SHOT Show has been one helluva of a Show. It’s 13.9 miles of aisles that are chock full of guns. Every year, the event pulls tens of thousands of people to ogle the latest and greatest from all their favorite gun companies. This year, we saw a few interesting themes, and one was a ton of new rifles. When I say new rifles, I don’t just mean another new AR-15 or new AK-47. I mean a ton of new rifles, rifles we haven’t really seen before. Let’s dig into the best new rifles of SHOT 2024.
The Show Low Blackjack
The Show Low Blackjack is a 9mm pistol caliber carbine that looks a bit like an AK. It’s certainly AK-inspired, but it strays pretty far from the AK design. The Show Low Blackjack comes in various sizes, but for this entry, we’ll be counting the rifle version. This PCC was produced with competition shooting in mind. The Show Low Blackjack rifle has a 16-inch barrel that’s threaded and ready for your favorite muzzle device. It can be used with standard AK stocks and grips, but that’s where the similarity stops.
The Blackjack utilizes a detent delayed blowback system. This detent delay is a novel new design, and they have a patent pending on the design. A detent delayed system reduces the recoil of a straight blowback design to make a very controllable design with very little recoil. Additionally, the Blackjack uses Scorpion magazines that integrate a last-round bolt hold-open device.
The safety is AK-inspired, but it isn’t the same kind of 1940s SMG safety we find on the OG AK. The safety is massive, and easy to move and put into action when needed. The rifle features a giant M-LOK handguard and an optics rail. It’s super lightweight and is a novel design that just impressed the hell out of me.
The Primary Weapon System URX
The Primary Weapon Systems URX was an absolute show-stopper. It blew people away at both Range Day, and it was a big draw at SHOT Show 2024. The Primary Weapon System URX promises to be one of the most modular platforms to ever exist. The idea behind the system is to have a rifle that can be converted to a multitude of calibers by the end user. To make this possible, the rifle can be stripped down to a few main components with ease.
This includes easy barrel removal and the ability to separate the magwell from the lower receiver and swap mag wells with ease. This allows a 5.56 rifle to become a .308 rifle in just a few minutes. Future conversions of the URX promise 7.62x39mm capability, .300 Blackout, 6.5 Creedmoor, and many more. I watched a PWS employee strip the gun down with ease, and it requires only one tool to do so.
At the range, the gun’s long-stroke gas piston system resulted in ultra-smooth recoil. The controls were completely ambidextrous, and the stock can fold and collapse easily. M-LOK rails and an optic rail offer plenty of room for accessories as well. It’s one of the cooler innovations I saw at SHOT. The downside is the $2,500 price tag. Innovation is never cheap, and supposedly, conversion kits will retail around the 500-dollar mark.
Global Ordnance Monolith
The Global Ordnance Monolith was a nice surprise. Global Ordnance is mostly known for importing a variety of weapons, like the Stribog, the Arex Delta, and Grand Power guns. The Monolith represents their first solo design. They did team up with Dead Air to ensure excellent compatibility with suppressors, including a new muzzle device design for compatibility with Dead Air cans.
The Monolith is an AR-15-like design that ditches the need for a receiver extension and external buffer tube. This means you can use folding stocks. The rifle variants will have an ACR-like stock, and the pistol variants will have an M1913 rail for braces or for a stock if you want the SBR route. The gun has fully ambidextrous controls, an M-LOK rail, and all the other awesome stuff that makes a rifle modern.
It doesn’t have a monolithic rail, so why is it called the Monolith? It has a monolithic barrel. The barrel, muzzle design, and gas tube are all milled from one piece of steel. This creates a stronger barrel that’s more accurate. The gas block is milled at a 45-degree angle to increase the efficiency of gas flow, which means you need less gas. Less gas means less gas blowback when suppressed. The Ordnance is an awesome rifle, and the fact the MSRP is about 1,200 bucks is even more impressive.
Zenith ZF-56
We all know Zenith is a major producer of MP5 clones. The MP5 famously uses a roller-delayed system to guarantee excellent reliability and low recoil. Since Zenith mastered the roller-delayed design with the MP5, they moved on and into the world of rifles. This year, we got hit with the Zenith ZF-56, a 5.56 caliber roller delayed rifle design. It’s not the first 5.56 roller delayed design, but it’s the most modern.
The ZF-56 takes a more modern stance than the previous HK-style 5.56 roller-delayed designs. This includes a very AR-like upper and lower receiver system, as well as the ability to use AR stocks. However, the buffer tube isn’t required and can be swapped for folding stocks and similar designs. The rifle has an M-LOK handguard and optics rail. The safety is still HK-like, but the magazine release is pure AR.
Over the barrel sits a very HK-like charging handle that’s ergonomic and easy to reach. At the range, the gun had very low recoil and was quite accurate. The ergonomics were solid. My only complaint was the gas blowback from the suppressed variant was pretty dang rough. Other than that, the gun was impressive and provided an interesting alternative to the AR-15 without compromising the good features of the AR design.
Savage 110 Magpul Scout
So far, it’s all been high-tech semi-auto rifle platforms. Let’s slow it down a bit and take a step back, but don’t get too far from the world of modern firearms. Let’s take a look at my favorite bolt-action of SHOT Show, the Savage M110 Magpul Scout. The 110 Magpul Scout gives us an old-school bolt gun with a modern concept and furniture design. Jeff Cooper designed the Scout Rifle decades ago, and people continue to be fascinated with the concept.
Scout rifles are often defined by their far forward scope rails, iron sights, and quick reloading design. The 110 Magpul Scout has that in spades. The gun has a very long scope rail that allows you to choose between a traditional optic or a long eye relief design. A rear peep sight and a front post mean you won’t even need an optic unless you really want one.
Savage uses the Magpul Hunter stock, which comes with an awesome adjustable stock that can be adjusted for length of pull or to add a cheek riser. The stock has M-LOK slots for some accessories as well. A removable magazine also makes reloads quick. Savage is producing the gun in a ton of calibers, including 6.5 CM, .308, and .450 Bushmaster.
A Rifleman’s Rifle
Rifles are everywhere at SHOT, and I was amused at the amount of new rifles hitting the market in 2024. A lot of times, it’s easy to feel jaded as you scroll past an endless array of AR-15s. The addition of a few new rifle designs makes me psyched for the upcoming year and to see some advancement in the semi-auto rifle world.
