The absolute number one item of interest that everyone was talking about was the new Mach 2 seventeen caliber rimfire cartridge. As you well know, Hornady and CCI developed the 17 HMR cartridge, which was based on the 22 Winchester Magnum case. This year the Hornady/CCI team has taken the concept to its next logical step and has developed a 17 caliber cartridge based on the 22 Long Rifle case (a CCI Stinger case to be exact).

     Speaking of Hornady, they’ve added a new XPT bullet to the 17 HMR. The XTP will provide a more controlled expansion rate on tough targets than the current VMAX bullet, which is optimized for violent expansion on soft targets. Hornady has also got a very, very nice compact electronic scale with a capacity of 350 grains that is absolutely perfect for reloading out at the range. It even comes in a plastic carrying case and is equipped with a wind cover over the weighing platform. A couple of AAA batteries supply the power. For the bench at home there’s also a new electronic 1000 grain scale.

     Leupold has a new improved replacement for it’s very popular Vari-X III line of scopes. The new series is called the VX-III. One of the primary features of the new scopes is that they use a new lens coating methodology that they call an "Index Matched Lens System".

     This is an extension of Leupold’s company philosophy of "light management". In essence, the coatings on each lens in the scope are optimized to the particular optical glass that they’re applied to in a coordinated fashion to ensure the maximum light transmission. In other words, not all the lenses are made with the same glass or have the same coatings but will all work together as a team to produce the best image. As a result of this system optimization approach, light transmission has reached 98% in some of the VX-III scopes. This is very, very close to what the healthy human eye can detect.

     Hodgdon has really come up with a great idea. It’s basically a sampler pack consisting of four, quarter pound containers of four different Hodgdon powders falling within a in a general burning range. They’re called "Xperimenter Packs". There are a number of different sampler packs available i.e. fast, medium, and slower burning. Right now, they’re available in rifle powders only. This is a great idea for the reloader who wants to try a number of different powders when working up a load. So rather than having to buy four, one pound cans, you can just buy a sampler pack for the rough cost of a single pound of powder. It’s one of those immensely logical ideas where you say, "Why didn’t someone do it before?" Good going Hodgdon!

     Smith & Wesson’s 500 Magnum revolver is selling hand over fist and sales of brass, bullets, etc. for the new cartridge are doing equally as well. Starline brass even has a backlog of orders for the cases. (Who’s going to be the first in IHMSA to neck it down to 6.5mm?) Both Hornady and CCI have new hollow point and flat point bullets for the big magnum. Believe it or not, a four inch version the big Smith will be made available this year. There will be a number of muzzle break options available. The new gun is geared towards professional guides, backpackers, and hunters in dangerous bear country.

     Nikon has some interesting items. One is a zoom version of the 50mm Action binoculars that I reviewed several months ago. The new binoculars are 10-22X50mm’s, which is more than enough power for bright, wide angle stereo viewing of the 200 meter ram targets. Like the others, the new binoculars are multicoated and have the same BaK4 high index prisms.

     RCBS has upgraded its electronic powder dispenser/electronic scale unit. The scale (which can be purchased separately) does away with the infrared interface and now plugs directly into the side of the dispenser. The new combination has a much cleaner design and in my opinion takes up less space on the bench. It also has lots more memory so that more of your loads can be stored in the machine. It’s easier to recall stored loads as well.

     Lyman introduced a very nifty new lubricator/sizer. This is a completely new design that uses a much improved, heavier linkage and a longer handle with a large knob on the end for first class leverage. The machine also has a much thicker base than the old unit. For a little more, you can get one of these beauties with a lube heater. The heater unit is a short rod with an attached electrical cord that fits into a recess in the thick base. This really looks like a slick machine for those of you who bullet cast. Other new things of interest to silhouette shooters is a very nice one piece electronic powder dispensing system, an updated version of their classic reloading manual, and a very functional ball micrometer for measuring case neck thickness.

     How would you like to buy a technically sophisticated 90mm spotting scope for only $300 or a 125mm scope for $450? Impossible you say. Well, you can. Weaver absolutely blew me away with its new ETX models. As I previously reported some time ago ATK sold its optical business (Weaver, Simmons, & Redfield) to Meade Corp., a manufacturer of astronomical telescopes. Evidently Meade has transferred some of its technology over to Weaver and that has resulted in the ETX. This scope is essentially an astronomical type that appears to have been adapted for spotting. The objective lenses are absolutely huge and are of a very sophisticated design. The basic scope design itself is a classic astronomical folded optics type, which gives you a lot of focal length in a very compact package. This is a spotting scope for the very serious long range shooter. Know anyone like that? Weaver says you can read license plates with it a half mile away. Believe me, you’ll have no problem seeing 22 rimfire holes at 200 meters with this baby, or even 17 caliber holes for that matter.

     If you load pistol cartridges on a progressive machine Redding Reloading has packaged their competition seater and profile crimping dies with a titanium carbide sizing die in a single package geared just towards you. No expander die is included in the set as almost all progressive machines expand case mouths at the powder dispensing position. They also have an new E-Z Feed shell holder that is tapered to allow easier case insertion. It’s also knurled around the outside for a better grip. If you’ve ever done any amount of case trimming you’ll appreciate the fact that they’ve added an adapter to attach a cordless screwdriver to their case trimmer. Should make trimming a lot faster. I also see that they’ve acquired one of my favorite products - Imperial Sizing Wax. If you’ve got to do some serious case reforming, this is the stuff you want to use for a case lube.

     Stoney Point is one of those smaller companies in the industry that regularly comes out with very innovative precision reloading and cleaning products. Anyone who doesn’t own one of their universal bore guides is missing an extremely valuable tool in their cleaning caddy.

     The Brownells catalog has got to be one of the most fun catalogs in the world for a shooter to thumb through. It was almost as much fun to visit their booth at the show and see all of the new stuff. One group of items that impressed me was their new line of Signature gun bags. The suede leather bag was especially classy and not that expensive at all. The CORDURA model is made with 1000 denier material while the competition uses 900 denier. Both models have all kinds of pockets and places to tuck things and both have corrugated hard plastic inserts on the bottom to insure a buckle free carry. The bags also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

     Shooters Choice has put their FP-10 lubricant in a aerosol container. This is a super gun oil that works between -76 degrees up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. They also have a new degreaser that won’t harm plastic parts, polymer frames, grips etc. While not a new product, their Extreme Clean ammonia free bore cleaner, won’t eat up your bronze bore brushes and will do a good job of getting all the lead and copper out. I just squirt it right down the barrel from the aerosol can.

  According to the Internet chatter from the rimfire benchrest crowd, Lapua has upgraded the priming compound in Midas M and L and the new ammo is producing phenomenal results. Lapua’s US importer, Kaltron Pettibone couldn’t confirm that, but did report that they are having a very difficult time keeping new lots of that ammo in stock due to a huge demand.

     Iosso, the maker of the only paste type bore cleaner on the market has upgraded its bore brushes again. The "Eliminator" blue nylon type bristles are even thicker than before for better scrubbing action and unlike most brushes, the bristles go all of the way to the very top of the spindle to provide more bristles per brush. More bristles = better cleaning. Ammonia based cleaning solvents won’t eat up these brushes either.

     Lastly, I had the privilege of attending a very nice luncheon given by Smith & Wesson on behalf of "Shooting for Women" magazine". It’s not as well known as it should be, but Smith & Wesson is a major supporter of many, many women’s shooting activities as well as women’s shooting organizations such as The Texas Divas. I’ll tell you The Divas make the NRA look like wimps when it comes to supporting the Second Amendment. By the way, I had a look at the Shooting for Women magazine and it’s a high quality, very professional publication. Any woman can get a subscription to the magazine free, courtesy of Smith & Wesson. Just go to (www.shootingforwomen.com) to subscribe.

     I think Smith & Wesson and the ladies of Shooting for Women are doing a terrific job of educating women about firearms and the safe, responsible culture that 99% of American gun owners represent. It would really be great if other manufacturers in the industry and other shooting organizations emulated Smith & Wesson’s efforts to bring more women into the firearms world. If that could happen, things in Washington would really change fast.

     I saw something really hot at the booth for Rocky Shoes and Boots. They’ve got a new line of boots and clothing, which is heated with a battery pack. It’s called "WarmGear". The line consists of "Charger" boots, a vest type jacket, and pants. The boots in particular intrigued me. A rechargeable battery about the size of a pack of cigarettes clips on to a pair of terminals on the side of the boot. The warming elements are embedded in the sole. As I understand the principle, you attach the battery when your feet start to get cold. When things warm up, you unclip the battery, as the boot will now retain that heat for a long period of time (as long as all day). If things start getting cold again, just clip the battery back on.