SHOT Show Mid-Week

The numbers are not in yet, but I’ll be surprised if this show does not set an attendance record. Wading through the sea of gunning humanity has been a challenge; nonetheless I have found a few more nuggets that tripped my trigger.

Blackburn Custom Gun Metal
Bill Hober, the patron of Swift Bullets, recently purchased Ted Blackburn Gun Metal and has given that company a new lease on life. A couple of generations ago Ted Blackburn began producing superb quality metal furniture for custom hunting rifles. Hober is now producing custom triggers, trigger guards, magazine boxes and floorplates designed for specific Winchester Model 70 actions—both pre- and post-’64 actions—as well as most iterations of Paul Mauser’s Model 98 action. The machining is all CNC so the tolerances and finish are extremely tight. For those of us who like these classic sporting rifles and want to add the custom touches that truly set off these fine guns, this is a good thing.

Kimber Mountain Ascent
At the risk of riding one of my personal passions too much, Kimber has skeletonized its Model 84 centerfire to the point that it nearly levitates in one’s hands. The 84 is a superbly executed modern version of the Model 70 Winchester, and the Mountain Ascent—cloaked in digital camo synthetic stock—is an ultra-flyweight version of that same rifle—5 pounds flyweight. Virtually every bit of metal that does not actually support and contain the cartridge has been removed. If this rifle shoots as well as it looks and handles, the backpacking, ground-pounding hunter is going to fall in love with this one. Look for a comprehensive review in the near future.

CCI Quiet .22LR Ammo
Regular readers of my diatribe here know of my affection and support of sound suppression for firearms. CCI has recognized the groundswell of interest in less obnoxious—in terms of report noise—firearms and introduced a rimfire line called Quiet. It basically represents .22 Short ballistics—a 40-grain lead bullet at 710 fps. In a fixed-breech gun the report is more like an air gun than a powder-powered firearm. It’s tailor made for discreet pest control and plinking. I’ve already put my order in for a brick.