SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range

Posted by rlaufer2013 on January 25, 2020
Posted in: Guns and Knives. 3 Comments

Ahhhh it is so great to be back in Vegas…and even greater to be back at SHOT Show!!! I had such an amazing time at SHOT Show 2018 that it will be hard to beat but I am confident that I can do it!

As in the case of 2018, I have done an enormous amount of planning, even though I am more familiar with the layout. Why all the planning? Well, the main show is 690,000 square feet or 12 squares miles (the same as the base of the Grand Pyramid in Giza). It now extends to secondary venues and includes over 1,600 exhibitors on the show floor but that increases to over 2,400 if you include the Supplier Showcase and Pop-Up Preview. Access to SHOT is limited to 65,000 industry folk and 2,500 media members.

To put the size in perspective, consider that if you spend just 10 minutes at a booth (to take pics, handle guns, wait for your turn to handle them, talk to reps, get swag etc.), you could cover 6 per hour or 48 per 8 hour shift. That means in three days you would cover roughly 150 booths. But of course, you have to factor in walking time, breaks etc. so maybe 75 is more realistic. Per SHOT Show’s fact sheet, if you wanted to visit all booths, you could only spend 22 seconds at each!

Thankfully I have a co-author this year and collectively Tom and I plan to cover at least 100 booths. If we post just 10 pics per booth, that would result in a review with 1000 pics (our goal) that covers only 100/2400 or 4% of the show!!!! SHOT is BIG!

In preparation for SHOT, I picked up some cool gear such as this Otte Patrol Parka…thanks to Chris Costa for providing feedback on jacket options and to Parabellum Prime for the super speedy delivery!

I got some shirts made too…gotta look professional!

Along with a few other things that may show up during my review.

Monday Industry Day at the Range

Apart from being able to take pics, one of the greatest benefits of a Media Pass is that you get to attend Industry Day at the Range and shoot everything from super compacts to full auto to suppressed with no limits on ammo.

And the amount of ammo consumed is staggering! Consider that there are 2,500 media folks and if each one shoots 20 guns with 10 rounds each, that would be half a million rounds! I can’t remember the exact round count but from what I recall, it was even higher than that.

Here is an aerial view of the incredibly beautiful range, courtesy of SHOT. I will have more of my own range shots below.

Industry day was awesome! We shot a ton of guns and many exceeded our expectations. Tom and I took about 400 pics and shot lots of vids. I suspect you are anxious to see them so I will start with some of my pics and let Tom chime in with his.

We started at the Geissele booth expecting to see some AR15s fitted with their legendary triggers…we were half right! I was not aware that Geissele soft launched their own in-house made AR15 last year and is fully launching the lineup at this year’s SHOT show. Needless to say, the triggers on them were great.

Next, OSS suppressors…I opted for one mounted on an AK and it was one of my favourite guns of the day.

It was great to get an explanation of the internals of the OSS suppressors. I dare say that I enjoy shooting suppressed firearms more than full auto!

My absolute favourite of the day though was the B&T USW-A1 with its collapsible stock and platform specific Aimpoint site. It made such a difference to shoot it with the stock extended! I will definitely get one of these!

The Alien was certainly the most unique gun of the day…it has the lowest bore axis on the market with the fixed barrel and the interchangeable slide top allows you to swap optics in a breeze (with 90% zeroing)…it can also reliably fire any load of 9mm with its piston system. It is an expensive gun for sure but a lot of thought went into the unique features.

I was quite anxious to try the re-introduced Colt Python…it was available with 4” and 6” barrels and I opted for the longer while Tom shot both. It was nice but not something I would buy.

Another re-release high on our “must try” list was the HK SP5…available in several configurations, Tom and I opted for the traditional profile with iron sights….so satisfying to do that HK slap lol…and it shot great!

No surprise that the Glock booth was all about the new 44 in .22lr…now I have shot Glocks with .22 conversion kits so I kind of had an idea of what it would be like but I have to say the 44 exceeded my expectations! It was lighter than I expected while the trigger was better…I would not hesitate to buy one.

We also ran into Glock shooter Michelle Viscusi

I have read a lot of good things about the sub-compact Springfield Hellcat…it offers the largest mag capacity (13+1) in the smallest package. I tried variations with red-dot and iron sights and I actually shot better with the irons. I really like micro-compacts like the Glock 26 and the Hellcat felt just as good.

It was great to meet Rob Leatham at the Springfield booth

During the course of my research for SHOT, I came across the Rock Island Armory TCM22…a very intriguing round! It is essentially a .22 that moves at 2000 fps!

Here are some 1911s chambered in this round

It creates quite the fireball with no felt recoil!

Next we visited the long range section where I was happy to meet Rob Furlong, who has EXCELLENT taste in jackets lol

He must have given me some good luck as I hit both of my shots on target at 1090 yards out of a Cadex in 300 Norma Magnum…three times longer than I have ever shot before! That Cadex is quite something…and thanks to the Cadex team.

Tom and I were both impressed with Ruger’s latest offerings. First, the 5.7…it is much thinner and easier to hold / control than the FN

Next the Wrangler revolver…an aluminum (very light) frame .22 single action at a very affordable price (under $300 I believe)

Speaking of .22s, how about those long barrels!

More nice Rugers

By now you must have heard of the new Kriss Vector in .22LR…it does not use the Vector recoil mitigating system, rather a more conventional design. However, with a .22 you really don’t need it as there is no recoil anyway. Also, the quad rail allows a light to be mounted on top without obstructing the sight. It costs about a 1/3rd of a centre-fire Kriss.

Vs. the centre-fires in 9mm, 10mm, and 45acp

Just next to Kriss at Maxim Defense I ran into Kris “Tanto” Paronto

Pics of the spectacular range

SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range
https://rlauferblog.com/2020/01/25/shot-show-2020/
SHOT Show 2020 – Day 1 Coverage
https://rlauferblog.com/2021/07/20/shot-show-2020-day-1-coverage/
SHOT Show 2020 – Day 2 Coverage
https://rlauferblog.com/2021/07/20/shot-show-2020-day-2-coverage/
SHOT Show 2020 – Day 3 Coverage
https://rlauferblog.com/2021/07/20/shot-show-2020-day-3-coverage/

5.11 Day at Urban Tactical 2022

Posted by rlaufer2013 on May 15, 2022
Posted in: Guns and Knives. Leave a comment

It was great to see 5.11 Day back at Urban Tactical after a covid imposed hiatus last year. This annual event is usually held on or as close to possible May 11, or 5.11 and features sales on the entire 5.11 lineup as well as general store sales as well. Plus Urban Tactical is just a great store, run by a great group of guys.

The first 50 people had the choice of a t-shirt or hat

I opted for the hat

There was also a prize wheel available to those who made a purchase. Since I made some purchases throughout the day, I got two spins at the wheel.

The first time I won a patch

The second time a 5.11 dopp kit

big crowds all day

TONS of 5.11 around the store, including jackets and shirts

Hoodies

Footwear

including my favourite with built in pocket for an accompanying knife

it will fit a light as well

plate carriers

Backpacks

and hats…shown alongside hats from UF Pro

Unfortunately, my pic with the 5.11 boonie hat came out blurry

Speaking of UF Pro, I do like the brand but unfortunately most of their products are cut too small for me. Case in point, this beautiful ACE Winter Combat Shirt. I do have their winter jacket with the full zipper and like it a lot.

Apart from 5.11, Urban Tactical carries a huge array of tactical gear and firearms. In terms of eyepro, they carry my three favourite brands, SMITH, Revision, and Oakley. For example, this incredible Revision Snowhawk comes with a balaclava featuring strategically placed magnets that pair with the goggles to keep them firmly in place.

Vs. the very low profile Revision Exoshield (btw I got the 5.11 hat I am wearing personally from Doug Marcaida at his seminar during SHOT Show 2018).

Oakley Ballistic Detcord (love the design but a bit small for my face)

Knives from several manufacturers including Kershaw, Gerber, and Condor Tool & Knife, such as this K-TACT KUKRI

Tactical lights from Nextorch

And Quiqlite

HUGE selection of YETI coolers, including the new Bimini Pink, Offshore Blue, and Alpine Yellow

They recently started carrying Mustang Survival!

last but certainly not least, firearms

I looked at the new S&W M&P 12 shotgun…super compact..and extremely grippy textured grips that you usually see on the M&P handgun line

My very first handgun was a Glock 20 in 10mm…here is one next to the longer slide version, the 40

I didn’t take pics of the shooting component of the day but I understand they had about 200 people go through the range. In retrospect, I should have done some shooting!

I didn’t cover the complimentary barbeque either as I opted to visit Camp 31 for some competition level ribs.

I had the “Backside” combo. As the name suggests it is a half rack of baby back and a half rack of side ribs.

All in all a great day.

RL

Fun day with Morgy

Posted by rlaufer2013 on May 2, 2022
Posted in: Guns and Knives. Leave a comment

Had a super fun day with CCFR Gunnie Girl and Canuck Pro-Staffer, the legendary Morgy!

First we hit one of my favourite gun stores, Firearms Outlet Canada. Their selection is incredible and they had at least 15 guns I want to buy lol. My absolute favourites were the B&T GHM9 NON-RESTRICTED and MK II Optic Ready handgun

I also liked the Beretta 92 compact

And Beretta M9A4, with the main difference over the M9A3 being an optics ready slide with front serrations

It was great to check out The Fix by Q again…lightest precision rifle I have ever encountered.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the new Canuck Operator Elite pump action! It looks just like a Benelli M4 except that it is pump action…I believe the slide release is located where the bolt release would be on the semi…pretty neat!

Another nice surprise, they had the Streamlight Wedge..i have been wanting to check these out in person.

All done gun shopping, we hit Portly Piper next.

Morgy had the steak

While I had the club sandwich

We finished with some crème brulee

Next some pool to work off our meal lol

I wont comment on who won

It’s all good..cheers Morgy!

All in all a super fun day! Thanks so much Morgy!

RL

O’Dell Engineering 7th Annual Range Day

Posted by rlaufer2013 on April 2, 2022
Posted in: Guns and Knives. Leave a comment

Note: This event took place August 30, 2021. You may recognize some of the pics as they appeared in the CCFR TV ad during the Federal Election.

In all my travels to gun stores and gun shows one name keeps popping up; “Canuck.” Phil O’Dell and his team at O’Dell Engineering, distributors for Canuck, have clearly done a great job of meeting Canadian gun owners’ needs for quality products at an affordable price all backed by a company with great customer service.

There is no question that O’Dell has capitalized successfully on the growing appetite for tactical shotguns in general, and for mag-fed variants in particular, with offerings such as the Operator, Recon, Renegade, Enforcer, and Engage.

While O’Dell may be best known for Canuck shotguns, they also offer 1911s, both through the Canuck brand as well as through distribution rights for Rock Island Armory. O’Dell is also the Canadian distributor for Bergara precision rifles. Prior to the OIC ban, they were also the distributors for Radical and F-1 Firearms AR-15s.

O’Dell’s Annual Range Day, now in its seventh year, is an industry event that allows retailers to test the latest offerings and provide/receive direct feedback. The intention is to increase retailers’ first-hand familiarity with the products so they can better answer questions and better match firearms with the customer’s shooting needs. The event, done in collaboration with AmChar, the Glock distributor, is by invitation only with a cap of two reps per retailer.

Opening remarks by Phil O’Dell and Ian Mahler to the group of about 60 guests representing 25+ retailers

After which we split up and I headed over to the handgun/rifle range.

In terms of the guns on the line, the FD-12 was the most popular of the day with several people not wanting to put it down!

Rep from Ronin Sports

Canuck Pro-Staffer and CCFR Gunnie Girl Barb

Rep from Williams Arms

I first saw the FD-12 at SHOT Show 2020 and again at CSAAA 2020 and was very intrigued by the compactness of the bull pup box magazine design. The FD-12s being imported by O’Dell are quality controlled by a boots-on-the-ground employee (named Fatih) in Turkey. Guns that meet O’Dell’s standards are marked with an “OD” serial number and are fully supported for warranty work. Currently the O’Dell guns are only available in black and they have a nice weight to them given the abundance of metal components.

The second most popular gun appeared to be the new Commander size Canuck 1911. After years of development, it is finally available in .45ACP and 9mm in stainless or with a black finish. It has a 4.25” barrel and a Series 70 style trigger. Everyone who shot it gave positive feedback and a few even preferred it to the full-size model.

The rep from Victory Ridge

The two Kelly’s!

Dave from NAS Guns and Ammo

And more reps

My personal favourite gun of the day was the Rock Island Armory XT, a 1911 in .22 MAGNUM. While I did not get a chance to shoot it, I did shoot the even hotter .22TCM at SHOT Show 2020 and it was quite surreal to see such a huge flame coming out of a gun with such low recoil. I imagine the .22 MAGNUM would be just as fun!

Speaking of .22s, there were some great new offerings from Bergara on the line. The B14R is designed as a true rimfire “trainer” that follows the dimensions/layout of a REM700 platform. In fact, it can be set up to match the configuration of your centerfire rifle with REM700 compatible stocks, bases, and triggers. Even the magazine is built to the same dimensions as a standard short action AICS mag.

The Bergara Micro Rimfire, or BMR, uses a new scaled down Bergara Action design. It is available with either steel or carbon fiber barrel with match chamber for high accuracy. The BMR accepts aftermarket REM700 triggers.

Canuck Pro-Staffers and CCFR Gunnie Girls…Morgy

Lynn

And Barb

All of the Bergara precision rifles on the line were fitted with US Optics glass as O’Dell is the Canadian distributor for these top-of-the-line scopes.

Next I headed over to the AmChar range

Where the Gen5 Glock 22 was the highlight. Upgrades to the revamped .40 Glock include front slide serrations, a grip without finger grooves, a Gen5 trigger, and four sight configurations including standard, Glock Night Sights, Ameriglo Bold, and Modular Optic System (MOS).

All done at the rifle/handgun ranges, I made my way to the Lancaster Smokehouse food truck. This local favourite was on site serving up some of its legendary brisket, pulled pork, macaroni, and curly fries, a fitting meal for a range day.

Break time was also a great opportunity to check out the incredible selection of machine guns that the Canadian Historical Arms Museum had on display. I love the MG34, MG42, Bren MK1 and big belt-fed autos as much as any gunnut…

but I have to say the Mac 10 with its highly visible welding lines always puts a big smile on my face.

Thanks again to the CHAM crew for your generosity in sharing your collection and knowledge.

Ok back to shooting, this time at the skeet and 5-stand ranges to check out the Canuck Over Under Trap Combo with its beautiful Grade 2 walnut stock and the new Canuck Hunter 3” Inertia semi-auto. The Trap Combo has a 32” vent rib barrel, adjustable recoil pad and comb, fiber optic front sight, and 5 extended chokes. The Hunter has a 28” chrome lined vent rib barrel with fibre optic front sight, two tone bronze Cerekoted aluminum receiver and barrel, and a Mossy Oak Bottomlands Camo pattern buttstock and forend. It will also be available in CAMO MAX 5.

Throughout the day it was great to see so many familiar faces and catch up on industry news.

Dean from Select and Corrie from Code of Arms

And Corrie with Scott from BullsEye North

The crew from AmChar and Target Sports

The crew from NAS Guns and Ammo

Conservative Candidates, Connie Colvey and Tyler Calver, both of whom are RPAL holders, in attendance.

Some nice lawn signs

Lots of nice shades

The range day closed off with a prize draw for attendees. There were multiple great prizes including firearms from Canuck, Bergera, and Glock!


Attendees also received a great swag bag with Canuck and Bergara hats, tshirt, and other gear.

And we were not done yet! The celebration continued at the Duke & Duchess, a local British pub.

O’Dell’s decision to move forward with this event is a very encouraging sign for our sport and a testament of their commitment to it. So many other great events have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely with all the lockdowns and havoc over the past two years, not to mention the current political climate.

Finally, some special thanks to all the volunteers including Canuck pro shooters and CCFR Gunnie Girls Morgy, Lynn, and Barb, to Dean and team from Select Shooting Supplies for supplying the coffee and PA system, to Steve Corlett from Vista and Federal ammo for sourcing the required munitions for the day, which is a growing challenge due to ammo shortages, to the Sportsmens Club Galt, and of course the O’Dell team for putting on such a great event. Oh, and Happy Birthday Phil!

RL

Toronto Motorcycle Show 2022

Posted by rlaufer2013 on March 25, 2022
Posted in: Motorcycle Shows. Leave a comment

The North American International Motorcycle Supershow, aka “the Big One” claims to cover 500,000 square feet, feature 500+ vendors and 1000+ bikes. While these numbers may have been true for their pre-covid shows, this one definitely felt smaller. In fact, it seemed to me that there was more gear than bikes. It definitely felt more like a dealer show than a manufacturer show.

Case in point, the “Harley-Davidson” booth was run by a local dealer, not the manufacturer. It had TONS of clothing and maybe 10-15 bikes, some of which were already sold so you could not sit on them. Such was the case with my favourite, the Fat Boy

The Terminator may have been here

I love this bike.

This CVO Road Glide was also sold

Vs. the standard Road Glide

Another beautiful CVO, this time a Street Glide

The Heritage Classic lives up to its name…it certainly felt nostalgic with that windshield and reminded me of the old CHIPS tv show…I liked it a lot better in real life than in pics, in fact it was one of the biggest surprises of the show.

The new Sportster S looks great

A couple of Pan America

Livewire electric bike

Fat Bob

There were lots of crazy customs competing for a $50,000 prize

I have seen this John Deer bike at a previous show

But he has added a matching Challenger lol

Crazy paint jobs

Another one of my show favourites, a great winter bike

There were also lots of vintage bikes on display

Switching gears to sportbikes, the BMW S1000RR

And M1000RR

Ducati Panigale

899

This modified Edition 1 was my favourite

Actually there were quite a few modified sportbikes on scene

And some modified adventure bikes

Minimalist helmets seemed to be a thing…they were all over the place

Lots of bike art

So all in all it was an ok show but there is still some work to do to get it back to pre-covid glory days. I did feel that there weren’t enough bikes or at least a shortage of the ones I wanted to see. Just to recap my favourites (almost all Harleys)

  • Harley Fat Boy
  • Harley CVO Road Glide
  • Harley CVO Street Glide
  • Harley Heritage Classic
  • Harley track bike
  • Ducati Edition One

RL

Toronto Sportsmen’s Show 2022

Posted by rlaufer2013 on March 18, 2022
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

It’s great to be back covering a major show like the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show 2022! I have really missed such events over the past 2 years.

TSS is under new management and the show had a slightly different feel, in part due to the mix of exhibitors. I saw lots of familiar exhibitors but a lot of new ones as well…and very welcome ones at that as they turned out to be my favourites!

Normally I start my reviews of TSS by covering all things firearms related but not this year! Knives and gear stole this show.

In the world of hunting and outdoors, PUMA knives out of Germany are legendary!

Not surprisingly, their booth was swarmed all day (I snuck in an early shot)

PUMA’s product line is incredibly expansive and is divided into three categories: First, Hand Made in Germany, which is pretty obvious. Next, PUMA IP, which stands for International Production.  The majority of IP knives are hand-made in Spain but the design, finished production and quality control is performed by PUMA in Solingen, Germany. Finally, PUMA TEC, which are more modern in design and are also produced in carefully selected Asian partner manufacturing facilities.

As a serious collector I was most interested in the Hand Made line so I will start with those, specifically one of the coolest knives I have seen in a long time, the Fishing knife!

This classic design features a fish scale pattern integral frame culminating in a big “ball” at the end.

While the ball can be used to deliver a final blow to your catch, that is not its primary purpose

Rather it serves as a counter weight and, working in conjunction with the notches and markings on the blade, allows you to weigh your fish!!!! Here is a demo of how it works.

The Fishing knife next to the General, my second favourite of the Hand Made lineup. This is about as close to “tactical” as you can expect from PUMA lol.

There is also a shorter version of this knife known as the Sergeant (not shown here) as well as green handle versions such as the Master and Packer

Of course, you cannot talk about Hand Made PUMAs without mentioning the White Hunter. The origin of this knife dates back to 1956 when it was designed as an all-purpose knife for the East African Hunting Association. The knife was designed for both heavy and fine chopping and slicing as well as hammering tent pegs. Since that time, there have been several variations including the functioning mini (with real stag scales!) and a much larger “Waidblatt” version.

Speaking of minis, check out this working folder and flipper!

Ok on to the IP line. My favourite there was definitely the Lanza Saufeder, which can be combined with an oak shaft to form a boar spear!

Beautiful leather sheath

It was great to meet the reps from pumaknives.ca Super friendly people!

Next up, Svord, all the way from New Zealand.

Fortunately they brought two of the Von Tempsky knives to the show, the Forest Ranger Bowie and the Ranger. As their namesakes suggest, both knives were designed by Major Von Tempsky in the mid 1800s and issued to New Zealand Forest Rangers under his command.

The Bowie has an 11” blade

While the Ranger’s is 6.5”

I also really liked the Hunter 7…it felt so great in the hand!

Having international knives at the show is great but keep in mind Canada has some great knifemakers too, such as Skip’s Customs who has been making custom knives for 30 years. I really liked the deer jawbone knife.

There was a blade for everyone at the show

Including visiting Klingons!

Good to start them on blades early

Ok NOW we get to the guns lol.

First stop, my good friends at Stoeger.

Nice setup on this Tikka T3x tactical

Beautiful over-unders we have come to expect from Beretta

As usual, a highlight of the Stoeger booth is the Steiner display, this time featuring a new camo coating.

Sorry I didn’t get the details on that Burris

Next up, Hunt Group with a staggering array of shotguns, mostly box mag fed

Although my favourite was the semi-auto with Shockwave style grip

Lots of guns for sale at Shooter’s Choice booth

Moving on to gear, it was great to meet the crew at Army Issue Surplus, newcomers and a very welcome addition to TSS (I have always said the show needs more “tactical”).

Lots of great surplus gear

Check out these awesome GI mittens

Or if you prefer the arctic version

British police surplus PR24

Classic freedom munitions

vs “Canadian freedom” water jugs

 Another newcomer I was very excited about, True North Tradecraft, experts in disaster preparedness and personal security

a quick demo of some of their escape tools

I picked up a GTFO bracelet

And I really want to take one of their courses

Speaking of courses, great to see my friends from CHIMERA, who just moved to a new location. I took one of their mini-courses on low-light shooting and it was FANTASTIC! (in fact I had a Surefire G2Z Maxvision that I came to love on that course in my bag)

Education seemed to be a theme here, with a few more options. I wish that I could have stayed to watch WSC’s presentation on the stage.

I should say education and advocacy, particularly for our gun rights, such as the CSSA

And CCFR…

…who were raffling off this beautiful custom made table

made by this gentleman

They were also raffling off this Canuck shotgun

Nice to catch up with some CCFR Gunnie Girls

Amanda Lynn Mayhew and the Just Hunt Crew promoting the sport to women

As were Canadian Sportswomen Society

The Canadian Wild Turkey Federation promotes Wild Turkey’s in Canada. The have Chapters Canada wide and are doing a Membership drive at the show with a raffle to win one of five shotguns and a rifle.

There have always been offroad vehicles at TSS but I didn’t really pay much attention to them until this year. The new offerings from Argo and Segway look very interesting.

6 and 8 wheelers from Argo

but their tracked model was the most popular

Meanwhile the Segway Villain has 185 HP in its highest trim!

But the biggest surprise vehicle-wise was the SHERP..i was NOT expecting to see that at the show!

I have also ignored fishing boats at previous TSS shows but I couldn’t ignore these boats!

It wouldn’t be a TSS without some taxidermy and animal skins

Finally, outdoor clothing.

Including high end hunting gear from Harkila

Polar Piece

Military themed tshirts

Widowmaker supply

Stix and Stones

Yeti coolers showcasing their new Offshore Blue and Bimini Pink

Oh no, bouncy castles! Please don’t invoke the Emergencies Act!

So what was my overall assessment? Well, as someone who goes to A LOT of tradeshows, I often walk away happy and satisfied if I find ONE cool thing…and from that perspective, this show delivered as I found SEVERAL cool things! Just a quick recap of some of them:

  • PUMA Fishing knife (and the rest of the lineup really)
  • Svord Tempsky knives
  • Skip’s custom deer jawbone knife
  • True North Tradecraft gear
  • Army Issue surplus gear
  • Steiner camo binoculars
  • Yeti Bimini Pink lineup
  • and the SHERP!

A fantastic show!

RL

A few pics from the CCFR after party (sorry the lighting was terrible)

My new cigar journey

Posted by rlaufer2013 on December 24, 2021
Posted in: Gear. Leave a comment

In anticipation of my 50th birthday extravaganza, i just bought my first cigar, a Cuaba Distinguidos!

Of course, i never stop there so got some accessories as well….including a Cigar Caddy travel humidor in camo (shown with a bonus cigar they gave me)

and a Colibri Quasar tabletop cutter, which i absolutely love!

I am not sure how much i will like the cigar but i like the Colibri so much that i might get the rest of the set (lighter, ashtray etc).

Just what i need, another expensive hobby!

As i posted in my John Wick 2 pistol cake blog, my birthday celebration went well 🙂

I have since purchased a few more cigars (not to mention the gift box of Cohibas from my Lady 🙂 )

This Cohiba Medio Siglo also arrived on my birthday but I didn’t open the package till later

I am currently in Montreal and had the chance to visit Vasco, the claimed largest cigar accessory store in Canada. Their claim does seem plausible…while their actual selection of cigars is about on par with other stores I have visited, their selection of humidors, lighters, ashtrays, pens, barware, and men’s accessories like cufflinks is truly impressive. It’s the kind of store you can spend hours browsing and keep finding treasures.

I bought a Partagas Culebras

No luck on the Quasar lighter in red…

…until today! The obsession continues lol.

Also picked up this beautiful Cohiba Classic Logo ashtray

Now for some S.T. Dupont stuff…..

RL

John Wick 2 50th birthday cake

Posted by rlaufer2013 on December 9, 2021
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Being a huge John Wick fan, what better way to celebrate my 50th birthday than with this incredible TTI John Wick 2 cake! This is one of the coolest things I have gotten in a while and I must say Velvet Lane Cakes did an amazing job and were great to work with (more on this later).

The level of realism and detail is astonishing…it looks just like the real thing!

In more detail…

close-up of the business end…note the “fiber optic” front sight!

Taran Tactical logo and Taran’s signature

A fitting birthday message

Ready for action

A 50 gun salute

Unlike the TTI, this one is chambered in chocolate chip

Once again,, amazing job by Velvet Lane! I was worried that they would not want to do a “gun themed” cake or have a birthday message that, ahem, follows the movie quote but they were totally cool with everything. Very responsive and great attitude! I think I might commission a John Wick 3 cake for Christmas!

RL

Buck 120, The Scream Knife

Posted by rlaufer2013 on November 3, 2021
Posted in: Guns and Knives. Leave a comment

The Buck 120 is not my usual type of knife but after binge watching horror movies all Halloween i had to have one. Just in time too as I was in the movie theatre last night and saw that a new Scream is coming out!

Ghostface definitely uses a Buck 120, it is even mentioned in one of the movies, however the model was discontinued and then re-introduced so mine is a second generation. I am not 100% sure of the differences between the two. In any case, thanks to S&R Knives for speedy delivery.

The familiar Buck yellow box

It comes with a black leather sheath that has a retention strap with snap closure. Obviously it is not as tight as the molded Kydex I am more used to with my tactical knives.

I have to say, the knife looks quite stunning! It is indeed an “iconic” design and the mirror polish blade looks great (and sharp too).

Mine is a 2021 production, per Buck’s handy marking convention

Unlike Ghostface, i prefer reverse grip edge out over his Pikal style grip though

I admit I bought this completely because of Scream but you know what, it’s damn nice on its own! Anyone looking for a hunting/outdoor knife with 7”+ blade should seriously consider this one.

Also, check out Ghostface’s music videos…you may not know he has a budding singing career!

RL

Blade-Tech Belts

Posted by rlaufer2013 on October 31, 2021
Posted in: Gear. Leave a comment

I just picked up a Blade-Tech Ultimate Carry ratcheting gun belt as an everyday companion to their Velocity Competition Speed Belt.

It comes in a nice plastic box that can be used for storage

The belt (with the allen key for the set screws)

While the Ultimate Carry is branded Blade-Tech, it is actually made by Nexbelt as part of their expansive EDC line (including a James Bond-like one with a hidden handcuff key in the buckle!). Designed for holster carry, the belt’s thick leather is reinforced with a polymer core.

The ratcheting system itself is a polyamide nylon that is said to be as strong as steel. Each click of the ratchet provides a quarter inch of adjustment and allows for a total of 6” of adjustment without removing the belt.

The belt is 50” long (Nexbelt also offers an XL at 67”) and the inside has markings at every inch to help you cut it to size (keeping in mind you need to leave extra inches for inside or outside waist carry). It is worth noting that the leather side of the belt has a beautiful finish but I am also impressed by the bold print quality of the all the markings on the inside.

After you cut it to size, you re-insert the belt into the buckle and close the retention clamp that holds it in place with 9 teeth. Once the two retention screws are tightened, it yields a 1000+ lbs. pull test

The release trigger (shown at the top of the buckle) can be accessed with either hand

Blade-Tech’s Velocity Competition Speed Belt is quite different from the Ultimate Carry. Like most competition style belts, it is a two-piece system with an inner belt covered in industrial grade VELCRO and a more rigid outer belt to which you mount your holster and mag pouches. Both the inner and outer belts are HDPE reinforced with nylon webbing that has a 4,000-pound tensile strength.

The two pieces are secured in place with Blade-Tech’s wrap around belt keeper.

The two-piece system allows for easy on/off and for quickly swapping out setups for different stages of competition (assuming you have multiple outer belts with different setups).

While the specs are impressive, I actually chose the Velocity Competition Speed Belt after doing a lot of research and discovering that John. Wick carried his Taran Tactical Combat Master Glock 34 in a Blade-Tech Revolution holster mounted to one and I wanted mine to be true to the film. The Revolution series has since been discontinued and replaced with the Signature, which I got with a matching double mag pouch (Wick’s preferred setup).

In addition to the belts described above, Blade-Tech also offers an EDC belt with traditional buckle and an Instructor belt, which is more of an “Operator” style with Cobra buckle.

So far I am pleased with Blade-Tech products. I should also point out that they have great customer service and were very helpful in confirming my research about the John Wick setup.

RL

TACCOM 2019 – Part 3

Posted by rlaufer2013 on September 8, 2021
Posted in: Guns and Knives. 2 Comments

DAY 3

Well today is the last day and we are going out STRONG! Believe me, there will be some FIRE in this post!!!

One of the big advantages of a show like this is connecting and re-connecting with industry folks..i ran into my favourite Stoeger rep at the dinner last night and that reminded me to visit her booth. And boy am I glad that I did!! I found my absolute favourite gun of the show, the Benelli M4 A1…like heart beating fast, hot flashes favourite! I already have a Benelli M4 but not like this and the clever boys at Benelli made it so I cannot retrofit the parts, forcing me to buy a new one. And I think their plan worked!

The proprietary fore-end

MASSIVE controls

Door breacher

Now if that is not enough for you at the Stoeger booth, how about this $27,000 Victrix .50BMG from Italy? Yes, that is DOLLARS not LIRA! Every part of the gun is laser mapped pre-assembly and then the whole gun is laser mapped again once assembled. The data is tied to the serial number and if your gun ever needs servicing, they will clone parts for it to the laser specs! All their guns are F1 class.

Muzzle brake

Note the unique vents on the bolt to direct gasses sideways for shooter safety

Still not enough? How about a SAKO TRG…with a takedown screw in the bolt handle

Oh and the takedown tools are stored in a compartment on the fore-end

I was told on set-up day that an actual Colt C20 would be on display to showcase its USO optic…I checked back and did not see it but thanks to social media, I saw that it arrived so that was my next stop. WOW…another show favourite!!!

The same thing happened with the CSA Compact….it wasn’t there when I visited the booth but I saw it on social media and bam a THIRD show favourite!! Wow, I am finding all the best stuff on Day 3…usually things are winding down at this point. But don’t worry, there is more!

I love the super Compact and can confirm that it fits in a GoRuck GR-1 Shooter bag

One of my objectives for Day 3 was to get an action figure from 3RIUS – Holodeck 3D

Here I am ready to be scanned

After seeing the scan, I got a great idea…I remembered seeing an airsoft version of my John Wick 3 gun so I rushed over to Action Air and they graciously let me borrow it for a re-scan!

By the way, those guys had some other incredible airsoft guns…check out this Resident Evil limited edition

And these

Thanks to Action Air, my 3D action figure will look like this…man I love TACCOM!

3RIUS – Holodeck 3D is actually owned by the same group who owns M-GEAR …awesome EDC tools

And these guys even teach Filipino martial arts!!!! More on that topic after lunch!

But first, a visit to my good friends at Tactical Imports to see their new bullpup shotgun…these were flying off the shelf and TI had to keep re-stocking during the show lol

MKA 1919 Match Gen 2

Type 81

Speaking of good friends…Nanuk! New big multi-gun case

Nice big handle to carry the big case

And for shorter carbines

I still need to get a custom two gun case made

By now you must be wondering, what about Glock? Well as you can imagine, their booth was pretty mobbed at all times. I did manage to see the new Aimpoint ACRO on a Glock and believe it or not, it was SMALLER than I thought it would be (based on all the memes)

Considering they won an award, I wanted to give Triggertech a closer look but they were mobbed too! I didn’t get a chance to speak with them but got some decent pics.

Pretty hard to talk to Vortex too lol…this is why I try to get in early so I can take pics before the crowds but I cant get to all of them in time lol

I am a big fan of Peltor hearing protection…I have two electronic muffs (Comtac and Tactical Sport) and probably 5 of their non-electronic muffs lol.

I have never tried their in-ear products…until today! And I have to say I was pretty impressed! I

It was also fantastic to talk directly to an engineer…I am telling you, TACCOM is just like being at SHOT show!

Some more of my favourite brands…Surefire

And Trijicon

And now for some new (to me) things…Danaper CCW bags…come in all shapes and sizes and feature quick access from multiple angles with hidden zippers…some also have compartments for body armour. The rep gave multiple demos using many of the variations and it does look fast!

I have heard of Alien Gear holsters but missed their booth at SHOT show so was pretty happy to hear they were coming to TACCOM! Their Shape Shift holster has won numerous awards. Basically it is a modular system that allows you to use different mounts to transform a holster into multiple carry options.

You can see the single attachment point here

And the companion trigger guard on the gun

Which allows the holster to be extremely flexible

Alien Gear was also showcasing their new Rapid Force high retention holster designed for law enforcement

Red Tower Armoury had one of the nicest looking displays of the show…unfortunately my camera didn’t like the backlighting that made it so beautiful ..sorry guys

But you can see it on their customized guns

Now this pearl pink really has to be seen in person!

Oh and now they are cerakoting motorcycles too!

Still tons to cover…C4L…veteran owned

Patch Panel

CZ

CTOMS…where I bought the awesome Crye Precision shirt that I am wearing…I have pants on order too..should be here in January lol. CTOMS has GREAT customer service! Shout out to Shy who helped me on my order but could not make it to the show.

The venerable 5.11..i have LOT’S of their pants…and a few hats too, including one gifted to me by Doug Marcaida when he started representing the brand (and I took his seminar)…and another by the generous Canadian rep…thanks bro!

Nice Canada-specific product!

Fighting for our rights…NFA

And CSSA

Hey its TheShmoo manning the tanks lol

Ok time for lunch…and yes, more meat! I paid an extra $6 to supersize and WOW it was worth it!

The food court was right next to the main stage so I listened in to the panel about female shooters

Next on stage, Canatek Gun works with their innovative locking gun block to store and transport multiple guns…basically you don’t need individual trigger locks and allows you to fit many more guns in a smaller space. Definitely worth checking out.

Now remember that I said the M-GEAR crew teach Filipino martial arts? Well I was thrilled that they were doing an on-stage demo! I have taken a few seminars myself and, being a “knife guy” I love it.

They demonstrated using all types of knives and improvised weapons.

Again, I told you we were finishing strong and I think you will agree it is pretty hard to top a seminar with Chris Costa on the Mindset of the Use of Force. Given the sensitive topic, I cant divulge too much other than to say it was highly educational. Chris had some great anecdotes to drive his points home. And I think I will get a t-shirt made with “there is mag change in there” because that could be the best line ever lol.

Now the very last but not least, Movie Armament Group! I have seen tons of social media chatter about their booth over the weekend…there was so much to see that I cannot do justice with comments so I hope you are all ok with a pic dump.

And now for some closing comments…

First, we had the Golden Bullet Awards now I present to you the RL1 awards for my Best In Show…but because I cant pick just one, I will do my top five in each category.

Guns
1. Benelli M4 A1
2. Korth ULX
3. Colt C20
4. CSA Super Compact
5. Alberta Tactical Rifle MS18-A3 CCFR Edition

Optics
1. ATN Monocular
2. FLIR Breach
3. Nightforce BEAST
4. Nightforce ATACR 1-8×24
5. US Optics TS 2.5-20

Experiences
1. Attending seminars by Chris Costa and Master Ken
2. Getting things autographed by Chris Costa and Master Ken
3. Attending the Golden Bullet Awards and sharing a table with Lovie and 2 champions
4. M-GEAR Filipino martial arts demo
5. Seeing two editions of High Capacity magazine with my articles at TACCOM

Some people have called TACCOM “SHOT show of the North” and as someone who has attended SHOT, I tend to agree. It is not just the guns, it is the fact that you have global industry reps / engineers here to interact with you, seminars by industry icons like Chris Costa and Lovie, the industry dinner, and an overall professional atmosphere that brings the community together

The bottom line is that the TACCOM team did a phenomenal job.

I must also say that I am very grateful to be given an all access media pass. I could not have done this review without it. To put things in perspective, I spent about 25 hours at the show and that much again going through the approximately 1100 pics that I took…and I only posted half of them!

I’ll be happy to do it all over again next year.

RL

PART 1

TACCOM 2019 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2019 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2019 – Part 3