Just six short months after the very first Milton Sportsmen’s Show we are treated to a second one, and an even bigger one at that!
The show now spans across the main building
A secondary building
And an outdoor area
I’ll start with the beautiful barn
For those who thought there wouldn’t be anything “tactical” here, how about an Akdas Masterkey! I admit, I was not expecting to see that today!
Canfirearm, exclusive distributor for the Akdas, also had a Kodiak K9 and Crusader Crypto on display as well as a Tavor 21 in the original IDF configuration (well not full auto, of course)
Charlie Does Leatherwork had my next favourite firearms related booth. He does all of the beautiful leatherwork by hand, including tanning, stitching, and wrapping.
Check out this beautiful package with matching rifle case
Charlie sourced that piece of coyote fur at the last Milton show!
Even the lever is wrapped
Ok time to visit the second floor for a mini-reunion of the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show that I covered a couple of months ago!
Back for his second Milton show, Todd Bolce
Again, 5400 year old wood handle
More interesting handle materials from Farmboy customs
Sheaths too
Of course, Farmboy uses more traditional materials like Stag as well
Some table shots
Also back at Milton, Buffalo Bones and their great leather goods
This incredible machete sheath/scabbard was my favourite piece
The Man behind Buffalo Bones, Seamus
With Todd Bolce and Matt Metcalfe
More unique pieces, such as this custom dog collar
And lady’s wallet
Nice leather notebooks we are used to seeing from Buffalo Bones
More nice leatherwork and paracord from Matt
Continuing with GLCKS alumni, Wynn Stitt
Again, I like that big stag handled bowie
Good to see KC Forge again as well
More great forged knives from Steve Cornelson – Bad Llama Forge
Fire Drawn Forge mentored under KC Forge
This one is similar in profile to a competition chopper
One of the first knives he ever made with sheath made by his son
Also back at the show, Sharp Sticks customs
This homage to the Canadian military’s issue knife was my favourite
Game calls from Knotty Beaver
I didn’t take many pics in the second building as they were mostly private gun sales but I did find yet another knifemaker from GLCKS, Mark Summers of SM Knives
Had another look at his GLCKS build-along knife
Finally, the outdoor market area where my favourite piece of kit was this 1997 fragmentation vest
Last time I was blown away by the fact that it was the first Milton show, the organizer did such a good job promoting and putting on the show. I came to the same conclusion this time as the show was even better than the first. It feels like this show has been running for years! I think there is a third one in a few months and I highly recommend you check it out.
I think I found my new favourite tactical store! I discovered 416 Tactical Supply last week at TACCOM. As I wrote in my review, I really liked the look and feel of 416 Tactical Supply’s booth with the Ghillie suit and camo netting, not to mention the great gear.
Spyderco, Cold Steel, and SOG knives
Hmmm weapon light cleaner…I should get some of that.
As I mentioned, a store visit was in order and it took me just a week to get there lol.
I love the loft style industrial building. The look and feel continues on the inside.
416 Tactical Supply carries brands that are harder to find, like Vertx, Faraday Defense, Broco, Lorica, Safe Life Defense, Klarus, as well as more mainstream brands like 5.11 and First Tactical. I even found some Ares belts and a Revision Sawfly in the store!
I didn’t bring my DSLR camera to do a full review but as usual, I had to snap a few phone pics.
I have a Vertx SOCP bag in black and now they have introduced a limited edition camo version! I will have to come back to see if my Premier Body Armor plate insert fits in the new version.
Broco makes great door breaching equipment. I have the little Jimmy and it is quite handy for your go bag. Those massive bolt cutters feature non-conducive fiberglass arms.
Their 36lbs. Enforcer Door Ram is pretty badass
Once again, beautiful store, great selection and great people!
And now for a quick review of what I got. First up, a Vertx hat, shown with my SOCP bag
Next, another Faraday Defense RFID blocking key sleeve
Yes, I did get the weapon light cleaner lol
Last but certainly not least, these absolutely incredible Asset tactical jeans from 221B!
I love the stretchy material and combined with the gusset crotch, you can do Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks in these
Like most tactical jeans, it has a lot of pockets, and I mean a lot at 13. The usual “watch pocket” is replaced with a deep pocket where you can clip knives or a Neomag
Hidden pockets inside
moving to the rear
AR mag slash pockets
And perhaps my favourite feature, which I haven’t seen on any other tactical jeans, is a Velcro panel for mounting an outer competition-style belt (or other dual belt setup) in scenarios where you don’t have enough time to put on the inner belt. What a genius idea!
I love it!
Really glad I went to visit 416 Tactical Supply’s store and I highly recommend you do too!
Epic, if there is one word I could use to describe Day 2 of TACCOM, it would be Epic!
I will start with my main personal highlight but really there were several. It turns out that my idea to focus on booths instead of covering the seminars was a good one. Indeed, many of the coolest things I saw were from re-visiting booths that I had already been to.
As you all may know, I am a big John Wick fan so it should come as no surprise that my favourite part of today is JW related, specifically meeting The Tracker from JW4!
I only found out he was coming about an hour or two beforehand and thank you to the team at Gagnon Sports for making it happen!
It was great to chat about the Wick universe in general and his custom build in particular. In an extreme coincidence, I had already started ordering the parts to match his movie gun a couple of weeks ago!!
With Justin from Gagnon Sports
After a few quick words on stage, he met with fans for some pictures, including Fred, organizer of TACCOM
Steve from Crusader Arms
Show attendees
I wanted to do a Tracker themed pic with his signature lever action and dog. As luck would have it, Ian from O’Dell Engineering was walking by and graciously accepted my request to borrow a Wrangler Blackout. BTW, the gun is definitely Tracker approved as he liked it a lot! Baden K-9 was equally generous with the German Sheppard Twins. Thankfully Tracker did not issue a “nuts” command!
Thanks again to Ian
And to Baden K-9. This pic is especially fitting considering my Magnum P.I. shirt as it reminded me of his canine co-stars Zeus and Apollo.
So glad Baden K-9 came back this year. Their dog-bite demo was definitely a highlight last year (even though I ended up “reconsidering” my participation lol).
My first stop of the day was actually another visit to the Chiappa booth to handle the Tmodel, the Terminator lever action gun shown here with my Terminator glasses and Arnie watch.
Yes, I held it one handed, no, I did not do the Terminator flip lol
Next a visit to Tactical Imports to have a look at the Extrema Ratio Glauca G1, the GSG9 version of that folder. But first, the guns.
Several variants of the Type 81
Axor Arms TR-410 non-restricted compact revolver shotgun and Serengeti S Tactical
The Auslof that I covered in detail last year
HK G36, used by the GSG9 (hmmm I am sensing a theme)
Big selection of Extrema Ratio knives
As I mentioned, I was most interested in the Glauca G1. This variation of the Glauca has features specifically for the GSG9 counter terrorism unit of the Bundespolizei, such as a rear glass breaker in tungsten carbide and a stainless steel spike for untying knots as well as a rescue tool for making quick emergency cuts to free the potentially injured or to use as a belt cutter.
With the spike deployed
In forward grip
In reverse grip
Shown with my Sinn UX EZM2B GSG9 Edition
GSG9 starter kit, complete with their official knife, watch, gun, and authentic made in Germany Addidas GSG9 boots!
Canadian Tier 1 Operators might prefer something in the Mike from Canmore camo offered by Rugged Textile from “The Redacted Group” of companies, which also includes S&J Hardware (shotgun/firearm mods), and Aratech Research (body armor).
Especially when paired with a matching holster from Gray Fox Strategic and Pit Vipers
Complete with essential Canadian gear
Rugged Textiles can make any pattern
They also make duty belts
Such as the new Balteus Max Tactical Belt System, that will be sold exclusively at Urban Tactical. Designed with input from Law Enforcement and Military professionals, it is made of Berry compliant Brookwood Squadron* and Milliken Tegris® and offers exceptional abrasion resistance and durability.
Some examples of its well thought out features include: An end opening for padding insertion to reduce bulk and pressure points on wearer’s back and hips, the use of 3D spacer mesh that is FR treated for breathability and antimicrobial protection made of Squadron, a stiffener panel made with 12 layer Tegris® to allow the belt to self-support for wearer comfort. You can read more on Urban Tactical’s website.
Modified shotguns from S&J Hardware including their latest MCS build
The MCS in pistol grip configuration
In this configuration, it is intended to be carried on the weak side for quick transition/deployment when you need to do some breaching or your main firearm goes down, as demonstrated by Simon
Being a “modular combat shotgun” you can easily add different stocks
I also really liked S&J’s new folding Serbu style forend grip, shown here by Simon
Body armor from the Aratech Research side of the business group
So I did go back to Perroz Designs and I was right, it was a groin plate!
Glad I went back too as this time they had the guns out (my previous visit was before show opening so the guns were locked away)
Can’t go wrong with an MP7!
I also learned that Perroz was acquired by Movie Armament Group! Initially a one-man shop, Perroz found it challenging to meet the huge demand for his great designs but with MAG’s acquisition they were able to ramp up production. MAG also brought some movie guns to display such as these from The Boys series that I binge watched recently lol.
From Arnie’s Fubar series
including his Pink Lady
Hmmm gold guns seem to be a theme at this TACCOM lol
Ok on to Hera Industries to see the new H6!
The innovative H6 rifle features a side feeding AR-15 magwell to allow you to shoot and reload easily in prone or any other shooting position. At under 6 lbs. it is incredibly light, as is the trigger action (made by RECKNAGEL) at only 2.2 lbs. It will fire with the stock folded but still meets the minimum 26” length requirement.
You may have seen these two gents in Youtube videos
Two new product introductions from Sterling this year, including the R18 MK3 and the R9, a new PCC, which accepts proprietary MP5 style mags. These mags are more of a straight design compared to the angled Glock style mags.
There have been quite a lot of modifications to the internals moving from the R18 M2 to the MK3. The bottom line is that it is now much lighter and should be reduced in cost.
As one of the main distributors in Canada, North Sylva covers a wide array of brands including CZ, IWI, FN, Kriss, Remington, Black Creek Labs, Chiappa, Aimpoint, Sordin, etc. etc. etc.
I have always loved the FN PS90
Another one of my favourites, the Skorpion
I liked the Canadian flag finish on this BCL
More Canadian flags
Gravel, another top distributor, also had a booth with a small sampling of the vast number of brands they carry (God I hope they bring Noveske back if the Conservatives overturn this OIC nonsense).
I liked the tricked out Remington shotgun with Cadex and Magpul parts
They are also a distributor for Boker knives
I tried the Mantis training system at a previous TACCOM and it was one of my favourite booths of that show. I was hoping to see their new system mounted to a Steiner laser but it is not available in Canada yet.
They did bring their new AK-47 system though, and this one was autographed by famous Youtuber and founder of The AK Guy Inc, Brandon Herrera (reminding me of Chris Costa autographing my Raven Concealment holster at a previous TACCOM)
The whole kit
Cromag makes loading your mags a breeze
I really liked the look and feel of 416 Tactical’s booth with the Ghillie suit and camo netting, not to mention the great gear. A store visit is definitely in order.
Spyderco, Cold Steel, and SOG knives
Hmmm weapon light cleaner…I should get some of that.
Armorum also had a great selection of tactical gear.
I liked the knife sheaths from Gray Fox strategic.
And the shirts in multi-camo black
Veteran owned and operated, Mad Hatter Industries
I knew we would find a hat to match the Mike from Canmore plate carrier
Speaking of clothing, I ran into someone with a similar shirt (mine is Retro Rifle, I believe his is Savage Tacticians)
And another wearing Retro Rifle, the Rule #1 from Fight Club also from their Pop Culture series like my Perched from Magnum P.I.
Knives etc. from The Pocket Blade
Last but certainly not least, Vortex!
Including the Impact 4000 Ballistic Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder that I covered in a lot of detail in my Toronto Sportsmen’s Show 2024 review.
And that concludes my coverage for this year. While this is a lot fewer pics than I normally post for TACCOM, don’t interpret that as this being a smaller show. I didn’t cover every booth but more significantly, I didn’t cover ANY of the presentations/seminars. As I mentioned, I opted to re-visit several booths multiple times. As a show-goer this was a better experience for me as I got to see things that I missed the first time. I also didn’t go back for Day 3. I know that I would have spent a lot more time (and money lol) at 416 Tactical and Armorum if I did lol.
My overall thought is that TACCOM continues to feel like its major American counterpart gun shows with elements like new product introductions, having brands and industry reps in from all around the world, celebrity appearances, BCL’s display of guns mounted to an offroad vehicle, items autographed by industry celebs, on the spot collaborations like getting a tricked out lever action and service dogs together for a cool pic etc. These are the types of things that happen at major shows like SHOT. Hopefully next year will bring in a political climate a lot friendlier to gun owners and that will only help make TACCOM bigger and bigger.
TACCOM has moved to Hall 5 of the International Centre and the layout is more “grid-like” to ease movement down the aisles. Another big change is that multiple vendors will be selling guns and ammo. Guns will be “cash and carry” meaning you can pay and carry the gun out of the show. In order to keep the ammo separate from firearms, the ammo is kept in trucks out back as in past shows but now there is a “drive through” option so you can drive your car up and load out.
Upon entering the Hall, I was greeted by this armored vehicle, which I had seen recently at Aquino Tank Day. There will be a machine gun mounted to the turret tomorrow for photo ops.
While not quite as armored, Black Creek Labs showed us how to arrive at a gunshow in style.
Guns were arriving by the palette! Foc alone brought 4 skids (with huge discounts)
Quite the mix of guns too, how about this “dictator chic” gold gun at the FOC booth?
What’s better than one dictator gun? Why two of them, of course! These are actually for sale and there are two more with white furniture to be raffled off.
More great guns at FOC, Troy PAR and SPR
You know I love trainers
Our host Fred looks on
SFRC was one of the first booths to set up and I heard they were bringing surplus armor so that was my next stop.
They weren’t kidding about the surplus armor! This is just a part of it…Revision/Galvion helmets in all sizes including XL! Coincidentally I bought a Revision visor in anticipation of finding one of these helmets one day hmmmm
Or if you prefer new over surplus, my favourite brand of armor
Less than lethal option, the Byrna TCR Pro
Airsoft SIGs
One of the many contests at the show
Next stop, Amchar for another look at the SUB2000 Gen 3 that I just shot at O’Dell Day
KSGs in all sizes
and TROY PAR and SPR
Love the camo
So excited for Glock to be back and YES, they will be showing handguns!
Also great to see SIG back at TACCOM. They will have some new variations of the Cross
And for the first time at TACCOM and all the way from Germany, Hera arms! So looking forward to checking out the H6.
Another one high on my list, Opfor. Can’t wait to try that quad night vision
Ha caught the Tactical Imports booth being built last year too
That sampling should give you an idea of the show. Of course, there are lots more booths that are still being set up as I type this and I look forward to seeing them all tomorrow.
DAY 1
I have seen panoramic night vision on display but never got to try one so I was super excited to confirm that Opfor Night Solutions had a demo unit at the show. Needless to say, they were my first stop of the day. Turns out that was a good choice as I dare say they were my favourite booth of the show.
Static unit in black
The demo was FDE…I am ok either way!
I have to say they were even cooler than I expected! I tried to capture the experience (though wished TACCOM could turn out the lights for me)
Flipping them up changes the weight dynamic. I can see why people mount counterweights to the back of their helmet
The helmet is made by Opfor’s sister company, EON and features a custom 4D Tactical memory foam pad set
While I have seen night vision before, Opfor takes it the next step with their super cool mission recording devices. This one fits right over the tube to see things exactly from the operator’s perspective.
OMG I NEED one of these for my camera!!!
More cool gear from Opfor
Coincidentally, the theme of night vision came up at the next booth that I visited, my friends at The Patch Panel.
Great selection as usual
Love the display (I have two Avon masks as well, love them)
Next I went to visit Remington in the hopes of seeing a less-than-lethal orange variant of the 870…. we are in luck!
I would want a rear ghost-ring sight though
More fine shotguns from Remington
Ok I know everyone is excited that Glock is back at TACCOM and hopefully we can buy handguns again soon, so I headed there next to find a G34, G17, G19X, and the G45 in the exact setup being used by Ontario ETF.
Guess which one was my favuorite?
All the display guns had GoSafe lockable mags that require a key to be released and to unlock the trigger.
By now Chiappa had finished setting up so I headed there next, again with a very specific gun in mind, the Terminator lever action!
In luck again! I will have to come back tomorrow to handle it.
In the meantime, I got a pic with my Gargoyles 1984 Terminator glasses and Seiko Arnie watch
I was hoping the see the new Big Badger, essentially centre-fire versions of the Little Badger but no luck (I heard they were at the show so maybe I just missed them)
More Chiappas
Speaking of movie attire, I visited Clarington Airsoft’s shooting range in the hope of finding a revolver to recreate the “everyone be cool, this is a robbery scene” from Pulp Fiction. Yup!
Great selection of airsoft
There was a long lineup so I didn’t end up shooting this time but I tried it at last year’s TACCOM and it was a lot of fun.
At the opposite end of the spectrum to airsoft, some SERIOUS ammo from Fort Scott Munitions.
Their TUI is designed in such a way that it passes through solid material but tumbles when it encounters liquids or fluids. The results are pretty devastating as shown by this ballistic gel.
It is available in both rifle
And handgun calibers
Specs on their 9mm as an example
I was happy to see SIG back at TACCOM though their last visit turned out to be quite expensive for me as I ended up buying a Commemorative Edition M17. This time they were showing new variations of their popular Cross platform. The Magnum takes the Cross into larger calibers like .300 Win Magnum, 300 PRC, and 7 PRC and is available with carbon fiber and stainless steel barrels.
Next you have the standard (that camo is being discontinued) and TRAX with its lighter/simpler chassis.
SIG was also showcasing their expansive line of optics
My favourite of which were the stabilized binos
Next, a huge variety of precision rifles from Cadex, including full builds
As well as chassis
No .50BMG this year, the biggest gun they brought was .375Cheytac
Very cool though I would probably get a Kraken
There has been quite a lot of buzz about Crusader’s new Crypto semi—auto and its proprietary 5 round mag so that was my next stop.
And here it is!
Along with the actual gun used in their now famous 1000 round torture test video
It handles really well! Much lighter than their early designs.
A few variants
Including a prototype carbine length
Some of their previous designs
A solid match for FOC’s gold guns lol
Speaking of which, here are FOC’s raffle guns
vs. the sale versions I showed yesterday
This Derya wasn’t very subtle either
More of FOC’s selection
Incredible prices on Steiner binoculars
Sordin earpro
I was at O’Dell Range Day a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed shooting the new Wrangler lever action. They have been officially launched now and I wanted to see the final variations that went to market.
I think these are my favourite products ever from O’Dell
Two of the most popular guns at O’Dell Range day, the wood furniture Operator this year and the FD12 a couple of years ago.
Large variety from O’Dell with Canuck, Bergara, and Derya
Big Tony with Gilles from Mossberg
Phil O’dell with Fred from FOC and TACCOM organizer
Fred and I
With Ian photo-bombing
Not to worry Ian, you will get your usual comparison pic!
First timers at TACCOM, Tandemkross with an incredible line of upgrades for Ruger 10/22s and PCC
A few examples of their builds
This one, featuring their Manticore X Lower was my favourite. I urge you to check out their website for full details on the Manticore X as they are too extensive to list here. Basically it is a a pre-assembled housing ready to accept AR style accessories and includes upgrades to the trigger, safety, bolt keeper, etc etc.
PCC with a flared magwell and very extended mag release
I didn’t get to chat with the Perroz Designs crew but their gear looks very interesting
Chest rigs
Helmet mounting options
Gear carriers
Am I seeing this right? Is that a groin protection plate carrier with testicular tourniquet mount? Maybe I should talk too them tomorrow lol
MAB Impex is becoming a real staple at gunshows in Ontario, not just TACCOM. I was into knives long before guns. I am sure you can find something you like at their table.
Although I covered Amchar yesterday, I wanted to go back to get more pics of their guns from the side angle
Liam from Amchar and Ian from O’Dell
Kodiak Defence
Tamgha
I will close Day 1 with the best display method for guns I have seen at a Canadian show (reminds me of something you would see at SHOT Show), BCL
Originally I was planning to cover seminars tomorrow but I want to spend more time at the booths so we will see how it goes. In any case, expect another 200 pics lol.
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