Last month, we had Shot Show, which is the firearms industry’s largest public showing of new products for the coming year. Every year, companies premier and exhibit their most exciting upcoming products to the public eye in order to generate excitement, and this year was certainly no different. In fact this year, I felt like there was even more than usual on display to be excited about than the past few years. The dust has settled a bit now, but the firearms community is still buzzing about a few of the products shown. Let’s take a look at some of the big hits from this year’s show.

Benelli Lupo HPR

I’ve long pined after a Benelli Lupo rifle. Since their introduction of the line in 2020, the overall design aesthetic has appealed to me, and with every iteration, they get better and better in my humble opinion. When we received the first of the original synthetic models, I was impressed with the build quality and weight, I liked the flush, doube-stack magazine, the swept bolt handle, and the way that it balanced in the hand thanks to the unique shape of the rifle. It really felt like something different, but in a good way, not like Benelli was just trying to be different for the sake of it.

Shortly afterwards, we got our hands on the B.E.S.T. models, which promised new camo options and more available calibers with a nearly indestructable finish. I was particularily fond of the 300 Win Mag, which pulled off a balance of being light and compact enough to be comfortable to carry and manuever, but sturdy and balanced enough to tame the round and be just as comfortable to shoot.

Now, they’ve shown us the Lupo HPR (High Precision Rifle) which looks to perfect the line. All the features of the Lupo rifles that made them stand out are still there: the “progressive comfort” recoil reducing stock, the B.E.S.T. finish, the double stock magazine, and the unique lines that make the rifle balance and handle so well. What they’ve added is… well.. everything else that precision shooters and long-range hunters have favored over the past few years. Everything is adjustable, from the cheek riser, to the wrist position and grip angle, to the forend. In order to keep myself from rambling, just take a look at the diagram from Benelli below, and keep in mind that the company promises to deliver all of this packaged up with a very impressive five shot 3/4″ group guarantee! The rifle is available in all it’s existing calibers, and Benelli says that soon, they will bring us this platform in both .300 PRC and .338 Lapua Magnum!

Smith and Wesson 1854

Lever guns have had a pretty significant resurgence of interest in the past few years, and some were surprised to see Smith and Wesson becoming the most recent to jump in to accommodate the growing market. Maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised though, as you can definitely read the history of how the Horace Smith and Dan Wesson partnership gave rise to the original Volcanic firearms that helped to make lever-action repeaters popular over 100 years ago. 

These new 1854 offerings will be available in .44 magnum (a cartridge that our friends at Smith are extremely familiar with) and promise to deliver a hybridized experience between the traditional and modern lever gun experience. Both versions sport a threaded barrel, optic rail, and flat-faced trigger to give the modern touch. One comes in a “all-weather” style stainless finish, with durable polymer stocks equipped with M-Lok slots implying a more “utilitarian” option, while the other features the type of strikingly beautiful wood and bluing that Smith and Wesson is known for in their revolvers, and could double as a show piece, while still keeping the same functionality,

Langdon Tactical PX4 series

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that the Beretta PX4 series is well-loved. While it’s far from the most commonly sought-after handgun on the market, the shooters who like them… really like them, so they’ll be happy to know that Langdon Tactical has decided to pick them up as their newest series of custom Beretta handguns.

This upgrade package is far more than just looks as well. Offered features include everything from magwells and stippling, to custom triggers, decocking levers, barrels, and optics cuts. You can even have one fit for a compensator! I for one, have always appreciated the PX-4 line as an extremely unique series of handguns, and can certainly appreciate the goal of Langdon to turn them into a full on race pistol.

Primary Weapons Systems UXR

“Beware the man with one gun” is both an addage that has been used to highlight the effectiveness of training with a single weapons platform to maximize effiiciency, and also the sales pitch on Primary Weapons’ website for the new UXR rifle platform.

The UXR is the latest offering in a growing market of firearms that looks to give the user multiple caliber configurations, swappable onto only one serialized receiver (with minimal to no use of tools). What makes this particular platform stand out to me, is the promise of quick swapping from AR-10 sized calibers like .308, back and forth from AR-15 sizes like the 5.56 and .223.

The trick in this market appears to be coming up with a product that’s quick, not too complex, and still stands on it’s own as a high-functioning and accurate rifle in any configuration you should so happen to have it in. It also helps to not have each configuration cost as much as just building up an additional rifle in that caliber. Did PWS nail that balance? Time will tell, as the UXR isn’t yet available at the time of this writing. Take a look at the diagram below, and see how it works for yourself. 

Looking back at all the notes I’ve taken while I watched this years announcements roll in… I don’t think I could even scratch the surface in one short article. Some of the things I have written down here are: “An unusual amount of VR stuff”, “Swarovski AI binoculars that identify animals”, “New Vudus” with a drooling emoji next to it, and “really big thermals”… so yeah, I guess I saw quite a bit.

Some things, of course, we’re lucky enough to have already seen here at the shop (like the Beretta 92xi Squalo, which is my new favorite word to say), while others will take awhile to hit the shelves, or are even just in their concept phase. Overall though, I was very happy with this year’s show, and feel like I have even more to look forward to in 2024. If you saw something that you were excited about that I didn’t mention specifically, or if you have anything you hope to see me get ahold of and play with this year, comment below, or email me at cj@fuquaygun.com and tell me about it. As always, we appreciate y’all and thank you for reading.