By Dave Workman
Contributing Editor

The 2002 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show takes place as this issue of W&G goes to press-but many companies have already announced new product entries that we will be checking out in future issues.

Fans of the Model 1911A1 Colt will be thrilled with its return, in its World War II version. Colt's is building the gun as it appeared circa 1944-45, with all original markings, including the US Government inspection approval stamp, Parkerized finish, lanyard ring and an original box.

Taurus has several new entries including the new CIA (Carry It Anywhere) series of hammerless wheelguns in .38 Special and .357 Magnum, which Gila Hayes reviewed last month. Add to that the Silhouette Series in .22 Long Rifle, .22 Magnum and .357 Magnum, and the 5-shot Tracker, chambered in .45 ACP. See Page 30 for Gila's take on the Millennium PT-145. Taurus also offers a Model 62 pump action rifle in .22 rimfire and .22 Magnum.

Beretta's new entries include several handguns, shotguns and a Tikka rifle. The new pistols are called the U22 Neos in .22 Long Rifle and the 92/96 Vertec, in 9mm and .40 S&W. For shotgunners, Beretta offers the A391 Xtrema 3.5, chambered in 3_-inch 12-gauge magnum. The new Tikka centerfire rifle has a laminated stock and is chambered in several popular calibers.

Rifle and shotgun entries from Winchester include the new Super-X Greenhead in 3_-inch, 12-gauge magnum, with a Dura Touch stock and forearm finished in green. The Model 1300 NWTF Short Turkey has an 18-inch barrel with extra full extended turkey tube. Winchester's Model 70 is chambered for two brand new cartridges: the .270 Winchester Short Magnum and 7mm Winchester Short Magnum (WSM). The Winchester Model 94 is now offered in .480 Ruger in two barrel lengths.

Savage offers a new bolt-action varmint rifle known as the Varmint Package in .223 Rem. or .22-250 Rem. For law enforcement the Model 10FP Duty Rifle is chambered in .308 Win. And for nostalgia comes a Stevens "Favorite" Model 30 BM falling block single-shot, chambered in .22 Magnum. The Striker bolt-action handgun is back in a new chambering: .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM).

Ruger has several new guns of interest. There's a new birdshead grip Vaquero in .45 Colt, a return of the New Model Super Blackhawk Hunter in .44 Magnum, and the smaller-framed Vaquerito in .32 H&R Magnum (made with "cowgirls" especially in mind). The M77 rifle is now chambered in .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, while the M77 Safari is offered in .458 Lott. Ruger also has a new side-by-side shotgun, called the Gold Label.

Dan Wesson is introducing the Pointman Guardian Pure Duty, in .45 ACP. Built on the Model 1911 Commander frame in stainless steel, it has a "Yukon Coat" matte black finish. There is also a new Alaskan Guide revolver in stainless steel, chambered in .445 SuperMag.

Several companies have special or limited edition guns this year. Benelli has a limited edition Super Black Eagle semi-automatic shotgun, chambered in 3_-inch, 12-gauge Magnum. Benelli also has additions from Franchi and Stoeger.

Franchi's new Veloce O/U (over-and-under) shotgun has an English-style stock with a straight grip, and comes in 20- and 28-gauge, and the Variomax in 3_-inch, 12-gauge Magnum. Stoeger's Model 2000 comes in black matte with synthetic stock, or Advantage Timber HD.

Sigarms is observing the 10th anniversary of its first American-made handgun, the P229 semi-auto, with a special limited edition model. It wears cocobolo hardwood grips, and the slide is engraved. Sigarms will support the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund through sales of this .40-caliber collectible.

Remington's Classic Model 700 this year is chambered in .221 Rem. Fireball. There's also a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation commemorative model, chambered in 7mm Rem. Ultra Mag. Also from Remington come new shotguns, including four Model 870s in 16 gauge, and a new Camo Turkey model in the 11-87 Super Magnum series. Remington muzzleloaders all feature a new 3-Way Ignition system.

Springfield has a limited-edition run of the M-1 Garand with special serial numbers. Built using the original US military GI specs and blueprints, this rifle is chambered for either the .30-06 or .308 Win. Springfield also has two handgun entries, the X-Treme Duty pistol with a polymer frame, and a grip safety that must be depressed to cycle the slide. There is also a trigger safety device. The other choice is the Micro Compact in .45 ACP.

Browning is introducing the new Citori 525 shotgun, in several different styles, including the Sporting, Golden Clays and Field models in either 12- or 20-gauge. There's also a Gold Classic High Grade 20-gauge shotgun with Gold Classic motif engraving. Browning's new rifles include five models chambered for the new .270 WSM and 7mm WSM. Browning has added another Buck Mark pistol, the Buck Mark Classic Plus, with a 5.5-inch barrel.

Four new shotguns from European American Armory (EAA) include: the MP-153, with black synthetic stock, vent rib barrel and matte finish; the MP-233 and IZH-27 with wood stocks and forearms, vent rib barrels and single triggers, and the IZH-18 single barrel sporter with vent rib barrel and European walnut stock and forearm.

New entries from H&R include a gun for juniors, the 22/410 Versa-Pack with a .22 Long Rifle barrel and a .410 bore barrel.

The Pardner 12-gauge Modified Choke Shotgun/Huntsman model comes with a 28-inch, 12-gauge shotgun barrel, and 24-inch, .50-caliber muzzleloading barrel. Two new rifles include one chambered for the new .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge, and the other chambered in .243 Win.

Ithaca has revived the Homeland Security 12-gauge, 3-inch magnum shotgun with an all-steel receiver and oil-finished walnut stock and forearm. There's also a 20-gauge version of the Deerslayer III, with a bull barrel.
Wearing the Weatherby brand are the new SAS (Semi-Automatic Shotgun) series, including the Field, Sporting Clays, Shadow Grass, Break-Up and Synthetic, and side-by-side Athena and Orion smoothbores.

In the rifle arena comes the Weatherby Mark V Super Big GameMaster (SBGM), chambered in a dozen popular calibers. It wears a 24-inch blackened stainless steel Krieger Criterion fluted barrel, with a Monte Carlo composite stock. The Mark V Royal Custom has a hand-checkered Monte Carlo stock of fancy Claro walnut with high gloss finish, and offers several caliber options.

Kimber has eight new pistol models all based on the 1911 action. There are two guns chambered in .38 Super, and five pistols in the Eclipse series, all chambered in .45 ACP. Kimber also offers two rimfire rifles, the .22 Youth and a new model Hunter.

There's a big new lineup from Smith & Wesson including the Model 910 semi-auto in 9mm, and the Model 410, a black-frame .40 S&W. There are a pair of five-shot, compact .357 Magnums with Black Scandium frames and 2-inch barrels; the medium frame Black Scandium Model 386PD, also in .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum Model 629CL and the Model 625, chambered in .45 ACP. And, the Smith & Wesson Performance Center is building a new Schofield top-break revolver in .45 S&W.

Kahr is introducing two new P-series pistols with polymer frames, the P-9 and P-40 Covert in 9mm and .40 S&W, respectively.

From Traditions come two new .50-caliber bolt-action front loaders in the Long Distance series. Both take a No. 209 primer, and they also come with No. 11 percussion and musket nipples. A new Pennsylvania Pellet Flintlock model shoots pelletized powder and has a removable breech plug.

Thompson/Center (T/C) is introducing the Omega series of in-line muzzleloaders. They feature a pivoting breech with a drop block, allowing insertion of a No. 209 shotgun primer. All bored in .50 caliber, there are four models in the series. The .45-caliber Super 45 XR rifles take a sabot with a .40-caliber bullet, and they use up to three 50-grain Pyrodex pellets or five 30-grain pellets.

Also new from the T/C stable are new chamberings in the Encore single-shot pistol: .480 Ruger (with 12-inch barrel) and .450 Marlin (with 15-inch barrel and a Muzzle Tamer). Three new Encore rifle models are being introduced in four different calibers, and T/C is also offering the new Katahdin Carbine with an 18-inch Muzzle Tamer barrel.

Marlin dominates the rimfire arena with several introductions, including two in .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire-the Model 17VS and Model 17V. The 1897 Texan is a .22-caliber for junior Cowboy Action shooters, while the Model 795SS semi-auto is a stainless gun with synthetic stock. There's also the Model 15YS single-shot. Marlin's centerfire entries include the 1894 Cowboy Competition 38, in .38 Special, and the Model 1894SS, a stainless steel rifle chambered for the .44 Magnum and .44 Special.

Henry Repeating Arms is introducing the Golden Boy lever-action rifle in .22 WMR. It features an American walnut stock and forend, curved brass buttplate and receiver, and blued octagonal barrel with full-length magazine tube.

And there are more guns, including the Charles Daly line from KBI. New entries are the Superior II semi-automatic and O/U shotgun models. KBI also offers Charles Daly rifles by Zastava in Yugoslavia, with Mauser actions.

Mossberg continues to tout its SSi-One shooting system, which includes shotgun and rifle options. The Mossberg 500 and 835 Ulti-Mag remain strong in the pump-gun arena.

New Verona shotguns from PMC include pumps, O/U models and competition models. There are two 12-gauge, 3-inch models for law enforcement, and the O/U LX501 20/28 combo with 20- and 28-gauge barrels.

Ammo
There would not be much shooting or hunting resulting from new introductions without ammunition, and this year come several new announcements for handgunners, riflemen and shotgun shooters.

You can expect more gun companies to be chambering guns for new cartridges such as the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, the .357 SIG and the .480 Ruger, and ammunition companies to be offering new and expanded items, such as more loadings in the short action magnum field, which debuted last year with the .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) that took off very well in 2001.

Bismuth has introduced a new line, Reduced Hazard Ammunition, for pistols that seems very well timed. It is a new type of frangible bullet with a core of pure Bismuth, that is swaged and plated with a pure copper jacket. It fragments into dust when it hits a hard surface. It should have great reception in the military, law enforcement training area and airline security (make that "sky marshal") community.

New loads from Federal for handgunners include an expanding FMJ in .45 ACP, and a .357 SIG load in the American Eagle line. There are two offerings in .300 Win. Short Magnum, one with a 180-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, and the other with a 180-grain Speer Grand Slam bullet. Also, there is an assortment of shotgun loads for turkey and waterfowl. By the way, while the Federal brand name lives on, the company is now part of the newly formed Alliant Techsystems (ATK), which also includes the former Blount Sporting Equipment Group.

Hornady may just capture the spotlight with its sizzling new .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire). That HMR could easily become "hummer" among shooters, as this tiny pill clocks at 2,250 feet-per-second (fps). Also from Hornady comes a load in .405 Winchester, and another in .458 Lott Light Magnum, with either a 500-grain round nose or a 500-grain FMJ.
PMC has announced a dozen new offerings, including further expansion of their shotshell line with new 12- and 20-gauge loads for targets, hunting and law enforcement applications.

Three new varmint loads are available from Black Hills in .223 Remington, with bullet weights ranging from 40 to 73 grains. The company also announced the Black Hills Gold series of hunting ammunition, with five popular calibers in the lineup.
CCI will debut the Velocitor line of high speed .22 Long Rifle ammunition. In the Gold Dot line, there's a new 9mm round and a .480 Ruger loading.

Hevi-Shot shotshells are coming from Remington for waterfowl and wild turkey. Remington offers a new 385-grain Core-Lokt shotgun slug, plus new loads in 7mm Rem. Magnum, .221 Rem. Fireball, .300 Win. Magnum, and 7mm Short Action Ultra Mag.

Winchester is adding the .270 Winchester Short Magnum and a 7mm WSM with three loads each. You'll also see a 165-grain FMJ round for the .40 S&W and a 125-grain JSP for the .38 Special in the USA brand, plus field loads in 12- and 20-gauge, and a 50-round value pack of .223 Rem. Ammunition.

New for Handloaders
If you are a handloader, there are some new product introductions coming your way this year that ought to broaden your shooting horizons. A few may already be available at retail.

A new rifle powder from Hodgdon is called Retumbo, which translates to "Echo of Thunder." It is formulated to perform in magnum rifle cartridges with large capacity cases.

Fans of Barnes Bullets should like the new 168-grain XLC boattail match-grade bullet in .30-caliber. It has a blue dry film powder coat lubricant.

Sierra has announced a new MatchKing bullet in 8mm.

Meanwhile, Nosler has announced new bullets in .375 and .22 calibers, and is currently working on Reloading Guide No. 5, which should be off the press momentarily.

Speer is making three new bullets for large caliber handguns, and some new projectiles for rifles. The selection includes a .451-caliber, 300-grain Gold Dot for the .454 Casull; a .475-caliber Gold Dot weighing 325 grains for the .480 Ruger, and a .50-caliber, 300-grain Gold Dot for the .50 Action Express. In rifle bullets, Speer's new Deep-Shok entries include a .243/6mm, .270, 7mm, and two .30-caliber bullets. There are also offerings in the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw line.

Lyman will unveil a series of Classic Neck sizing dies to support its Classic Rifle Die sets for black powder cartridges.

Specifically for the shotgun shooter comes the Grand shotshell press from RCBS. It features a case-actuated powder and shot system that prevents accidental spillage, an improved priming system, and case holders in 12- and 20-gauge. There are also several new rifle dies and a new Piggyback III conversion unit.

Optics
For years I hunted with iron sights. That was back in an earlier century when I still had good eyes and I could run up mountains carrying an anvil on my back.

But a few years ago the old peepers started going fuzzy, and that's when scopes and binoculars became a permanent part of my outdoor experience. This year, there are lots of new introductions from some top optics manufacturers, and that's good news.

Instead of getting out the crying towel, take a gander at some of the new optics being introduced for American shooters by the top optics companies.

A few months back, I toured the Swarovski plant and got a look at some of the new entries. They included Swarovski's EL 8.5x42mm and 10x42mm binoculars, the ATS 65 and STS 65 spotting scopes with 20X, 30X or 20-60X zoom eyepieces.

Bushnell is adding an 8x32mm binocular and a 9x25mm compact to the Legend family. The new Elite 3200 10x40mm riflescope features a Mil-Dot reticle and full target turrets.

The Redfield brand gets a full revival this year with three ESD riflescopes in black matte or silver finish. They have variable dot sizes and reticle patterns. Illuminator 6-20x50mm riflescopes come with a choice of reticles and finishes. And Redfield's four Aurora binoculars feature multi-coated BaK-4 lenses and phase-coated roof prisms.

Porro prism binoculars are big on the Pentax stage. Pentax is debuting four new center focus binoculars in the UCF X series, with fully multi-coated optics, BaK-4 prisms, ashperical lenses and a tripod socket-a handy feature, especially with high magnification glasses.

The Simmons ProHunter SE riflescope series includes eight models: 2-7x32mm, 3-9x40mm, 4x32mm, a 4-12x40mm AO and 4-12x50mm AO, a 6-18x40mm AO and 6-18x50mm AO, and 3.5-10x50mm AO. Binocular models include the Endeavor and Hydrosport, both with BaK-4 prisms, multi-coated lenses and rubber armor finishes. Expedition 7x35, 8x40 and 10x50 porro prism binoculars also have BaK-4 optics.

Zeiss also offers new binoculars and spotting scopes. The new Victory Compact binocular is available in 8x20 BT* and 10x25 BT* with a special multi-coating on the lenses. The Zeiss Diascope 65 T* FL and 85 T*FL spotting scopes feature the Advanced Optical System (AOS).

There are four new scopes and a new binocular from Swift. The new scopes include three models with illuminated reticles, a 3-9x40mm, a 1.5-6x40mm and a 4-12x56mm. The fourth is a 2-7x32mm airgun scope. Two new compact binocular models in 8x25mm and 10x25mm have rubber armor finishes.

Millett offers new entries in the Buck Gold scope series, including two with adjustable objectives for long range shooting.
Samples supplied this winter for examination delivered sharp, edge-to-edge clarity.

Brunton's redesigned 6x30mm monocular is waterproof and shockproof.

The new VX-I and VX-II riflescopes from Leupold are offered in popular magnifications, and the VX-II has seven different reticle options.

Nikon is introducing two illuminated reticle Monarch riflescopes, a 3.5-10x50mm and a 6.5-20x44mm AO model. Shooters have a choice between an illuminated Nikoplex reticle, or an illuminated Mil-Dot.

Weaver has announced five new Silver Grand Slam riflescopes and two Grand Slam compact binoculars.

BSA's eight Contender and 10 Deerhunter scopes cover virtually all applications, and the lineup includes one illuminated reticle model. Contenders have adjustable objectives, duplex crosshairs and a screw-on sunshade. Deerhunters also have duplex crosshairs.

Kahles American Hunter offerings include a 3.5-10x50mm model with either a Plex or 4A reticle. The Kahles 2-7x36RF American Hunter is designed for use on .22-caliber rifles. It comes with a free set of Talley Premium rings and a brick of Winchester Super-X .22 long rifle ammunition.

Burris has announced a new 4-16x50mm Mr. T titanium riflescope with Ballistic Mil-Dot reticle. The same coating is available on Burris Black Diamond scope models, and there are also new models in the Signature Safari series, plus a new 3-9x50mm Fullfield II model.

Tasco has a slew of new binocular models, including the Essentials with zoom capabilities, the EXP models in 10x25mm, 8x42mm and 10x42mm, and the Outdoor Series in 8x30, 12x30 binoculars and 8-20x40mm zoom models.

The new Duovid dual-magnification binocular from Leica is an 8+12x42mm, which enables the user to scan an area at 8X magnification, then get a closer look at 12X magnification.

Minox has several new binocular models, with full size and compact choices. They include a lightweight 8x32mm, the 10x25 BR compact , and an 8x24 BR compact.

Steiner has two new Predator binocular models, the 10x26mm and 8x32mm.

New Edges
Readers who cannot resist buying a new knife will face plenty of temptation this year, considering some of the reports coming from the country's top knife makers.

Buck Knives is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with the introduction of the Alpha Hunter series. There is a fixed blade model and a folder, both with stainless steel blades. Both models are available with a drop point blade, with or without a gut hook.

Spyderco, long a favorite among serious shooters, is out with a pair of new Lil' Temperance models featuring a new Compression Lock system. You can choose between two 3-inch CMP440V stainless steel blade designs, one a modified Bowie-type, and the other a spear point. Handles are made from G-10 synthetic.

Cold Steel Inc. has two new folders called the Pro-Lite and Night Force. Pro-Lite models have clip point and drop point blades of 440A stainless steel while Night Force models have a single 440A stainless steel clip point blade.

The folks at Gerber Legendary Blades have a versatile new folding knife called LTR with one-hand opening. It has a removable, ambidextrous pocket clip, locking liner and stainless steel blade.

Don't ignore entries from Meyerco including a three-blade pocket knife with bone handle panels, and a model they call the "mini-machete."

Boker's new V-Boker features a CPM 440 stainless steel blade with a thumb stud for easy one-hand opening. It has a black Cocobolo wood handle with nickel bolsters.

The 3-inch Beaverhead NXT and 4-inch Bruin NXT from Imperial Schrade are sure winners. Both models have stainless steel blades, green sawcut handles and liner locks.

Kershaw has a couple of new models designed by Ken Onion. The Black Chive is a compact folder with a blade just under 2 inches in length. The other entry is a fixed blade model with an all-weather molded synthetic handle and AUS8A stainless steel drop point.

Zoo Lights
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Dorothy could certainly have used these in Oz, because they come with ultra-bright LED lights in their mouths.

LanskyLights, the same people that make the world-famous Lansky® and Crock Stick® knife sharpeners, has recently come up with a very practical and versatile solution to an age-old problem: having a good flashlight available whenever your need one.

The new Lansky ZooLights™ series of ultra-bright LED clip-on mini-flashlights may look like cute fun, but they are much more. With their short, handy keychain-style clip, you can attach them to your car and door keys, to a snap ring or zipper on a purse, to a belt loop on or backpack strap. The powerful lifetime battery and ultra-bright LED light is always ready to come to the rescue in an emergency or simply to light your way into your locked car or front door.

Just thumb down the lever on the back and the jaws open to direct the light where you want it. Let go, and the light goes out.

We've shown just three of the Lansky ZooLight designs here-the Panda, Lion and Frog, but there are many more, including Gorillas, Crocodiles, Toucans and Tigers. Each animal design measures less than 2-inches and is available in a wide choice of colors.

You'll find them in bulk counter displays or on individual blister cards in many stores for under $5.

While you're shopping, you may want to look for Lansky's Aurora™ Ultra slim LED clip-on flashlight with the on-off switch or their iAngle™ two-cell flashlight with the hands-free, detachable multi-angle stand.