RECOIL Best of SHOT Show 2019

This year at SHOT Show we handed out some special awards to what we considered to be the standouts of the show. There were four categories:
►Best Accessory
►Best Firearm
►Best of the Basement
►Best of Show.

Yes, you read that right. One of the awards was for the best we saw in the basement.

The winners were debated among editorial staff, and a planned 30-minute meeting on the subject stretched far longer than we normally would have liked–and this list encompasses the stuff that ultimately we found to be the very coolest items being displayed on the SHOT Show floor. And no, no this won't be the last time we give awards out at trade shows.

Aside from the accolades, each winner was presented with a laser engraved mason jar…. totally filled with clear liquid. Without further ado, here's the quick and dirty rundown.

BEST OF SHOW

Maxim Defense PDX

While initially one may scratch their heads and wonder why the Maxim Defense PDX made the cut–there's a whole lot of awesome going on here. Maxim Defense is the first company to successfully bring to market a special combination of things, all with their own unique challenges. Namely, it's a very short (18-inches overall) 7.62x39mm AR-15, that not only kicks less than a 5.56 shorty AR, but actually runs. Check out RECOIL issue 41 for more, and this RECOILtv video:

More at Maxim Defense.

BEST FIREARM

Salient Arms GLD

If you thought this was just another shotgun, think again. This modern inertia-driven scattergat is very similar if not exactly the same as a Benelli or Breda inertia-driven action, but with far more going on.

Virtually everything that could be done by a custom gunsmith to this system comes that way right from the factory. Sharp edges? Nah. Every damn thing that can be smoothed is smoothed. It runs heavy shells with no issue. The GLD rocks a stout loading port ideal for longer shells or even double or quad loading. It has smart features such as an integral QD sling point that also doubles as a cheek piece adjustment.

And did we mention it has excellent premium mahogany furniture? Something else we thought was cool is that the Salient Arms GLD uses the same barrel system regardless of the length of the barrel, unlike many competitors.

There are also interchangeable top covers– instead of screwing and securing individual parts on, there will be Picatinny covers, irons sight covers, and dedicated optic covers,–we're hoping there will be an ACRO cut among the latter.

More here.

BEST ACCESSORY

Surefire Stiletto PRO

We already dug the Stiletto, and the Stiletto Pro just ups the ante. Power outputs are increased, the reflector is slightly larger, and now it features an all-aluminum construction for increased durability (more here).

Two minutes into this RECOILtv video you can get a look at it (though the other new products are absolutely worth checking out too)

Though the Surefire Stiletto Pro isn't yet listed, when it goes live you'll be able to find it here.

Honorable Mention: CRKT PROVOKE

This was probably the most heated debate we had among the editorial staff–because the PROVOKE is damn cool. Surefire just barely edged it out though. Still, check it out here:

More at CRKT.

BEST OF THE BASEMENT

Tippman Air Ordnance 9mm Gatling Gun

The basement at SHOT Show is like digging through a flea market or thrift store–sure, there's going to be a lot of junk, but every once in a while you find something awesome if you do enough digging. And enough digging we did.

Tippman, mostly known for their paintball guns “markers” brought out something that was just the right amount of ridiculous and awesome to tickle us. It's a Gatling gun, in 9mm, that runs off of Glock mags. We suppose we shouldn't be too surprised, as previous they came out with this rad belt-fed full auto 22lr which clearly fits into the same category. Either way, if anyone knows of a mini-pintle mount that will fit on a Lime Scooter, let us know!

Check out RECOILtv All Access videos from SHOT Show 2019 HERE.

Special thanks to LEO Armory for helping us with our RECOIL SHOT Show awards by laser engraving the mason jars. Visit LEO Armory http://www.leoarmory.com/ss/

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