Day 2 at SHOT Show
OK, Day 1 is in the books and a lighter scheduled Day 2 is here. My opening meeting is with 2 great guys I go way back with, Mike Jensen, former President of Zeiss USA, and Tony Trani. They are the 2 "Go To" guys at GPO. Last year at SHOT they introduced the new Centuri Riflescopes Line, which certainly has become a fantastic addition to riflescope options in the industry. Priced way below what you'd expect and delivering higher quality than the price suggests. This year was just as great as last year, when it comes to "Yes, a great new product."... There's been an empty hole in a midsized spotter of quality and GPO has filled this void with their new
GPO Passion APO 16-48x65 Spotting Scope. Also available in a 20-60x85, but it's the 16-48x65 that got me excited. Street priced at $799.99 this will be THE go to midsized spotter for sure.
Premium Apochromatic (APO) Objective Lens Technology
GPObright™ High-transmission fully multi-coated lens coating technology
Ultra-smooth brass gear helical focus
Interchangeable eyepiece (85mm and 65mm)
Sliding Aluminum Sunshade
Rotating center body locking function
Rotating eyecup for maximum eye relief
Magnesium main body construction
I am still amazed at how awesome the GPO CENTURI 4-16x44i Super Compact - MIL-FFP is.
Super compact technology at 9.9" long
FFP I-Control Illuminated Mil-Base Reticle
.1mil radian click turrets
Zero Stop Lock Ballistic reset turrets
Turret rotation indicator
GPObright lens coating technology
PASSIONdrop hydrophobic lens coatings
DOUBLE HD objective lens technology
Magnification throw lever
Don't forget all GPO Centuri Riflescopes come with a certificate for a free custom Kenton turret.
I was looking forward to my next meeting with Drake over at Athlon. I only get to see him once a year, even though we speak all the time. Those who know me know to me it's a relationship industry and Drake is like a little brother from another mother. Athlon has been anything but sleeping this past year. They have revamped 4 riflescope lines with easier to grip shorter/wider turret knobs, improved coatings, built-in throw levers, included flip caps and sunshades. These changes are on the new Ares ETR GEN2, Ares BTR GEN3 & the Midas Tac GEN2. The Argos BTR GEN3's have all of this as well as the relocation of the illumination knob off of the eyepiece and on the end of the elevation turret.
They have also revamped and added to their line of Thermal Riflescopes and Clip-On's The new Athlon CRONUS ATS PRO 25P-250 for only $699.99 is a must check out Thermal. The Athlon 25P-250 thermal scope offers high-performance thermal imaging for versatile hunting and tactical applications. With a 256x192 resolution sensor delivering clear thermal images in challenging conditions. Compact and durable, it features multiple reticle options, digital zoom, and a user-friendly interface.
When the sun sets, dominate the night with the Cronus ATS Thermal Clip-On. Seize every available opportunity in the field with an extraordinary detection range and a lag-free clear display. On-board video recording and through the connected APP ensures you will capture every exhilarating moment of you hunt.
If you prefer a Thermal Riflescope to a Clip-On then check out their new Cronus ATS Pro Thermal Riflescopes
BALLISTICS CALCULATOR - Powered by Athlon's Ballistics App, providing accurate data for common calibers and cartridges, as well as custom loads.
All of these Thermals feature:
CUTTING-EDGE THERMAL SENSOR - Cronus ATS thermal optics feature incredibly low NETD ratings, allowing for extreme detail without the noise. Sensors with low NETD values can more precisely register small temperature differences.
LONG BATTERY LIFE - Athlon thermal scope provides more than 10 hours of use in most hunting situations with the standard battery set. A common USB-C connection also provides the ability to power the optic with an external battery pack if needed.
OLED DISPLAY - Impressive crystal-clear display provides exceptional detail with user adjustable functions.
AUTO-SHOT - Upon recoil detection, Athlon thermal scopes can automatically record the moments before and after you take the shot.
MAX DETECTION - Cronus ATS systems provided an extended detection range beyond your typical hunting distances.
ECO MODE - During long sits, conserve battery-life without impeding your hunt.
WIFI CONNECTION - Cronus ATS optics easily pair to the Athlon Thermal app to provide an alternative interface to control your thermal optic. Recording, video and photo management can also be accessed through this intuitive app!
Athlon is releasing their version of the Garmin, The new Rangecraft Velocity Radar Chronograph for only $349.99. 100FPS-5000FPS, 30% faster response time and it's Athlon Ballistic Calculator compatible.
My next meeting was with Hawke. Many of you know Hawke as the airgun scope company, however, you need to dive deeper into Hawke with some more research. Their line of Binoculars and Spotting Scopes are worth you taking the time to look into. Under $1,000.00 their Endurance ED Spotters have been our recommendation, plus they offer non standard powers.... 20-60x68mm & 25-75x85mm . Same physical size as others 15-45x65 and 20-60x80's but you're getting more power on the top end which is what a spotter is all about. They also offer 2 touch focus giving you the crispest image possible.
They have 2 scopes that I think will be huge for them, and you:
Hawke Vantage IR 1-4x20 Turkey Dot Mossy Oak Camo Reticle
Hawke XB30 FFP Crossbow Scope - Aim, Zoom, Shoot!
The XB30 Zoom FFP from Hawke Optics revolutionises what can be done with crossbow optics. Thanks to the First Focal Plane (FFP) optical system, users can now Zoom in and out through the entire magnification range of the scope and trust that the distance markers on the reticle are correct. Traditional crossbow scopes require the user to set the scope's magnification ring to match their crossbow speed - this limits the usability of the crossbow scope and means you are always fixed on one magnification power. With the XB30 Zoom FFP you unlock the full potential of the crossbow scope and can use the low zoom setting for close shots and the high zoom setting for long range!
Last year at SHOT we met with, and started carrying AGM Thermals. Each year we look for a worthy addition to our offerings and AGM certainly was a great addition. They offer quality products, have amazing customer service and their pricing is less than one would expect for the features being offered.
New for this year:
RattlerV2 320- filling a price gap in our assortment, adding a new sensor level to help assortments between the 256 and 384 price points.
RattlerV3 640- beginning of rattlerv3 line, adding lrf which is integrated in to the objective lens. Also using a 15mk shutterless sensor and a higher base magnification (3.5X)
AdderV2- there is one non lrf model, all others have it. 35mm models have the lrf on top due to size. The 50-640 and 60-1280 each feature an integrated lrf in the objective lens. The 1280 does not have a shutterless sensor but all other models will be shutterless.
Evolver 1280- 1280 in compact housing with on board lrf, starting out promo price 7k retail so will definitely be a strong option for the customers who love the profile and battery from the rattler V2 series but want to get into the HD sensors.
Observe Bino- these are the same as the 256 aside from better sensors, the 50-640 and 1280 utilize a battery pack system not the 18650’s for better battery performance.
Next up was with Element Optics. We added Element a few years back when they came onto the scene and each year we are happier and happier with that decision. We started when they were just standard Riflescopes. They've since added their Immersive Series Scopes, Binoculars & Rangefinders. Their riflescope are feature rich, made well and are priced below the competition. If you are not familiar with Element Optics you owe it to yourself to do a little research and check them out. Nothing new to report at this particular moment, however, stay tuned and we will fill you in when we have details.
Off to see my buddy Paul over at Kowa. They have a bunch of things in the works but you'll have to read my SHOT Show report next year to find out all about it.
Leica has a new guy in charge so I went to meet him and see what's what. He seems energetic and motivated. I'm a big Leica guy and hope he can get them back into the game as they have great binoculars but nobody has paid attention to them in quite some time. FWIW, you're missing out as their Ultravids & Noctivid Binoculars are awesome.
Made a 2nd meeting over at Tangent Theta to discuss bringing in Tenebrex Caps, Polarizers and Anti-Reflectives. As we are new to this please PM or e-mail me your thoughts on what we should start stocking.
Another night of back to the room to type this up with no gelato. Last night I wound up with a cookies and cream/dolce de leche combo waffle cone late night. It tasted great and felt amazing on my sore throat.
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516-217-1000
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