Checking Out TRGGRCON 2018

TRGGRCON, also known as the Tactical Research Innovation Guns and Gear Review Convention, recently took place in Bellingham, Washington over the span of four days. Dozens of companies show up to show off their latest and greatest.

Known as the Northwest Shooting Sports Expo until the name was changed in 2016, the show is a bit more intimate than the SHOT Show and its sprawling halls. The first two days of the event are open to media and those in the firearm industry, while the last two are for enthusiasts. The number of attendees is capped to give the event an exclusive feel.

The star of the show—in my mind at least—is the semi-auto AA12 shotgun that will be available to civilians this fall from Sol Invictus. The original AA-12 is a beast. It's a fully-automatic 12-gauge shotgun originally designed back in the 1970s by Max Atchisson (the AA stands for Atchisson Assault) specifically to be a low-recoil option for law enforcement and military personnel. It's been around ever since, making numerous appearances on the Big and little screens. Two versions will hit the market: a model with iron sights and one with a Picatinny rail and optic.

CAA brought the Micro Roni, a stabilizer kit that increases the versatility a Glock by providing more hold options. The Micron Roni is available in both NFA versions requiring a tax stamp and NFA-exempt models.

FoldAR had their innovative folding weapons on hand to show consumers and dealers. The FoldAR claims to the quickest deploying takedown AR ever, with the ability to be deployed and fire in less than 5 seconds. The company also the touts the benefits of not drawing attention like a fully assembled rifle would. A similar product was sold by a company called F&D Defense.

“F&D was provided licensing rights by FoldAR to the product but did not meet its contractual obligations which resulted in a termination of our agreement,” the company claims on its FAQ page. “As a result of this experience, we realized the only company who could bring this product to market correctly would be us which led to the birth of FoldAR.”

The rifles are expected to ship in the Fall.

STI showed off their flagship DVC Omni. STI has taken the 1911 into the next century, creating the 2011 series with updates to the iconic John Moses Browning design. The Omni is the fastest shooting, lowest recoiling, flattest pistol STI has ever made—ready for optics right out of the box.