Gallow Tech Boot SHOT Show 2014

So over the past 10+ months I have talked with Brent from Gallow Tech a few times via email, and he did a great job of leaking the smallest amounts of information as possible. When I stopped by the booth I had a very vague idea as to what he was releasing.

When I stepped into his booth and saw the panels and mounts I was truly impressed with craftsmanship and quality. While a storage idea is nothing new, the way the Gallow Tech system makes it work and look is quite different than many of the other options I have seen out there.

The panels are powder coated tan, and are made of 16 gauge steel which feels extremely sturdy and and should stand up very well to long term use. When it comes to choosing a setup for your guns, mags, and other gear the options seem to be limitless. There are vertical and horizontal rifle options, handgun racks, and magazine shelves, as I said before the options seem to be limitless.





There will be much more to come on the Gallow Tech storage system after I pick out my setup and get it mounted on the wall. I will be doing a pre installation, during installation, and after installation video so you can all see how the system works all together. So make sure sign up for our email listing to stay up to date on all of the reviews we will be doing over the next few months.

Post SHOT Show 2014 Thoughts

When I was told that SHOT Show was huge and I would literally not see everything before it was over I really didn't believe it. I am now a believer that there is literally no way to see every single booth and have time to talk to all of them, but really there is no need to because not all of the booths are offering the firearms or gear that I typically review.

Media day was a crazy place to be, but at the same time it was awesome because I was able to get some time behind some newer firearm such as the Glock 41, Glock 42, S.W.O.R.D. Intl SBR AR-15, and ADCOR AR-15. Having time to talk with the representatives from each company and sometimes the owners helps to give a lot of background information that may not always be readily available. 

If I were to narrow it down to 2 things that I was impressed the most with it would have to be the Glock 42 and the S.W.O.R.D Intl SBR (also 16" setup).

The Glock 42 was something that I went in wanting to hate it because I thought it was the most ridiculous thing that Glock would bring out a single stack .380 while everyone else has been pumping out single stack 9mm's. Yet when I finally got my hands on it and felt how well it is made, how balanced it is, and how easy it is to fire and be on steel I was impressed. After talking with a few of the other guys and gals who were out there at Media day I am pretty sure we all came to the conclusion that Glock may have decided to release the .380 before the 9mm version because if they had gone in the reverse order of that no one would buy the .380 version. Either way it was a pleasant surprise and something I am looking forward to getting more range time with and doing further reviews with.

The S.W.O.R.D. Intl SBR and 16" AR-15's were both very interesting rifles to shoot. They are both piston systems, with S.W.O.R.D.'s compensator installed on them along with a few other great upgrades. The result was an extremely smooth shooting rifle that pretty well eliminated muzzle flip and walk. Getting on target and staying on target was a dream, every shot was a hit.

On the SHOT Show floor(s) I was completely overwhelmed from the beginning. The second I stepped into the Sands Expo Center I realized just how large the show was, it took over an hour to figure out where a majority of the companies were at and how to navigate the city that is SHOT Show.

Plenty of time was spent talking with some of the newer companies, gawking and drooling over many of the new rifles that are being released this year. Such as the Sig Sauer P556XI, Rock River Arms LAR-47, and the Gallow Technologies Weapons Storage system. There were literally so many cool things to see that I quickly felt overwhelmed and realized that there needed to be a system to the madness and writing down the companies I wanted/needed to see was the best bet.

                                                        (Rock River Arms LAR-47)

                                                              (SAR Arms 9mm SBR)

I talked with a lot of companies, some who I have been working with over the past year and others that I just met this past week during SHOT Show. Everyone that I talked to was genuine and a great contributor to the industry. There were many items that were interesting and that peaked my interest, and there were other things that I could not figure out why they were there.

Overall I was completely overwhelmed from day 1 and did not get nearly as much done as I had hoped to, however once I got my bearings and gained some speed I was able to meet many companies that will be working with us throughout this year.

Just to name a few of the companies:
S.W.O.R.D. International
Offhand Gear
SAR Arms
ODIN Works
Primary Weapons Systems
and quite a few more.

I am really looking forward to bringing as much new information to everyone, and introducing many new items.

Make sure to stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as new items start to roll in and new initial thoughts posts go up.

Make sure to subscribe to our email list to receive up to date posts and information.
Also make sure to follow @shiplane and @spartan_tc on Instagram for pictures and info of new gear we have coming in.

Quick Look: Infidel Body Armor

Awhile back we did some on camera shooting of the EnGarde Body Armor  Level III and IV Plates, we were new to doing reviews at the time and learned a lot. Well now we have the opportunity to run another test on a body armor plate thanks to Infidel Body Armor, they sent us one of their 10x12 Plates to use for test and eval.

The last time we did a body armor test we set the plates against a back stop, while that did give us a good idea of what the trauma would be like behind the plate we really couldn't see just how much. This time we are planning on setting blocks of clay behind the plate so we can get a good idea of just how much force is transferred rearward. We will also be checking for spalling since this plate is made of 1/4" AR500 steel with an anti spalling material layered over it.

Just some quick facts about the Infidel Body Armor plates, they are as stated above made from 1/4" AR500 steel and lined with 1/4" of anti spalling material. They are curved so they fit comfortably against the body, and the angled cut makes it easy to shoulder your rifle without setting it on the plate. Each plate weighs a little under 9 pounds, and is rated as a Level III Stand Alone plate.

We are really looking forward to getting some testing time with this plate and are excited to relay the information back to you our viewers. Make sure to check back for the written review and the video soon.

Strike Industries AK TRAX Rail System

I am sure that many of you have seen the video on the Strike Industries AK TRAX hand guard that I posted earlier in the week, for those of you who haven't I have imbedded it below.

I have been extremely happy with this hand guard so far, but then again the standard Saiga hand guard leaves you with absolutely no mounting options and honestly it looks just a bit weird since they "sporterized" it. So having the option to put a hand guard on that has quite a few different ways to mount rails is pretty awesome.

There are quite a few things to like about the AK TRAX, from the key mod rail system to the multiple mounting options for the hand guard itself. The overall quality is really good, there aren't any rough or sharp "unfinished" spots to be found, and the finish is also great quality.

So far I have had it on my AK for around 2 months and have used it on the range quite a few times, I figure it has been on for around 1,000 rounds so far. Like I mentioned in the video I did have an issue with the front mounting screws falling out because I didn't loctite them in place, but that was an easy fix thanks to the awesome customer service over at SI. Other than the one hiccup with losing the small screws there have been absolutely no other issues with this hand guard, the key mod rails mount nice and snug to it and do not loosen up during use; it has been great having the ability to run a flashlight and the gopro on the rifle.

If you are looking for a good hand guard to install onto your AK I would highly suggest taking a look at the info at www.StrikeIndustries.com.

I will be posting follow up reviews as time goes on so make sure to check back!