SHOT Show 2025 | Day 4 Part 1

Day 4 kickoff and viewer requests

The segment opens on day four of SHOT Show 2025 with the Classic Firearms crew clearly tired but still working through a long list of booths requested by viewers. One host heads toward Panzer Arms to look at new shotgun offerings, while another plans to walk over to the Caesars venue, expecting a lot of steps. They acknowledge that some booths and industry friends have been missed due to time constraints and apologize to anyone whose products have not yet been covered. The goal for the day is to finish the show strong and capture as many remaining highlights as possible before the event wraps up.

Panzer Arms M4-style shotgun upgrades

At the Panzer Arms booth, the discussion centers on how Panzer shotguns have performed well in testing against more expensive models. The representative walks through upgrades on their M4-style clone, noting that all parts are compatible with the original Benelli M4. The shotgun features a muzzle device to reduce muzzle rise, an aluminum handguard, and a shell saver mounted on the receiver. It includes a lightweight bolt carrier, an enlarged charging handle, and a reversible ambidextrous charging setup. A QD sling socket is integrated for single-point slings. The enlarged bolt release doubles as a magazine dump control: pressing the front functions as a standard bolt release, while lifting the lifter and pressing the rear side ejects all unfired shells from the magazine, simplifying safe unloading. A Picatinny rail section allows mounting lights or lasers, and the loading port is opened up for quad loading.

G3-pattern 12 gauge and shared magazines

Panzer Arms then shows a 12 gauge shotgun styled after the G3 rifle platform, referred to as a G3 12 gauge. It retains the recognizable G3 slap action and uses a stock and grip compatible with original G3 .308 components. The frame is machined from milled aluminum. The host and representative highlight the HK-style rotating drum rear sight, which offers multiple apertures around its circumference so elevation and range can be adjusted quickly by rotating the drum. Panzer emphasizes that its magazine-fed shotguns share a common magazine pattern, including 5-round, 10-round, and larger 20-round options. This shared design spans their bullpup models, semi-automatic “Ranch” configurations, lever-action variants, AR-12 style guns, and the G3-pattern shotgun, giving users cross-compatibility across much of the Panzer 12 gauge lineup.

Space Cowboy semi-auto and Ranch lever action

Attention shifts to a new Panzer shotgun described as a “space cowboy” style gun. It uses aluminum upper components and handguards paired with ergonomic wood furniture. The balance point is set forward to help minimize muzzle rise during firing. The shotgun is semi-automatic and identified as a Ranch model, using the same magazine pattern as other Panzer 12 gauge platforms and the T&N-style magazines mentioned earlier. Both the charging handle and magazine release are ambidextrous. Panzer then presents a Ranch lever-action shotgun, described as a magazine-fed lever gun with a very smooth, short throw that can be operated one-handed. Lever-action 12 gauge shotguns are noted as surprisingly popular in Classic Firearms’ warehouse, and this higher-capacity, magazine-fed lever-action design is positioned as a different take compared with earlier Panzer lever models like the 220, while still using compatible magazines and offering options such as 10-round and drum-style magazines.

Budget Panzer shotgun and ambidextrous controls

Panzer Arms also introduces a budget-oriented shotgun that uses polymer handguards and a polymer lower to keep costs down. Specific pricing is not disclosed, with viewers directed to check Classic Firearms for details. Despite its lower price point, the shotgun incorporates dual charging handles and ambidextrous safety controls. The representative explains that over roughly the last year and a half, Panzer has been transitioning its shotgun line to ambidextrous charging handle capability as a standard feature. This benefits left-handed shooters and also offers competitive shooters the option to place the charging handle on the left side for faster manipulation. The budget model additionally includes a pressed bolt release button, continuing the theme of user-friendly controls across the Panzer lineup while maintaining magazine compatibility with other Panzer 12 gauge platforms.

Flux Defense PDW updates and Ripcord sling

The video then moves to the Flux Defense booth, where the focus is on compact PDW accessories and revisions to existing products. Flux shows updated components such as revised magwells, optic mounts, and a soft rubber buttpad designed to tame the recoil impulse on their small, lightweight PDW setups. A key highlight is a new PDW sling system called the Ripcord. Demonstrated on a non-functional display gun, the Ripcord allows a compact PDW to be pulled from a bag, then quickly deployed by pulling the cord and looping the sling behind the neck for emergency use. Flux notes that the Ripcord is a new product expected to be available to consumers soon. They also mention work on a second-generation Glock-based kit, returning to the company’s roots with a ground-up redesign aimed at improving their original Glock PDW concept, with Classic Firearms slated to test early units.