This year, POLICE-TREXPO West offered many things—defensive tactics sessions, a keynote address on deadly force, and booths aplenty. As the trade show wound down, officers headed out to the Long Beach Police Department's pistol range to test a few of the new weapons they saw on earlier days.

Manufacturer reps from SIG Sauer, Kimber, DoubleStar, and others set up tables with 1911-type pistols, a few sniper rifles, and a custom AR-15.

Angelo Artificio walked away from DoubleStar's new 1911 remarking on its trigger pull.

"It was very smooth," Artificio said. "I was surprised by the trigger. I expected it to be a heavier pull. You can see it all in the expo, but you don't know until you get to put your hands on their 1911."

Kimber's 1911s and Ultra (don't call it a compact) were also officer favorites. Campus officer Sgt. Robert Posslenzny of the USC Department of Public Safety likes his Glock 22 (.40 caliber) service pistol, and said he'd carry a .45 cailber pistol if he had the option.

"It's so effective," Posslenzny said.

SIG Sauer's pair of sniper rifles were popular with non-tactical officers who wanted to try a precision rifle. The muzzle blast of the Blaser Tactical R93TAC2—it's available in .223, .308, .300 Win. Mag and .338 LAPUA—and SIG SSG 3000 (chambered in .308 Win.) made an impression on the crowd waiting to give them a try.

DoubleStar rep Don Alwes of J&T Distributing talked to officers about the company's custom-order black rifles and offered a demonstration of the one that's chambered for 5.56/.223 ammunition.

Later this year, DoubleStar will introduce an AR rifle chambered in .308, according to Alwes.