Sorry for the delayed post, folks. We had some technical problems yesterday company wide and I was unable to put up new stuff until this AM.
The demo day for this year's SHOT show was not as fun as I thought it would be. Of course, this is my first time to a SHOT show, but others I hung out with during the day were a bit disappointed too.
But that doesn't mean I didn't find some guns to shoot.
I had a good conversation with Beretta's Gabriele de Plano and shot some of their new pistols.
I was most impressed with their candidate for the Joint Combat Pistol. The PX4 Storm is a .45 ACP with some of the bells and whistles one would expect of a "combat pistol," including ambidextrous safety catch (for right and left handed shooters), a lower accessory rail and magazine bumper.
But it's also got a polymer lower receiver that, despite its light weight, made the PX4 Storm a really easy shooter -- even slinging fat .45s down range. The balance is great and it's pretty accurate for even a mediocre shooter like me.
Problem is, the JCP program is "on hold" (it was being run by the Air Force) and it's unclear when the search for a replacement of the unpopular M9 will restart. But Beretta's got a pretty good candidate as far as I can see.
Unrelated to any ongoing DoD programs, I also enjoyed shooting the Taurus line-up of .45s. My favorite was the PT845. Like the PX4, it too had a polymer frame, but it fit like a glove and was easy to control and keep on target -- even in "rapid fire" mode.
And, of course, I had to try their version of the 1911. There's just something satisfying about holding that much brute, cold steel. No polymer here, the P1911 is all iron and lead. And what a joy to shoot, though it did have plenty of kick and was difficult to hold on target during fast firing.
I'm no pistol expert, but from what I saw of the state of the art here at SHOT, things are getting lighter, more customizable and increasingly comfortable for even the average shooter.
-- Christian
