Hard to get more exotic than this two barreled, drum fed, hand cranked Bira Gun from Nepal, one of fifteen being restored by U.S. Armament Corp. for IMA-USA. The data plate can be seen in the inset below. The Bira was one several late 1800’s period manually operated rapid fire guns at U.S. Armament’s elaborate display. Website www.usarmamentcorp.com.

SAR’s formula for shows combining regular weapons with machine guns is proving to be a success for dealers and attendees. For those who are curious about what goes on at a SAR Show, Robert Bruce offers a look at some highlights from the SAR East event in York, PA.

Most gun shows are exciting enough, but SAR East kicked it up several notches with plenty of exotic weaponry offered for sale to buyers qualified under federal, state and local laws.

For three days beginning on April 30th, the picturesque city of York, Pennsylvania was the place to be for aficionados of machine guns, mortars, silencers, black rifles, and plenty more.

The York Expo Center became a full-immersion gun culture experience with everything from A to Z including load-your-own ammo kits for 37/40mm grenade launchers and graphically gruesome zombie targets.

Moose Lake Publications, SAR’s parent company, handled the Class 3 and Black Rifle section, while local partner Appalachian Promotions brought in vendors from near and far selling “regular firearms,” parts, accessories, ammo, gun books, and militaria.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” said Dan Shea, SAR’s publisher and driving force behind Long Mountain Outfitters and Defense Munitions. “This is the second year for the show and it has grown in size and attendance.”

Shea’s observations were echoed by Appalachian Promotions, who noted that all the vendor tables in the thirty thousand square foot exhibit hall were taken and ticket sales had grown.

Historical machine gun displays were also a big draw, with two added benefits in contrast to traditional museum settings. First, there was no glass to spoil flash photos and to separate viewers from the artifacts. Don’t touch, but you can get your nose literally within inches of factory markings and other details.

Then, owners of the items are usually standing close by, keeping a watchful eye and ready to answer questions or provide additional information.

In addition to “Doc Ed” Weitzman’s lineup of vintage Vickers guns, the Thompson Collectors Association presented ten different versions of the crowd-pleasing Tommy Gun, backed by a whole wall with giant blowups of colorful wartime posters.

Unfortunately, there will not be a SAR East show in 2011. The scheduled date for the show in York coincides with the annual NRA convention and show that is being held in nearby Pittsburgh, PA that same weekend and the draw to that event will affect attendance though Appalachian Productions is expected to continue with their gun show.

By Jeff W. Zimba

After years of fielding questions about the possibility of hosting an SAR Show on the East Coast, it finally became a reality this May.

On May 2nd through May 4th over 7,500 people visited the York, PA Expo Center for the first Annual SAR Show East.

With dealers and visitors from all corners of the United States, this first East Coast show was a great success for an initial show in a completely new area.

Just like those who were the pioneers of the now enormous SAR Show West in Phoenix, AZ, the vendors who displayed at SAR East have earned their continued positions in upcoming shows. The years following an initial show tend to have a massive growth rate and the location at York, PA allows for that very growth in both display area and ample parking. If the growth of this show follows the trends established at SAR Show West, we expect this room will be necessary very soon.

Items as rare as one would expect to see only in museums were in abundance and were displayed beside the latest in Class III technology. An original Liberator pistol was only yards away from an extremely rare Japanese prototype submachine gun bearing serial number 1. Across the room were a pair of FG42s beside a Stoner 63, situated across the aisle from a large, beautifully displayed exhibit of Thompsons, Thompson accessories and memorabilia from the Thompson Collectors Association. Those entering through the main SAR entrance were treated to a large display of different models of Maxim machine guns and U.S. Armament Corporation’s amazing inventory of five brass 1877 Bulldog Gatling Guns.

For those looking for weaponry a little closer to the modern category, there was an equally impressive assortment to view from new manufacturers like FNH USA, Precision Weapons Corp., TSC machine, Autoweapons, BRP Corporation, EDM Arms, Coastal Gun, Inc., Marcolmar, Anzio Ironworks Corp, and many more. For very new pieces on display, one could spend several hours looking at BRP’s latest offerings including their radical STG 34K, TSC Machine’s new HK Style systems, Precision Weapon Corporation’s AK-Style rifle in 7.62x25mm and the new 5.7 upper receiver for the AR-15/M16 system coming very soon from Dan’s Sporting Goods. This is just a small sampling of the many fine items for sale throughout the show.

If you enjoy going to the shows to catch up with fellow long time enthusiasts, this show would not have disappointed you either, with such “usual suspects” in attendance as Tom Nelson, Charlie Erb, Bob Naess, Dan Shea, Bob Landies, John Tibbetts, Dolf Goldsmith, Dennis Todd, Robert Segel, Ed Weitzman, Gordon Miller, etc.

Next year’s East Coast Show has already been locked in, and once again it will be at the York, PA Expo Center. The dates are May 1, 2 & 3, 2009. If it follows a similar pattern of growth displayed by SAR Show West, we should have a 30% increase in both tables and in attendance over this year. If you have not signed up for your display space yet, please contact the staff at Moose Lake Publishing, LLC very soon and keep your eye on www.smallarmsreview.com for information and updates.

Moose Lake Publishing, LLC
SAR Show East
631 N. Stephanie St. #562
Henderson, NV 89014
(207) 565-2926
www.smallarmsreview.com

Text & Photos by Jeff W. Zimba

The sixth annual SAR Show West 2005 has just concluded and was bigger and better than ever. It is held in conjunction with Crossroads of the West Gun Show at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona and is rightly billed as the largest gun show west of the Rocky Mountains.

With a record-breaking gate attendance, an unprecedented number of dealers and temperatures in the mid 70’s, SAR Show 2005 went off without a hitch. SAR had its own Class III building with over 425 vendors and was sold out for months. Venders with related merchandise were set up immediately outside the building. Also outside our building were more heavy, mounted guns than at any show previously. Sprinkled within the masse of military vehicles for sale and on display were several artillery pieces. The largest being a Model 1918, 155mm Howitzer and a 1943 U.S. Navy MK2 Model 4, 3-Inch Gun. Other interesting military vehicles this year included a Pinzgauer and a tracked Bren Carrier.

All the key players in the Class III world were there and exhibiting their wares with an excellent selection this year of Form 4 transferable guns, pre and post samples, new and innovative products and services. Whatever your interest in the Class III world, this is the place to be.

The National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association (NFATCA) had a booth to introduce themselves to people in the industry and talk about strategy, current projects and future goals. They sponsored a breakfast for the vendors and setup a meeting before the opening of the show on Saturday with many high profile members of ATFE. You can read a detailed report in their column this month in SAR or read about it at their website www.nfatca.org.

There were two minigun manufacturers set up this year with examples of their inventory on hand for visitors to see. James DeGroat of Armament Sales and Tracy Garwood of Garwood Industries were in attendance fielding questions and talking with show visitors. Both displays were easy to spot because they had a continuous crowd of people in front of them at all times. www.armamentsales.com and www.garwoodindustries.com.

Tactical innovations had a few examples of their new dedicated .22LR upper receiver for AR-15 and M16 type rifles. Their upper is unique in the aspect that it uses “very” high capacity American-180 drums and ejects down, out of the factory magazine-well. They will be available very soon in semiautomatic and full automatic versions. www.tacticalinc.com

Lakeside Guns had several variations of their LM-7 .22LR belt-fed AR-15/M16 upper receiver on display. They have been waiting for a letter ruling from ATFE so they could start processing orders and we are pleased to report that the upper receivers have officially been ruled “non firearms” by ATFE Technology Branch and shipments have already started. This is great news for our industry. www.lakesideguns.com.

There were a few informal shooting events that took place in Arizona during the SAR Show timeframe. This included a Minigun demonstration about an hour southeast of the Arizona State Fairgrounds. James DeGroat hosted this function with the assistance of some of the local area shooters. It was an opportunity to get some trigger time on a gun that few people have had the opportunity to fire. It was a great time and it was scheduled early enough in the day to allow people to get back to the show not long after opening.

While on the topic of shooting, one question we are often asked is why there is not a formal shooting event scheduled with or around the show. The truth is we have our hands full hosting the show, but we would love to see some local range, club or group organize such an event, but obviously not during the show days because of the distance attendees would have to travel to get to a range, and how that would detract from the show instead of complementing it. We would be supportive of something during the week before or after. Because of the show there is a huge influx of Class III enthusiasts in this area for about a week, and this may be the perfect opportunity for such an event. If you have an organization that would like to do something of this nature drop us a line and we will be happy to pass the information along to our readers.

Though SAR Show West 2005 has just ended, there is exciting news for SAR Show West 2006. In an effort to answer the strong demand for continued growth, the SAR Show layout will be modified to accommodate an additional 125 tables. If you were previously on the waiting list for vendor tables, you may already be in for next year. If you are not signed up yet you should do so as soon as possible to reserve your space and lock in your position. Please keep checking our website www.smallarmsreview.com for new show information as it becomes available.

This year’s total gun show was in excess of 1600 tables and there were over 250 tables and booths dedicated solely to Class III firearms and related items. If I had a dollar for every time I heard “I have never been to a show with so many guns like this before”, I could probably add that nice Model 96 Expeditionary Rifle that has been calling my name to the old gun collection with no money of my own. As a matter of fact, there were so many dealers this year that Small Arms Review had to add an extra building to the show that had never been open before! The attendance at the show was reputed to be the largest at any in the Southwest in many years- preliminary numbers were around 15,000 attendees- but we don’t have the final count yet. The most popular questions asked were if we would be back next year to do it again, and would it be possible to do two shows instead of only one there each year. As of this writing we are already in the preliminary planning stages of SAR Show 2002 in Phoenix on December 6-8, but have no intentions of making it a bi-annual event at this time. It is our feeling that we need to keep the December SAR show in Phoenix as an extraordinarily special event that people really look forward to all year. The promoter, Crossroads of the West Gunshows, is considering making their April show in Phoenix into a Cowboy Action and Old West show, but they have not committed at press time. We will be sure to show up for that if they do- there is a large crossover from Class 3 to Cowboy Action- just ask “Poison Pete”. We are considering doing an East Coast show in the Spring or early Summer if we find a show promoter who wants to tie our show to his in a Class 3 friendly state, and we can keep it from conflicting with the other Class 3 shows. We like to be supportive of other shows.

The list of tables and booths at the show looked more like a Who’s Who of the Firearms Industry than the floor-plan of a trade show. Those in attendance included Kent & Kathy Lomont, Ohio Ordnance, Gemtech, Dillon Precision, Gun Parts Corporation, DS Arms, Armalite, Buffer Technology, J&T Distributing, Sherluk, StG Supply, Long Mountain Outfitters, Great Lakes Arsenal, Glock Tactical Stocks, Arms & Ordnance, Fifty Caliber Shooters Association, Surplus International LLC and several others. Outside the Small Arms Review buildings there were military vehicles of all types on display. They were brought by members of the Arizona Military Vehicle Collectors Club, who spent the weekend fielding questions from curious spectators and generally having a good time.

There was a dedicated booth beside the Small Arms Review display set up as an area for The Usual Suspects to gather and it was packed with people all weekend. Several of our regular contributors were in attendance to sign books and articles and just chat with our readers and each other. Some of those spending time at the booth were Frank Iannamico and Robert Segel.

The SAR-BQ was even bigger and better than last year. This year we had over 150 in attendance for a huge spread of ribs and boneless chicken breasts with lots of fixin’s and side dishes. The smell of BBQ started wafting through the show buildings about 90 minutes before the feed started so attendees were well aware that 5:00 was getting closer.

As we did last year, the show hosted a display contest for those in attendance to vote on. The display contest gives individuals a chance to display their collection and educate some attendees at the same time. Winners of the display contest were: 1st Place – Jeff Miller of JDM, 2nd Place – Idan Greenberg, and 3rd Place – Captain Jack McCarl. 1st Place received a check for $200 and a nice plaque, 2nd Place received $100 and a plaque and 3rd Place received $50.00 and a plaque. Congratulations guys!

Participants and visitors at SAR Show 2001 had the opportunity to see a few new products being introduced on the market. I’ll give you an overview of some of the great stuff I had the chance to handle while there.

One of the neatest products I had the opportunity to check out was a new magazine loader introduced by Arms & Ordnance Research, Inc. This particular model was for the Ruger® MKII Pistol magazine and it operates nothing short of amazing. The device holds up to 50 rounds of .22lr and loads the magazine far faster than I have ever emptied one. To use it you simply dump the ammo in the reservoir, close the cover and shake the device side to side to correctly align the ammo into the feed chute. Once the ammo is aligned in the chute simply insert the magazine into the loader he same way you would insert it into the pistol, and it is loaded before you have time to see what is going on. This is one impressive magazine loader and I have been informed that some other popular magazine models are “in the works”. Keep your eyes here for an update as they become available. Retail pricing for the MKII Loader is $39.95 plus shipping. Arms & Research, Inc. P.O. Box 441, Warrendale, PA 15086 E-mail: ultimateloader@arms-ordnance.com.

Denny Foutch was there with Glock Tactical Stock, LLC displaying his new carbine kit for Glock pistols. There was a steady flow of people in front of his display handling this new kit. It consists of a tactical shoulder stock which holds two spare magazines, and an Impulse 16.25” barrel. There are no tools required to install this kit and no modifications to the gun. There is also no BATF paperwork required to purchase and install the kit as it meets all length requirements. It is available for the Glock 17 in 9mm and .357 SIG but he is working on other models and calibers as you read this. This carbine kit is extremely comfortable to shoulder and seemed very well balanced. I did not get the opportunity to fire one as there were no range facilities available but I did my fair share of “fondling” and I think it is a real winner. The stock can also be installed with a standard length barrel as long as the pistol is registered as a Short Barreled Rifle first. The stock will also enhance the Glock 18 machine pistol. Pricing for the carbine kit is $399.95 delivered. Glock Tactical Stocks, c/o Denny’s Guns, 2001 Clay Street, North Kansas City, MO 64116. (816)221-9117 ext. 11 E-mail: info@glocksbr.com

C.J. Weapons Accessories had a few new products that could be of benefit to the AR-15/M-16 owner, and judging by the crowd I think they were in the right place. The first is called the Bore Stay™ and it is a bore guide for cleaning your rifle. It locks into the chamber using the locking lugs that lock the bolt during firing. It will not pull out when you are changing the tip or the brush unless you turn it to unlock it from the lugs. It has a solvent hole at the top for you to add solvent without having to remove the rod and has an O-ring to prevent solvent from leaking into the receiver. Retail pricing for the Bore Stay™ is $24.95. C.J. Weapons other new product is called the Chamber Maid™ and is a flexible rod kit for cleaning the firearms chamber. The kit I tested is also for the AR-15/M-16 however it is being manufactured for several other rifles and shotguns. It consists of a flexible cleaning rod, which is a very heavy-duty coated cable, a rugged T-handle and a bore brush. This kit makes bore cleaning easy and allows you to get to those important locking lugs to keep them clean with ease. The Chamber Maid™ retails for $13.25. C.J. Weapons Accessories, 23196 Lena St., Moreno Vally, CA 92553. (909)653-3098.

Lauer Custom Weaponry had a nice booth introducing their line of firearm finishes and it was their Camo-Coat™ finish that immediately caught my attention. They had several firearms on display sporting this finish in several colors and styles. This finish and patterning is as nice as any I have ever handled and incorporates an amazing durability. While they have eleven standard camo finishes it was brought to my attention that they also do custom camo finishes and even showed me some examples of their custom work. In one particular example a customer sent them a sampling of the local foliage he wanted to blend with and they duplicated the colors, shading and patterning to an amazing accuracy. It is no joke when I say that the customer should never set his gun down in the field and take his eyes off it for fear of losing it. Lauer offers a wide variety of finishing as well as gunsmithing services and I would encourage you to call them for additional product information as well as pricing. Lauer Custom Weaponry, 3601 129th Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729. (800)830-6677. Website: www.lauerweaponry.com.

David Fisher of Fisher Enterprises, a local Title II Manufacturer based in Tempe was there displaying a few of his new integral M-16 suppressor designs. He had examples in both .223 and 9mm. He was preparing to test for sound reduction in the coming weeks and we will make sure to get a little more in-depth with his newest designs at a later date. Workmanship seemed very nice and the aesthetics were great. Fisher Enterprises, P.O. Box 7486, Tempe AZ 85281-7486. (602)615-7777

Theresa at J&T Distributing introduced me to the newest addition in their line of AR-15/M-16 upper receivers. They are so new, that they have not even been named yet. They are ultra lightweight with fluted barrels and are manufactured to both pre-ban and post-ban specifications. They are 11.2oz lighter than the standard heavy barreled uppers. J&T Distributing, Box 430, Winchester, KY 40391. (859)-745-1757. Website: www.jtdistributing.com.

Scott at Buffer Technologies had a new soft-side ammo pouch being custom manufactured for him by Eagle. They are currently manufacturing it for the military but have never made them for the civilian market. The pouch is well padded and has a hard insert with a divider made to hold two 100 round belts of 7.62×51 NATO ammunition. They appear to have the ability to attach to web gear and allow the operator to feed the belts directly to the gun. At press time Scott was not sure of the retail price. Buffer Technologies, P.O. Box 104903, Jefferson City, MO 65110. (573)634-8529. Website: www.buffertech.com

If you were not at the show this year, I am sorry you missed it. We will let everyone know as soon as we solidify the dates for next year so you won’t have to miss it again. There is nothing like good company, great guns and some hot BBQ to help you prepare for the holidays and have fresh in your mind as you prepare to ring in the new year. Do yourself a favor and make plans to attend SAR Show 2002. I am looking foreword to seeing you there! We will be running another story on our show later this year, covering some of the more amazing machine guns that were displayed there.

By Jeff Zimba

December was a good time to be in the Phoenix area for class three enthusiasts. Small Arms Review teamed up with the Western US promoter Crossroads of the West to hold the largest class three gun show in Arizona history. Any of you who have ever attended the December show at the Arizona State Fairgrounds know what a big show this is. Now add an entirely new building to it with 170 tables and ten booths filled exclusively with machine guns and related items to it. Dealers from every corner of the USA were set up much to the delight of the record-breaking crowd. Huge smiles seemed to be the official uniform of the weekend.

Things started out with a little disappointment when we flew in on Tuesday and heard that the Dry-Creek shoot had been canceled by the BLM. (The BLM is the pesky government agency that controls everything that goes on in the Arizona desert. Oops! we didn’t mean to say “Pesky”) We had a brand new M240B to ring out and 5000 rounds of linked 7.62 NATO with no place to go. As it turned out, there were a few informal shoots scattered around the area and most everyone who went to shoot had the opportunity to get their fix.

Stan Andrewski, Dan and Kyle Shea and I hooked up with a local crew and got directions to one of these informal events. We met up with Randy Meyers and some members of the Fifty Caliber Shooters Association somewhere out in the desert, over an hour West of Phoenix. I have no idea where we were, but I know I liked it. As we drove up a long dusty road, we stopped to listen and see if we were getting close. Within seconds of stepping out of the vehicle, we spotted many large puffs of dust a few miles away and could hear the faint rat-a-tat-tat of machine gun fire. We followed our ears and eyes (hoping we were approaching from the up-range side of the line) and were soon there.

Upon pulling up to the line, we were immediately met by plenty of smiles and handshakes and introduced to some local hospitality. The first thing that caught my eye was a mortar of some sort with a bore almost a foot across. As I drooled all over it, the owner asked me if I would like to shoot it. I don’t think I even started to say “sure” when he primed it with black powder and loaded a bowling ball in the business end. He handed me a 15 foot cord, and asked that I give the command “fire in the hole” and let it rip when ready. I looked up and down the line to make sure there was no one I would startle, gave the command and pulled the cord. The massive barrel let an enormous roar and thumped the earth. The muzzle bellowed smoke and fire. The bowling ball went higher and higher until it was just a pinpoint in the sky, and started it’s way back to earth. It’s new home would be well over a half mile away impacting the side of a mountain. It kind of brings a little tear to my eye bringing back such a fond memory.

Stan and Kyle were seen firing a 37mm Bofors Cannon with a 20mm Vulcan sub-caliber unit, and Dan could be found behind the 240B or instructing others in its use as they lined up to give it a try. All in all, it was a good time and certainly different from the shooting we do in the Northeast due to the type of landscape we have here.

Dealers started showing up at the fairgrounds on Friday afternoon, and what started out as an empty building soon became alive with gun dealers from all over the USA. It resembled a family reunion of sorts as the group started looking familiar to any visitor of the Knob Creek Shoot or the Soldier of Fortune Convention. Dealers in attendance included Ohio Ordnance, Kent & Kathy Lomont, Dillon Precision, StG Supply, One Eyed Jacks, Armalite, Gemtech, J&T Distributing, American Spirit, and many, many more.

The crowd was steady Saturday. For a matter of fact, we set a new attendance record at that show, beating the standing record by having over 7,500 people through the gate on Saturday alone. Those are pretty impressive numbers for any show and certainly impressive for a first. One thing that we did note, was the the other three buildings and the tent area were standing room only for most of Saturday, just like our building, and the regular dealers there seemed pretty happy. The vast majority of the SAR building dealers were wearing the same smiles I was seeing at the range the day before. The show wrapped up at 5:00pm and it was off to the SAR-BQ.

We had the SAR BBQ in a building adjoining the show. Actually, the entrance was about 30 yards from the SAR building. It was also a complete sellout and a great time was had by all. It was basically a room of class three enthusiasts who see each other many times each year, but seldom have time to simply visit and relax. When you do the Creek, SOF or any other major shows, if you are behind your tables you are usually doing business and have very little time to socialize. When the shows end, it is time to head home or to another show, so socializing is one of the last things on your schedule then as well. This provided a nice place to sit and chat, and maybe do a little business as well, without being on the clock. The food was also top notch.

Sunday was just as successful as Saturday, and everything went off great. We learned many things that would make a bigger and better show if we were to do it again, and after having a staff meeting on the following Monday, it seems as though this just may be an annual event. Oh yeah….. I almost forgot to mention that 75-80 degree weather in December isn’t a bad bonus either. -Jeff

Well, it is official that we are going to have another SAR show in 2001, at the Arizona State Fairgrounds! We have to finalize the date, but we are working on that. Dry Creek, Inc, is working on making their shoot date “bulletproof” so they won’t have the same problem. We are thinking of expanding the Barbecue into something a little more formal… put rolls of paper towels on the tables this time, for instance. Well, actually, we are going to have some awards… writers, contributions to Small Arms knowledge and design, etc. and we will do them at the barbecue. Hopefully we will be a little less stressed out, and have more time to “Mingle” and generally talk. We also are talking about opening up the main area for reenactors and active duty military units to show off and recruit. Maybe we can get some bands in there and some more concessions too. I think we are going to make this SAR show an annual event, and it should be a GOOD TIME every year. – Dan