When it comes to naming the best of SHOT Show, it can be rather tricky. There are just so many things to see that objectively picking what’s best is tough. I’ve long since stopped doing that. Instead, I’ve chosen what I feel is the best. When I pick a “Best Of” at SHOT Show, I’m considering what I’ll be purchasing and pursuing in 2024. So, with that in mind, what did I see that I couldn’t live without?
Show Low Blackjack
The Show Low Blackjack took me completely by surprise. I had never heard of it, I had never seen it, and yet there it was in a dazzling display of three different variations with a ton of paint jobs to highlight specific models. The Show Low Blackjack is an ‘AK’ in 9mm, but just barely. It vaguely resembles the AK and has some very slight ergonomic similarities, but that’s about it.
The Blackjack uses a novel delayed-blowback operating system called a “detent delayed system,” and it utilizes a bolt and a specialized guide rod to delay the opening of the breech after the weapon is fired. The Blackjack’s operating system helps eliminate some of the issues when it comes to blowback-operated firearms.
The Show Low Blackjack utilizes CZ Scorpion magazines that also promise a last-round bolt hold-open device. The safety is AK-like but smoother and simpler to operate. The gun is optics-ready, and it’s easy to add a pile of accessories, too. It’s a thoroughly modern choice for modern shooters. It’s more than an AK-based PCC but a very modern rifle design.
Global Ordnance Monolith
A big part of what I choose is also based on price. I don’t have an unlimited budget, but I do like nice guns. There are three new rifles at SHOT that have my interest, but my favorite is also the most affordable of the three. The Global Ordnance Monolith is a product of both Global Ordnance and Dead Air suppressors. The name Monolith refers to the barrel style.
The muzzle device, the gas block, and the barrel are all milled from one piece of steel. Nothing is fit welded or threaded. The muzzle device is designed by Dead Air, and it interacts with their suppressors. The rifle lacks an external buffer tube; downside folding stocks are a possibility.
The receiver controls are completely ambidextrous, and the Monolith features a reversible charging handle. It’s super light and well-balanced. Plus, the MSRP is right around $1,200. That’s not a bad price for a rifle with a fairly innovative and novel design. It will come in both pistol and rifle configurations. Rifle configurations will have a stock, and the pistol variants will wear a 1913 rail for braces or other accessories.
PSA 570
It was tough to pick just one shotgun for this list, but I resisted the urge to nerd out about shotguns. The PSA 570 got the bod over the Mossberg and Beretta because it’s a truly new design. The PSA 570 takes its name from the Mossberg 500 and the Remington 870, as it takes inspiration from both guns. The PSA 570 uses the tang safety from the Mossberg and the furniture from the 870.
It’s also got a number of its own innovations. The pump release is located in the receiver and is very intuitive as a right-handed shooter. Maybe not so much for the lefties. The guns are optics-ready with a direct cut in the receiver. The shotgun is also completely user-serviceable and easy to replace and fix parts.
PSA is also going to take the same route to selling shotguns as they do ARs. The idea is that you’ll be able to build your own gun with the parts and pieces you want, from the barrel and magazine tube to the stock set. It’s a smart design, and I think PSA can do for shotguns what they did for AR-15s. The design makes customization easy and expected.
Beretta 30X Pistol
At the end of 2023, Beretta announced they were killing the tip-up barrel guns. The 21A and the 3032 were dead. Well, the tip-up concept wasn’t dead. Beretta released the 30X at SHOT Show, and I was psyched. The 30X is the .32 ACP pistol that’s popularly called the Tomcat. The 30X guns feature a new press button to open the barrel and directly load the chamber.
The guns also now hold eight rounds of .32 ACP. The .32 ACP is an adequate round for good penetration, although it’s on the small side for some. The guns have threaded barrels and are perfect for suppressor use. Additionally, the platforms have suppressor height sights, and several models had optics at the SHOT Show.
The website currently doesn’t mention optics ready, but the addition of a red dot would eliminate the concerns over sight radius. However, it might kill its pocketability. As a fan of the tip-up guns, I’m quite excited for the 30X series. I hope to see a 21X so we can have a .22LR variant as well.
Hydra Arm Pistol
Mack Gwinn created the company that eventually became Bushmaster, and one of his creations was the Bushmaster Arm Pistol. The Army Pistol was intended to arm pilots due to its small size but use of 5.56 ammo and STANAG magazines. It’s only appropriate that the son of Mack Gwinn and owner of Hydra would bring the Arm Pistol back.
The Hydra Arm Pistol is a faithful recreation of the original. It pivots from side to side to allow the gun to rest on your arm as you fire it. The sights also pivot to allow the user to align the sights just right and provide some accurate fire. The gun looks and feels great, and while it’s unusual, it’ll be a blast.
The Hydra Arm Pistol promises to throw a mighty fireball from its short barrel, but it’s undoubtedly going to be a fun gun. The first batch will be replicas of the original Arm Pistol. There are plans to release a more modern variant with a rail for a red and the potential for other calibers. A .300 Blackout option with a suppressor would be a ton of fun.
The Best of SHOT
SHOT is over, but it lives in our hearts. It’s tough to pick the best one when there are just so many awesome guns. I had a few I thought were great but likely wouldn’t buy. Others, like the Beretta 1301 Mod 2, didn’t make the list because it wasn’t necessarily a new gun but a new generation. This is my best of SHOT, and admittedly, it might not excite everyone. I hope you find folks sharing what you thought to be the best of SHOT below.
