DAY 3

When it comes to customized shotguns, Tactical Ordnance is pretty much at the top.

Lately TacOrd has been doing lots of builds on the 1301

They use Aridus parts …

As well as their in-house designed flat mount to replace the pic rail…this brings the red-dot lower to better co-witness with the front sight

More builds

The pink camo Versamax caught my eye

While AmChar didn’t have any Glocks, there was certainly a lot to see at their booth.

I especially liked the Troy PAR (pump action rifle), shown next to the Troy straight pull

Ah, I found a gun to match that giant sword

Gravel Agency showcasing Hatsan shotguns

My favourites of which were this one with the shockwave style grip

and the marine semi-auto (don’t see too many of those)

great to catch up with farmboy as well!

Magpul on display at Gravel’s booth

Chiappa, in all the way from Italy

CCFR Gunnie Girl and Browning pro-staff, Amanda got to see her dream gun (I will let her tell the story)

Always good to see my friends at Mossberg

This is what I love about the gun industry…we are all just gun guys so no problem for Mossberg and Canuck to hang out

JR with the Sterling Arms R18 MK2 of his design

It is available in several finishes…the top one is clear-coated raw steel (not sure if that one is for sale or just a display piece but it is the one I would go with lol…or the red)

Once again, someone beats me at the shoe game lol…my pic did not even capture how bright these were

Steve from TSE will be doing a review of the new Derya

I haven’t really talked about optics yet but believe me, there were A LOT at the show!

First stop Stoeger to check out the latest from Steiner, my favourite brand of binoculars.

The Predator AF 10×42 uses Steiner’s C.A.T. technology, which stands for Color Adjusted Transmission and it is supposed to make it easy to identify animals in any environment (e.g. in foliage and shade). BTW, I mistakenly referred to the outer shell as “camo” in a recent review but it is actually their Laser Texture designed to provide a good grip.

The Predator LRF’s electronics components are completely integrated into the binocular housing providing and features angle compensation and various measuring modes

The Commander 7x50C has a fluid damped, HD stabilized illuminated compass with ranging reticle

The newest scope from the Predator 8 series

Next stop, Leupold in the hopes of checking out the Mark 4 spotting scope…always wanted to try one out.

And we are in luck as they had two of them!

Incredible to get such a view from such a compact package.

Leupold shooting glasses

One of the founders of Apex spoke in the “women of the shooting industry” panel that I attended yesterday. In fact, the Canadian company was founded “by shooters, for shooters”.

My favourite was the Summit Pro with reticle. I really like the way you can rotate the reticle with a control ring around the left eye-cup

Like Apex, Tract also sells directly to consumers. However, their founders are formerly of Nikon. They use SCHOTT glass from Germany, the same glass used by other brands that typically sell at a much higher price point.

Vortex…always one of the busiest booths

Glad to see Nightforce back at TACCOM.

The ATACR range is my favourite.

The NX range

Featuring the most compact FFP 1-8 on the market

I first met True North Tradecraft at the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show although I had been following them online well before then. Also, I enjoyed their seminar on Friday so a visit to their booth was definitely warranted.

Demonstrating how to get out of cuffs (in a hostage situation)

Tactikey

TNT was sharing a table with Delta2Alpha who make the feature-laden Straight Shooter jeans. These have 11 pockets, tango eyes/stays to attach accessories, and are designed for freedom of movement, among other features.

Enola Gaye might be another good option for escape and evasion.

The Twin Vent puts out huge amounts of smoke out of both ends

And they were on show special 😊

Body armor from AI Tactical Solutions

I like that visor

Plate carriers from Condor

Tasmanian Tiger

Canadian company, Confections Carcajou

And to carry your guns, awesome holsters from Gray Fox Strategic

Unique pieces for the show…sadly I missed the orange/black one

Ammo can cigar humidor

Always great to see Dean and team from Select Shooting Supplies

Select was running a sticker draw for a deactivated FNC1, complete with bayonet and full kit

SFRC

Who were also running a raffle

And brought some military vehicles to display

TriggerTech, legendary triggers. Best to read up on their many many innovations such as “frictionless release technology” “TKR” “CLKR” “FLTWR Spring” etc…a bit too technical to get into here

For bolt guns

AR15

AR10

Closeup of the Diamond for RPR

Internals

I just went back to the Tactical Innovations Canada booth in time to watch another customer buy the last Klarus with 360 tail switch. Oh well, at least I got to try out the display model. The ring access to the strobe function from any angle is awesome.

Nice megaphones

Last but certainly not least, personal gear and apparel.

Urban Tactical is one of my favourite gun stores. In addition to firearms and having a range (with shooting packages for the public) attached to their retail store, they certainly have the best selection of personal gear and apparel. Whether it be footwear (e.g. Danner, Salomon, Altama, Haix, Lowa, Original Swat etc), gloves (Mechanix, TurtleSkins, Hatch) eyewear (Oakley, SMITH, Revision) or clothing (5.11, UF Pro, Viktos) their selection is staggering. On top of that, the crew are super nice!

Great to see Dave back in Toronto

I liked these Viktos shirts

I didn’t get many pics of their expansive booth (mainly because it was full all the time) but in addition to the clothing you see in my pics, they had a large selection of Nextorch lights and YETI products.

It was also great to see Amy again! Formerly of Stoeger, now with 911Supply. I was pleased to learn that 911Supply has expanded into Ontario by taking over Parabellum Prime in Ottawa. I have shopped at both of their stores and look forward to visiting the newly branded Ottawa store.

Some booth pics

Otte Patrol Pants in Wolf Grey to match my Patrol Jacket

Otte loft jackets

Mannequin in Crye Precision

Tactical Supplies Canada

Tom manning the Code of Arms booth

Here I am with my new t-shirt and the man himself

MadHatter Industries, a veteran-owned apparel company with a global mission to raise mental health awareness and prevent suicides

C4L, also veteran owned and operated

Army Issue Surplus

Did I mention that I am obsessed with gas masks? Lol

Organizations fighting for our rights…CSAAA (representing dealers)

CSSA

NFA

And of course the CCFR

Who were raffling off a Crusader Arms

Silvercore, who promote safety and provide training for all things firearms related

Canadian Sportswoman Society

And now to recognize those who contribute to the atmosphere and ambiance of TACCOM…

Code of Arms ran the stage like clockwork, not an easy task with approximately 20 presentations over the 3 days. Code of Arms also brought in International Recoding artist and the official FREEDOM DJ Desi Ranks who did a great job keeping us upbeat.

Also, MGear deserves special mention. They were not just selling EDC wallets, they were integral to the TACCOM experience. MGear brought in Datu Shishir Inocalla, aka Michaelangelo, put on demonstrations of Filipino Martial Arts, provided training and a tournament in FMA for attendees, and set-up their HOLOD3CK to create personal 3D action figures. All of this drew a lot of people, especially families, which is integral to passing on our sport to future generations.

Again, as a knife guy, I thoroughly enjoyed their FMA presentations and the personal demonstrations and tips I got in the off hours were definitely show highlights for me.

I also want to thank all exhibitors for being so kind and accommodating. I know I can be a Prima Donna at times asking you to move things around for my pics…so I appreciate it! Thanks for all the kind words!

And of course Fred, who did such an amazing job organizing this incredible event. THANK YOU for all you do to put the “TACCOM” into TACCOM!

RL

LINKS TO ALL PARTS BELOW

TACCOM 2022 – Part 1

TACCOM 2022 – Part 1

TACCOM 2022 – Part 2

TACCOM 2022 – Part 2

TACCOM 2022 – Part 3

TACCOM 2022 – Part 3

DAY 2

I started the day by heading back to Wolverine to have a closer look at the B&T APC and GMH9. I have heard some suggest the APC is too heavy but I did not find that to be the case

That having been said, I did prefer the feel of the GMH9 and I do like the FDE and this was one of my show favourites

As was this BlackBox custom S&W M&P! I love the rough texture and it pointed so well (super easy to find the red dot).

Lots of nice customized Glocks

I also went back to Tamgha to check out the Wolverine-M folding shotgun. I have seen a folding AR and folding Glock at SHOT Show but never a folding shotgun. Perhaps I should go back and take a video because the way it flicks or snaps open in one motion is so cool!

In anticipation of several knife-related seminars today, I will cover some knife booths. First, MAP Impex with Damascus hand-made in Pakistan. My favourite was the karambit with camel bone scales.

Next the Pocket Blade, where I think I found their namesake and my new EDC

My friends at Rangeview Sports brought a great assortment of knives

And now for the first seminar on Filipino martial arts. This was one of the highlights of TACCOM 2019 but this time there was an added bonus, the man behind the shell of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michaelangelo, Datu Shishir Inocalla!

Some warm up drills

Datu Shishir addresses the crowd and does some solo work…cowabunga

and is then joined by his training partner, who happens to be the owner of MGear

after beating on him for a bit, we switch to another partner, an incredibly skilled one at that (he also showed me some moves before the show..again, incredible!)

He gives a quick lesson in FMA to Jeff

Yes, today I met Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Michaelangelo

Alright back to some browsing before the next seminar.

As you probably know from my past reviews, I LOVE Surefire!

This time I was looking for some specific things when I visited their booth. James Yaeger passed away last week so I wanted to cover the Tactician, designed with his input. This 800 Lumen light has a somewhat unique combination of features. For example, the tailcap button is for “temporary on” only and you have to twist the tailcap for “constant on.” Meanwhile, twisting the front bezel switches from low output to high output with Maxvision (designed to fill your peripheral vision).

I also wanted to look at the X400U and new X300turbo from Surefire’s weaponlight series.

The X400U is a laser/light combo

while the X300turbo is the longest throw pistol light on the market (over 500 meters!)

Of course, I could always use a Dominator

Next a visit to CRAFM, Montreal’s premier gunstore. CRAFM is a very strong supporter of IPSC, as you can tell by the very high end firearms they sell (e.g. SVI Infinity) and the fact they sponsor IPSC Champion shooter Alex Berdat.

Alex competes with the Alien

The Anaconda is more my style/speed lol

Alex with CRAFM’s proprietor Frank, again a strong supporter of the shooting community.

Ok, time for the next seminar! Tracey Wilson introduced a panel of women involved in the shooting industry. Each gave their background on how they got into shooting and shared strategies for getting more women involved.

Tracey then introduced Rod Giltaca,

To a big crowd

Rod spoke about the CCFR’s approach and what we can do in the current political climate.

Next Steve from Crusader Arms gave us a background on the company and introduced the new Templar in technical detail.

With some swag for the highly inquisitive audience

And now for my most anticipated presentation, Master Ken, who arrived with police escorts, presumably to protect everyone else!

Master Ken shares his philosophy

And then gets a volunteer to demonstrate knife defense…yes! More knife fighting!

Master Ken assures us that the training knife is as dull as Canadians

As this was only my second seminar in Ameri-Dote, I don’t feel qualified to share the secrets of the art…so you can just enjoy the pics of his knife defense.

Next his knife knot defense technique

Single gun disarm

His “John Wick” defense against a dual pistol wielding attacker

Finally his “Backstreet Boys” defense against a gun held to the back of your head…co-demonstrated with none other than Canuck pro-staff shooter and CCFR Gunnie Girl, Lynn!

After the demonstration we had the opportunity to buy some swag.

I had bigger plans though…my favourite Master Ken video of all time is his “Twisted Tea” defense breakdown after that incident in the convenience store where a guy knocked someone out with a can of the famous drink. I brought a can for Master Ken to sign and he graciously did so.

Even better, he personally demonstrated his “Boston Tea Party” technique!

But it didn’t end there and what happened next could only happen at a show like TACCOM!

So after Master Ken’s demo, I finally had the chance to visit Premier Body Armor. I was especially interested in their Everyday Armor T-Shirt. It was just as great as I expected (and exactly what I am looking for) but they did not have it in my size so I will have to order one.

I also looked at their conventional vests

with available Eclipsys cooling system (so thin that my camera had trouble focusing on it)

Backpack inserts

Then while looking at the armor plates on their table, I noticed something interesting…what could it be?

A bulletproof can cooler!

Now I have a Twisted Tea assault can infused with Master Ken’s awesomeness and bulletproof protection! This must be on the level of Thor’s Hammer!

As I ponder what I can accomplish with my Mjolnir, Jerrika brings us back to reality with her informative presentation on hunting culture in Aboriginal communities and some of the special challenges they face.

Then yet another knife defense seminar! Of course, this is highly interesting to me as a “knife guy” who has taken a few of these seminars, it is also highly topical given the rise in knife crime such as that very recent mass stabbing.

Tirsia Tactical demonstrating the core principal of their TRICOM system of getting to the outside line. The instructors were using the Aku Strike T-16 Mimic training knife that “beeps” to simulate a stab/slash (these are great, I have one as well from a seminar I did with Doug Marcaida)

I capped off the evening with the CCFR party at Arizona Grill

Master Ken even showed up! And he shaved his moustache in disguise

More coverage tomorrow.

RL

LINKS TO ALL PARTS BELOW

TACCOM 2022 – Part 1

TACCOM 2022 – Part 1

TACCOM 2022 – Part 2

TACCOM 2022 – Part 2

TACCOM 2022 – Part 3

TACCOM 2022 – Part 3