Industry Day At The Range is an annual event held each year for the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. It’s a chance for firearm manufacturers, ammo companies and accessory suppliers to show off their wares in the context of sending rounds down range. It’s also a great chance to get a sense of what the trends will be for gun companies this year. Here’s some things we noticed at this year’s event.
The Glock G19 Gen3 Leaves The Nest
Okay, so this is something that’s been happening for a while now, but Ruger teaming up with Magpul to make the RXM has made it official. Yes, there were companies manufacturing pistols based on Glock G19 Gen3 internals before the RXM, but none of them occupy the same space in the hearts and minds of American gun owners that Ruger and Magpul do. These days, no one looks at a 1911 and says “Oh, that’s just a Colt clone,” so maybe it’s time to put the ‘It’s just a Glock clone” phrase to bed and acknowledge the fact that Gen3 internals have become their own platform, like the 1911 and AR-15 did years ago.
Single Action Is The New Striker-Fired
The double-stack 1911 continues to be a trend, with new guns from Staccato, Springfield Armory, Staccato, Kimber, Military Armaments, EAA/Girsan and others. There’s a lot to be said about these guns. They’re easy to carry, as they’re about the same size as a comparable polymer-framed, striker-fired gun. They’re easy to shoot because of that great 1911-style trigger and because they’re a double-stack magazine, they hold as much or more than a comparable dishwasher-safe firearm. The frame-mounted thumb safeties and grip safeties that are so typical of the 1911 were once a negative (“You’ll forget to switch them off”), now they’re a selling point. Welcome to 1935, everyone.
Kel-Tec Tries Something Different
Yes, I know, that might be the ultimate “dog bites man” headline, but the new PR57 is unlike anything we’ve seen before. First off, it’s a 5.7x28mm pistol you can actually carry, and carry very easily, because it weighs just 14 ounces unloaded. That’s less than a pound. Secondly, because it’s a 5.7x28mm gun with a rotary barrel action, what little recoil there is goes right back into your hand, reducing muzzle flip to almost nothing. Finally, yes, it uses an honest-to-goodness clip to reload and not a magazine. This may seem weird at first, but with a 20-round capacity, that means you can deal with at least four heaping servings of bad guy without having to reload. This might not be your ideal version of a concealed carry gun, but if you’re someone who a) doesn’t want to obsess over every minute detail of their gun, b) wants a gun that’s easy to carry and c) can’t handle a lot of recoil, it’s a legitimate defensive pistol.
Plus, it’s an absolute joy to shoot, which means you’re going to practice more often, even if 5.7x28mm does cost a little more than 9mm does.
That’s what we saw at the range, and we’ll have more updates in the next few days on other activities at the 2025 SHOT Show.
