10 New Products From SHOT Show

Jan. 17, 2019
If you’re at the show, stop by and visit these booths for a look at new products for law enforcement professionals.
This year’s SHOT Show is going to be bigger and better than ever. More than 70,000 people attend this tradeshow, which makes it the largest show of its kind in the world. SHOT is always a candy store to me, where I get to see all of the new products and visit with all of the people across the world with whom I’ve been chatting virtually. It also is a great place for law enforcement professionals to find new products and equipment. Let’s have a look at some of the new product releases planned for SHOT. If you’re at the show, stop by and visit these booths. If you’re not able to attend this year, stay up-to-date with show floor coverage from the Officer.com team.

1. CRKT

CRKT will debut the Provoke™, a knife whose design inspiration comes from the karambit, a traditional martial arts knife that has a curved blade that, when deployed, extends from the bottom of the closed fist, and can be flipped around without the threat of being disarmed. Designer Joe Caswell took the basic design and warped it into the future. The curved 7.250” tool folds into a safe position just shy of 5” long. Using his deigned Kinematic™ action, a simple nudge on the upper crossbar flips the blade forward, locking it in place. A lever in the finger loop retracts it. The Provoke™ blade is oxide finished D2 and the handle is aluminum.

One of the original purposes for a traditional karambit is a last-ditch fighting tool. It is a seriously good choice for law enforcement professionals.

2. XS Sights

XS Sights has just released their DXT2 Big Dot Night Sights. They differ from their previous products because the dot outline comes in Optic Orange or Optic Yellow. These colors are specifically designed to capitalize on the transition from cones to rods.

XS® Sights is well known for the shallow v notch rear sight, coupled with a huge front dot that draws the shooter’s eyes quickly. At night, the shooter dots the “i”, which means that aligning the sights is simply a matter of putting the huge, bright dot on top of a luminous post. Optic Yellow is the most visible color in low light. In bright light, the color is not washed out. The new second-generation of Big Dot sights is four times brighter than the original. I have the original on one of my Glocks. It’s still bright. I cannot wait to shoot this one.

3. Mossberg

Mossberg has added a few new models to the Shockwave line, and the SPX has special assignment written all over it. The 590 Shockwave SPX is a 6-shot, 12-gauge firearm with a 14-inch barrel. There are several Shockwave models, but this one looks like a good fit for law enforcement use. It has the signature Shockwave Technologies Raptor polymer bird’s head grip, and a very handy 7 round polymer shell holder. The top-mounted rail, heatshield and a muzzle with a breacher face add to the utility of the package.

Black Aces Tactical (blackacestactical.com) has already taken the Shockwave design and pushed it to the limits. They have custom hardware, and even a semi-auto version with hardwood furniture, which looks like a Howdah pistol gone steampunk.

If you have not put some 12-gauge rounds through one, I can report that the Shockwave is easy to shoot, and a useful addition to the home arsenal. I see this as a specialty gun for assignments like off-road motor units and K9 teams that are air inserted, where a versatile firearm must be very maneuverable. This is a Non-NFA firearm with an OAL of 26.37 inches. It weighs 5.75 pounds.

4. Speer Ammo

Last year I got to run some Speer Gold Dot bullets through ballistic gelatin. They produced some of the most reliable expansion since I have been testing cartridges. I believe that Speer has mastered the core bonding formula. At SHOT this year, they have extended the Gold Dot Personal Protection line to a Short Barrel line, which includes a 9mm +P 124-grain Short Barrel (I have to shoot this one!), and Short Barrel .38, .357, .40, and .45 products.

Providing defensive cartridges for short barrels is big in the industry. It’s not simply a matter of designing faster burning combinations. It also requires bullets that expand at the correct rate for the combination. Speer is also releasing Gold Dot Personal Protection cartridges for mouse guns, specifically .25, .32, and .380 Auto. This has sparked my curiosity, and I plan to see what they can do in gelatin.

5. Hornady

Hornady is releasing a .25 Auto 32 grain FTX cartridge and a 60 grain .32 Auto FTX cartridge. Hornady is a trendsetter in defensive ammunition, so expect to see handgun manufacturers release new pocket rockets or redesigns. Hornady does not mess around when it comes to complete product design. Expect to see short barrel performance with minimum flash. I don’t know how much Hornady can squeeze from these, but you can bet they will be maximized.

6. Mesa Tactical

Mesa Tactical has released something simple—a shotgun sling mount designed to fit between the shotgun and receiver. It gives the user a loop for single or 3-point slings. These mounts are made of cast steel, and they are contoured. They will be available for left or ambi mount.

7. Kimber

For 2019, Kimber has released their EVO SP, a 9mm striker-fired, concealable handgun, with single stack 7 round magazines. For Kimber fans, this is a huge deviation from their product line and I’ll say it: It’s about time. The EVO SP’s most striking feature is the “melt job” or what gunsmiths used to call when the sharp edges of a gun are contoured for snag free concealed carry. It has a reversible mag release, complex slide milling and ledged night sights. The photos suggest an 11-degree recessed crown, but I’ll know at the show. The EVO SP comes in several different configurations with names like TLE, consistent with their custom .45 line.

8. MagPump

New for 2019 is the MagPump 9MM PRO featuring upgraded machined aluminum components with internal ball bearings that produce extra smooth operation. This hopper-fed, loose-ammo loader eliminates hand fatigue and reduces magazine loading time by more than 50 percent. Simply load your 9mm ammo in the 50-round capacity hopper and let MagPump do the rest. The pump-action lever self-sorts ammunition in either direction and loads up to 30 rounds in less than 30 seconds. The loader includes six adaptable magazine retainers to fit pistol models from GLOCK, SIG, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, CZ and Ruger. Additional single- and double-stack magazine retainers are available for other popular pistol models. If you’re at SHOT Show, visit them at booth #111.

9. Sticky Holsters

Sticky Holsters are well known for their simple pouch-style holsters that are literally sticky on the outside, but smooth fabric on the inside. This allows them to stay in place on the pocket or the waistband, yet allow for a smooth draw. This is my EDC holster and every LEO should have one.

The new Thin Blue Line holster is not a new design, nor is it a new approach for Sticky Holsters. You are hearing about it because of Sticky Holster’s commitment to law enforcement. This product has a Thin Blue Line sewn into its design. A portion of their sales goes to Concerns Of Police Survivors (concernsofpolicesurvivors.org). When I sat down to write this, Sticky Holsters had just surprised C.O.P.S. with a $5,000 check. This makes me want to go out and buy a few more Sticky Holsters myself.

10. Kahr

You should know that my EDC is a Kahr CW9 in a Sticky Holster. Kahr just announced their Thin Blue Line PM9 and their new Fallen Officer Program. Through the Fallen Officer Program, Kahr will donate a Thin Blue Line model PM9 customized with the fallen officer’s name on the side of the slide, and his or her badge number and “end of watch” date engraved on the top of the slide. The gun can then be used to raise money for the family or remain with the family as a keepsake.

The “Thin Blue Line” PM9 slide is finished in durable Armor Black Cerakote. The rest of it is completely blacked out, and it comes with TruGlo Tactical Night Sights. See them at booth #13962.

If you’re reading this issue at the show, stop by the Law Enforcement Technology/Officer.com booth #32306 and say hello to Frank, Adrienne or me. 

About the Author

Lindsey Bertomen is a retired police officer and military small arms trainer. He welcomes comments at [email protected].

About the Author

Officer Lindsey Bertomen (ret.), Contributing Editor

Lindsey Bertomen is a retired police officer and retired military small arms trainer. He teaches criminal justice at Hartnell College in Salinas, California, where serves as a POST administrator and firearms instructor. He also teaches civilian firearms classes, enjoys fly fishing, martial arts, and mountain biking. His articles have appeared in print and online for over two decades. 

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