The Packing Rat

Media Day 2012 – Synopsis SHOT Show 2012 – Day 1 Synopsis SHOT Show 2013 – Day 3 Synopsis SHOT SHOW 2012 – Day 4 For more photos, click on the the header links.  If you made it here from an outside link and are new, please consider subscribing to the RSS feed. Wild West [...]

Coonan Inc. – .357 Magnum Automatic In a classic 1911 style, Coonan Inc. is manufacturing a gun not meant for the first time shooter.  The steel pistol is capable of using .38 special and .357 magnum, with a magazine capacity of 7 rounds. Coonan Inc. has a variety of colors the firearm may be coated [...]

Media Day consisted of meeting bloggers and other media folks.  Guns, for the most part, were secondary.  Ruger released their SR22, KRISS their Sphinx, and many other manufactures had other models – several of which can be discussed throughout the week.  For whatever odd reason, I thought Coonan Firearms was going to be at Media [...]

Uneventful arrival in Las Vegas, NV.  Met up with the crew at CS Tactical and had some dinner at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. For the past two years, I’ve running my SHOT Show coverage solo, but you’ll see a new face this year.   More or so, Matt will be behind the camera, hopefully providing better opportunities [...]

The sleek new Leatherman Skeletool CX gets you back to basics… very cool basics. The Skeletool CX has only the most necessary of multi-tool features, because sometimes that’s all you need. With a 154CM stainless steel blade, pliers, bit driver, pocket clip and carabiner/bottle opener, you’re set. Lightweight, low volume, perfect size. The Skeletool CX: [...]

Derek visits Triple Aught Design Headquarters in San Francisco, CA for the Dogpatch Third St. Sale. He didn’t buy anything on sale, but he’s OK with that.

Derek misses dead animal hide, but the Flowfold Billfold is an acceptable replacement.

The P-3AT (pee-three-eighty) is a semi-automatic, locked breech pistol, chambered for the .380 Auto cartridge. It has been developed from our highly successful P-32 pistol with negligible increase in weight and size. The slidestop has been eliminated and the magazine capacity reduced to 6 rounds due to the larger cartridge. The firing mechanism is double [...]

Compact and absurdly bright. Six levels of output including three special modes. Lightweight and elegant. The world’s first AAA powered, CREE XP-G flashlight! Do you know what a CREE XP-G is?  Unless you’re a candlepower geek, then it’s unlikely. Don’t sweat it, I’ve got you covered. The XLamp XP-G LED is capable of up to [...]

Derek discusses why the Gun Casket handgun safe would make a great gift, but not so much for practical keeping of a firearm.

Vortex Razor HD 1-4×24 Riflescope. EBR-556 MOA Reticle Vortex breaks new ground with the introduction of our Razor HD tactical riflescopes—built literally from the ground up to meet the demands of law enforcement, 3-Gun competition, and the discriminating tactical enthusiast. The precision-etched first focal plane reticle is ideal for rapid close and mid-range shooting. Expect [...]

Adding bling to the Brazilian turd of a gun it is. My T-Grip arrived, unexpectedly, earlier this week.  It’s been so long I just assumed the check got lost in the mail, which I never bothered to confirm.  Yeah.  That was about 8 months ago. Hsoi:  My wait was longer than yours.  I was so [...]