The largest bang in commerce exhibits must be SHOT Present. Vegas is abuzz in January with tactical people, international businessmen in fits price greater than my truck, politicians, gear-dos, and the whole lot in between.
For these of you who weren’t there, let me paint the scene: miles of cubicles boasting the whole lot from smooth optics to rugged, apocalypse-ready looking rifles, modern out of doors tech, and tactical gear so cutting-edge it would make a Navy SEAL blush. It’s the place concepts meet craftsmanship and the place the old-school spirit of the outside shakes fingers with the way forward for journey. It’s a complete lot of pew-pew.
However the actual spotlight? The GearJunkie Better of Present Awards. This 12 months, the competitors was fierce. Innovators from all corners of the business got here able to impress, and let me inform you, they delivered. Shockingly, nearly all of the awards weren’t even rifles or shotguns however as an alternative went to equipment or different cool tech devices that caught our eye.
So, seize your favourite beverage, whether or not it’s campfire espresso or one thing with a bit of extra kick, and settle in. We’re diving deep into the winners and the merchandise that can form your adventures in 2025.
Federal 7mm Backcountry
A lot chatter surrounds this little field of increase. The 7mm Backcountry from Federal is creating severe buzz for its light-weight design, long-range precision, and efficiency tailor-made to backcountry looking. I believe any time a brand new spherical hits the desk, folks get giddy about it. We shot it on the vary, and it actually has some pop.
It is smart why it was all the craze at this 12 months’s SHOT Present.
It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, although. Critics level to issues about elevated recoil, restricted ammo availability, and questions on its reloading potential. Some see it as a game-changer, whereas others argue it’s simply one other area of interest cartridge with tradeoffs.
We thought it was enjoyable to shoot … so long as it’s suppressed and we didn’t should shoot it typically.
Benchmade Bugout
The Bugout is a staple. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t have at the least one (although, to be honest, my circle is fairly area of interest). Benchmade had a load of recent knives on the present this 12 months, and it is going to be dropping them to the general public periodically because the months of 2025 roll on.
It was arduous to determine on one of the best choice as a result of there have been simply so many killer alternatives to select from. (Discover these hints of burgundy within the higher right-hand nook of the picture above, as a result of sheesh.)
The brand new Bugout in Gray/Redstone Aluminum & Richlite is packing some severe upgrades with a premium blade metal and a bolstered onlay design. A part of the brand new Blue Class lineup, it sports activities a 3.24-inch CPM-S90V chrome steel blade and an Ash Grey aluminum deal with with a slick Redstone Richlite inlay. It’s fairly. That little pop of orange provides a contact of enjoyable to what in any other case is among the classiest variations of the Bugout we’ve seen.
Seekins Precision 2025 Lineup
Seekins Precision kills it in rifles as a result of it doesn’t fiddle with high quality. Its rifles are insanely correct, constructed like tanks, and fronted by severe marksmen who know what they’re doing. When it will get right down to it, the workforce at Seekins Precision are machining specialists and never shy about it.
Two rifles brought about a buzz on the SP workforce’s present, and we couldn’t select between them.
HAVAK PH3
The Seekins Precision HAVAK PH3 is the form of rifle that simply feels proper as quickly as you choose it up. It’s easy, correct, and constructed to carry out whether or not you’re dialing in long-range pictures or out within the backcountry chasing sport.
The match and end are top-notch, and you may inform numerous thought went into each element. The HAVAK PH3 is accessible in 6mm CM, 6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC, .277 FURY, .308 Win., 7mm Rem. Magazine., 7mm PRC, 7mm Backcountry (ohhhhhh, dang), .300 Win. Magazine., and .300 PRC.
At a worth beginning at $1,895, it’s additionally far more inexpensive than a lot of the Seekins choices.
Aspect Hunter
The Seekins Precision Aspect Hunter is a light-weight, no-nonsense rifle constructed for hunters. It’s designed to deal with robust situations with out sacrificing accuracy, and the steadiness makes it a dream to hold on lengthy hunts. Although the Aspect Hunter has a extra tactical look, it’s particularly designed with hunters in thoughts.
The Aspect Hunter has the Aspect M3 barreled motion paired with Seekins’ FIRST carbon fiber barrel, particularly contoured for looking. It features a folding, snag-free inventory for simple packing and fast deployment, an adjustable cheek piece, a full-length M-LOK rail on the fore-end, and the Seekins Fast Change Barrel Collar, permitting caliber modifications to swimsuit any looking situation.
The Aspect Hunter is accessible in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .277 FURY, .308 Win., 7 REM MAG, 7 PRC, 7mm Backcountry, 300 Win Magazine, and 300 PRC. Beginning at $3,200, it isn’t a lightweight funding, nevertheless it gives some severe financial savings over the Seekins customized store rifles.
Pelican Reset
Pelican RESET inserts are the final word gear organizers. This says rather a lot coming from somebody like me as a result of I are likely to toss the froth inserts and pack my rifles with garments as a protecting barrier. I hate the pick-at-it foam inserts, and laser cuts are without end.
Now, you may customise them to suit no matter you might be hauling, whether or not it’s digital camera gear, instruments, or looking gear. The froth rods simply pop up and down, that means one insert can be utilized for numerous gear choices and “RESET” for one thing else.
They’re robust and simple to regulate, and so they defend your gear. What’s to not love?
As soon as they launch, the RESET inserts will likely be out there for the Pelican 1700, 1720, and 1750. I can solely think about they’ll broaden that to different circumstances quickly.
Nite Ize CamJam Ratchet Strap
Image this: Sean McCoy is basically operating towards you on a present ground, rambling on a couple of ratchet strap you simply should see. That was my actuality at SHOT Present this 12 months. No, he wasn’t excited a couple of shotgun, a knife, and even some quirky flashlight (although he did get giddy about these later). He was stoked about … a ratchet strap?
Then I noticed it, and I received it. It’s totally different. It’s a complete new method to ratchet your gear down, and it’s slick.
The Nite Ize CamJam Ratchet Strap stands out as a result of it skips the usual hooks and makes use of looped webbing ends as an alternative, providing you with extra versatility for securing gear. The CamJam system makes tightening and adjusting simpler and sooner with out the effort of clunky mechanisms.
It’s robust, dependable, and much much less irritating to launch when you’re executed. In case you are uninterested in combating with conventional ratchet straps, this one is a severe improve. Sadly, they aren’t precisely super-budget-friendly ($75).
Editor’s Notice: There’s a studying curve with this one, however I believe when you get it, it’ll prevent time and frustration in the long run.
Nightcore EDC29
The Nitecore EDC29 is a bit of powerhouse for on a regular basis carry. It delivers a mind-boggling 6,500 lumens in a slim, flat design that may slot in your pocket. Constructed robust and USB-C rechargeable, it’s excellent for anybody who wants dependable, high-performance lighting with out the majority.
After all, massive lumen numbers imply nothing if the sunshine isn’t user-friendly with a future time at decrease lighting ranges. Nitecore nailed these checkmarks nicely, with a most run time of 61 hours at 15 lumens. It’s simple to function and has an intuitive digital battery readout to observe how a lot juice you’ve got left. This might simply turn out to be one among our finest flashlights after testing. Keep tuned.
Take a look at the opposite prime flashlights of SHOT Present 2025 right here.
AGM Evolver LRF 1280 Thermal Optic
Thermal optics protection on GearJunkie? It’s about time. Few issues have exploded in reputation like thermal optics have prior to now few years.
The GearJunkie workforce chatted with thermal optic producers, and none fairly introduced the wow issue like AGM.
The AGM Evolver LRF 1280 is a thermal riflescope that includes a 1280×1024 decision sensor with a 12μm high-sensitivity detector, delivering wildly detailed thermal imaging. It features a built-in laser rangefinder efficient as much as 1,000 m and a complicated ballistic calculator for exact concentrating on.
This scope gives a base magnification of two.5x, with digital zoom capabilities as much as 20x, and helps onboard video and audio recording, shot-activated recording, and Wi-Fi information transmission. The Evolver LRF 1280 is the second 1280 scope ever to hit the market.
Gavin from AGM gave us the rundown and is well probably the most useful, welcoming, and pleasant new face we met on the ground. That alone may be definitely worth the award.
For all its perks, the Evolver LRF 1280 is more likely to hit the market at round $8,000, which (anticipate it) is a number of thousand {dollars} lower than the one different 1280 scope available on the market. What’s a cut price to some is actually not a cut price to the informal person.
CRKT Provoke Hatchet
Sensible? Possibly not. Tremendous cool? Undoubtedly.
The CRKT Provoke X is like having a tiny Viking axe in your pocket. With its distinctive Kinematic folding mechanism, it flips open sooner than you may say “lumberjack,” and the D2 metal blade is hard sufficient to deal with something from kindling to camp chores. It’s compact, intelligent, and rugged sufficient to make you are feeling like you would conquer a forest if wanted.
That mentioned, I’ll admit it’s most likely extra cool than actually sensible. It’s rad that it folds up into a good, tiny little package deal. It’s additionally rad that you simply flip-deploy it like a dang ninja warrior.
Would I depend on it as my go-to discipline hatchet? Possibly not. I desire a bit extra girth within the deal with to make sure most swingability.
Do I would like one anyway? Clearly.
Take a look at the remainder of the finest knives of SHOT Present 2025 right here.
Olight Ostation X Battery Charger
The Olight Ostation X is just like the Swiss Military knife of battery chargers. It’s a 3-in-1 machine that costs, assessments, and organizes your AA batteries. Simply toss as much as 32 batteries into the highest, and it’ll deal with the remainder, charging them in teams of 4 in as little as 2 hours. As soon as executed, it spits them out the underside, able to roll.
It’s environment friendly, user-friendly, and a should for anybody uninterested in juggling a number of chargers and testers. It doesn’t even matter which method you drop your batteries in. Constructive finish, adverse finish, who cares? Chuck ’em in, and it does the remainder.
The one factor we’d like to see is the addition of AAA functionality. If we might toss a handful of AA and AAA batteries into the identical machine for sorting and charging, you’d have my cash tomorrow.
Acebeam M1 Terminator
The Acebeam M1 Terminator is greater than a flashlight. This software combines a zoomable white laser and a strong LED flashlight right into a single machine. It’s a wild possibility for lighting, permitting the person to light up objects each close to and really, very far.
And by very far, I imply 1,600 m. That’s the form of highlight that’s practically unimaginable besides with a white laser. However what makes this one actually particular is that it has a zoomable head, which expands the LEP laser from a 3-degree forged to 13 levels. Meaning it lights a broader space, making it helpful at extra modest ranges.
After all, the added LED flashlight takes the cake. With each lighting sources, you’re coated from a number of toes to nearly 2 km!
