It’s almost the most exciting time of the year for those that work in the shooting industry as Shot Show 2023 is fast approaching.
Shot Show 2022 was a great success coming off pandemic shutdowns, and while hosting fewer attendees than in previous years, it saw great opportunities for increased engagement and some pretty neat product unveilings.
Shot Show 2023 looks to be even bigger and better with new products and designs on the horizon. Here are ten things I’m looking forward to seeing at Shot Show 2023.
Real Avid - Master Gun Workstation
I come from a law enforcement training background where I had access to a top-notch facility for all of my armorer needs.
These days, working in the private sector, I don’t have access to the equipment I used to while at work and I’m going to need to start collecting tools and supplies in order to keep my firearms in tip-top shape.
Real Avid looks to be a great option for me and anybody looking to build, repair or maintain their own firearms at home (or professionally!) by offering some useful and rugged equipment.
One Item from Real Avid that I’m excited to see at Shot Show is their Master Gun Workstation. This bench-top workstation looks to be very rugged and offers a lot of options for those looking to clean rifles and mount optics with the ability to clamp down what you’re working on while providing storage capacity for cleaning brushes and jags.
CAA -AGADA
Initially unveiled in 2021, the CAA AGADA is still an interesting and little-known oddity in the gun world.
While I find the Agada to have deviated a little too much from the norm for me to consider it an aesthetically pleasing firearm, I am still excited about CAA’s innovation in bringing something to the market that explores ergonomics in shooting in such a different way.
With the AGADA, the designers at CAA have really explored how a person can more naturally hold, support, and interface with a rifle using ergonomics.
Advantage Arms - .22 Caliber Conversion Kits
When it comes to pistol craft, practice makes perfect! When one can, there is no substitute for real-range time.
In the absence of range time shooting your caliber of choice, dry fire can help hone that skill on the trigger. An often overlooked median to live fire with your usual caliber and dry fire practice is shooting a cost-saving sub-caliber like .22LR.
Advantage Arms has had .22LR caliber conversion kits on the market for popular pistols like full and compact frame GLOCKs and the 1911 for a while now.
But this year Advantage Arms is capitalizing on the popularity of three pistols that have, more recently, grown in popularity amongst conceal carriers; the GLOCK 43X, the Springfield Hellcat, and the Sig P365.
The Advantage Arms .22LR caliber conversion kits will provide a real benefit to those looking to soften the cost of full caliber training with their conceal carry pistol of choice or for those looking to introduce novice pistol shooters to the craft with an easier-to-handle option.
Reap Weaponries - Scy
Another really neat product already previewed and now in pre-order status is Reap Weaponries Scy. The Scy is a bullpup conversion kit for AR15 platform weapons that is unique in it’s simplicity and elegance.
The Scy kit uses a standard AR15 upper and lower receiver and appears to attach to the weapon platform via foregrip attachment points and to the pistol grip attachment point on the lower receiver.
Cleaning and maintenance don’t deviate from the standard procedures with AR platform weapons as the standard takedown pins still function as designed. This looks to be a promising option for those that love their AR platform weapons but also enjoy the handling characteristics of bullpup rifles.
ATI/German Sports Guns - GSG-9
If you’re like me, you lust for an HK MP5 of your very own. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can spend money on an MP5 (or for that matter, most MP5 clones on the market) and keep my wife from divorcing me at the same time. The German Sports Guns GSG-9 may help solve my problem though!
The GSG-9 is an HK MP5 style pistol featuring an MLOK handguard, threaded barrel, and a full-length pic’ rail across the top. To make the GSG-9 an even more lucrative range toy, it comes configurable with adapters to use either Sig P320 or Glock 9mm magazines.
Zenk - RZMK-357
For some reason, I have a thing for oddities in the firearms realm, and the Zenk RZMK-357 definitely fits in this category. The RZMK-357 can best be described as a bullpup revolver, with a completely enclosed magazine, chambered in .357/.38 Special.
With the revolver cylinder/magazine located to the rear of the pistol with its bullpup-like configuration, it allows for a 4.77-inch barreled firearm with just an overall length of 6.85 inches. I’m very interested to get a better look at this thing to see how it works!
Matador Arms - MAT-9
I’ve been following Matador Arms now for roughly a year as I’ve been very interested in their MAT-9 - a bufferless 9mm AR platform upper assembly.
The big draw of the MAT-9 is that, without the need for a buffer tube assembly, it allows for the use of a folding stock on a 9mm pistol caliber carbine that can be fired with the stock folded or deployed.
Matrix Arms - MX19
The firearms industry has seen an explosion of Gen 3 Glock pattern pistols hitting the market in recent history and Matrix Arms is the latest player in that game, but with a twist.
Matrix Arms has released its take on this platform, the MX19. The MX19 features an aluminum Gen 3 Glock-style pistol receiver with a polymer grip section that is interchangeable.
While the MX19 is fully compatible with most Gen 3 Glock 19 parts, including magazines, it solves one complaint many people have with the Glock line of pistols - its grip angle.
The MX19 has the same grip angle as the venerated 1911 and is sold with the option of being completly optics-ready pistol or one can elect to purchase just the lower receiver and build their own pistol in a variety of color combinations.
Aussie PeelBack - Med Plate 3.0
As I mentioned before, I come from a law enforcement background. The agency I worked for was really embracing TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) and it became an integral part of our yearly training.
One thing that always cause me to scratch my head was trying to figure out how to carry a comprehensive IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) in a manner that wasn’t bulky or didn’t get in the way of the rest of my gear.
Well, it would appear that Aussie Peel Back has solved that issue with the Med Plate 3.0. The Med Plate 3.0 is a backer insert for plate carriers that allows a user to secure the pieces of an IFAK to it.
The Med Plate 3.0 can then be slid into the plate carrier pocket behind the ballistic insert where it can be quickly accessed by yanking on the included lanyard. The Med Plate 3.0 is constructed of injection-molded polycarbonate, has important trauma info molded onto the surface, and can be pressed into use as a splint.
The plate can also be optioned at the time of purchase with different levels of trauma kit per the users' requirements.
New Guns!
The biggest things I’m excited to be checking out at Shot Show 2023 are the new firearms that the manufacturers have been holding close to their chests during development!
Whether it’s the newest tactical toy coming to market or the neat mold-breaking oddballs from companies like Kel-Tec, Shot Show doesn’t disappoint.
So, keep your eye on Ammunition Depot’s blog, The Gun Owner’s Gazette, and social media for daily coverage of what’s new at Shot Show 2023!
About the Author
John Battersby served for sixteen years as a Deputy Sheriff before retiring in 2022. During his career he worked as a jailer, in Uniform Patrol, as a supervisor, and as a full time General Instructor. John counts his time as a firearms and tactics instructor as the most fulfilling and exciting part of his law enforcement career.
