The SHOT Show 2023 has finally opened again! After a successful Range Day, our all4shooters.com team has now been on the road for the first day of the SHOT Show and has discovered for you the first, brand new handguns, rifles, cartridges and accessories!
The top news from the SHOT Show 2023
With text and pictures, Marijan and Tanja Loch inspected the first world novelties. They were able to discover highlights from both big names and smaller manufacturers that are rather unknown in Europe. We present our picks from the first day of SHOT Show 2023!
One more note: we will continue to update this article throughout the day to provide you with more news. So it's worth checking in or updating regularly!
Handguns at SHOT Show 2023
GLOCK: G47, G20 and G21 Gen5 MOS and Performance Trigger
The Austrian pioneer in the field of globally successful service pistols with polymer frames introduces the G47 MOS, perhaps the most interesting 9x19mm full size gun to date from the company, and also launches the G20 in 10mm Auto and the G21 in .45 Auto in the latest, fifth generation and MOS configuration. In addition, GLOCK seems to have discovered a heart for sport shooters and the small, useful details. For the first time, the Performance Trigger offers an in-house match trigger and suppressor height sights.
Even connoisseurs of the matter may ask themselves when looking at the G47 MOS: "Well, where is the difference to a GLOCK G17 Gen5 MOS?" Truly, this is difficult to see at first glance, yet the answer is simple upon closer inspection: the GLOCK G47 combines the grip frame of the G45 "Crossover" model featuring the shorter dust cover with the typical GLOCK G17 Gen5 MOS slide. The G45, on the other hand, is known to be a combination of a long G17 grip frame with a high magazine capacity of 17 cartridges and a short G19 slide. Thus, the brand new G47 basically offers the option of completing the grip with either a G17 or G19 slide.
So anyone who already owns a G19 can also equip their G47 with the slide of the compact pistol. In this case, G17/G19 slides compatible with the original from the numerous aftermarket third-party manufacturers should also fit. Incidentally, the G47, which is now also available on the civilian market, was designed about three years ago as a result of an $85 million U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) request for proposals. Established in 2003, the Customs and Border Protection agency exchanged its HK P2000 in .40 S&W for three GLOCK Gen5 models in 9x19 in 2020: GLOCK G26, GLOCK G19 and the now no longer, mysterious GLOCK G47. In addition to all the typical Gen 5 features and the M.O.S. (Modular Optic System) slide interface for the in-house adapter plates and mounting of numerous mini red dot sights, the new G47 has rear and front slide serrations.
In addition to the GLOCK pistols in 9x19 and .40 S&W in a wide variety of formats, there are now also the fifth generation full-grown, powerful service pistols G20 in 10 mm Auto and G21 in .45 Auto in MOS configuration.
GLOCK Performance Trigger: The manufacturer wants to make life difficult for the huge U.S. tuning market with countless third-party manufacturers offering in-house products, which can only be right for us shooters. The best example of this is the in-house match trigger called "Performance Trigger" which, according to GLOCK philosophy, should of course only be installed by trained and certified "GLOCK Armorers" and is currently available for the following 9x19mm pistols: G17 Gen5, G19 Gen5, G19X, G26 Gen5, G34 Gen5, G45 and G47. The new trigger was developed in collaboration with U.S. GLOCK team captain and top U.S.PSA/IPSC shooter Shane Coley, who is known to have co-developed the Timney Alpha Competition trigger. This trigger, in turn, is probably one of the best aftermarket match triggers for GLOCK pistols and has really shaken up the market. With Connector 5 installed, the Performance Trigger promises a trigger weight of 2,000 grams with smooth characteristics and, most importantly, a fast and short reset for quick follow-up shots. With Connector 2, 1 and 3, the trigger weights are said to be 1,900, 2,300 and 3,200 grams (with standard 24N striker spring). It fits like a glove that GLOCK now also offers high-profile suppressor sights with the designation GMS (GLOCK Modified Sights), which provide "co-witness" with mounted mini red dot sights. Chapeau!
Savage Arms to feature brand new 1911 pistols at SHOT Show 2023
Already at the end of 2022, the U.S. company Savage Arms from Westfield, Massachusetts, which is primarily popular as a manufacturer of long guns, surprisingly presented the "Stance" model – a typical, compact 9mm polymer frame pistol for the huge American "concealed carry" gun market. Now comes the follow-up with rock-solid single action, all-steel pistols based on the design of the famous Colt Government Model of 1911, which also makes them interesting for European markets.
In the process, the immortal classic from designer John M. Browning celebrated a real "three-digit birthday" last year with 111 years of existence. Savage Arms now engages in this still large, highly competitive market segment among handguns with full-blown all-steel pistols featuring forged main components in the dominant 9mm Luger and .45 Auto calibers.
The slim grip for single-stack magazines with grippy G-10 grips from specialist VZ Grips, palm safety for high shooting hand position and double-sided thumb safety is available with and without mounting rail for gun lights/light-laser modules on the dust cover. The slide houses a 5"/127 mm stainless steel barrel with 11º countersunk match crown and a telescoping recoil spring assembly. Even the "little things" were thought of at the factory, so the sear and disconnector are not MIM parts, but are machined from solid billet and the firing pin shines with a hard material coating. Perched on the top of the slide are the familiar Novak night sights. The new Savage 1911 pistols are available in three finishes with a black Melonite surface coating, bright Stainless Steel as well as Two-Tone.
The long gun novelties from the SHOT Show 2023
Now also available as a bolt action with light alloy chassis: new Colt CBX precision bolt action rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor and .308
With considerable delay, Colt, as part of the Czech CZ Group, is now also jumping on the bandwagon of modern bolt-action rifles with light alloy chassis. The new Colt CBX rifle is initially available in the popular 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester calibers. It is an advanced bolt-action chassis rifle designed for competitive shooters or, to use the manufacturer's claim, “a premium precision rifle worthy of the Colt name”. The CBX uses the CZ 600 bolt with six locking lugs in two rows and a short extractor that locks into the barrel. Bolt throw is 60 degrees. The CZ bolt is combined with a chassis from one of the leading companies in this market segment, Modular Driven Technologies (MDT) from Canada. The light alloy chassis system with skeletonized adjustable stock features design elements from MDT's LSS-XL Gen 2 and ACC Premier Chassis System chassis. The 15"/380 mm long M-LOK handguard naturally features an ARCA mounting rail on the underside. In 6.5 Creedmoor caliber, the Colt CBX, which would make a good entry-level gun in the PRS Production Class, equipped with a 26"/660 mm long (1-8" twist) barrel and in .308 Winchester with a 24"/610 mm long barrel (1-10" twist) with 5/8-24 UNEF muzzle thread. Both versions come with Colt's sub-MOA accuracy guarantee. The single-stage trigger pull weight is adjustable from approximately 1,130 to 2,270 grams, with a two-position tang slide safety. On top of the flat-bottom receiver is a one-piece Picatinny optic mount rail that is compatible with Remington 700 scope mounts. Feeding the Colt CBX rifle are polymer AICS-compatible box magazines with a capacity for 5 rounds from Magpul. In the U.S., the CBX will be offered for $1,899. Let's see when and at what price the model will hit Europe.
Patriot Ordnance Factory: POF Tombstone – A new, innovative lever-action PCC
The U.S. manufacturer Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) surprises with a modern reinterpretation of the classic lever-action rifle.
The Tombstone model in 9mm Luger pistol caliber combines the typical lever action mechanism with a stick magazine with a capacity of 20 or 10 cartridges. The magazine, which is reminiscent of the HK MP5 magazine, is also used by POF in its in-house Phoenix pistol caliber carbine (PCC). The Tombstone Lever Action rifle features a 16.5"/420mm free-floating barrel with dual-chamber compensator and a modern stock with light alloy handguard with M-LOK interfaces. The direct trigger with flat, straight blade is said to have a factory pull weight of around 1,590 grams. The equipment is rounded out by an XS Ghost ring sight.
Ammunition at SHOT Show 2023
New cartridge: Hornady 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge (PRC)
Innovative U.S. ammunition manufacturer Hornady is enriching its PRC cartridge family, so far consisting of the 6.5mm PRC (2018) and the .300 PRC (2021), with the new high-performance 7mm PRC for long-range sport shooting and hunting.
Admittedly, the newcomer was already introduced in October 2022 and is therefore no longer quite fresh. Nevertheless, it is probably almost unknown to us, so we would like to briefly introduce the 7mm PRC. It fills the ballistic gap between the 6.5 mm PRC and the .300 PRC. There is plenty of competition in the 7mm (.284") caliber group, such as the popular 7 mm Remington Magnum but also 7 mm Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM), 7mm Short Action Ultra Magnum (SAUM), 7mm STW, 7mm Winchester Short Magnum (WSM), 7mm Weatherby Magnum or .28 Nosler. These are just a few examples, the list could go on and on.
In overall modern design, the 7mm PRC with 30 degree shoulder is the same as Hornady's highly successful 6.5 Creedmoor. With an overall cartridge length of 84.8 mm (case length: 57.9 mm), the 7mm PRC fits standard long actions and is matched to barrels with a 1-8" twist for ideal performance conversion. Compared to the 1962 7mm Rem.Mag. with a 1-9" twist length for rifle barrels, the 7mm RPC is better matched in design to long projectiles with high BC values. More powerful 7mm Magnum cartridges such as the 7mm Weatherby Magnum or .28 Nosler produce significantly more recoil and the barrels have a much shorter service life. From a 24"/610 mm barrel, the 7mm PRC with 175- or 180-grain bullets achieves an initial velocity of about 914 m/s, with a whopping 2,767 joules energy at 500 yards (457 m). The list of manufacturers already offering bolt-action rifles in 7mm PRC is long and includes prominent serial manufacturers such as Mossberg, Remington, Ruger, Sauer & Sohn, Savage and Springfield Armory. Existing rifles in 7mm Rem.Mag. and .300 Win.Mag. can be converted to 7mm PRC by a simple barrel change. To sum it up: the 7 mm PRC is a modernized 21st century 7mm Rem.Mag. without a belted case, capable of firing heavier bullets with higher ballistic coefficients (BC values) from rifles with shorter barrels.
SHOT Show 2023: Optics, thermal and night vision technology
Pulsar: Merger LRF XL50, Thermion Duo DXP55, XG sensors in Talion and Thermion riflescopes, and finally Stream Vision Ballistics app
European manufacturer Pulsar (part of Yukon Advanced Optics Worldwide) introduces two groundbreaking hunting and sporting electro-optics products this year at Shot: the first ever HD resolution thermal imaging binocular from Pulsar, the Merger LRF XL50, and the new dual channel, multispectral Thermion Duo DXP55 riflescope, capable of digital daytime and thermal imaging observation and aiming. In addition, Pulsar expands the XG sensor use, implementing it into the Talion and Thermion riflescope lines, and introduces the Stream Vision Ballistics app.
Merger LRF XL50: see the IR world in HD
The Merger LRF XL50 hunting binocular is Pulsar’s first thermal imaging product featuring the new and powerful 12-micron pixel pitch and record 1024x768 pixel resolution, XL French-made, Lynred sensor. The HD resolution brings incredible image quality and detail, precise game identification and minute details of the surrounding environment. The Merger LRF XL50 are true all-arounders, featuring wide field of view for scanning and target acquisition, great image quality and detail across the whole range of 2.5x up to 20x magnification, excellent sensibility and all the functionalities of the Merger LRF line of binoculars.
Thermion Duo DXP55: revolutionary dual channel riflescope, improved
The Thermion Duo DXP55 is an improvement to the recently introduced new dual-channel (visible and Thermal imaging) Thermion Duo hunting riflescope line, a game changer in the modern hunter experience. The Thermion Duo DXP55 features extremely sensitive thermal and 4k-resolution digital daytime channels, just like its earlier sibling, the Duo DXP50. The dramatic difference between the two Thermion Duo models is that the DXP50 version features an equal field of view for both – thermal and digital – channels. Both are now with a native magnification of 4x, and it’s possible to zoom in on the target up to 16x without losing image quality – a great feature for longer range hunting.
Expanding the Thermion and Talion riflescopes line with the XG sensor
At Shot, Pulsar also expanded the XG sensor line of its thermal imaging riflescopes, with the new Thermion 2 LRF XG50 and the Talion XG35 thermal scopes to offer additional options. After introducing the Talion XQ38 model last year, today the new XG35 version is unveiled. It features a larger, 640x480 resolution, 12-micron sensor in the same compact body of the Talion. The same XG sensor is also now available in the premium flagship riflescopes line Thermion 2 LRF. The combination of the sensor’s 12-micron pixel pitch and 50mm fast aperture lens brings us to the main difference: an increased base magnification of 3x together with a detection range of 2300 meters.
Stream Vision Ballistics: mobile ballistic calculations tool
The new Stream Vision Ballistics is a full-featured mobile ballistic calculations app for accurate long-range shooting, available for iOS and Android. The new mobile app can be wirelessly paired with supported Pulsar riflescopes via Bluetooth connection. The app uses personalized algorithms for accurate ballistic calculations and displays suggested point of aim. It is accurate, flexible and easy to use. Supported optics – via upcoming firmware update – include all Thermion LRF riflescopes, starting with Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro, while Thermion 2 LRF XG50 and Thermion 2 LRF XQ50 Pro will be added to the list in the near future.
Also, this app can work as a standalone ballistic calculator with traditional daytime riflescopes.
Interesting accessories at SHOT Show 2023
New Timney Triggers: two-stage trigger for Remington 700
One of the dominant classics in the world of modern centerfire bolt-action rifles is certainly the Remington 700, which has been in production since 1962. The US manufacturer Timney Triggers now has a new trigger for the evergreen in its catalog.
The Remington 700 in three action sizes – short, standard and long action –, countless model configurations and around 50 calibers, is manufactured not only for the commercial civilian market, but also in special versions for law enforcement and the military. Military sniper rifles such as the M24 SWS (Sniper Weapon System) or the more modern XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle chassis model are world famous. Of course, the catalog of Timney Manufacturing Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona, already includes three different direct or single-stage triggers for the popular Remington 700 in the form of the Elite Hunter, HIT and Calvin Elite Custom triggers (with red adjustable trigger shoe, as known from the Hiperfire Hipertouch Competition).
New is the Timney 533-16 two-stage trigger for the Remington 700. The trigger assembly with red anodized light alloy housing and safety has a pair of adjustment screws on the front and another adjustment screw on the rear. The first screw on the front adjusts the trigger pull weight between 450 to 750 grams in the first stage and the second screw adjusts it between 750 to 1,400 grams in the second stage for the actual shot release. From the factory, the trigger is adjusted to 450 grams at about 7 mm trigger travel in stage 1 and breaks crystal clear after passing about 700 grams in the second stage. The rear screw, marked with red locking varnish, is used to adjust the overlap area of the trigger and hammer and should not be adjusted on your own. The internal trigger mechanism consists of CNC-machined, hardened steel components with friction-reducing surface coatings. The trigger blade – also available in a straight version or with a black finish – and the safety are nickel-plated to protect them from corrosion.
all4shooters.com: Our exclusive videos from SHOT Show 2023
- Video Industry Day at the Range and SIG Sauer Range Day: The novelties from GLOCK, Walther, Springfield Armory, Savage Arms, SIG Sauer on the shooting range
- Video Day 2: New products from Springfield Armory, Sabatti, Savage, Mossberg, Bushnell and Hornady
- Video Day 3: New products from Carl Walther, Beretta, Sako, Norma, Burris, Steiner, GPO
- Video Day 4: New products from Canik, Derya Arms, Taurus, Benelli, Fausti, Leupold, Maniago Knifemakers, MAK, Nextorch
