As I type this, Range Day is over. I’m tucked away in my hotel room doing my two favorite things: hydrating and pondering. I’m drinking water and considering what were the best guns at Range Day. I tried to constrain the list to five, but seven escaped before I knew it.
Hera H6
I remember seeing the Hera H6 and thinking it was some random AI-generated gun due to all its weirdness. At SHOT Show 2025 Range Day, I got to get hands-on and learned they are coming to the States sometime in 2025.
The H6 is a bolt action rifle that utilizes an AR magazine, which is not too different. Things get weird because the magazine is mounted to the side of the gun.
The only benefit is the ability to get lower in a prone. The gun uses an AR-style handguard and a bizarre, but excellent folding stock. The Hera H6 comes in .223 and .223 Wylde, and a 300 blackout version is planned. The main benefit is the weirdness, and I like weirdness.
The H6 handles well with a decent bolt. The gun has a great trigger and hardly any recoil. Once you’re on target, you stay on target. The H6 doesn’t kick hard and is a blast to shoot. The little H6 would be an awesome suppressor host and a fun gun for coyotes and whitetail.
The only problem I saw was that there isn’t a list of AR mags that do and do not work. It’s my choice for weirdest gun of Range Day, and that’s saying something since I visited KelTec’s booth.
Diamondback SDR 9mm
The Diamondback SDR impressed me plenty when it hit the range day last year. I dived headfirst into the world of revolvers, and the more I like them, the more room for improvement I see. The SDR came in the classic .38 Special and .357 Magnum but has now moved into the 9mm cartridge.
The 9mm offers you plenty of defensive capability, light recoil, and affordability. The SDR 9mm uses moon clips and holds six rounds. The gun’s chrome-like finish makes it photogenic and prone to smudges.
Two things impress me when compared to other snub-nose revolvers. First, the sights. The front is a high-visibility fiber optic, and the rear is also a high-visibility sight. The sights make the gun a lot easier to shoot than a rear trench site.
The second thing is the big grip that gives you plenty of control. The SDR proved to have a smooth and polished trigger in both double and single action. The SDR’s 9mm chambering makes it easy to shoot and fast to rapid fire. I’m a fan and excited to get my hands on one beyond Range Day.
CZ Shadow 2 Target
I don’t shoot any form of Bull’s Eye competition. I typically just suck at Steel Chalelnge. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the guns of high-end shooters who compete at that high level. That’s why I fell in love with the CZ Shadow 2 Target.
The Shadow 2 is already a legendary competition. The Shadow 2 Target gives us a great big Shadow 2 Target. CZ lengthened the barrel to six inches to maximize sight radius. There is also a five-inch version, but that’s not nearly as fun.
CZ uses a user-adjustable trigger that will sneak up on you. It’s a light and sweet single-action-only trigger. When combined with the adjustable sights, this is a target killer. It’s super easy to shoot small targets near and far.
I scored back-to-back hits on a hostage popper at 20 to 25 yards. It’s heavy, with a light slide and a super aggressive grip that makes the gun super soft shooting. I want one, I don’t need one, but I want one.
Culpepper Precision DMSR
I like shooting suppressed, but I don’t like the downsides of suppression. Luckily, companies like Culpepper Precision feel the same way. Culpepper Precision is known for Block 19 Lego-themed Glock but will soon be known for ARs like the DMSR.
DMSR stands for Designated Marksman Suppressed Rifle. From the ground up, these things are built by a small team of rifle and suppressor experts who craft rifles that are explicitly designed to be suppressed. It’s not an afterthought.
The DMSR comes in various sizes and shapes. I was drawn to the 11.5-inch SBR with the CQBR gas tube that’s supposed to maximize reliability while keeping you from getting gas in the face. I shot the DMSR patrol at Range Day with a rather gassy suppressor and had zero blowback.
According to the rep, the guns are built to eliminate any concentricity problems between the suppressor and the barrel, and when you remove the suppressor there is no shift in your zero. I couldn’t confirm this, but I hope to find out for sure later this year.
KelTec PR57
KelTec almost got the title of Best Weird Gun of Range Day 2025. They do weird stuff and the PR57 uses a fixed integral magazine, which isn’t the first time George Kellgren made a modern fixed magazine, clip-fed handgun.
The PR57 uses the 5.7mm cartridge and holds 20 rounds in its internal, fixed magazine. The rotary barrel operating system and 5.7 cartridges combine to create almost no recoil. The soft recoil and high accuracy make it an excellent gun for those with poor hand strength.
The gun proved to be accurate, and it’s red dot ready to expand your range and speed. The PR57 was surprisingly easy to load, and you could use clips or load one by one through the top of the gun. We get a trigger that rolls and comes out a little longer than your normal striker-fired gun.
The fixed magazine makes the gun super compact and lightweight. It weighs less than 14 ounces and is super thin. The PR57 surprised me, and I want one badly.
Agency Arms MAC 2 Tradesman
There wasn’t a lot new in the world of shotguns. The SDS Imports booth, which incorporates companies like MAC, and Tokarev USA, hosted a set of Turkish Benelli clones which Agency Arms had worked over.
Agency Arms creates custom guns from existing platforms, and I won’t lie; I’m surprised to see them working with Turkish shotguns. Turkish shotguns don’t have the best reputation, but they grabbed my attention when I walked by.
Specifically, the traditionally stocked MAC 2 Tradesman. The Agency Arms versions wear the Tradesman moniker. These are semi-auto, inertia operated via the inertia systems, and clone the Benelli M2.
We get a full-length magazine tube, an M-LOK handguard, and DLC-coated components. Agency beveled the loading port, a trigger job, and giant oversized dome safety.
The gun handled well and shot smoothly. It threw shells far, and the vent rib barrel looks fantastic. We get super-sized controls for excellent ergonomics. I need to get hands-on after Range Day and try to see if this Turkenelli is truly good to go.
OA Defense 2311 Pro Elite
The OA Defense 2311 Pro Elite is not a 2011. They make that very clear when you walk into the booth and drop the term 2011. This is a 2311, and it’s a 1911-style handgun that uses P320 magazines for modern capacity.
The OA Defense 2311 has been around for a minute or two, but this year, they released the 2311 Pro Elite. The Pro Elite takes the gun to the next level with an all-metal design that adds weight and control. It’s a dang fine-looking gun.
This model features porting, which pushed the barrel down as I fired and eliminated muzzle rise. The extended beavertail and dual trigger guard undercut to allow for a solid high grip on the gun and superior control. Features like the gas pedal, massive magwell, and optic-ready nature just put a nice bow on an awesome package.
The Pro Elite handles like a dream. It’s smooth shooting and accurate, and I just wanted more and more of it. I like the use of P320 magazines and the layout of the gun. It was probably my favorite Range Day gun this year.
Cold Range
It’s over. Range Day has ended. I’m wind and sun burnt, tired, but ready to start the show. Range Day is one of my favorite parts of SHOT, and I’ll always love getting hands-on with new guns at the cost of someone else’s ammo.
