One important tip I give to all first time SHOT Show attendees is to go directly to the Geissele booth on Day 1 of the show to get a badge holder and 2022 SHOT was no exception.
Geissele had a very toned down presence at SHOT this year and didn’t have their usual show of drawings and prize giveaways, but they still gave out free badge holders which are always the best ones to use at SHOT.
Smith and Wesson released a new micro-compact pistol designed for concealed carry dubbed the CSX. The CSX goes back to original designs with an aluminum alloy frame and external hammer, as opposed to the polymer frame, striker fired pistols that have been the trend for the past couple of decades.
Even more classic in the design is the fact that the CSX is single-action. I know some people may feel uncomfortable running cocked-and-locked with a single-action pistol for CCW. The Smith and Wesson CSX has a trigger safety as another safety feature as well as a firing pin block to alleviate concerns.
The Smith and Wesson CSX has an ambidextrous external safety and an ambidextrous slide stop, with the magazine release configurable for right or left handed shooters.
The trigger is above average for a factory gun and it is easier for Smith and Wesson to make a good feeling trigger with a single-action hammer fired pistol. The size is going to be comfortable for most people except those with gigantic hands.
The MSRP is $609 USD and the Smith and Wesson CSX looks to be a good option for CCW (sadly, not available for us California peasants).
Smith and Wesson also took the opportunity to release pistols chambered in the new 30 Super Carry cartridge developed by Federal.
The 30 Super Carry is being pitched as being better than .380 ACP and nearly as good as 9×19. Federal claims 347 ft-lbs of energy with a 100gr bullet moving 1250 fps, which they compare to a .380 ACP 99gr bullet with 223 ft-lbs at 1030 fps, and a 124gr 9mm moving 1150 fps with 364 ft-lbs of energy.
The 30 Super Carry is a slimmer cartridge and Federal claims you can get 12 rounds in the same magazine space held by 10 rounds of 9×19.
That being said, do we really need 30 Super Carry? I think we all remember (or forgot) .45 GAP. I feel as if new cartridges in the defensive pistol arena are not going to succeed unless they are a revolutionary cartridge. The 30 Super Carry is hardly revolutionary and based on Federal’s own advertising, it’s basically a smaller 9×19. No offense to Federal (or Smith and Wesson who partnered with Federal to debut the cartridge), but this is going to be a failed effort.
While on the subject of CCW firearms, I wanted to discuss the Total Eclipse 2.0 holster from Bladetech.
The Total Eclipse 2.0 is a revamp of their Total Eclipse to create a convertible holster that can be configured for inside-the-waistband or outside-the-waistband by switching out the belt clips. The clips are tool-less for quick conversion.
I personally have two different holsters for my primary CCW (Glock 26) when I want to go IWB appendix carry (G-Code / HSP INCOG) or OWB 4 o’clock (Raven Concealment Perun). Having a single holster that you can convert while traveling by just packing extra belt clips can be more streamlined versus carrying a second holster.
The MSRP of the Bladetech Total Eclipse 2.0 is $55 USD and it includes:
- 1x Total Eclipse 2.0 Holster
- 2x Mod-Loks
- 2x OWB Mods
- 2x IWB Mods
- 4x 3/8 Posts
- 4x 1/2 Truss Head Screws
While it remains to be seen how well this holster carries, the price is reasonable enough to take a risk on one.
I stopped by the EOTECH booth to specifically check out their recently announced EFLX Mini Reflex Sight which is designed with the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro footprint.
On paper it looks like an interesting pistol red dot sight with a 3 MOA and 6 MOA red dot option. The EFLX is rated at 20,000 hours and 25,000 hours for the 3 MOA and 6 MOA, respectively, at setting 5. There are a total of 7 daytime settings, 1 ultra bright setting, and 1 night vision compatible setting.
The window is on par with other MRDS units I have looked through.
The EOTECH EFLX has a water resistance rating of 10 meters and the CR2032 battery can be changed from the top of the unit without having to remove the EFLX from the slide. The controls are buttons on the left side of the unit with 1 MOA windage and elevation adjustments.
The EOTECH EFLX has an MSRP of $389 with a Q2 2022 expected release date.
The pistol red dot market is starting to get saturated and I still think the RMR and any RMR footprint MRDS is going to retain the most market share to the popularity and lack of a ‘standard’ footprint agreed upon within the industry.
The EOTECH EFLX is designed for the DPP footprint and not the RMR because the US Army Modular Handgun System has the DPP footprint specification. This gives EOTECH the opportunity to pitch the EFLX as an option for the US Army. Thus, this approach does forgo the more common RMR cut slides that the consumer market has.
Perhaps EOTECH will create an EFLX in the RMR footprint. Barring that, I honestly do not see the EOTECH EFLX to be making much of a splash in the consumer market as people stick to Trijicon and Holosun, or some of the other existing micro red dot sights.
When passing through the FN booth, I did take note of the new FN High Power 9mm.
This is not the same design as the original Browning High Power as this new iteration has modified (improved) internals. The trigger has be reworked for a more crisp 4.5 lbs. It is not a 1911 trigger, but it is improved from classic High Power. FN claims to have improved barrel lock up and feeding.
The magazine capacity is now up to 17 rounds and the beavertail is more rounded to prevent slide bite which is a common issue with the classic High Power and bigger hands.
I have had the opportunity to shoot the classic Browning High Power several years ago and while it is a great gun from a historical standpoint, continuing the legacy of the High Power with modern iterations seems like an odd thing to do. I am sure many people will like the modern improvements found in the latest FN High Power 9mm pistol, but I personally feel that it would make more sense to just buy a 1911 or 2011 in 9mm.
Before I end Part 3 of my 2022 SHOT Show After Action Report, I wanted to mention that there were several service dogs present on the show floor. I always get a kick out of seeing some great canines during SHOT.
I still have several more exhibitors and items from SHOT Show 2022 to discuss. Stay tuned for Part 4 of my 2022 SHOT Show After Action report.
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