:
:
 : : : : :















By John Morrison
May 2008
   

Uncovering More
Gems From SHOT
Black Hills’ hyper-velocity Varmint Grenade rounds are an instant hit with customers.

Just as the Las Vegas Convention Center couldn’t hold all of SHOT Show 2008, Shooting Industry can’t hold a fraction of the new and interesting products in its regular features. Here are a few more gems of the show, uncovered by the sleuths on our staff.

CZ-USA’s VZ 58

Many dealers passing CZ-USA’s booth asked, “Is CZ making an AK-47 clone now?” While CZ’s reproduction of the Czech SA Vz58 7.62x39mm service rifle appears superficially similar to the Kalashnikov carbine, its striker-fired, gas piston-operated action was derived from the German StG 44.

Seen by many as superior to the AK, the VZ 58 has a bolt hold-open feature, a fast, ergonomic safety, is more compact and, even with its milled receiver, is almost a pound lighter than a stamped-receiver AK. Produced in Tactical and Military Sporter models, the VZ 58 is suitable for hunting, recreational and home-defense applications.
You can “Czech out” the details at www.cz-usa.com.

Plenty Of Ammo

Inexpensive Russian 7.62x39mm ammo for those AKs and the VZ 58 is plentiful, but for the best accuracy and hunting performance possible, Cor-Bon’s got you covered. Their 125-grain Traditional JHP loads are excellent for all-around use and personal defense. The 150-grain JSP Hunter loads feature bonded lead-core slugs. The DPX 123-grain Deep Penetrating Extreme rounds use Barnes Triple-Shock X-bullets to punch through tough hide and heavy bones. Visit www.cor-bon.com.

Last year, Black Hills Ammunition and Barnes Bullets developed a 36-grain, .223 load with a slug originally designed for military use. Instead of a conventional lead center, the core is composed of a compressed copper and tin mixture that disintegrates explosively on impact. The same slug is used in Black Hills’ Varmint Grenade rounds — an instant hit with varmint shooters.

For 2008, Black Hills has loaded the same 36-grain bullet in a .22-250 cartridge at 4,700 fps velocity, and a 62-grain loading in .243 Winchester at 3,700 fps. Accuracy is excellent, and “varmint vaporization” is the result. Browse the bullets at www.black-hills.com.

Federal Premium had its own traffic jam in front of displays of their shiny new nickel-plated Vital-Shok Trophy Bonded Tip ammo. This new offering adds several features to the proven Trophy Bonded Bear Claw platform for a substantial increase in performance. Fifteen different loads in popular calibers will undoubtedly be increased in the future. Keep an eye on them at www.federalpremium.com.
Wiley X Partners With Dealers
 
Rob Maser, Wiley X commercial sales manager, said, “We will
work with retailers to create a program that meets their needs.”
 
Many dealers have complained to SI that they have to stock several different makes of shooting safety eyewear because customers’ tastes vary so drastically. Wiley X will solve that problem for you.

Wiley X has developed dominating lines of eyewear in the fashion, auto and bike racing, fishing and hunting, and protective military and law enforcement ballistic fields. Now many of the best features of each genre are offered to satisfy virtually any buyer’s tastes.

“No matter the size or scope of a dealer’s business, we will work with retailers to create a program that meets their needs,” said Rob Maser, Wiley X commercial sales manager.

“We’ll help you determine which models your customers may prefer and work toward your success, because your success is ours. At Wiley X, we don’t just sell you the products, we are your sales and marketing resource.”

Their latest release is the Climate Control Series, a hybrid designed to meet multiple shooting sports, law enforcement and military challenges. Models include the Airborne and Jake. Removable foam gaskets lock securely into lightweight ANSI-certified frames, creating a Facial Cavity Seal against wind, debris and precipitation while maintaining a wide, full field of vision. Lenses are distortion-free Selenite polycarbonate, with scratch-proof coatings, UVA and UVB protection and military-approved ballistic resistance. See what’s included with each set at www.wileyx.com.

Magazines From Thermold

Although Thermold Products didn’t have a booth at SHOT Show, SI learned Thermold magazines are back! After a period of lapsed production and reorganization, Thermold is once again making lightweight, all-polymer, high-capacity magazines to fit AKs, Ruger Mini-14s, M14/M1As and others. Highly regarded for strength and smooth function, these have been — and should be again — hot-selling aftermarket items. By the time this issue goes to print, a new Web site should be up and running at www.thermoldproducts.com.
MSAR Grabs Attention
 
Josh Gunther, MSAR design engineer, shows off the new STG-556 rifle, a
vastly improved and modernized version of the famed Steyr-AUG.

 
Out in “Tent City,” SI staff found a familiar face, a familiar rifle profile and an unfamiliar name. The face belonged to Karl Walter, a longtime industry insider and weaponry wizard who has occupied executive positions with Glock and Taser, among others. The rifle looked like a Steyr-AUG — but slightly different. The booth’s banner read “MSAR Inc.,” and we discovered the knife-making company Microtech is now Microtech Small Arms Research, with Walter serving as executive vice president. They are producing a thoroughly updated, improved and very marketable evolution of the 30-year old Austrian-designed bullpup rifle. Its new designation: STG-556.

While retaining the short, compact, highly ergonomic profile and quick-change barrel of its ancestor, modern materials and reengineering have made the STG-556 lighter — only 6.2 pounds — stronger, and much cooler in rapid or sustained fire. A bolt forward assist and bolt hold-open after the last shot combine with newly designed anti-binding guide bushings for the action rods to make it far more efficient. The STG-556 is shipping now, along with a version chambered in 6.8mm SPC, the model STG-680.

MSAR’s firearms are made entirely in the U.S.A. — “100 percent by NRA members,” Walter added. Priced competitively with higher-end AR clones and offering a generous margin, this is one worth watching — closely.

If the STG-556 wasn’t exciting enough, Walter then revealed MSAR’s next offering, to appear in summer 2008: A bullpup multi-caliber carbine. To be chambered in 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm auto, .45 ACP and 45 GAP, each will be convertible with only a barrel, bolt head and magazine sleeve change, using standard Glock magazines. The MCS — Modular Carbine System — is planned to retail at $995, and may prove to be a red-hot seller for home-defense and recreational shooting. Keep on top of developments at www.msarinc.com.
 

Outdoor Marketplace is sponsored by:

Springfield Armory
www.springfieldarmory.com
 
Shooting Industry is a publication of FMG Publications and a registered Trademark of Publishers Development Corporation.
© 2007 Copyright by Publishers Development Corporation. All rights reserved.