rlauferblog

Given that I had such a great time at the last Glock Aimpoint Day and this one was at Urban Tactical, one of my favourite gun stores/ranges, I knew I would be in for a fantastic day!

I have lots to cover so let’s get right into it with Glock. Great to see Liam from Amchar and gadget again.

Training and simunition Glocks on display (I will cover the Glocks on the shooting line shortly)

Next some great lights from Streamlight

I covered their handgun lights at the last Glock Day so I will focus on long-guns today, starting with this awesome PROTAC® Rail Mount HP-X PRO Long Gun Light with 105,000 Candela giving you 648M throw!!! (I want one of these!)

The Jack-Cap^® tail cap switch allows you to activate it directly via the firing button at the rear or attach a remote pressure switch

Top view

Shotgun forend. I like the Streamlight logo over the pressure switch

The business end

Streamlight is expanding the Wedge line with the addition of the SL. It is shaped similar to a pen and operates similarly with a click button at the tail end to give you 500 Lumens. I love it!

It would definitely go in my TimSpec Engineering M3P (Military Pen Pocket Patch)

The Wedge is now available in 7 colours including this nice purple

And with 1000 Lumens in THRO^® (Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output) mode.

North Sylva showcasing Aimpoint optics Tactical Ordnance shotguns

Customers checking them out

Ok on to the range!

There were several Glocks on the line, including 17s and 43s, fitted with the new Aimpoint COA reddot. As I mentioned in my last review, the  Aimpoint A-CUT™ interface mounting system allows the COA to be mounted deeper into the pistol slide and co-witness with the factory back up sights.

Once again, awesome shotguns from Tactical Ordnance on the line, this time pump action

Love the stock from Chisel Machining!

First shooter up!

And his son

I didn’t stay to cover more shooters but there were a steady stream of them as you can see by the crowds in the store of people before and after shooting (I’ll come back to the store shortly).

There was an IPSC match going on in Urban’s second range and I wanted to cover that as well. A few shots of the setup…

Rope to activate the trap door

Great to see my friend Stefan competing!

Stefan is a field tester for Triggertech and was shooting with their newest trigger. It has an incredibly short reset and is very light, almost a 1911 feel in a Glock!

Internals of the system

And he let me try it!! It shoots incredibly and the whole setup (with 15lbs recoil spring lol) had almost zero felt recoil.

Thanks again Stefan for letting me shoot it!

All done shooting, it was time for a little shopping in Urban Tactical’s expansive store. Let’s start with guns…

The Mossberg 590 A1 Compact with factory 14” barrel was definitely my favourite!

The illuminated Ghost Ring sights were very easy to acquire

Extra shell carrier built into the stock

On to knives, you know I love Khukuris!

The Ka-Bar was my favourite though ceriksson and I also liked the mini CIVIVI Vaquita II

Last time I visited Urban Tactical I discovered Warbird Protection eyewear, a company founded by Matt Davis, a long-time maker of body armor and PPE protective equipment.

I tried the Deep State with Red Matte Frame // Red Shield Lens. The glass is incredibly clear!

Urban Tactical is the Canadian distributor for UF Pro

I tried on a Striker X Combat shirt and Striker XT Gen 2 Combat pants but alas they were too small. I do like my Delta Tactical winter jacket (that I am wearing today).

Huge selection of footwear

5.11 gear

Yeti

Thanks again to Glock, Amchar, Streamlight, North Sylva, Aimpoint, Tactical Ordnance, and of course Urban Tactical for the great event and your hospitality!

Of course, we were not done for the day so on to our next destination, Army Issue Surplus!

I picked up another surplus Monadnock PR24

Great to see Jeroon again

We wanted to go to Blades4you as well but they were closed

So off to Wingmaster!

Wingmaster has well over 200 flavours (probably closer to 300) ranging from mild options like Apple Pie all the way to Blackenstein, which at 10 MILLION SHU is the hottest thing I have ever had! Wingmaster is holding a bottle of Dragon’s Breath here

ceriksson went with Hot Honey

I opted for The Hulk,, which is made in layers of sauces

and finishes in a beautiful toxic green!

Apparently my tolerance to extreme heat makes me a monster lol

And Blackenstein!!!

The final products

Wingmaster also generously gave us some of his secret sauce Wicked wings

Alright here with go with Blackenstein!

The aftermath

ceriksson tried it as well!

Wingmaster is such a character, really makes it a great experience!

Time to cool off at Dairy Queen

A great way to celebrate my 30^th show/event of the year!

RL

As I wrote a few short weeks ago, I was thrilled to discover Knifewear, a purveyor of Japanese knives. During my initial visit, I learned that Knifewear would be hosting Master Blacksmith Masashi Yamamoto who was flying in from Japan to do in-store knife engraving and a forging demonstration! While it is common for such dealers to forge (no pun intended) relationships with the knifemakers they represent, it is not common to have one come in for live demos so kudos to Knifewear for the initiative. Of course this leads to exposure for the maker and generates sales, but the benefits extend far beyond that. It educates consumers and builds interest that expands the knife community. As a serious knife collector myself, I am all for bringing new people into the fold. The more interest, the more knifemakers and dealers, win win all around.  

The shirt and Masashi enamel pin that I picked up last time were perfect for the occasion.

Once again, the Knifewear storefront.

This time with signage to promote the event.

Clayton Erickson and I arrived early enough to be at the front of the line.

In addition to the engraving and forging demo, Masashi treated us with the introduction of the first knives he made out of SPG STRIX (as in “STrong matrIX”). This new material is a powdered stainless steel designed specifically to be used for cutting tools. What makes it so unique is that it has high hardness (approx HRC65) achieved by hardening the metal base as opposed to the more conventional approach of hardening by adding elements like vanadium carbides. This provides a sharp, long-lasting edge while the structure still allows for easy sharpening and workability. It’s also highly corrosion resistant.

This Kuroshu Honesuki Maru was my personal favourite. Leave it to me to pick a one of one lol.

The Kiritsuke might be a better match for my hat though (coordination is key!)

Once again, Clayton wasted no time and picked up a Santoku, making him the first person in the world to purchase one of Misashi’s SPG-STRIX knives!

Here he is being interviewed about it.

On to the Masashi knives in more traditional steel…

Where I found my absolute favourite knife of the day, the Sasquatch!

I loved everything about it, including the handle

Logo

And mostly the look and feel.

Here it is next to a KAIJIN Honesuki 150mm boning knife for size comparison.

Or if you prefer more tactical, next to my RJ Martin Kwaiken.

At the opposite end of the size spectrum and another knife that caught my eye, the VS1 KAIJIN Petty. What a beautiful hamon!

Tough to choose between a visible hamon and Damascus steel, as used for this Shiroshu Ko-Bunka

Wading through the big crowd….

The man himself, Masashi Yamamoto!

We swarmed him for pics, me with his Sasquatch

Clayton with his new Santuko

And several attendees (pic posted with permission)

Now for the official opening ceremony to the event. I believe this is called a Waritama, and  it was tough! It took a beating from a stick, cutting with a knife, punching, and ripping to unleash the prizes inside!

The prizes were actually loot bags for everyone! I got a very pink pig squeeze ball in mine.

Another lucky attendee got a sasquatch pin!

Next the in-store engraving. First Matashi signs the box for Clayton’s new knife.

Next he prepares the knife for the engraving.

Matashi and Clayton discuss the engraving and its personal significance

which in this case is “nin”

Here comes the first strike!

Each letter or character done by hand.

From another angle

Masashi checks to ensure the blade has not warped or suffered any damage during the engraving process.

All good so he presents the finished product to Clayton, who is of course suitably impressed. What a great experience to buy a knife and have the knifemaker custom engrave it for you on the spot!

Closeup of the hand-tools used for the engraving

And the final product

Protected in its sheath for now

The forging demo was actually set up in the alley behind the store. Forging outdoors is challenging as it is more difficult to see the colour of the flame and hence to estimate its temperature.

The forge

And anvil

Masashi with his trademark cigarette

Nathan from Knifewear gives us an introduction to Masashi and the forging process. By way of background, Masashi trained under his uncle at the historic Yoshikane Hamono in Sanjo City and established his forge in 2013. He carries on the centuries-old Sanjo metalwork tradition that specializes in a forging style focusing on forging blades as close to the final shape as possible, resulting in less waste later in the process.

An example of the steel that Masashi will be forge welding, essentially a “sandwich” of hard steel outer layers with a soft core. The hard steel provides edge retention while the soft core provides flexibility to prevent the blade from snapping on impact.

Masashi answers questions form the crowd while he waits for the forge to heat up to temperate (approx. 1800 degrees).

The crowd eagerly watches him start forging.

He hammers the flats and edge

Then checks the shape before re-heating the metal and repeating the process

Here is a quick video to give you a sense.

Then he applies Borax to act as a flux. The white powder melts on hot metal to create a glassy layer that prevents oxygen from reaching the steel, stopping oxidation and the formation of scale. It also helps to dissolve existing oxides and remove impurities, which is crucial for a clean, strong forge weld.  

By now you can clearly see the blade taking shape

And it is time to cut the blade off the barstock

For this he gets a volunteer from the crowd to hold the cutting tool

Next a notch is cut into the handle end of the blade to allow a tang to be drawn out.

And the final product, ready for grinding.

Really great to watch! Thank you Masashi-san for the live demonstrations and sharing your knowledge and passion with us. And thank you once again, to Knifewear for making this happen and being such gracious hosts.

All done with the event we went to Top Gun’s Bloor Street location across the street for our post-event meal.

Great service from this gentleman.

In my opinion, they make the best burger I have ever had. That said, I was in the mood for one of their steak sandwiches.

Clayton went with one of their simpler burgers and agreed that they are among the best.

Later in the evening he used his new knife to prepare a light meal.

Compared the one he bought at our first visit to Knifewear.

I am sure Clayton will treasure these knives forever.

RL

Gagnon Shooting Centre’s Glock and Aimpoint Day Open House was a phenomenal event! Open to new and experienced shooters alike, the event featured live fire demos, exclusive product showcases, the opportunity to speak with industry experts, as well as giveaways and prizes all from Glock, Aimpoint, Tactical Ordnance, Streamlight, and North Sylva!

To keep things interesting, the Glock table had a “rotating” display in the sense that the pistols were switching in an out from static display to live fire on the range to give people the opportunity to try as many models as possible. What a neat idea! As such the static table also changed throughout the day, starting with some shared space with Tactical Ordnance (more on them in a moment) to the Glock training guns and field knives you will see in later pics.

I heard Glock’s new COA collaboration with Aimpoint would be on display so I was especially interested in checking that out.

As part of the collaboration, the Aimpoint COA optic is factory installed using the new Aimpoint A-CUT™ interface. The combo is available with the G43X, G48, G19 Gen5, G45, and G47 models. The Aimpoint COA optic is sold exclusively with this package and is not being sold separately at this time.

The Aimpoint A-CUT™ interface mounting system has A LOT of advantages. It allows the sight to be mounted deeper into the pistol slide for extreme stability in all directions eliminating movement of the optic to ensure repeatable accuracy. Built to withstand the extreme stress of recoil, the COA optic has been extensively tested and proven with vibration tolerances rated to 40,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition! The low-profile design allows for easier unholstering and enhanced concealability. Perhaps my favourite feature is that the wide window on the Aimpoint COA sight combined with the low mount allows the dot to co-witness with the factory back up sights!

Of course, as an Aimpoint it has all the features you would expect from the brand like 50,000 hours (over 5 years of constant operation), 4 night vision compatible settings and 8 daylight settings, a 3.5 MOA dot size, and electronics that are completely sealed to withstand rain, snow, or dust, and allow submergibility to 25 m/82 ft. The optic’s quick access compartment allows you to change the battery without removing the sight from the pistol – eliminating the need to re-zero.

I was really looking forward to trying the COA on the line.

These are the training Glocks that I mentioned, made to exact specs.

Glock Type 81 Field Knives

And the Glock Entrenching Tool. This is much more than a mere shovel! The main blade has no welding or rivets and can be locked in three different positions turning into a shovel or a spade. A hardened saw blade with screwdriver tip is stored in the telescopic polymer handle and can be attached to the handle. When folded up, the GLOCK Entrenching tool has an extremely small footprint and can easily fit in a backpack.

As I have said in many past reviews, Tactical Ordnance is among the best when it comes to customizing shotguns.

The top one here is showcasing the Canadian premier of the Aridus Industries Imperium Handguard with its Patents Pending milled in texture. The one piece integrated heat shield provides 360 degree protection from hot barrels during shooting, loading, and handling

Feels great in the hand, as expected since it was designed to provide great grip in hot, cold, wet, or dry.

ceriksson liked it as well

And with the man himself, Casey!

I also really liked this tricked out Benelli M4!

Speaking of shotguns, Amchar is also the distributor for Kel-Tec and they brought a KSG Tactical for display

You might have noticed that many of the Glocks on display were fitted with Streamlights, and for good reason as they make a huge array of weaponlights to fit any of your lighting needs. 

The TLR-7X is now multifuel accepting either rechargeable or CR123 batteries. It offers 500 lumens with 5,000 candela for a 140M throw. 

The TLR-7® HL-X is a higher power version with 1,000 lumens, 22,000 candela, and a 297M throw. 

If you want a wide, peripheral beam, the TLR-1 HL®-X provides 1,500-lumens with 20,000 candela and a 283M throw.

If you need more throw, the TLR-1® HP-X has 1,300 lumens with 77,000 candela for a 555M beam distance. Like the flood beam version, it also features a front-loading battery compartment for rapid battery replacement without removing the light from the firearm.

Streamlight also makes weaponlights for long-guns, such as these rail-mounted lights

Their lineup of handhelds is also huge, with a very small sampling shown here.

My personal favourite Streamlights are the Wedge series. Made of rugged anodized aluminum, these are designed to fit in your pocket like a folding knife.

The full size Wedge has a rotating thumb switch that provides tactile control over the constant-on (300 lumens, 69M beam) and THRO® or Temporarily Heightened Regulated Output modes (1000 lumens, 110M beam in 35 second bursts).

The more compact Wedge XT is USB-C rechargeable and has a push-button tail switch. In high mode it has 500 lumens, 1,900 candela, and 87M beam distance.

Ok on to the range! I headed straight for the COA guns on the line, the first of which was the Glock 47, which is similar to a G17 but with a shortened dust cover.

To give you an idea of the Streamlight

Our target

Here we go! The red dot is so easy to find.

ceriksson liked it as well

Next the Glock 48 with its Slimline frame and rail. 

The G48 rail is of similar length and height as the G19 but the width of the pistol is reduced for increased concealability and better carrying comfort. It also has features of the Slimline series such as short trigger distance, built-in beavertail, a reversible magazine catch and the incredibly accurate, match-grade GLOCK Marksman Barrel (GMB) of the Gen5 series. Perhaps that’s why I shot much better with this than the G47!

ceriksson gives it a whirl

Now for some Tactical Ordnance! A couple of 870s

Though I opted for the Beretta 1301 as I had never shot one before! And WOW it was incredible! Zero recoil! I liked as much as my Benelli M4 (dare I say more? Gulp)

look at the size of the loading port!

All done shooting we went back into the exhibit area. By now a pretty big crowd had formed and it was like this all day.

The CCFR was there to educate new shooters and promote our rights

Before heading into the store area, I wanted to give special thanks to gadget for bringing his Winkler Shadow Strike to show me. This is from the limited run that came with an autographed copy of Beast Three Six by Jason Kasper.

Love the felt lined sheath

We wanted to do a little shopping before heading out. I didn’t take any store pics this time, although I have to say this Extrema Ratio Ant was pretty cute lol. I wasn’t familiar with this model.

Also, I was super happy to find a Sitka Balaclava and buy my very first piece of their kit. I have always been impressed by the way Sitka matches their “camo” patterns to the visual spectrum of the game you are hunting. In fact, not only do they consider visual spectrum, they also consider the animals’ perspective, for example, waterfowl looking down as they fly overhead or ungulates looking up at a hunter in a tree stand! BTW, Sitka refers to their proprietary patterns as “concealment” not “camo” and the company is owned by Gore (as in Goretex).

My swag from the event

Once again, fantastic job by the organizers. It was great to see old friends again.

RL

In another episode of “I see knives everywhere”, Clayton Erickson and I went to try Peaceful Restaurants first location in Toronto and discovered Knifewear, a knife store literally next door!!!

I really like the vibe of the store. The owner happens to be an audiophile as well, hence the musical instruments (and KEF speakers serenading us with music)

One of my favourites of the day, the CCK Cleaver “Civil and Military” Kitchen Chopper. This mid-weight cleaver is equally good for heavier jobs like chopping small poultry or fish bones and lighter tasks like cutting boneless meat and veggies.

Even better, the Mizuno Jigata Masakari Bearded Hatchet! This super thickness of the hatchet is good for splitting, the straight bevel is good for wood-working/bushcrafting and there is definitely enough room for even my big hands behind the beard for finer tasks. I may just have to go back and get this one!

In the meantime, I just picked up some swag

Meanwhile, Clayton picked up another kitchen knife! An Ichigo SLD Migaki Gyuto to be precise!

As well as some Japanese thread scissors for his sewing kit

We were pleased to learn that Masashi Yamamoto will be coming in from Japan in a couple of weeks and he will do in-store forging demos and will engrave any of his knives that you purchase!

More beauties around the store

Haha TOJIRO Child’s Santoku

Really glad we discovered this great store! We hope to be back soon for the upcoming Masashi event. Thanks so much to Robbie for the hospitality and great service!

Ok on to Peaceful! This restaurant rose to national fame after being featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2012 and has multiple locations in BC so there has been quite the buzz about their arrival in Toronto with their first location opening here just two weeks ago.

Of course, I had to try their beef rolls, described as “Five-spiced beef rolled in a crispy green onion flat-bread & sweet hoisin sauce”. If you like hoison sauce, these are for you!

I prefer a spicier flavour profile so preferred the Spicy Gingered Beef, which as the name suggests is “crispy shredded beef tossed in a spicy gingery sauce”

Love the rice too

Definitely a worthwhile trip!

RL