SHOT Show 2022: New Guns

Franklin Armory rebooted the Bushmaster line last year after acquiring it from Remington Outdoors’ bankruptcy sale.

While they have concentrated on bringing back a lot of 1990s-looking ARs, they brought something brand new to SHOT in the bolt-action BA30. Chambered in 6.5CM and .308 Win, it is a straight pull-back bolt action rifle with a spring-assisted bolt– you pull it straight back and let go and it runs forward on its own.

It uses an AR-10 style barrel, handguards, and magazines– allowing for easy caliber conversions– as well as an AR-15 grip and trigger, with Franklin/Bushmaster sending them out with a 3-pound trigger. MSRP is $1,800.

Bushmaster says they are also bringing back the old Magpul Masada/Bushmaster-Remington ACR, and finally doing a good job with it, this year.

Daniel Defense was exhibiting at the show with a couple of new guns including expansion of their extremely accurate DELTA 5 PRO bolt-action line, adding 16- and 18-inch barrel options to existing 20, 24, and 26-inch options. However, the best thing they showed up with was the new DD4 RIII which included a fully ambidextrous lower– including an ambi bolt catch, magazine release, and safety selector– mated with a new RIS III M-LOK handguard.

The handguard is modeled after DD’s much-loved RIS II two-piece handguard developed for SOCOM and includes an M-LOK attachment for lighter weight while still offering an M203 40mm/37mm grenade-launcher attachment.

So named due to its factory anodized aluminum flat green grips and magazines with green anodized bases, the latest version of CZ’s 9mm TS 2 comp gun is dubbed the Racing Green.

Going past the color facets, it still clocks in with lots of goodies including a 20-round magazine capacity, enhanced ergonomics, and an updated slide geometry that, when balanced with QC specs that go down to the hundredth of a millimeter, pretty much guarantee a tack driver. MSRP: $2,049.

While FN made the Browning Hi-Power for over 80 years and has long owned the Browning company name itself, at SHOT Show they announced a new stab at the old classic now branded as the FN High Power. This should clue you in to the fact that the gun is different from the original.

While it has lots of nostalgia callouts such as a “keyhole” muzzle profile, the early “thumbprint” on the slide, and the same general layout, the new High Power has a flush-fit 17+1 magazine capacity (sorry old mags won’t work), fully ambi controls, frame texture, and dovetailed FN 509-pattern sights.

Available in three styles (black, FDE, and stainless) they will hit the market in April-ish and have an asking price of $1200-$1300 which will probably be a bit higher due to supply and demand.

The .22LR Barkeep Boot is a downsized version of the company’s recently introduced Barkeep revolver—a single-action rimfire based on the company’s popular Rough Rider series handguns available in 2- and 3-inch barrel lengths.

Whittling down the gun even further, the Boot has a bird’s head grip and a 1-inch barrel, so named because it moves the Barkeep from “waistcoat carry” to “boot carry” (note: do not carry one of these in your boot, please.)

The Boot is an inexpensive range toy, coming in under $200, and can accept Heritage’s easily obtainable .22WMR cylinders should you want to go magnum.

Florida’s Kalashnikov USA showed up with their new KR-104, a 12.25-inch barreled carbine with a folding AK-104 style side-folding stock. Don’t rush to look up NFA regs, this is an SBR.

It comes with a forged trunnion and carrier, uses standard 7.62x39mm Kalash mags, and has a side optic rail. MSRP is $1,400.

KelTec is trying to run over the “light pistol with a big capacity” competition by introducing the P15 series at SHOT. The KelTec P15 weighs only 14 ounces and boasts a 15+1 capacity right out of the box.

The striker-fired pistol ships with two mags, an extendo 15-shot, and a shorter 12+1 rounder. Standard features include a fiber optic front sight, adjustable rear sight, and an ambidextrous safety. It will be offered in both polymer and metal-framed versions. Shipping Q2.

Price is expected in the low $300s, and it will replace the older P11 and PF9 pistols in the company’s catalog.

The company that owns PSA grabbed some legacy gun maker names from the Remington Outdoors federal bankruptcy sale, including Harrington & Richardson (H&R). While this sparked a lot of folks to think PSA would be making break-action shotguns for the budget market, they have gone a whole new direction. You see, back in the 1960s, H&R made early M16A1 rifles for the Army during Vietnam as Colt needed some help filling the needs of Uncle Sam.

Using NoDakSpud’s retro black rifle expertise (PSA recently acquired NDS) they are sending a classic H&R-marked AR throwback to the market. Receivers and barrels are to be available this spring. Complete rifles available later in 2022. No price was mentioned

Palmetto is also offering more models of their in-house “Glock-killer” Dagger pistol line, shrinking it down to the sub-G19-sized Micro Dagger with a 15+1 capacity. Price is still $299.

You will also be able to pick it up with an optics cut and threaded barrel for $399.

Jumping on the 5.7x28mm pool, Palmetto announced the PSA Rock 5.7, named after one of the company’s founders. Based on the Dagger, it has a 23-round magazine.

Available in two variants, the base model will be $499 while the threaded barrel and slide cut will bring it to $549. This puts it in Ruger 57 territory with much more capability. Look for it in approximately 60 days.

Arizona-based Patriot Ordnance Factory had a new large-format/PCC 9mm pistol at the show, the Phoenix. Featuring a monolithic upper receiver with M-LOK slots, an AR-15 mil-spec trigger pack, a 1/2x28TPI threaded 8.5-inch barrel, and a 35-round mag (that is proprietary, grrr), the Phoenix looks sharp.

Weight overall is 4.6-pounds, and the overall length is 17.5-inches. The whomp whomp on this one is a $1700 MSRP which may be a heavy lift on a 9mm semi-auto SMG substitute not made by HK.

Taking the name from the company’s planned move to Tennessee, the Volunteer State, S&W is bringing several different models of AR to consumers in 2022. They will be the purpose-intended Volunteer XV, Volunteer XV OR, Volunteer XV PRO, and Volunteer XV DMR.

The Volunteer XV is equipped with a B5 Bravo adjustable stock, B5 pistol Grip, flat-faced trigger, and a Bravo Company handguard with M-LOK slots.

The Volunteer XV OR has a low-profile Picatinny mount gas block, keeping it optics-ready.

The Volunteer XV PRO runs a mid-length gas system, has a 15-inch free-floated handguard with M-LOK slots, a 1:8 twist barrel with 5R rifling, and a Primary Weapon Systems muzzle brake.

The Volunteer XV DMR comes with all the features included on the PRO but goes with a longer 20-inch barrel with a threaded, target-crowned barrel completed with a PWS brake. The DMR also runs a smoother rifle-length gas system, providing a reliable and accurate platform for longer-distance shots.

The MSRP on the new Volunteer XV series is $1,049 to $1,599.

Announced just before SHOT, the CSX is a metal-framed sub-compact that is hammer-fired, sort of a throwback to the Colt New Agent or Sig P938. Opinions are mixed on this one, just saying.

S&W introduced Shield Plus and Shield EZ variants chambered in Federal Premium’s new 30 Super Carry.

Offering the same performance of 9mm in an ultra-compact design, the Shield Plus runs 12+1 rounds with the flush-fit magazine and 15+1 rounds with the extended magazine, while getting 10+1 rounds into the EZ’s single stack magazine. This is a two-round bump from the same guns chambered in 9mm.

Besides bringing a compensated model of its TX 22 Competition rimfire pistol and a 5-shot .357 Magnum Defender 605 revolver with a 3-inch barrel to the Show, Taurus also announced an updated version of the G3 pistol, the G3X.

The “X” refers to it being a “crossover” design– similar to the Glock 19X of a couple of years ago that blended the frame of a G17 with the slide/barrel of a G19.

The cross, in this case, is that the G3X has a (near) full-sized frame giving it a 15+1 capacity, while still using the slide and barrel from the compact G3C. While it gives the gun a very mullet look (as in the haircut rather than the fish) it also allows a nice, controllable grip and 16 rounds of 9mm on a very compact gun.

In other bolt-action tactical rifle news, the guys with Uintah Precision came to the show with their AR-10 bolt guns, chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor.

This included a very short 13-inch barreled pistol with a folding stock. It was reaching out to 1K like a laser. Nice.

Walther’s big SHOT announcement is that they are offering three new polymer frame color options for their newish PDP series pistols: OD Green, Grey, and Tan.

These new color options feature a dyed polymer frame and a black Tenifer coated slide, and will be available on 4-, 4.5-, and 5-inch slide models. Price across the board is $709, asking.

Thanks for reading! Until next year , friends.