on the paper at 100-yards though the first three-shot group was in the upper left corner of the target. I took my time walking it home, as I wanted to see how well the adjustments tracked. I started with four clicks right and four down and the group moved exactly one-inch left and down. Further adjustments tracked well also and it was easy get the groups to impact two-inches high at 100-yards. The control dials are finger adjustable, or perhaps I should say fingernail adjustable, as the dials are tiny. It wasn't a big problem even for my large digits though, and if the scope performs as it should, adjustments should rarely be needed.

The reason one buys a scope with 50mm objective is for low light performance. Since deer season was drawing to a close where I live and my friend and hunting partner, Bobby Ayers, and I wanted to take a couple does for the freezer, I decided to try the scope out on live game. The deer were wary after a three-month season and were only moving right at dusk so it seemed a perfect test of the optics. Unfortunately, the deer did not cooperate for me but I loaned the rig to Bobby for a couple days and he did take a nice doe with it late on the final day of the season. He and I were both impressed with the optics under low light conditions.

No coin or screwdriver is needed as the dial on Nitrex scopes is finger adjustable. It's small though and can be a bit tricky to get a grip on. Adjustments have an audible click and each click moves point of impact 1/4-inch at 100-yards. The sample tested tracked very reliably.

8X42mm Binocular
When I checked the list of available Nitrex binoculars, the 8X42 caught my attention. This is an excellent power/objective combination for deer hunting here in South Carolina because it offers an over 5mm exit pupil to provide all the low light transmission the human eye can use yet is fairly compact. A 10X42mm binocular seems to be the most popular these days and I prefer it for long range pursuits in good light such as hunting pronghorns, but here in the south, deer often wait until right at dark to move and 8X provides plenty of magnification for most situations.

Like the Nitrex riflescope, this roof prism binocular was basic with no frills. Lens caps were provided but were nothing to write home about. To be blunt, it looked a little cheap. The neck strap was nice, although simple and had a very soft comfortable section that fit around the neck. I opted not to use it however as I prefer to carry my binocular in my coat pocket and this was compact enough to do so. The nicest accessory was the case. It is made of ballistic nylon with a solid clasp and appears to be very rugged. A zippered mesh pocket on the front of the case is a nice touch, though I have yet to decide what to carry there.

Range testing was done with a Thompson Center Encore with 25/06 Pro Hunter barrel. The large scope looks a little top heavy on this rifle but balanced well and delivered excellent performance both at the range and in the field.

I gave the binocular a tougher workout than the riflescope as I used it on a number of deer hunts including a couple outings in the pouring rain. All Nitrex optics are rated as waterproof and I have seen no reason to doubt it. The large exit pupil combined with fully coated lenses provided superb low light resolution. I compared it side-by-side with a couple of different 10X42 binoculars costing three times as much and the Nitrex showed a slight advantage in the dimmest light due to the larger exit pupil. This indicates the glass is top quality.

My friend and hunting partner, Bobby Ayers, used the Nitrex scoped Encore 25/06 to bag a doe in the closing minutes of the last day of deer season. A sidenote on bullet performance: The broadside lung shot was executed at 150-yards using a handloaded 110-grain Nosler Accubond with a muzzle velocity of 3100 feet-per-second. The bullet did exit but most of the energy was spent inside. The doe ran about 30-yards.

I liked the focus adjustment on the Nitrex binocular for low light viewing. Some focus knobs are so sensitive the slightest turn markedly changes the focus. This is fine for some hunting, particularly spotting game in open country, as you can quickly and easily change the focus distance without repositioning the fingers on the knob. But these sensitive adjustment knobs can make it difficult to find sharp focus in very low light. The Nitrex knob was just right, for me at least. Changing focus was quick and easy but there was enough leeway for careful fine-tuning in dim light.

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The eyecups were the only onboard part of the binocular I was not impressed with. They are simple polymer cups that you can pull out and they click into either the extended or lowered position. I prefer the latter position but on a couple of occasions I pulled the binocular from my pocket and found one of the eyecups had been pulled out unintentionally. It wasn't a major problem and would likely be no problem if carried on a neck strap or binocular harness, but a bit firmer lockup would've been nice.

The Nitrex binoculars are rubber coated and provide a sure comfortable grip. I used it hard for a month and it still looks like new. Judging a binocular is partly subjective, of course, but I very much like this model. It suits my style of hunting here in the south and would be darn near perfect except for those eyecups.

Conclusions
Manufacturer's suggested retail is often misleading so I searched the Internet for a street price on these optics and found MidwayUSA offers the 3-10X50mm Nitrex scope at a price of $329.99. I suspect that price may come down some as the scopes get into the pipeline and competition heats up. The 8X42mm Nitrex binocular was not yet listed on Midway's site but they did have the 10X42 model for $289.95.

I used the Nitrex 8X42mm binoculars extensively for over a month and was impressed with the optical quality and light transmission in low light. Note the absence of a carrying strap. I opted to carry these fairly compact binoculars in a coat pocket.

This puts the Nitrex optics into a highly competitive niche in which ATK will be vying for market share against some well-respected brands. It seems shooters have finally began to accept that cheap optics are a poor investment, yet many cannot afford the expensive glass. This leaves them shopping in this $300 range for their optics and competition is heating up and providing shooters with some excellent mid-priced scopes and binoculars. The entry of Nitrex optics into this niche can only be a good thing for shooters.

If you want features like side parallax focus, bullet drop compensating reticles, or illuminated red dots, you will have to look elsewhere, for now at least. But if quality of build and brilliant glass are your goal and at a reasonable price, Nitrex optics are worth a look. Of course, I cannot guarantee these optics will perform to everyone's satisfaction. Certainly not by testing only a couple of samples.

The Nitrex binoculars come with a useful nylon carrying case. You can see it's a fairly roomy case and getting the binoculars in and out is easy. It's also lightweight, has a solid latch that can be operated quietly, and offers excellent protection.

The true test will be how they perform for a majority of people who buy them and only time and consumers can make that judgment. Purchasing any new brand of optics is a gamble but based on ATK's track record, the odds are stacked in the consumers' favor. If you look at ATK's product line from Federal ammunition to RCBS reloading equipment you will not find a lame horse in the stable. I trust ATK would not damage that reputation by introducing an inferior optics line.

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