5 Best New Guns & Gear from the NRA Show

It was an action-packed weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. Around 75,000 patriots descended upon the Indiana Convention Center for the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits. Over 14 acres of showroom floor were packed with 600-plus exhibitors to show off wares. Unlike the SHOT Show, which is an industry trade show that caters specifically to the back end of the firearms industry, NRAAM is all about a direct connection with the consumer. According to the NRA, it’s “about celebrating our firearms freedom and renewing our commitment to the Second Amendment.” And get this, one of the biggest firearms trade shows is free for NRA Members and immediate families of Members to attend!

The excitement was buzzing as there were a bunch of new products that were announced and shown off this last week. Let’s take a look at some of the best things we saw that you should expect to see in your local stores.

#1: Hi-Point. Yes, Hi-Point.

Hi-Point Firearms beat everyone in the industry with a rifle that no one else offered yet, breaking new ground by introducing the first ever carbine chambered for the 30 Super Carry defensive cartridge. The 30 Super Carry is a slimmed-down round with the power of the 9mm, but allowing more capacity in the same-sized 9mm magazine. Hi-Point expands their proven carbine line up with the 3095 model. Having a 10 plus 1 capacity, threaded barrel, multiple mounting points for optics and lights/lasers all at the smoking deal of under the 359.00 MSRP.  www.hi-pointfirearms.com

2: Kimber’s Tiny Wheelgun

Weighing in at less than 1 pound, Kimber’s smallest K6 revolver yet hit big. Think of it as a competitor to the Smith & Wesson J-frame revolver, but with a six-round capacity. Unlike most other lightweight small revolvers, the K6XS (eXtra Small) is specifically built to handle a steady diet of Plus P .38 SPL ammo. This hammerless design is meant for pocket carry, and is virtually snag-free. The rear sight is a machined hump that matches the high visibility orange dot front. The K6XS comes equipped with a nicely textured Hogue grip that should make shooting the K6XS as comfortable as can be. MSRP is 679.00 and should be hitting dealers around the end of summer.

3: Kimber Double-Stack 1911

Kimber is also re-entering the double stack high capacity 1911 market. (Who remembers Kimber’s last attempt, the failed BP TEN II?) This new design is basically a true 1911 with an aluminum wide body frame. Interesting that the KDS9C features a nicely upswept beaver tail that feels good in the hand, but it is non-functioning. The only manual safety on the KDS9C is the thumb safety.

Chambered in 9mm with a 15-round capacity, the styling of the KDS9C is top notch. From the fluted barrel and grip etching that wraps around the whole grip the KDS9C is sure to impress. The only disappointment I see is that Kimber chose to develop a proprietary magazine…why? There are literally dozens of established manufacturers of reliable high-capacity 2011 9mm magazines. The 2011 9mm magazine is a set standard and as such dozens of wide body 1911/2011 manufactures use the standard. Available in both a silver or black looking pistols each carries an MSRP of $1,499. www.kimberamerica.com

4: The Cat’s Ass

Talk about unique, the Yankee Hill Fatcat 556 suppressor just shows that you can still think out of the box. The Fatcat is a full auto rated and fully welded using Yankee Hill’s new sRx mounting system. The goal was to keep the length of the suppressor as small as possible but have better performance than longer cans.

To achieve this, Yankee Hill used a step approach. The suppressor is skinny like a normal can at the mounting area, even allowing for use under a hand guard. But it gets fatter at the muzzle end, meaning more physical volume with less auditory volume.

Some people may ask why? Well the simple reason is, have you ever mounted a full-sized suppressor on the end of a 16.5-inch barrel? After attaching a normal suppressor you now have the equivalent of a 25-inch barrel sticking out the front. A fatter, shorter can makes sense…especially if you can tuck it under a hand guard. Now the best part: they are going to do a special limited run “Cats Ass” version. The endocarp will feature a star hole exit appropriately placed within a cats rear end engraving!www.yhm.net

5: The Henry Handgun (YES.)

Did the world flip upside down? It must have because I believed the Yankee Hill Cats Ass suppressor existed before I believed that Henry Rifles was making a handgun. It is true: Henry’s first foray into the handgun market comes with the Big Boy Revolver. Now I can tell you Henry spent time crafting these beauties that emote what Henry stands for in lever action rifles. With a nice deep rich bluing and dark red cherry wood to the Golden Boy-like gold trigger guards, these Big Boys look like they belong right alongside your Henry lever-actions.

Even though these are double action/single action full sized revolvers, the Henry styling makes gives them an air of Single Action nostalgia. Initially coming in .357 Mag and .38 SPL, the Big Boy is offered with a square gunfighter or a rounded birdshead-style grip. MSRP for either option is $928, which sounds steep, but I don’t think the goal of these revolvers is necessarily for something as pedestrian as concealed carry use. According to Henry’s website, “As the first-ever revolver under our belt, serious collectors and connoisseurs of the Henry mark will relish the opportunity to add both variants to their safes.” These were made for a very specific type of shooter. I think I will invent a new word instead of tacticool…these are fuddtastic? www.henryusa.com

Three days of NRAAM is never long enough to see everything, but it sure is fun trying. Now that Firearms trade show season is officially over it’s time to get back to work. Go home and wait patiently for this year’s plethora of new must have items to become available. The waiting sucks but if you think about it, it’s the waiting that keeps us excited to visit the same ole gun stores that we have all visited thousands of times. Lets see what they just got in. What are you most excited for this year?

James the “XDMAN” Nicholas Mr. UnPewFessional himself