UZI Talk - SHOT Show 2004

Shot Show 2004

The 2004 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoors Trade Show (SHOT Show) was held on February 12th -15th at the Las Vegas Convention center with an expected attendance of around 35,000 people. 1,500 exhibitors filled 500,000 square feet with everything you'd ever want to see in the shooting sports industry. UZI Talk staffer RoverDave attended the show to meet with executives from Israel Military Industries (IMI) and to check out the latest and greatest toys that the shooting industry had to offer. Representatives from IMI, Vector Arms, MEC-GAR, Fobus, De Santis and others provided information for the UZI Talk library, ensuring that you have the most accurate and complete UZI reference library available anywhere.

Here's a look at a few things of interest from the show, both UZI and non-UZI related. Keep in mind that the SHOT Show contains an exhaustive collection of products for the shooting industry and this is but a tiny sample of what was there.

CORNER SHOT

An Israeli/American consortium displayed their new Corner Shot weapon. The weapon shoulders like a rifle, but the front 1/3 pivots up to 63 degrees in either direction and holds a pistol, a light, a camera and other options. A video display on the rear part of the weapon allows the operator to remain behind cover and see what's around a corner - and fire the weapon if necessary. The Corner Shot weapon will hold most standard pistols (Glock, SIG, CZ, Beretta) though Glock and Beretta seem to be the primary focus. Suppressed or unsuppressed pistols can be used as well as semi or full auto.
www.cornershot.com

EOTech

Eotech had a nice display with all of their models mounted on a variety of weapons to try out. Whether you need it or not, the EOTech/night vision combination is truely impressive. The big news from EOTech is that they have rev'ed all their models. The actual model number numbers have not changed but they are now known as revision "F", which is indicated by a small, white "F" on the lower left side of the sight. The primary difference is greatly extended battery life so the next time you order an EOTech, insist on a revision F model. www.eotech-inc.com

Vector Arms

Vector Arms had a booth and Ralph showed off a semi automatic UZI for me. Although they continue to expand their product offering, the UZI is still an important part of their business and it should get bigger if restrictions on folding stocks go away this fall.

Vector had a couple samples of their new US made stocks. The come in walnut, maple (I think), and two different laminated styles. The non-laminated stocks had the UZI logo in them as shown here. They come in quick detach or permanent mount and all options will be priced at $85.

Rex showed me the new RPD semi auto that they just received ATF approval on. Retail price will be $1995. They also displayed new AK clones, a V-53 with a full 16" barrel (instead of the short barrel with a fake suppressor) and they are looking at doing an HK 94 clone. www.vectorarms.com

ARES

Ares was showing off the Shrike. I've been an innocent bystander in the Shrike saga but I couldn't resist stopping by to ask them the two big questions:

Q: When will it ship?
A: End of March.

Q: Did you get ATF approval for it?
A: No comment

Clearly the booth staff had been well coached. Draw your own conclusions. www.aresdefense.com

World Wide Ordnance

World Wide Ordnance was showing off their Cambi magazine loaders. They said they've been very pleased to see UZI Talk members calling in to place orders. Remember that members can order any of their Cambi loaders (not just the UZI loader) for $23.95 instead of the normal $29.95 retail price. Trevor designed the Cambi loader for his own use but frequent requests for it at the range made him decide to go into production - and we're glad he did!
www.worldwideordnance.com

Fobus

FOBUS USA had a booth and I had a chance to speak with Chanan Har-Shen, owner of FOBUS International of Israel (parent company of FOBUS USA). FOBUS made shoulder rigs for the Mini UZI and Micro UZI/Pistol in the past but no longer produce them. Rumors have circulated that the Mossad (the Israeli Intelligence Agency) used to use FOBUS shoulder rigs for their UZI's and Chanan confirmed that that's true. www.fobusholster.com

IMI

IMI didn't have a booth but a few of their people attended the show. I had a chance to meet with Efraim Yaari (manager of special projects) and Nachum Zarzif (retired director of the small arms division) to gather some information for the UZI Talk library. Both of these men have extensive histories with IMI and are extremely knowledgeable about the UZI. Mr. Yaari himself was involved in the design of many UZI related projects and was interviewed by the History Channel for their "Tales of the Gun" series.

Robinson Armament

Alex Robinson was there to answer questions about the fine products from Robinson Armament. He hopes to have the next run of M96 top feed kits available in the next month or so. (And one of them is mine!) This is the third run of top feed kits and Alex said that it's probably the last. If you want one, don't wait! www.robarm.com

Heckler and Koch

HK had a large display of all their weapons. One of their hot new items was the XM8. I field stripped one of the guns and found the bolt, gas system and fire control parts essentially the same as the G36. HK says that there are small changes throughout but it was clear that they are small evolutionary changes rather than any major redesign. The big change here is the packaging. The modular design allows the gun to be configured in many different ways - providing versatility to the consumer and lower production costs to HK. The optics are again Hensold (military division of Zeiss) as it was for the G36.

HK's other newcomer is their HKM4. Designed to be an improvement on the US M4 carbine, the internals are essentially the same as the US M4 but HK claims that few of the parts actually interchange. The biggest difference is that HK used a short stroke piston gas system to avoid sending gas directly into the receiver. No word on what, if anything, might be available to the US civilian market. www.hk-usa.com

Enemies; Foreign and Domestic

Matt Bracken was on hand promoting his new book: Enemies; Foreign and Domestic. Reviews from UZI Talk members have been overwhelmingly positive. If you want a copy, check out Matt's web site: http://www.enemiesforeignanddomestic.com

Tdi ARMS

Tdi of Israel is making a number if interesting accessories for the M16, AK47, Browning HP and Sig Pistols. They also have two different Picatinny rails for the UZI. Check their web site for US dealers. www.tdi-arms.com

No matter what the industry, vendors know that sex sells. That's why CZ had Monica, their calendar babe, in their booth signing copies of her calendar. She sends the boys at UZI Talk a big hug. (I collected for you.) I think CZ had some guns in their booth too. I don't really remember. www.cz-usa.com

The FN booth was a playground of fun toys. Even though we've seen these weapons before, a guy just has to stop and get a first hand look.

M249 SAW

P90

FN 2000

FN303

(Less Lethal)

Return to the UZI Talk Index