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| Faye Newcomb was happy to show us Kahr's Target Model, an exciting new outgrowth of this growing manufacturer's micro-pistol line. |
The first week of February found me scouring the immense warren of aisles, booths, meeting rooms and hallways of the Las Vegas Convention Center. I sought the newest, most exciting and useful guns, accessories, gadgets, and assorted products for the sport shooter, self-defense practitioner and general firearms enthusiast.
Well, that's what I told myself at the end of each day, peeling off the uncomfortable dress shoes to treat blisters that had formed atop the wounds of the previous day.
The SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show) is the gun industry's yearly convention at which new products are introduced and industry leaders and followers get together to keep both new and proven shooting products flowing to local gun store shelves. For the writer, it is an opportunity to line up guns and accessories to review in the coming months, renew contacts with manufacturers, while inspecting, handling and checking out new shooting products.
I have attended these conventions for nearly a decade, and found the 2002 SHOT Show much like previous expositions, though I believe I detected a slight reduction in exhibitor numbers. On the other hand, the SHOT Show organizer, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, reported that attendance figures were the second highest in the history of convention.
SHOT Show exhibits run a spectrum of all manner of hunting paraphernalia, holsters, ammunition, gun parts, outdoor clothing, guns of all sorts and some inventions that boggle the imagination. Remember the blind men who individually described a portion of an elephant they touched? Reporting on a SHOT Show is like being one of those men. Because my interest is women's shooting and guns for self-defense, the gear I found reflects that focus.
Crown Jewel
Thus, in my estimation, the crown jewel of SHOT Show 2002 is the latest Kahr Arms handgun, the new, larger “Target Model.” It has a unique story, really: a handgun manufacturer starts business making a micro-miniature semi-automatic pistol, and then expands their product line to include a larger model. Ordinarily, concealed carry handguns are essentially duty handguns shortened at the muzzle and grips. The innovators at Kahr Arms have reversed that process, winning a clientele that will now clamor for this nearly full-sized 9mm Kahr!
I know this: I must have one. |
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