Big gun expert Bob Bigando shows us what he liked best at SHOT Show 2018 in Las Vegas. His business focus is more on the unusual aspects of the firearms industry. He tends to go for the larger guns and vintage military gear. SHOT Show is an opportunity for him to see what’s going on in the gun world.
Since Bigando’s in such a niche market, a lot of the products don’t interest him. He’s lucky enough to own all of the basic firearms such as AR15s, hunting rifles, shotguns and even anti-tank guns. So when he walks around the show, he gravitates towards the stuff that’s unique because they’re fun to shoot and look good.
At this year’s show, he liked the Tanker rifle by Battle Arms. He thinks the company did a great job designing this good looking gun. It fires the .300BLK round from a 7.5-inch barrel, making it an SBR, so all NFA rules apply. MSRP is $2,999.
Bigando also liked the Typhoon 20 cannon at the Serbu Firearms booth. It’s a single shot bolt action cannon that fires the 20x110mm Hispano round. It’s also one of the few production 20mm guns that can still be purchased today. Some of the more unique features is the ability to change bolt faces and barrels allowing it to fire different 20mm rounds. It can even fire the 50mm round.
The next product that Bigando loved was Black Rifle Coffee Company. They were giving out free coffee at a smaller booth at the FN Herstal booth. If there’s one thing that Bigando likes almost as much as guns, it’s coffee. He ordered a bag of coffee two years ago from Black Rifle Coffee because he thought it was a novel idea, and liked the fact that the company was veteran owned. The coffee arrived promptly and it was really good and freshly roasted. Bigando now drinks the coffee exclusively. He loves the company and the group of people that run it.
The last booth on Bigando’s list was LMT where they were showcasing their ‘Shorty Forty’ which is a short-barreled, pistol-gripped 40mm grenade launcher. It’s basically the 203 grenade launcher that mounts beneath an M16, but with a shorter barrel and pistol grip. Does it have a whole lot of real-world practical uses? Perhaps not. But it’s still a badass weapon to own, and according to Bigando, “It’s great for blowing stuff up.”
I couldn’t pass up a chance to shoot this Olympic Arms OA-98. This distinctive AR-15-style pistol was conceived at a unique point in American firearm legislation history.
Few firearms on the market are as iconic as our subject today. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve likely seen the .50-caliber Barrett M82A1 on the news, at the range, or even in countless video games.
