As far as the competitive shooting world is concerned, SHOT Show arrives at the perfect time of year—January. With the season behind us, we have ample time to investigate the new products released and train with them months before we have to shoot for score. Once again, I scoured the showroom floor to discover the latest in exciting gear. Below, I’ve boiled everything down to my five favorites.
Federal Gold Medal Match Action Pistol
To this day, most match-grade ammunition has been built for slow-fire sports, banishing those who like to run and gun to their respective reloading benches to make what they need for their shooting style. However, this winter, we all have a choice; spend it on the press or catch up on our favorite TV shows. If you want to give your elbow a break, check out Federal’s new line of match-grade ammunition that is built specifically for practical shooting. These rounds are built with heavy-for-caliber bullets loaded to meet the minor power-factor requirement without blowing past it, generating excessive recoil. The bullets feature a flat-nose profile that transfers energy across a wider surface for better knock-down on steel targets, particularly with edge strikes. Like all other Gold Medal offerings, these offshoots are also built with ultra-reliable match-grade primers, premium brass, and a special purpose-built propellant charge. Current offerings are a 147-grain 9 mm Luger and a 180-grain .40 S&W. Price varies, federalpremium.com
CZ Custom A01-SD OR
While cold weather doesn’t make for a great range day, it sets us up for ideal dry-fire conditions. If you’re thinking about switching pistols this season, give the CZ Custom A01-SD OR a look, as you’ll have plenty of time to perfect your draw and handling before next season. This double-action/single-action masterpiece comes equipped with a fiber-optic front sight for those seeking to stay in Production, or mount nearly any red dot that is built with a DPP or RMR footprint with the included adaptor plates to try your hand at Carry Optics division. CZ built the A01 in a manner that brings the balance point closer to the shooter’s hand without sacrificing valuable barrel length. This aids controllability and hastens follow-up shots for faster split times and target transitions. Its solid steel construction, undercut trigger guard and 25 line-per-inch texturing seal the deal, making the CZ Custom A01-SD OR one of the easiest 9 mm pistols to hang onto on the market. MSRP: $2,699, cz-usa.com
Colt CBX Precision Rifle
This year’s SHOT Show gave me an opportunity to lay my hands on a new bolt-action chassis rifle from an unexpected source, Colt. Known for its legendary AR-15s, Colt is now trying to win back the civilian market with its new precision rifle (and I must admit, the plan is working). Offered in either 6.5 mm Creedmoor or .308 Win., each gun is built with an optimized barrel length to pull as much velocity as possible out of the cartridge without upsetting its balance. The CBX’s action features a 60-degree bolt throw for a shortened stroke that is faster and easier to manipulate and a detachable box-style magazine that employs AICS mags. The receiver is drilled and tapped to accept standard short-action Remington 700 hardware with a one-piece Picatinny rail included, making it optics-ready straight from the box. The aluminum chassis system features both MLOK and ARCA connectivity, allowing for the bipod or tripod of choice. MSRP: $1,899, colt.com
Holosun 507 Comp
Running a red dot only makes you faster when you can pick up the reticle without any trouble. The Holosun 507 Comp (not to be confused with the venerable 507C) was released at SHOT Show 2023, and now offers shooters faster sight and target acquisition than ever before. Sporting a 1.1 x 0.87-inch window, the 507 Comp aligns with your eye regardless of how perfect your presentation is, and the optional 32-MOA circle fills the field of view to compensate for any wrist break that might typically cause you to lose the reticle. Those looking for a finer aiming point have the option of running the two-MOA dot by itself, in conjunction with the 30-MOA ring or with one of the smaller eight- or 20-MOA halos. Shake-awake technology ensures the optic is on whenever you move the gun, and a 50,000-hour battery life means that you shouldn’t have to change it even once during the season. Estimated price to be around $400, holosun.com
Cutting Edge Loaded Ammo
If you don’t roll your own rifle rounds, then chances are that you’ve never heard of Cutting Edge bullets. It seems to be rather standard for to best of the best to start off that way as a standalone component. When these folks first hit the scene, Cutting Edge took the reloading world by storm as their products were amazingly accurate and absolutely devastating on game. A wise man once told me that I ought to practice and compete with the same ammunition that I hunt with to save me the trouble of memorizing two different sets of DOPE. In 2023, National Rifle League hunter competitors get to take a break as Cutting Edge has released its own line of loaded ammunition featuring its Maximus bullets. Initial offerings include 6.5 mm Creedmoor, .308 Win., .223 Rem., 7 mm Mag., .30-06 Springfield and more. Don’t confuse this for practice fodder either; they are the same Maximus bullets known for their fracturing technology and superb flight characteristics. This lets you learn on steel in the spring and stack meat in the freezer come fall, all without having to switch ammunition. Price varies, cuttingedgebullets.com
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