This is your central location for information on the 2012 NASGW Expo that was held in Orlando, FL. The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) Expo is a chance for wholesalers to meet with manufacturers, see new guns and place orders. We had an opportunity to visit and see all of the new firearms being introduced.
This show is a major gun expo, but strictly limits who has access to the site. Fortunately for all of you, Guns Holsters And Gear is a member of the NASGW, and we will have floor access for the show and exposition.
Throughout the week, we will post updates, photos and videos for all of you. Please check back often and pass the word about what we are doing. It costs a lot of money to attend these events and we’d like to know our efforts are helping you!
Firearms
Many times, a sneak preview of the new guns being introduced at the 2013 SHOT Show will be had at the NASGW Expo. Sometimes the early prototypes shown are pretty amazing. Any news guns seen will be listed and reported on here.
Heizer Defense v. DoubleTap Defense
There was a little drama at the NASGW Expo with Heizer suggesting the DoubleTap isn’t a safe design. DoubleTap, on the other hand, has a new manufacturing partner and is going into production very soon. Read my article Heizer Defense v. DoubleTap Defense for all of the details.
New Walther PPK/S
Walther is re-introducing the PPK/S in .22 LR. This new pistol will have the ability to attach a sound suppressor. Details are very limited on this gun, but it will be made in Germany and imported into the United States in 2013.
Update: The Walther PPK/S proved to be quite popular. The gun sells quickly at my local shop, so you may have a better chance it finding it online.
Diamondback Shotgun is DOA
The new Diamondback RTS Shotgun that we showed you at the SHOT Show will not go into production. According to Diamondback reps, the shotgun was too expensive to be profitable, and there simply isn’t a market for it at this time.
More information on the Walther PPX
I managed to get some more details on the new Walther PPX pistol that Walther introduced this week at the NASGW Expo. Plus, I’ve put up some more photos of this pistol. The question becomes: ugly or sexy?
Update: Sadly, the PPX was discontinued a few years later.
Larger Diamondback Pistol Coming
Rumors are floating around about a new striker-fired pistol from Diamondback that will be introduced in early 2013. The new pistol is expected to be a polymer gun with a double-stack magazine. If the rumors are true, the new gun will be available in 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. This company is growing and it is interesting to see what they have come up with.
Update: Diamondback introduced the gun as the DB FS Nine. After a few years, the gun was discontinued. Although the pistol did not achieve long-term viability, the experience helped the company develop a new pistol: the Diamondback AM2. The AM2 is a superior product and a great shooter. Read my Diamondback AM2 review.
Diamondback DB15 Camo Photo
Photo and a little information on the new Diamondback DB15 rifles. I will have more information on the DB15 rifles later, but I really like them. This photo shows a couple of the guns in digital camo patterns (woodland and desert).
Walther PPX
Walther is announcing a new hammer-fired pistol. This new handgun will have a polymer frame, reversible magazine release and a Picatinny rail. Not a lot of details yet about this gun, but we will have all of the information from the Expo floor in the next day or two.
OD Green Bersa BP9CC
Eagle Imports is now selling a Bersa BP9CC pistol with an OD green frame. The new pistol is much the same as the standard black-framed pistol, but with the new color. Gun diversity is good. Maybe the company will introduce a Multi-Cam or A-TACS version? Probably not, but a FDE would be ok.
Diamondback DB15 Rifles
Diamondback Firearms, the makers of the DB380 and DB9 pistols, is now in the AR market with their DB15 line of rifles. They have just been released and will be shown at the NASGW Expo. We’ll get all of the details along with new photos of the guns. (Note: I review the new Diamonback DB15 pistol here.)
Ammo
This section covers…that’s right…ammunition announcements from the NASGW. Shocked?
Hornady .30 Carbine ammo
The .30 Carbine is a great cartridge, but it has been sadly neglected by many ammunition companies. Hornady, however, announced a new self-defense load for the cartridge in the Critical Defense load.
Hornady .32 H&R Magnum Critical Defense
This is one of several new self-defense loads announced by Hornady at the NASGW show. The .32 H&R Magnum will work perfectly in the newer .327 Federal Magnum revolvers, but will less kick. For more information on this load, read my Hornady .32 Magnum Critical Defense article.
Hornady Critical Defense Lite
Hornady introduced a new reduced-recoil version of their Critical Defense .38 Special load. This is a standard pressure round with a light-for-caliber 90-grain FTX hollow point bullet. The ammunition will be well suited for anyone who needs a very light recoiling cartridge. Read more in my article Hornady Critical Defense Lite.
Trajetech’s 2013 Line Up
Match ammo maker Trajetech announced their line up for 2013 at the NASGW show. The new line up is quite extensive, and the company remains committed to manufacturing ammunition that is extremely accurate, yet affordable when compared to others at this level.
Hornady Critical Defense Ammo in .32 NAA
Shooters of the .32 NAA niche cartridge now have a new load to pick from. Hornady added the round to its Critical Defense line of ammunition. This load looks to offer better penetration than the current Corbon offerings, yet maintain good expansion. Read the article Hornady .32 NAA Critical Defense ammunition.
New Hornady Shotgun Slugs
There are three new shotgun slugs rolling out from Hornady in 2013. One is a reduced recoil 12 gauge and the other two are full-power: one in 12 gauge, the other in 20 gauge. More information on the Hornady Critical Defense Shotgun Slugs here.
American Whitetail Ammo from Hornady
Hornady is now making an affordable, high-quality deer hunting ammunition. This new ammo spans nine calibers and offers nearly every deer hunter something to take into the field . The loads feature the company’s highly regarded InterLock bullets.
Hornady .410 Triple Defense Ammo
Developed for the Taurus Judge and other similar revolvers, the new Triple Defense ammo is one of the latest editions to the Critical Defense line of ammunition. This round puts a slug over two .35 caliber lead balls. Close in, this round is likely to be devastating.
Hornady .45 ACP +P Critical Duty Ammunition
Hornady added the .45 ACP cartridge to their Critical Duty line of ammunition. The load features a 220 grain FlexLock hollow point pushed to 975 ft/sec from a 5″ barrel. The new load meets all FBI testing protocol.
Hornady Heavy Magnum Coyote Shotshell Ammo
One of the new products Hornady just introduced is a 50-yard shotshell specifically designed for taking coyote. The load uses 1.5 ounces of 00-buckshot and is said to have minimal pelt damage.
New Hornady Products for 2013
Hornady is teasing to several new products for the new year. Watch the video and read our inside information on what is being introduced. They’ve got some really cool ammo and gear coming out.
Other Shooting Gear
Holsters, reloading presses and hunting stuff will all be listed here. The 2012 NASGW Expo will be large, but still just a fraction of the size of the annual SHOT Show. We will consolidate all of the shooting related gear into this one section.
New Blackhawk Products
Blackhawk announced a slew of new products at the recent 2012 NASGW Expo. I’ll run down a few of them for you here:
GripBreak leather holsters – The GripBreak leather holsters are concealment holsters with a thumb release mechanism. The design of the holster allows for the shooter to obtain a shooting grip on the pistol while simultaneously deactivating the retention device.
The GripBreak is a complete departure from Blackhawk’s very popular SERPA line of holsters, which are made of polymer and use a retention device activated by the index finger. Blackhawk has integrated a thumb release into several new holster designs, including the Epoch duty holster for law enforcement.
Initially, the GripBreak holsters will be made for the Glock pistols (models 17, 19, 22, 23, 31, 32), the 1911 and the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 and 40. Presumably, the line would be expanded to meet consumer demand should it prove popular. MSRP is $76.99.
Pro Shooter’s Forearm Sleeve – This is a simple sleeve that attaches to a shooter’s forearm and stores eight shotgun shells in elastic loops. It is completely adjustable and comes in black or coyote tan. MSRP is $24.99
Folding and Fixed BUIS – Blackhawk is now making several backup sight options for your AR-platform rifles: a folding front BUIS (back up iron sight), a folding rear BUIS, and a fixed rear BUIS.
Both of the folding sights have spring-activated deployment. They have polymer bases and aluminum towers/sights. The front sight uses standard tools for adjustment. The fixed rear sight is steel and aluminum.
All three of the sights can be had in black, OD green or dark earth brown. Pricing on both of the folding sights is $59.99, while the fixed rear is $79.99.
SureFire Magazine Pouches – As many of you know, SureFire is now making 60 and 100 round magazines for the AR15/M4 rifles. Well, Blackhawk is now making mag pouches for both of these magazines. Both pouches are MOLLE compatible and come in black, OD green, coyote tan and MultiCam.
Pricing for the 60 round patch is $28.99 for all colors except MultiCam, $33.99 for MultiCam. For the 100 round pouch, prices move to $39.99 and $51.99 for MultiCam.
Sportster Titan Rifle Rests – Blackhawk now has a series of rifle rests for range shooting. These rests range in price from $69.99 to $179.99 depending on what you are looking for.
Versacarry Holsters for Revolvers
Versacarry is a very non-traditional holster that carries a gun in a clip device, rather than in an enclosed leather, nylon or Kydex scabbard. They are available for virtually any handgun, except revolvers…until now.
I got to examine the brand new Versacarry for revolvers at the 2012 NASGW show. The new carry clip works pretty much the same as it does for auto-pistols, but with two obvious differences.
First, the gun is held at a slight angle because of the cylinder bulk. What this actually does is to pull the gun closer to the body when carried on the strong side, behind the hip. In this way, the butt of the gun is less likely to poke out of a shirt or otherwise print.
The second obvious difference from prior Versacarry models is that the trigger guard is shielded on both sides. While Versacarry reps state there have never been any accidents with their products in the current configurations, due to customer requests, they added trigger guard shields on both sides of the gun. This will likely help prevent anything from entering the trigger guard and contributing to an accidental discharge.
The new revolver holsters will fit any J-frame .38 Special or .357 Magnum from Smith & Wesson and the Taurus 85 series guns. According to the rep I spoke with, there are not any immediate plans to expand the revolver line, but would obviously do so based on customer demand.
MSRP on the new revolver Versacarry holsters is the same as every other product in their line: $24.95. Very affordable.
The good people at Versacarry gave me several of their products to test with the understanding the evaluations would be fair: good, bad or otherwise. I certainly like the idea of a minimalist approach to carrying a gun, but I have comfort and safety concerns that I will have to test. Check back for updates on these.
New Hornady Reloading Tools
Hornady announced several new reloading products for 2013 including a new strip light for your Lock-n-Load press, a new balance beam scale and tumbling media.
To me, the most interesting new product announced by Hornady for reloaders is the new light strip. The device is a small strip of LED lights with an adhesive back. The strip can be mounted anywhere, but by placing it on an interior pillar of your press, you can get some light into an area that is sometimes plagued with shadows.
Although shown with the company’s Lock-n-Load progressive press, the light strip could obviously be used with any reloading press such as the great progressives from Dillon or the workhorse turret press from Lee. The light strip uses household current, so you will need an AC plug nearby to power it. As LEDs are super-efficient, and this light does not need to be blindingly bright, running the strip off of a AAA battery might have been a good alternative.
I applaud Hornady for coming up with such a simple, yet very useful, new tool for reloaders.
The other two new reloading products are not revolutionary, but they are necessary staples for anyone in this hobby.
The new balance beam scale offers precision down to 0.1 grains and looks very similar to other pan scales. While not fancy, it will definitely work without any electricity. So, at the hunting cabin or in a post-EMP world, you can load your own ammo with a high degree of accuracy. MSRP is $87.19.
The tumbling media is a corn cob media for use in cleaning cartridge cases. Personally, I prefer to use crushed walnut to clean the cases, but if I am looking to give them a good shine, I’ll run the cases through corn cob media with a splash of metal polish to really make them shine.
While I am sure Hornady will be making good tumbling media, I have always preferred to hit the local pet store and pick up my media there. Check the bird aisle for crushed walnut and you will see that you can get a good price for essentially the same product. Your mileage may vary, but it has always worked good for me. MSRP is $12.12 for a 76-ounce jug.
Earlier in the year, Hornady announced the pending release of the 11th Edition of the Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. I own several prior editions of the Hornady reloading manual, and I will definitely be picking this one up also.
Trijicon RMR Durability Video
In this video, a Trijicon rep talks about the durability of the company’s RMR rights. During the video, the rep bangs the sight off of a hard table and more. The RMR is a small red-dot type optic designed for mounting on a pistol.
Crimson Trace Defensive Series Lasers
Crimson Trace announced a line of budget-priced lasers for handguns at the 2012 NASGW Expo.
The Defender Series line is a budget-priced line of red lasers being introduced by Crimson Trace. The new lasers are all priced between $129 and $149 (MSRP) and will ship by December 15, 2012.
Initially, there will be two styles of Defender Series lasers. The first style will be revolver grips called Accu-Grip. The Accu-Grip will be grip replacements with a built-in laser similar to the company’s Lasergrips line that have been so popular over the years.
The second style will be called Accu-Guard, which is similar to the Crimson Trace LaserGuard series. The Accu-Guard mounts on the trigger guard of semi-auto pistols. No gunsmithing is required.
As previously mentioned, the Defender Series uses red lasers. Red lasers are both cheaper to make and are less draining on the batteries. The downside, as compared to green lasers, is they are relatively hard to see in bright conditions. In bright daylight, they are virtually useless. In low light, however, red lasers perform well.
Both models in the Defender Series line use an activation process called N-Gage. Although the process of activating the laser is not described, I suspect that merely gripping the gun will not turn on the laser as happens with the more expensive offerings from Crimson Trace. I expect some type of button or other switch will be activated like what is found on lasers from other companies.
CT did not include any information on the kind of battery these lasers use, or what kind of run time to expect. I would expect that some type of button battery will be used with a 3-5 hour constant-on runtime. The press release on the Defender Series does not indicate the lasers will make use of a strobe mode.
The lasers will be adjustable for windage and elevation using something the company calls “Beam Lock Technology.” I don’t know what makes the Beam Lock a new technology, but for a budget line of lasers, there sure are a lot of new trademarked terms.
To start, Crimson Trace will offer the Defender Series lasers for the following models of firearms:
- Smith & Wesson J-frame
- Taurus 85 frame
- Ruger LCP
- Glock (all)
- Springfield XD-M
About 2012 NASGW
The 2012 NASGW Expo is being held in Orlando, Florida. Just months ahead of the SHOT Show, the NASGW show is frequently where new guns are shown to industry insiders. We hope to bring you news of all of the latest, greatest guns. Bookmark us and let others know about us!