SHOT Show 2025 is almost upon us. This week, gun guys and gals from all corners of the gun industry will converge in Las Vegas to see the latest and greatest in guns, gear, ammo, and beef jerky…yeah, I said beef jerky.
In the internet age, we often already know what’s coming ahead of boots landing on the ground in the halls of SHOT.
Why wait to have your release buried in a ton of other SHOT Show releases when the internet allows for a rapid spread of the most anticipated goods?
Plus, for gun nerds like me, it builds a massive amount of anticipation.
While Pew Pew Tactical will be covering SHOT (make sure you follow us on Instagram and YouTube for the most up-to-date SHOT Show content), we wanted to give you a peek at what we expect to see this week.
What are we looking forward to? Keep reading!
Table of Contents
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SHOT Show 2025: Guns We Want To See!
1. Beretta 20X Bobcat
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I’m a giant tip-up nerd. I have almost all of the Beretta tip-ups, and Beretta decided to add one more for me to grab…the 20X.
Beretta released the 30X in 2024, right after it discontinued the 3032 and 21A. While the 30X scratched our .32 ACP itch, the 21A left a hole in our hearts for the .22 LR.
Beretta rectified that with the 20X Bobcat is getting the X treatment and modernization. This includes several models, including a suppressor-ready model, a standard model, and likely more.
Beretta redesigned the trigger to be lighter and shorter, making it much more attractive to the low-hand-strength crowd to which it advertises the tip-ups. The 20X series packs 8 rounds of .22 LR . It looks to be a very low-recoil, easy-to-operate pocket rocket.
2. Taurus GX2
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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The reinvigoration of the Taurus brand has been fantastic. Seriously, I never thought Taurus would become a company I’m excited to see at SHOT.
This year, they return to the best part of their roots…affordability.
The Taurus GX2 represents a very basic pistol designed as an entry-level option that’s still well-made, accurate, and reliable.
It’s a compact design that fires 9mm and uses a 13-round magazine. We get an accessory rail but not a whole lot else. We have Glock pattern sights, a striker-fired trigger, and some aggressive grip texture.
Most gun owners are interested in self-defense, and the G2X offers a utilitarian tool for the average gun owner. With an MSRP of $309 (and likely a much lower street price), the GX2 takes affordability to the next level.
I can’t help but see a bit of an ergonomic resemblance to the TX-22, which I’m fine with because that gun rules.
3. CZ P09 Nocturne
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I’m a huge DA/SA fanboy, and I’m a hipster, so you know that a lot of CZs sit in my gun safe. Another will soon be joining that world in the form of the CZ P09 Nocturne. The P09 Nocturne updates the classic polymer frame, DA/SA, hammer-fired series for a modern audience.
The most important upgrade, in my opinion, is the optic’s ready slide. It’s fit for Shield RMSc style optics. I love my P09, but I feel that it lags behind my optic’s ready guns and admittedly doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
The use of the Shield RMSc mounts allows for standard height sights to co-witness with most optics.
The P09 Nocturne series features a redesigned grip texture that is super aggressive and grippy. They also put aggressive scalloping on the slide to make it easier to rack. We still get the user-swappable safety/decocker design and the always reliable CZ inverse rails system.
This is on my shortlist, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one.
4. Charter Arms Double Dog
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I own a Charter Arms Bulldog and enjoy it, but I can’t remember the last time I heard about the company. The new Double Dog Series brought them back into my mind.
The Double Dog is a series of revolvers, and the first is the Mag Pug Combo. There are two varieties, a 2.2-inch “snub” nose model and a 4.2-inch model. Both are built on a fairly compact frame.
What makes these unique is the capability to swap cylinders and chamber — either .357 Magnum or 9mm. And the Mag Pug combo uses Charter Arms’ patented no-moon clip necessary 9mm cylinder.
The Double Dog Mag Pug holds 5 rounds of either caliber. The guns are ported for lower muzzle rise and come in either black or stainless.
I love being able to shoot multiple calibers. Not to mention, 9mm is a great revolver round due to its low price and availabilty.
5. Walther PPK/S SD
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I’m a .32 ACP nut, so when I saw Walther brought out the PPK/S SD, I felt like I was in the 1960s and seeing Elvis for the first time.
The SD moniker means the gun is suppressor-ready, and that direct blowback action makes it super easy to suppress.
I haven’t even mentioned the James Bond vibes the PPK/S SD in .32 ACP gives off. Plus, the PPK/S in .32 ACP is very pleasant to shoot.
At this point, the PPK family’s design is somewhat outdated. There are better, smaller, lighter, and more powerful guns with less recoil now. However, this is where the PPK/S needs to be. It needs to retain its classic style and spy appeal.
6. Staccato HD P4
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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In the last few years, the world has fallen in love with the 2011 platform. It’s exploded and largely led by Staccato. What a lot of people don’t like is the price of the magazines.
Staccato aims to fix that with a model that uses Glock magazines known as the Staccato HD P4. (Or Staccato Gloccato like I call it.)
It does more than use Glock mags, though. Staccato also added an external extractor and a drop safety, pinned the grip safety, pushed the rear sight in front of the optic, and added ambi controls.
The new Staccato seems to be a very promising gun for duty and defensive use. It will also likely make it to the halls of the competition world.
I’m excited to see more movement in the 2011 world besides just shoving a double-stack magazine in a 1911.
You can read more about the Staccato HD P4 in our New Product Highlight!
7. Bear Creek Arsenal BC-15 BAS Upper
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I didn’t think Bear Creek Arsenal would be all that exciting. No offense, but they make ARs, like the other million AR companies.
However, the company is stepping away from the norm with the BC-15 BAS.
The BC-15 BAS is a bolt-action rifle, specifically a bolt-action AR-15 upper receiver. BCA plans to sell these as complete rifles and as just uppers.
Why would you want a bolt-action AR? Don’t think of it as a bolt-action AR but as a highly customizable bolt-action rifle.
If you want a bolt action gun, wouldn’t you want a highly customizable design that’s lightweight and takes common magazines? That’s what the BC-15 BAS offers.
I want one to suppress. Imagine how quiet a bolt action .300 Blackout with subsonic will be. Plus, it’s from BCA, so it will be affordable.
8. HK MR556 and MR762
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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We haven’t been able to access the HK 416 and 417 regularly, but that’s about the change. No more relying on intermittent importation of super expensive parts or companies like Brownells producing clone designs.
HK finally built a facility in the United States, making it much easier to sell these rifles.
The MR556 is a 5.56 caliber gun, and the MR762 is a 7.62 NATO rifle.
They are both piston-driven and represent the most modern variant of the HK 416 and 417. HK is releasing various configurations of each rifle.
9. CMMG Dissent BR4
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I have this weird appreciation for “ranch” rifle-style guns. Fightlite started it, Sig jumped into it, and now CMMG follows with the BR4.
Using the company’s Dissident as the basis, the BR4 uses a Dissident mounted on a modified lower receiver with a Magpul SGA stock. This combination creates a traditional rifle that is anything but traditional. According to CMMG, it’s 47 states legal. CMMG also produces it in various calibers, including 5.56, 9mm, 7.62×39, 6mm ARC, and more.
The Dissident design eliminates the need for an AR-type buffer and receiver extension. This makes it uber easy to turn into a ranch rifle. It comes with all the modern AR flair without the downsides.
The redesigned lower features the Zeroed trigger and a cross bolt safety. Users can swap their stock with any 870 design.
10. Mossberg’s New R Series
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Mossberg had four emails worth of announcements this year. These include some new Shockwaves, a suppressor-ready rifle…but what’s most exciting to me is the R models of the Mossberg 590.
Mossberg’s tang safety has always been difficult to manipulate with a pistol grip, so Mossberg redesigned the safety to be an AR-type lever mounted on the receiver and protected by a shelf. This makes it pistol grip-friendly.
Mossberg’s 590R (standard) and 590RM (magazine-fed) take advantage of that with AR-style stocks and pistol grips. The inline stock design will likely help with recoil and make transitioning from a rifle to a shotgun easier.
These guns also give off serious Halo shotgun vibes, and I’m here for it.
SHOT Show 2025: Gear We Can’t Wait to Try
Besides the guns, what am I looking forward to seeing? I haven’t seen a lot of other releases, but there are a few I’m excited for.
11. Apex Optics Fusion
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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I’ve never heard of Canadian company Apex Optics; however, their Fusion optic has me intrigued.
It’s a big, circular window 30x42mm optic designed for competition – kinda like the Trijicon SRO. The Fusion is not an enclosed emitter design, but does come with a weather shield to keep rain and water out.
Apex Optics promises an ultra-bright high-frequency emitter design for clear and bright reticles.
Yep, I said reticles. It comes with five dynamic reticles that will offer shooters a lot of potential.
We get all the other bells and whistles, including Shake Awake technology, a side-loading battery, and an IP67 water and dustproof design. Oh, and it uses the RMR footprint.
12. Mailbox Optics
Aimpoint and Glock have teamed up to premier a new optic and optic cut. The Aimpoint COA is an enclosed emitter optic that’s slightly smaller than the ACRO.
The A-Cut holds the COA to the Glock via a ledge in front of the optic and the rear sight securing the rear end. It’s simple and allows for standard height sights for co-witnessing needs.
Sadly, it’s Glock exclusive, so we’ll have to wait to see if the A-Cut spreads.
Another optically design mailbox is Primary Arms’ new red dot, the HTX-1. This enclosed emitter was built entirely in the USA, and it’s the first time an optic has been built in the country.
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This system uses a modular mounting palte design that allows it to attach to a ton of different cuts directly. The HTX-1 also cowitnesses with standard height iron sights.
This optic seems to be quite innovative, and I’m excited to see it.
13. Streamlight TLR-1 HL-X
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I love the Streamlight TLR-1. It’s the budget light I trust the most. Streamlight has recently been redesigning its lights to be more powerful, and it’s about time the TLR-1 got the HL-X treatment.
The TLR-1 HL-X is a duel fuel design that can use Streamlight SL-B9 rechargeable batteries or 2 CR123A batteries. The HL-X design throws 1,500 lumens backed by 20,000 candela. This is a massive increase in power.
It’s not as powerful as other designs, but it’s also much more affordable than options from modlite and Surefire. I can’t wait to strap up with a TLR-1 HL-X.
14. .338 ARC
The .338 ARC promises to be the next generation of subsonic, suppressor-ready cartridges.
Hornady designed the round to drop into an AR-15 design but to throw a much larger bullet. The purpose is to provide excellent sound suppression with a subsonic round but to throw this big, heavy beast of a cartridge.
It’s a bit like .300 Blackout, but hit harder and go deeper. This particular cartridge was designed for hunting applications and wasn’t held back by military applications .300 Blackout was designed for this purpose.
The .338 ARC provides a big thumper of a cartridge that seems perfect for suppressed hunting.
Final Thoughts
SHOT Show is right around the corner. After a decade of going, I still get excited to see what’s new under those big, bright, picture-killing lights.
What do you want us to check out at SHOT Show? Let us know in the comments below! To see what we’ve covered in the past, check out our Best Guns of SHOT Show, Best Gear of SHOT Show, and Best Home Defense & CCW Guns of SHOT.
12 Leave a Reply
It doesn't appear that Bear Creek is going to offer the BC-15 BAS in 6mm ARC any time soon. That's a shame.
Why would they be incompatible? The entire purpose of the FCU is to make the Fire Control Unit from any one P365 swappable and compatible with all the other frames. The Sig website doesn't say otherwise. In fact, there is only one model of P365 FCU offerred by Sig and it fits all the P365 variants.
I second the BCA excitement in 2025. People like to poke the bear but BCA is about to become the next BCM. You heard it hear first!
Both the XL and the X-Macro are offered in options with and without a comp.
The X-Macro and XL both have:
3.7" barrel length (3.1" on both guns with a comp)
5.6" sight radius (5.1" on both guns with a comp)
6.6" overall length
Slides are the same dimensions, assuming you are comparing comp vs comp or no-comp vs no-comp.
If you want an X-Macro frame and a slide that is half-an-inch longer than the X-Macro slide (i.e. 7.2" overall length), you want the P365 Fuse.
How can you describe so many guns without saying what caliber they are?
It's a talent, really.
The new P365 Macro TACOPS has the slightly taller grip module of the X-Macro that comes standard with a frame-mounted M1913 accessory rail for lights and lasers. The upper half is that of a standard P365 XL. What is totally new on the micro 9 is an integrated magwell for faster reloads, an extended slide catch lever, and four flush-fit 17-round magazines. The P365 Macro TACOPS is a P365 X-Macro in which someone swapped out a regular XL top half and added a magwell and extended slide lever. The TACOPS model comes with four mags.
I can live without the magwell and extended slide lever, but now we're getting somewhere.
Give me a Sig P365 X-Macro with an XL slide, or allow the X-Macro to use a FCU and let me build my own. I'm not willing to purchase two pistols and swap the slides to get one pistol built the way I want. I saw that Sig announced something at SHOT called the "Macro" without porting, but the slide was the same length as the ported X-Macro slide. Sig is way too slow releasing P365 variants. I'm not buying anything from Sig until they give me what I want.
I did some research at the Sig website. The XL has a barrel length of 3.7" and a sight radius of 5.6". The X-Macro has a barrel length of 3.1" and a sight radius of 5.1". To be clear, what I want is an X-Macro frame with an un-ported XL slide, just over half-an-inch longer than the X-Macro slide. Sig has not announced the specs for the P365 "Macro" yet, but my understanding is that it has the same barrel length and sight radius as the X-Macro, not the XL. Sig misses again.
Just watched a Youtube video in which a guy takes a P365 FCU and mates it to an X-Macro frame and XL barrel and slide. On the other hand, the Sig website says all those parts are incompatible with the FCU. Who do you believe? How much money are you willing to risk? All the parts are out-of-stock at Sig, so if you decide to go that route, you will have to source them elsewhere. I'm sticking with my Hellcat Pro for the time being.
I'd also drop by the Taurus group and have a looksie at the new TX22 Compact, the new Executive Grade Judge, and the incredibly bargain priced G3 Tactical. They continue building a name for their firearms with the latest, greatest upgrades and designs. The quality keeps improving as does the reliability, fit & finish of their guns.
Love the pics and I hope to see some more savage impulse conversions