Normally, this report comes after SHOT Show is over. Mrs. Fin ended up in the hospital yesterday, so I decided it was best I get home. A million "Thank Yous" to Lawnboy and Elkwidow for coming to the rescue in a time of need. Life without amazing friends would be a much tougher place.
Good news is that the doc says Mrs. Fin will be OK, so long as she behaves herself. Whew. Given how tired she is right now, I suspect she will be on good behavior for a few days.
In my two days at SHOT, there were two new products that were very appealing to me, probably because I use them intesively. I am sure there would be some different things that appeal to others, but I spent a lot of time focusing on these two. Can't see shoot/inspect much in two days, but I did my best.
Howa Lightweight Rifle
I can't wait until this one is ready. A new lightweight rifle built on the 1500 barreled action. Gonna come in right near 5.5 pounds, without a scope. Will be available in short action calibers such as .308 and 7mm-.08 and come with the new Howa Accuator Controlled Trigger (HACT); an adjustable two-stage trigger.
Will be available in two stock options - One is a synthetic fiberglass that is hard to come by, and right now I am embarrassed to say that I cannot remember the name of the small company that will be producing it
. The other stock offered will be a Bell and Carlson, which is the heaviest of the two, but still very light.
Will have Cerakote finish on most of the metal. A removable magazine. Hollowed out bolt, and a few other fixes to get the weight down. When you get down to this weight, you are looking for tenths of an ounce here and there. Interesting to see what can be done to accomplish that task.
I will get two of the first production run for shooting and field testing. I will get one in a .308 and one in the 7mm-.08. A few more tweaks are being made. I hope to have it in my hands in plenty of time to get it sighted and ready for spring bear hunting. I should have taken pictures of it when I was there.
Not sure when it will be available for sale. I expect some time in 2015, but they are pushing to have it ready sooner. If I know Andy and the crew, I suspect it will be available sooner.
At the price point it will sell for, it will be as light on your wallet as it is on your shoulder.
Nissan Titan turbo diesel
Nissan is in the final stages of their re-design of the Titan. Besides updates to most everything that comes with a new design, the new truck will come with an available Cummins turbo diesel. With that power unit, it should generate over 300hp, well over 500 ft. pounds of torque, and get some amazing gas mileage.
Spent a lot of time both mornings with the Nissan engineers. Also got to visit with the engineer from Cummins. Interesting to see what goes into the design of a truck.
The guy who lead the design/build of the current Titan, now ten years old, is leading the build on the new one. He is a life-long hunter who understands what a hunter needs in a truck.
Was fun to talk about the four Titans I have owned, the abuse I have put them through, and give him feedback to questions he had regarding the new ideas they are incorporating. And, to go on an off-road drive with him in a current model Titan and tell him things that they should do in the new truck; at least from the perspective of a guy who has 300K of the world's worst miles on his trucks.
The biggest struggle is to keep the true off-road values of the Titan and still find the mix of highway mileage that comes from both engine - drive train used, but also the aerodynamics of the styling. He could not let out all the secrets, but given what he stated as a general plan, it is very intriguing how they intend to preserve the hard core off road features and still milk mileage improvements out of the styling.
Many of the new trucks have styling that gives better mileage, but I would be tearing off fenders, smashing front ends, etc if I used these fancy trucks for the TV show. Was good to hear that those true off-road features will not change.
I want the best mileage I can get, but I also want a truck that can get me to the places I want to go. Too many times the fancy styling is a hindrance to the uses I have for a truck.
Even though we spent a lot of time visiting and giving/getting feedback, there were a lot of questions where the answer was just a smile and reply of "You will like that." Guess secrecy is a required trait for the lead guy on a new project.
Thanks again to Lawnboy, Elkwidow, and family. Never fun to be out of town when you know you should be at home. Provides great comfort when friends come to your aid in times of need.
Got to meet a few Hunt Talkers down there. Some of the Hunt Talk crowd is at the Sportsman Channel Award show as I write this, making a good appearance on our behalf.
Good news is that the doc says Mrs. Fin will be OK, so long as she behaves herself. Whew. Given how tired she is right now, I suspect she will be on good behavior for a few days.
In my two days at SHOT, there were two new products that were very appealing to me, probably because I use them intesively. I am sure there would be some different things that appeal to others, but I spent a lot of time focusing on these two. Can't see shoot/inspect much in two days, but I did my best.
Howa Lightweight Rifle
I can't wait until this one is ready. A new lightweight rifle built on the 1500 barreled action. Gonna come in right near 5.5 pounds, without a scope. Will be available in short action calibers such as .308 and 7mm-.08 and come with the new Howa Accuator Controlled Trigger (HACT); an adjustable two-stage trigger.
Will be available in two stock options - One is a synthetic fiberglass that is hard to come by, and right now I am embarrassed to say that I cannot remember the name of the small company that will be producing it
. The other stock offered will be a Bell and Carlson, which is the heaviest of the two, but still very light.Will have Cerakote finish on most of the metal. A removable magazine. Hollowed out bolt, and a few other fixes to get the weight down. When you get down to this weight, you are looking for tenths of an ounce here and there. Interesting to see what can be done to accomplish that task.
I will get two of the first production run for shooting and field testing. I will get one in a .308 and one in the 7mm-.08. A few more tweaks are being made. I hope to have it in my hands in plenty of time to get it sighted and ready for spring bear hunting. I should have taken pictures of it when I was there.
Not sure when it will be available for sale. I expect some time in 2015, but they are pushing to have it ready sooner. If I know Andy and the crew, I suspect it will be available sooner.
At the price point it will sell for, it will be as light on your wallet as it is on your shoulder.
Nissan Titan turbo diesel
Nissan is in the final stages of their re-design of the Titan. Besides updates to most everything that comes with a new design, the new truck will come with an available Cummins turbo diesel. With that power unit, it should generate over 300hp, well over 500 ft. pounds of torque, and get some amazing gas mileage.
Spent a lot of time both mornings with the Nissan engineers. Also got to visit with the engineer from Cummins. Interesting to see what goes into the design of a truck.
The guy who lead the design/build of the current Titan, now ten years old, is leading the build on the new one. He is a life-long hunter who understands what a hunter needs in a truck.
Was fun to talk about the four Titans I have owned, the abuse I have put them through, and give him feedback to questions he had regarding the new ideas they are incorporating. And, to go on an off-road drive with him in a current model Titan and tell him things that they should do in the new truck; at least from the perspective of a guy who has 300K of the world's worst miles on his trucks.
The biggest struggle is to keep the true off-road values of the Titan and still find the mix of highway mileage that comes from both engine - drive train used, but also the aerodynamics of the styling. He could not let out all the secrets, but given what he stated as a general plan, it is very intriguing how they intend to preserve the hard core off road features and still milk mileage improvements out of the styling.
Many of the new trucks have styling that gives better mileage, but I would be tearing off fenders, smashing front ends, etc if I used these fancy trucks for the TV show. Was good to hear that those true off-road features will not change.
I want the best mileage I can get, but I also want a truck that can get me to the places I want to go. Too many times the fancy styling is a hindrance to the uses I have for a truck.
Even though we spent a lot of time visiting and giving/getting feedback, there were a lot of questions where the answer was just a smile and reply of "You will like that." Guess secrecy is a required trait for the lead guy on a new project.
Thanks again to Lawnboy, Elkwidow, and family. Never fun to be out of town when you know you should be at home. Provides great comfort when friends come to your aid in times of need.
Got to meet a few Hunt Talkers down there. Some of the Hunt Talk crowd is at the Sportsman Channel Award show as I write this, making a good appearance on our behalf.
