2018 SHOT Show Review

[LRRPF52]

From what I saw at SHOT, my perspective is that several main developments or trends that manifest this year will fuel the AR15 economy in the short term.

If you watch the end of the Surefire video, you'll see that they introduced a long-stroke BCG/buffer/recoil spring system that reduces the cyclic rate of the AR and will work nicely with suppressed AR15s. The bolt telescoping length is at least twice what a regular AR is, so the bolt stays locked much longer than with the current cam path.

Integral suppression is a growing wave among many manufacturers, especially those who submitted their contenders for the SURG contract for SOCOM, which then opened all kinds of doors SOCOM didn't realize existed when looking at different aspects each vendor contributed. LMT had some very unique technology, LaRue had the anti-burn cage and good balance, Thunderbeast has a great system that is user-cleanable and well-balanced, etc.





Many more manufacturers are making 6.5 Grendel AR15s and we saw the third major manufacturer, Ruger, introduce an AR15 magazine-fed 6.5 Grendel bolt rifle.

Everyone and their brother is making some type of billet AR15 covered in different Cerakote finishes, with lightweight, streamlined free float handguards, top-end triggers, ergonomic charge handles, muzzle brakes, different ergonomic features on the lowers, side chargers, etc.

Pistol Caliber Carbines seemed to be present with almost every AR15 manufacturer as we walked through the show, growing on a trend set by some other companies over the past few years. It's like they exploded onto the showroom floor. Most are fed with Glock magazines, and there are different sizes based on 9mm and 10mm/.45 ACP. A little 10mm AR15 chambered in 9x25 Dillon with a suppressor would make one hell of a home defense pistol when you look at what it does, as they are very easy for women and children to point and shoot since the receivers are so small.



The growing list of foreign-designed PCCs is impressive when looking at SIG, CZ, HK, Brügger & Thomet, and Kalashnikov USA.



The AR15 and AR10 retro offerings from Brownells, Colt, and Troy continue to gain interest and add product lines, including Brownell's first line of complete rifles ranging from Colt Commando XM177E2 clones, to the AR10. Troy now has complete uppers available as well.