SHOT Show 2025 – Best of Show
SHOT Show 2025 is now in the bag after days spent checking out the latest firearms-related products for the coming year. This year we were once again on the hunt for the show’s hidden treasures. It was yet again a packed house and there were some really interesting twists on classic ideas. So, here is our list of “Best of SHOT Show 2025” with some of the coolest items that we found.
Grit Grips was showing off what might be the most comfortable Glock Gen 3 compatible frame that I have seen yet. They sell these as full pistols and complete or stripped frames, so you can avoid parts redundancy if you want a specific aftermarket trigger in your pistol, etc. It uses the Glock Gen4 magazine catch, so the reversible feature is included for the lefties. There is a definite feel of an ergonomic lineage from the stock Glock to the PSA Dagger to the Grit Grips pistol frame. The texture is easily nice enough to forgo the skateboard tape that often ends up covering my regular Glock frames after a few range trips. It is along the lines of how we always wanted stippling to actually turn out.
Mantis was at SHOT Show 2025 showing off their impressive new Titan X training pistol. Think of this as a Glock that fires a red laser, has a definite Glock-like trigger, fits in Glock holsters, has the MantisX brains baked-in, and comes with two weighted magazines. This will be a great dry-fire trainer for those of us who might favor a very common pistol brand and practice in the back bedroom or the basement. Since it is a non-gun, the chance of an accidental discharge is zero. The resetting trigger and ability to practice mag changes, all with MantisX feedback, smooths out the training curve.
Asteroid Precision Silencers had the first really new baffle design for their suppressors that we’ve seen since OSS (now Huxwrx) showed off their designs. Asteroid has been working for the last five years to get their concept perfected. There are two models, the sub-$200 Little Dipper rimfire can and the modular, multicaliber (.308, .223, 6.5) Big Dipper. Their baffle setup looks to lower backpressure, be easy to clean, and still provide an acceptable level of suppression.
Magpul pulled a surprise out of their back pocket for SHOT Show by showing off the prototypes for some new US-made knives. The really interesting bit is that they are working on creating blades with metal injection molding (MIM) using their new MVN35 steel. Kershaw’s 1597 Offset was the first attempt at a MIM knife blade that I’m aware of and it won Blade Magazine’s Knife of the Year back in 2005. However, MIM blades have been rather quiet since that limited production run. I had the opportunity to spend about a quarter of an hour talking with Allan, the gentleman in charge of this project, about everything from voids to grain structure to carbides. Magpul sounds like they’ve got their process dialed in and are working with MIM to create new locking mechanisms, geometries, and more.
Boston Dynamics was on hand to show off their robotic dogs that can save people from high explosives. While these are certainly cool to see in person, the idea of building a murderbot by putting a scorpion’s tail-like arm on the back of a dog with backward legs is straight out of a sci-fi movie where humanity all but dies out by the end of the film. All that is missing is the Cyberdyne Systems logo. Still, I’m very glad they are on our side…
Black Steel USA was showcasing its new Grip Control addon for a variety of pistols. It is a gas pedal that is large enough to be effective but also folds away when you holster the firearm. Versions for both right and left-handed folks are available and they install in about a minute with no need to drill holes. We have not shot a pistol with a Grip Control yet but you can certainly feel the ergonomic difference of having more than just a thin ledge to try and rest your thumb.
Real Avid will be adding a new inch-pound torque wrench option to their gunsmithing tools catalog. It is a competitor to the Fat Wrench or Fix It Sticks type products at an approachable price point. No matter which one of these works best for your needs, plan on getting an inch-pound torque wrench this year if you either don’t already have one or at least have a good friend who has one and can be bribed easily.
Icon Defense was showing off their new AR platform receivers. In a building full of nice parts, the machining on these was still impressive. There was zero play or wiggle between the upper and lower which had a hand-in-glove fit. I’m dreaming up an accuracy-focused AR build project for the coming year so there is a need for me to get a set of these.
PTR had the VENT line of suppressors on display at their booth. Like many other companies at SHOT Show, they are using 3D printing to make cans. However, in an interesting twist, they print open, spongelike sections into the titanium bodies of their silencers to vent gas and lower back pressure. It is always interesting to see a variation on the common designs that were at almost every booth this year.
HM Defense, known for their very significant 50 caliber rifle, was on hand to show off their new AR upper. It has both the gas block and the suppressor tube machined as one piece with the barrel. This makes a suppressed 300 Blackout upper with a nine-inch barrel and seven-inch can a single tax stamp purchase. There is no SBR since most of the can is literally part of the barrel. There is also no chance of the gas block or silencer ever shooting loose.
Annealing Made Perfect was on hand to show off their smart and all but foolproof annealing machine. Long story short, they have tested tens of thousands of brass cases and dialed in what “perfect” annealing should look like. All you have to do to set up the machine is buy a big box of brass and sacrifice one case to the machine’s destructive testing. This will teach it, for your 999 remaining cases, how to perfectly heat each one.
Kinisium had a neat demo of their Kini SafeAlert motion detector system. Their sensors can be placed in a gun safe, pistol case, or on an ammo can and will send your phone a text message if someone moves it. This gives parents another useful tool in their safety toolbox.
Mag Storage Solutions caught my eye because they have the solution to a problem that I would love to have. If you’ve gotten there before me and have so many AR magazines that you need a dispenser or a rack to organize all of them, then well done, sir. Well done indeed.
Byrna had a hands-on demo for their SD and new LE pistols. Both of these are less-lethal pepperball-type dispensers. The LE steps things up a bit with a larger CO2 cartridge to produce roughly fifty percent more energy downrange and an extra 50fps velocity. It is also a slightly larger form factor moving from a compact to a midsized pistol. Both of these have a familiar grip, simple safety, functional sight picture, very acceptable trigger pull, and basically no recoil. This is one of those “shooting is believing” situations where once you’ve had the chance to empty a mag through the pistol, it could clearly be a good half-step on your self-defense plan.
