Rainier Arms and UN12 Magazine annually put on an event called, "TriggrCon". Before anti-American laws and tax practices removed Washington State from the Constitutional United States Rainier Arms was of course located in the state of mount Rainier, and so was TriggrCon. That location was just a few hours drive from GBGuns HQ in Oregon and so I used to visit as one of the "locals". Now that TriggrCon is held in Wichita, Kansas GBGuns is one of the farthest-traveled to visit. I can't always afford to attend, but this years I opted to eat a little debt and check in on the show.
What Is It? Bringing in national brands like SHOT or NRAAM, but open to the public, you can think of TriggrCon as your local gun show if it included some of the collest brands you typically only see on YouTube and not in your local shop. To top it all off there is also a range day open to the public which allows you to try out some of the latest and greatest which you otherwise might not ever see at a local range.
Who's It For? TriggrCon is open to the general public, but also attracts media. In that way it's also a fun chance to meet some of your favorite YouTubers (and in the case of one story we heard, also learn that some of them are jerk divas). The TriggrCon website had listed several influencers and personalities as well as a couple journalists, though it seems many of them signed up for the fame but did not show up.
No-Shows always happen at events like this, and there were a few listed manufacturer's who did not show up. DuraMag, for example, was one I wanted to catch up with, but with Hurricane Helene hitting Florida their absence was understandable.
Who Did We See? The event wasn't much bigger than a typical local gun show, but that light crowd also meant there wasn't the rush or stress that SHOT and even NRAAM can bring. Teya and I were able to take our time browsing; making multiple laps of the entire show. Below are some companies of note that we visited, many of whom we hope to show you more of on the channel soon.
GBGuns Highlights of TriggrCon 2024
Alphabetized with links for your own research
(before getting too excited about potentially upcoming GBGuns reviews keep in mind that empty promises are common in this industry, especially when a company can pay an influencer for a sexy highlight reel. Many companies prefer that route over sending product for a free but fair review from more critical and skilled shooters. For that reason we suggest viewing any company that has not been on GBGuns with a bit of caution.)
Angry Bear Arms: This small company is making high-quality fiber-optic sights at very affordable prices. I hadn't heard of them until we reviewed the Maskas Precision XXL P365 slide. I liked those sights a lot and was surprised to find out how affordable they were. Angry Bear Arms gave us a set of Glock-pattern sights to try on the Derya Arms DY9. When I get a chance to mount them I'll update that post.
CZ USA brought the new P-09 C Nocturne. Handling it at the show it seemed well-made with no major complaints from either Teya or I. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to try it at the range.
Daniel Defense: had the new reborn H9 at range day. The first release of these seemed to have some rifling issues and then the media quickly forgot about the gun. Teya and I shot the latest and experienced no issues. The gun felt a little better than what I remember from the original Hudson H9. We may have a new one coming for review soon. I think the design deserves a little better attention.
Avidity Arms: The brainchild of renowned instructor Rob Pincus, this gun took a long time to come to market, but that's because instead of simply copy or license someone else's product, they made their own. We reviewed one of the earliest samples of the PD10 a couple years back, and it was nice to see the company continue to grow. At range day a model chambered in 30 Super Carry was offered to shoot. I believe that caliber has potential, but we just don't see many manufacturers building guns for it. I'm happy to report the trigger has improved on production PD10s over the early sample we reviewed.
Kimber: had the Carbon Carry on display. As a action-type nerd I thanked them for making another Bubits-Improved action like the R7 Mako. Especially with the Taurus TS9 being in the US on a limited basis, the Carbon Carry gives us the chance to experience that action type in a compact firearm. At range day they were using Barnes XPD ammunition because they want consumers to experience the gun with defensive ammunition. I applaud that choice, but since everyone else was using soft range ammo it made the Carbon Carry feel relatively snappy. Once we have one in for review we'll be able to make a more-fair assessment.
Laugo Arms: had the "Alien" pistol on hand. Though I've shot one before, I never say "no" to the chance to try it again. Again, as a fan of different action types this pistol fascinates me. We spoke with them at IWA Classics in Nuremburg, Germany and they offered to send one for review, but nothing has arrived. The Alien is definitely a unique pistol, but unfortunately priced well out of what we can afford. It is a flat shooter, but at that price point I think is limited to very serious competition shooters who are willing and able to spend a lot of money for a slight edge over other competitiors.
OA Defense: a sister company of Laugo, had their 2311s on display. We met with them at SHOT a couple years ago when the guns were still in a pre-production phase. Back then I saw potential in the products, but also that there was more work to be done. Now, things are finished and the guns ran great. Both Teya and I enjoyed a couple different models and look forward to reviewing a couple for you. At the booth I learned of some design features and technology that I had yet to hear about from some of the more "influencer/personality" type media who have already reviewed the gun. There's more in these guns that I think people realize and it's time for the world to understand these guns for what they are.
Oriskany Arms: Is a small custom 1911 shop that I was unfamiliar with. They make everything in house and guns are built to order, but at a very reasonable price. Teya and I each bought a raffle ticket (nice thing about a thin crowd is it makes raffles much more exciting) and she won! We're also hoping to have one in for review soon.
Radian Weapons: also attended and despite them being just a few hours from my home I'd not interacted much with them previously. A previous attempts to work with Radian ended without results, but we have high hopes for the P365 Afterburner + Ramjet barrel and compensator combination. I hope they continue on the Sig line and create one for the P320 because while I appreciate compensators, I'm weary of having on on a defensive firearm. Compensators indoors, in a car, or from an unconventional shooting postion can be a liability.
SDS Imports: had the PX-9 Carry that so many of you have asked about. After reviewing the Zigana PX-9 Gen 2, PX-9 Gen 3 Duty, and PX-9 Gen 3 Tactical TH, it was nice to feel the Carry model in hand. Though on paper it seems like the Carry model may not be small enough, in hand it feels nicely compact, but shaped in a way that is likely very comfortable to shoot and ensure good grip. With luck we'll finally have one in for review soon.
Shadow Systems: is one that has been much requested on the channel, but who hasn't responded to our previous inquiries about a review. To be frank, the combination of the guns being Glock-based and their previous reliance on "influencers" for media had lead me to conclude that there was nothing to see at Shadow Systems. I was wrong. At range day we were very impressed with a couple models of their guns. They also seemed impressed with our ability to shoot and so hopefully we'll be able to give you a true review of their pistols in GBGuns fashion with a fair and even review without hype.
Shalotek: is a company that has somehow not been included in all the P320 and P365 coverage I've done over the years. Their modular grip system seems brilliant, and allows one to change the grip's features piece by piece instead of needing a completely different module like others offer. We were extra excited when GBGuns supporter Jay Wunz (username) happened to win an incredibel setup from Shalotek while we were sitting with him taking a break.
We had a chance to shoot one of their biulds at range day and were very impressed.
Steambow may not be a firearm, but that can be a good thing in certain situations. This detachable magazine-fed, break-action crossbow was very easy to use and quite fun. The have a range of powers available and we tried the middle ground. It was quick and easy to use and appeared to deliver some decent energy. With luck we'll get one in to spend some time with as an quiet alternative to a firearm certainl can have it's place.
Overall TriggrCon 2024 was a good time. It was expensive to get to from our corner of the country, but being in the middle of the country I suppose it's not too far for anyone to get to. If you'd like a chance to meet manufacturers, get your hands on some of the coolest stuff, and possibly meet some of the internet's personalities there are few other opportunities like this, especially with the range day letting you try guns you might not ever see in a local shop.
Greetings! You mentioned a "Flat Shooting" pistol and I groaned, thinking that you have been warped by the teen-aged self-appointed gun experts of YouuuToooob, who invented that term. I am OLD and cannot imagine how any pistol can alter the simple physics of bullet rise trajectory from bullet weight versus velocity. How can any pistol shoot the same ammunition any "flatter" than any other? (I am assuming the relative same length and type of barrel.) ME NOT DUMB!.............................elsullo