SHOT Show 2026: The Sights, Sounds and Must-See Products

With SHOT Show 2026 in my rearview mirror, I did the usual ritual of assessing how many things I wanted to see versus how many products I saw. As I have said in the past, the SHOT Show needs to be a month long.

During Range Day, I rushed to see the more popular new products. I wanted to be first in line. My first two stops were Franklin Armory and Glock.

These rifles ruled

Franklin Armory released the new Prevail Rifle, a precision rifle that uses their Total Round Control System. This design ensures complete reliability and concentricity in chambering, improving reliability and accuracy. This rifle is so modular, some tasks normally done at the armorer level can be done at the end-user level. For example, one can separate the firing pin from the bolt itself without the use of tools.

I moved on to look at the Bushmaster BA 30 Bolt-Action Rifle. This is a straight pull, manual AR 10-style rifle that had a very simplified manual of arms. The bolt is pulled back straight and released to chamber a round. It was sort of semi-semi-automatic. It had the coolest manual of arms for any AR 10 actions out there. It ran smoothly, but I was almost the first one to shoot it that morning. I came back later to peek after it digested several hundred rounds. It was still running strong.

The theme was 3D printing

It was on the Bushmaster Range that I discovered the theme for the day. I asked Erik Jacobsen, CEO of Bushmaster Firearms, what kind of suppressor was mounted on their guns. He told me it was a Bushmaster Muta II Suppressor. I looked at it (without handling the hot surface) and noticed that it looked like it was made of one piece of metal. Erik told me it was 3D printed.

I nearly launched into, “What sorcery is this?” but Erik explained that 3D printing of suppressors allows the manufacturer to make complex baffling systems that would be impossible to machine conventionally.

I’d heard of 3D printing suppressors, but I did not anticipate they would be a trend for 2026.

I must step back a little here. I don’t know a lot about suppressors, and I really haven’t done my homework on them. The best suppressors have very intricate surfaces designed to dissipate gases. The demand has been for smaller and lighter ones. For this, it takes superior engineering and materials. It only makes sense that 3D printing would displace complicated machining eventually.

I asked around. One of the reasons manufacturers go with 3D printing is that it cuts down on weight and suppressor length. Both directly affect the way a gun handles.

Bushmaster had a 7” barrel Breacher carbine and a 12.5-inch carbine that was built for their local SWAT team for their ops. Both had the Bushmaster Muta II Suppressors mounted. These are made of Inconel 625, which I’m told gives them temperature resistance and strength.

As the day progressed, they were running these Muta II suppressors at a very alarming rate. The heat signature coming from them was healthy. If you need answers to the question, “Will this thing run dirty?,” the uninterrupted all-day shooting of these Bushmasters had a tangible answer.

I moved on to the Diamondback Firearms range specifically to look at the new 38 Special +P SDR-A. This is a six-round revolver that weighs 15.6 ounces with the same form factor as the SDR series.

The revolver was beautiful, but we were all mesmerized by the Diamondback Ventra line of suppressors. They were lightweight, one-piece designs made of Inconel 718 with 17-4 stainless components. Like the other Inconel suppressors, these were shorter and lighter. The 5.5 6X 45 NATO suppressors weighed 11.84 ounces. One thing I was told was the shorter working length of the suppressors gives reduced blowback and smoother cycling.

The new Sig Sauer Hexium suppressors are made of-Guess what? 3D printed Titanium or Inconel. Every place I looked at SHOT Show, 3D printed suppressors were a thing.

The gun that stood out on the range: HK CC9

I shot several handguns, but the one that stood out amongst all of the concealable ones was the CC9 from HK. This is really no surprise. Heckler Koch sat back for several years while we were all shooting our handguns and paid attention to every standard and feature that consumers demanded.

• It is less than 1” wide.
• It has a 3.32 cold forged barrel.
• The controls are mirrored on the right and left side, including the slide release.
• It has a simple takedown.
• It has forward rails and an RMSC mount.
• It has front slide serrations and interchangeable backstraps.
• It comes with High-Vis Tritium sights
• 12+1 round capacity

Most manufacturers have addressed at least a few of the features that are desirable on a subcompact handgun. HK is one of the few that has put all these features, including completely rounded edges, dovetail sights, and +P rating, into a single package.

I grabbed several full magazines to try out the CC9. If HK was paying for the ammo, I wanted to see with this gun could do. HK designed the trigger safety and the firing pin safety to work at a 90° angle from each other. Its purpose is to create a multi-axis safety system to prevent accidental discharge if the gun is dropped. This concept was explained to me, but safety features appeared to only enhance the smoothness of the trigger. The CC9 was easy to shoot, and it was the gun to have in a target-rich environment.

Most intriguing design: Mimic firearms

My photographer Gene Whisenand and I split up for a few minutes to look at a few different products. We met up later and said, “You gotta see this.” We went over to the Mimic Firearms range (mimicfirearms. com) to look at their Speed9 PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine).

The Speed9 PCC uses a 60 round 9mm magazine that has about the same size as a 30 round AR-15 magazine. The cartridges are loaded back-to-back in opposing stacks. The primers face each other. The cartridges exit the magazine in a conventional manner. The magazine is flipped once the front side is empty.

I have been in a high-risk incident where one officer bailed out of his unit bearing an AR with only the magazine in his carbine. Admittedly, this is really a training issue, but such a product would at least mitigate a tragedy. We are looking forward to seeing what’s in the future for Mimic Firearms.

The Glock GEN 6 prevailed

I shot the Glock GEN 6 guns, and the changes were enough to compel me to swap out my current Glock. Glock added all the things that we generally customize on our Glocks, including a palm swell with natural contours and the RTF6 grip texture, which aggressively sticks to the hand. My favorite update is the undercut trigger guard and a more pronounced beaver tail. Not only does the gun fit better, but the axis of the gun is lowered a little.

Best duty/off-duty gun

Staccato has left an indelible impression on the law enforcement landscape with the 2011 platform. Many agencies have adopted the Staccato brand for their duty guns. This year they introduced the HD C4X, a 4” barrel 2011 variant that was designed for on-duty or off duty carry. The C4X takes Glock pattern magazines, has an integral compensator, and uses Staccato’s HD HOST optic-mounting system.

Staccato’s Newt Borowski told me that the C4X was developed at the request of an elite special-surveillance team, who needed a gun that could support them in uniform and non-uniform assignments. Every report that I have heard about the C4X talks about the fact that it shoots like a much larger gun, even though it is off duty capable. This gun is the perfect size and weight to bridge the duty/off-duty gap.

Staccato has gone a little further than just being a company that manufactures and sells guns. They have gone full circle by creating the Staccato Training Group (STG), which was designed to get shooters to the next level with live and online training. They also carry their own brand of ammo.

Best knife

I looked at a bunch of knives, as usual. The one that stood out in the fixed blade arena was a prototype from Tops Knives. For the time being, it is being called the JW1, after designer Jared Wihongi. I’m not sure how, but I picked a knife designed by a law enforcement officer/trainer who teaches CQB to law enforcement professionals. Of course I was gravitated toward this design.

I don’t know what they will eventually call this knife, but it will be incredible in the final production.

Most innovative L.E. products: Avon Protection

Avon Protection and Team Wendy were on the range with a mask and respirator combination that are two separate components. Three, since Team Wendy makes tactical and adventure helmets.

Once you hear the logic, you will want this for your local agency.

When tactical teams arrive to address a problem, they are often completely kitted, wearing a helmet and a one-piece respirator with goggles. This is what the public sees.

Adam Nelson told me that using separate components helps fight the “war of perception.” With the Avon system, the officer’s face is mostly uncovered, aiding in “humanizing” their presence.

Using Avon’s system, the officer arrives wearing a helmet and goggles, with the mask either hanging to one side of the helmet, or in a cargo pocket. Yes, it fits in a cargo pocket. If the enforcement is escalated, the mask is quickly clipped on. Once deescalated, the mask comes off.

The trick is in the goggles. They have a positive ventilation motor that can be switched on as needed. If an agent is administered, the eyes are protected from contamination.

I didn’t ask, but they looked like standard fittings for filtration.

Adam Nelson and Casey Galligan demonstrated the product for me, and it took Casey only seconds to switch on the goggles and don the mask. It is out of the way, even if it is hanging from the side of the helmet. If I were an administrator, this would be on a purchase order already.

Best flashlights: Powertac and Streamlight

I got to try out Powertac’s E3R Nova, a tiny 820 lm USB-C rechargeable light that’s 3.24” long. It’s one of the brightest mini lights on the market. It’s the thing to have in a pocket when your primary dies during a building search.

Streamlight released their Polytac 1X. This is a multi-fuel handheld light that throws 500 lm with Streamlight’s SLB9 cell. It gets pretty good runtime with an AA cell.

Best ammo: DoubleTap Ammunition DT Snakeshot

There were plenty of ammunition releases, but DoubleTap had a great design that caught my eye when I stepped up to their booth. This year, they have a 327 Federal DT Snakeshot Magnum round. Snake defense rounds are notoriously ineffective against other threats, except snakes at close ranges. DoubleTap has created a cartridge that can also be used for other defensive purposes. The 327 Federal round has a lead projectile along with shot, for a total payload of 105 grains. The larger projectile gets 14-16” of penetration.

DoubleTap makes SnakeShot cartridges in many popular calibers, including 38 Special and 9mm.

Best downtime

My favorite Las Vegas sushi place closed, so my wife and I scrambled to find somewhere that supports our regular sushi habit. We ended up in Sushi Samba, inside the Venetian. Their fare is a combination of Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisine. We were skeptical. Our sushi date was a winner. I will see you next year!