I just returned from the 2009 SHOT show, where several interesting new products were revealed. Soon these items will be in hand, and we’ll have a better idea of just how well they work. For now, however, we can only revel in the news of their introduction and put a little money back for the ones we like. So here is a look at some of the things we will be covering this year in this column.

Redding G-Rx .40 S&W Pass-Through Die

If you are a Glock shooter and you shoot and reload for other handguns that chamber the .40 S&W cartridge, you have likely already noticed the bulged and often unusable brass sometimes ejected from your Glock. Normal sizing dies do not resize the bulged section, which can extend into the web of the case. The G-Rx is a push through die that fully sizes the bulged area of the case back to within SAAMI specifications for case diameter. This operation does not resize the case for reloading but will likely keep a lot of .40 S&W brass out of the trash can. I haven’t shot a Glock since I turned in my badge, but while I was a cop, I did reload for the .40 S&W quite a bit. I watched Redding’s Pat Ryan demonstrate this die at the SHOT show, and it looks to be the answer to the bulged case problem so common with this cartridge.

Redding Case Neck Gauge

This gauge mounts directly to your reloading bench and provides a quick and easy way to measure cartridge case neck wall thickness. A pilot is required for each caliber, and the gauge comes with .224- and .308-inch pilots and has an MSRP of $99. Pilots are available for $7.50 in 14 different calibers between .17 and .338. This looks to be the most efficient means I have seen to quickly measure case neck thickness, and I plan to soon be sorting .243Winchester brass with one.

RCBS AmmoMaster Chronograph

At last year’s SHOT show, the folks at RCBS announced they would be offering a new chronograph. It never materialized in 2008, but it was at the 2009 SHOT show, and according to Michael Kinn with ATK, it will be available this year. This is a stylish, self-contained unit that resembles a giant, loaded cartridge case. The diffusers, supports and touch-pad display, with a 20-foot cord, store inside the unit, making transportation to the range less of a hassle. This unit will measure velocities between 50 and 7,000 fps, display in meters per second or feet per second and store a total of 100 shots in 10-shot strings. It is smart enough to allow you to delete a shot or shots, report high and low velocity and calculate average velocity, extreme spread and standard deviation. It operates on a 9-volt battery and mounts to a standard camera tripod. I especially like how this chronograph stores within itself. I remember when I had to drive to a range before I lived on property where I could shoot. On more than one occasion, I lost a diffuser or diffuser support between home and the range.