The SHOT Show has enough goodies to make any firearms fan’s heart go aflutter. Truly it is difficult to pick favorites from the event that is wall to wall with every shape and size of gun. Really, the only thing the whirlwind of 1911s, ARs and shotguns seems like it's good for is engorging wish lists to asinine proportions. With that said, I’ve attempted to winnow the the slew of new guns from SHOT 2014 down to a few that really caught my eye. Not saying they're the best, by any means, only that they look plenty interesting to pull the trigger on.
Benelli Ethos
My father passed pheasant hunting and trap shooting down to me. In turn, down deep, I am a shotgun guy. Benelli’s newest model is a shotgun guy’s shotgun. Not only is the Ethos elegantly stocked with high-grade European Walnut and has the option for an engraved nickel-plated receiver. It is also a precision piece of machinery. Benelli’s inertia-driven system is absolutely one of the smoothest in the world of semi-automatic shotguns. This is the type of smoothbore a father would be proud to pass down to their child. MSRP: $1,999. www.benelliusa.com
Remington R51
I have to jump on the bandwagon on this one; Remington’s newest addition to its vast catalog appears to have a lot going for it. The R51 is chambered in America’s favorite pistol round – 9mm. It is tested for +P ammunition, giving it plenty of personal-protection punch. It is a slender .96 inches wide and a petite 22 ounces, giving few excuses not to carry it on daily basis. Finally, it is an all-metal handgun with a MSRP of $389! To top it all off, incorporating Pedersen's action into the pistol should make it appealing to gun geeks of every stripe. MSRP: $389. www.remington.com
Citadel Arms M-1 9mm
The first version of Citadel’s M-1 – a .22 LR – received mixed reviews, which made me tentative about adding it to this list. What made me throw caution to the wind with the new model? The rifle is chambered in 9mm. The round is cheap, available and did I mention cheap? And it seems to be the perfect marriage with the M-1 platform. If the bugs are worked out from the earlier generation of Citadel’s M-1 than the rifle has a lot of potential. The gun seems like it would be as fun plinking pop cans as it would be mist-ifying ground squirrels. MSRP: Synthetic Stock $539, Wood Stock $642. www.legacysports.com
Recommended Resources for Gun Collectors:
2014 Standard Catalog of Firearms, 24th Edition
None of those come close to being the coolest. The Benelli I could see being cool for a certain type, but then again I don’t hunt birds or shoot trap or skeet, and am only really interested in shotguns for their tactical applications. Give me a Benelli M4 any day. Another crappy 9mm is the last thing anyone needs, and pistol caliber carbines are lame. Making a pistol caliber carbine that looks like a historic rifle is lame, unnecessary, and slightly sacreligious.