It has been seven years since I last attended a knifeshow on Canadian soil so to say that I was excited about the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show 2022 would be an understatement!

Of course, it is not just about seeing great Canadian made knives, it is also about re-connecting with the knifemakers I used to see at the now defunct Canadian Knifemakers Guild shows…and of course catching up with my fellow collectors!

As usual, I made a trip out of it, and this time it was somewhat special as I had never been to Bayfield before. I stopped at Select Shooting Supplies during the three-hour drive and I will post pics of my whole trip at the end as I am sure you are anxious to get to the knives.

Per tradition, I met with some knifemakers the evening prior to the show, specifically my good friends Paul Savage and James Emmons and their lovely spouses

After our awesome meal at Black Dog Pub (again I will post the food pics at the end), we headed back to the hotel for some knife show and tell. I was REALLY looking forward to seeing Paul’s FSSF V-42 daggers!
His take on this classic design is forged and hollow ground on a 1 1/2” wheel. The blade and guard are satin finished and hot blued and the pommel is polished and hot blued. The handle is stacked leather with a leather guard cushion. Needless to say, the pair were stunning!

with a modern classic, the Strider AR

Meanwhile James brought this beautiful big d-guard bowie in ladder pattern damascus

As well as this dagger in tear-drop Damascus

The pattern’s name comes from the details in the fuller

James checking out my Strider

Now on to show day! The quaint venue was also the location for the old “Bayfield” show and I think it works well.

You have been warned!

I got there super early and watched the setup as knifemakers started arriving

And it’s showtime!

My first stop was to check in with the event’s host/organizer, Chris Hamelin. Chris, a local resident of Bayfield, was inspired to get into knifemaking by another Bayfield resident and legendary knifemaker Wolfgang Loerchner. Chris does stock removal and is currently focused on outdoor/hunting knives.

Speaking of Wolf, he was my next stop as I heard he was bringing something “special.”

Wolf’s display included the “Christmas” knives he made annually for his wife

If you didn’t think the world has turned upside down over the past couple of years, imagine my shock at seeing tactical flippers on Wolf’s table!

These were prototypes for a custom collaboration and this one in particular was made completely by hand, the same way as Wolf’s art knives!!! It could possibly be the smoothest flipper I have ever handled!

Seriously, could you ever fathom a Wolf tactical flipper being held in reverse grip?

Here it is again in better lighting in case you didn’t believe it!

German engineering (yes, I know my car needs a wash!)

Vs. American Muscle

In anticipation of the show, I was watching social media closely in the hopes of getting some sneak peeks. Based on that, I was really looking forward to checking out Buffalo Bones leatherwork.

My pic does not do justice to the blue ostrich billfold

Love the huge zipper on this one

Gotta represent

Gauntlet check…Buffalo Bones vs. Doug Marcaida

I was most interested in Buffalo Bones’ Book Murks with Wally Hayes kiradashis!

Although I did not purchase one, I very much like the design and plan to get one in exotic skin in the future.

Also on my list, a Bali slip with ULTICLIP for my Benchmade trainer…and in matching red ostrich skin of course (coordination is key)

And now for a big surprise, a leather “handguard”! I love it!

Thanks Buffalo Bones

And look who I ran into, Big Jay, with his awesome new axe.

Next, a visit to Paul Savage’s table to have another look at those incredible V-42 daggers and to see what else he brought to the show. As one of the few ABS JS in Canada, Paul’s work is always top notch.

I liked these forged chive choppers…kind of like a mini ulu

Also interesting for a chilly head like me, a leather hot sauce holster

James Emmons is also an ABS JS and as you saw in my pre-show pics, does stunning Damascus bowies

While his d-guard bowie is very much my style, my favourite knife of his was actually this stag lock-back folder. The Damascus extends beyond the blade to the lock-bar and internals.

DC Tip helping me showcase the two

ABS MasterSmith Wally Hayes is a man of many talents and is now making custom guitars. His knives for the show included a rifle stock and forged bladed folder.

custom guitars

Continuing our tradition

It’s not everyday someone beats me at the shoe game but it is pretty hard to compete with wooden clogs

Even more impressive though were Jacco Van de Bruinhorst’s forged blades

Especially this Persian with a 14” Turkish twist Damascus double hollow ground blade and fittings and a caramelized maple burl handle. As a nice detail, the pommel bars are forged to match the pommel curve.

Many of his knives are full take-downs…here he is demonstrating how they work to Russ as I watch from above

That’s all it took to convince Russ to buy that Persian…the happy new owner with JVB

More great forged knives at the show…from Todd Bolce

The pair of tantos in forged ball bearing steel were among my favourites of the show

A Grohman-esque utility blade

If I could summarize Matt Bedlington’s knives in two words I would say “great packages”…the blades are well matched with the sheaths, many of which were leather incorporating ULTICLIPS.

As an example of what I mean, check out this fixed blade with kydex/leather sheath set up for scout carry

The black G10 on this pocket scalpel looked so good…such a deep black, I thought he covered it with Vanta spray lol…I don’t think my pic does it justice

Ultimately my favourite knife from Matt, and actually one of my show favourites was this friction folder

Elizabeth Loerchner hand files her blades in the same tradition as her dad, Wolf…and they are equally stunning

I was not familiar with Brad Milman before this show but I will certainly keep an eye out for his blades as there were many impressive knives on his table.

I especially liked this ladder-pattern Damascus bowie with multi-colour Micarta scales

Another one with interesting handle scale material…it glows under strong light (as provided by my Surefire G2Z Maxvision)

This mini-Khopesh was also right up my alley…and like the one on Forged in Fire, it will cut!

The show had a good mix of new and established makers and it was great to see Murray St. Amour again.

I especially liked his sheaths with inlays in cobra, python, and white snake

Can’t be a Canadian show without Mike Mossington!

Mike often brings knife supplies but this time he was mainly showing knives. Fortunately, Muskoka Turner had an incredible selection of handle materials, including some with wood sourced from Australia.

For those looking for kitchen knives, there were lots of great options at the show, such as Cameron Lymburner. Cameron mainly uses stock removal with flat grinds, tapered tangs and other tricks to keep his stainless steel knives incredibly light weight.

While his kitchen knives are most popular, of course he makes other styles as well

More great option for kitchen knives, Gabriel Tetreault and Noah Vachon both from Quebec.

I didn’t have a chance to talk a lot with Justin Dale but the beauty/quality of his knives speak for themselves

Brent Sunday knives, as his motto says, to fish, hunt, cook

Lots of colourful offerings from Spencer Azzopardi

The grip on this one was comfortable from any position

Steve Vanderkolff’s daughters are learning the trade, doing some scrimshaw on his knives

Bloodhound Ironworks

Collector Rod Cooke

Steady crowds during the day

So to recap, my favourite knives of the show:
1 Wolf tactical flipper / Savage V-42 daggers (tie)
2 Emmons stag / Damascus lock-back folder
3 Todd Bolce Damascus tanto
4 Matt Bedlington friction folder
…and pretty much everything Buffalo Bones lol

All in all a fantastic show! Great job by Chris Hamelin for organizing. Although this was his first show, you would never know it as it had the same feel as established shows like the old Canadian Knifemaker Guild shows. I look forward to the next one!

And now for those of you who always ask me about the food pics….

My first taste of Bayfield cuisine was Willy’s Burger Bar

Of course I had the Willy burger…which is fine if you like your meat cooked well done

The battered mushrooms were great

The Black Dog Village Pub has a great reputation and deservedly so…it was fantastic! Great service, great food, great selection of whiskeys..

They didn’t have the White Mash I wanted to try so I opted for another high proof option, 1792 Full Proof

I could tell I was going to love the escargot before the first bite…it had such a great aroma!

The Scotch egg was good too but not as good as the escargot

But I was really blown away by The Hub On The Docks.

Although some suggested this resto overlooking the docks could be “touristy”…

I have to say their mushroom and goat cheese smash burger was one of the best burgers I have ever had.

Pretty impressed with the food in Bayfield. As for my motel, not so much lol. This is what $99 gets you

Stunning views

A three-part bathroom, with toilet in the closet and shower/sink next to your bed

RL

With today being National Range Day, there are shooting events across the country intended to introduce our sport to new shooters.

I was fortunate to attend Big Bang Gun Show, a multi-format show with shooting, archery, axe/knife throwing, and vendors! As someone who attends A LOT of such events, I can definitely say that Big Bang is one of those “can’t miss” events…certainly one of the top Canadian events like TACCOM and Wolverine Days.

The day started off with a safety briefing to the army of volunteers

And a few words from host Code of Arms

Before getting to the activities, I have to say it was great running into familiar faces and meeting new ones.

Sig rep Tim and Mossberg rep Gilles

Gilles again, this time with Ian from O’Dell

I always appreciate when fellow gunnies say hi.

The Aimbot Target crew

Ok let’s start with shooting….

some of the handguns on the line

Sig P320 X5 Legion with its Tungsten infused grip (I was most anxious to shoot this one)

Sig P320 AXG Pro

The Desert Eagle needs to introduction

The mighty S&W 500

Skorpion

Canuck 1911 and Springfield XD

Springfield 1911

A selection of Glocks

Such as the G19X

Long-guns

Including Mossberg shotguns

Love the retrograde

GSG

More shotguns

And the Crusader Arms 9

a fitting start to Big Bang, babygoespewpew with the S&W500

I went for the X5 Legion right away…it did not disappoint

I love 1911s and have been on the list for a Springfield FBI gun for several years…now I may never get one if the new laws go through ☹

Also tried the Springfield XD with red-dot

Tom also tried (and liked) the X5 Legion

He has shot my John Wick 2 Taran G34…now he opted to try a stock G34

Our steel targets

vs. bowling pins at the range next to ours

where they also had a Legion on the line

by now a decent crowd was forming

so we moved to the trap/skeet range, accompanied by CCFR Gunnie Girl and Canuck Pro Staffer, Barb!

Great shooting Barb!

All done shooting, we moved to some of the other activites. I was super excited about the axe/knife/spear throwing as I have always wanted to try that. In fact, I even had custom throwing knives made by Bullseye Blades in the pattern of the Beck WSK Tracker I have on order (going on 4 years now lol)

Since this was my first time throwing, I started with a production knife first.

And it stuck on my first throw!!

Now for my custom…I was so scared of throwing it in the forest that I babied it on the first throw and it bounced off the board. The instructor told me to throw harder and it stuck the second time! Boy did it ever..took some effort to pull it out of the board lol

I didn’t dare try the spears but here is Sam showing how it is done

They also had some knives on display…I was happy to see the Condor Golok Machete as I am very interested in FMA and Silat

Another Indonesian design, the Parang

More knives on display from CRKT

Including my favourite, the Provoke “morphing” karambit designed by Joe Caswell

Meanwhile Barb, an experienced archer, shot some recurve bow

Last but certainly not least, the vendor showcase!

Some of my favourite brands at this booth….including Wiley X eyewear (I have the CQC, SG-1, and Saber)

The Spear goggles (compared to my Revision Exoshield that you can see in the mirror)

I am a bit obsessed with goggles lol

I also like the Klein, safety rated aviators

I LOVE Surefire!

Yes I need a UBR Dominator

Another great brand, Trijicon

AXIL hearing protection…coincidentally I just picked up a GS 2.0 Extreme last night in anticipation of this show…didn’t know they would have Axil available…I think I need to try it with the smaller foam plugs next time

Woox axes

my favourite of which was the Volante throwing axe

A chance to have a closer look at the Springfields I shot earlier

I need these for my mancave

This gentleman at Dark Knight Systems took a nap

Before showcasing this green plate carrier

while his colleague wore one in black

Crusader Arms has created quite the buzz in the industry with the introduction of the 9, Sentinel, and the new Templar

the Templar is much lighter than the initial designs and features a folding stock

new lower also introduced at the show

Great to see the Sig reps, I picked up a 320 tekmat for my M17 Commemorative

Wolverine folding pump action and other shotguns

Canadian Combatant and Operation Giving Goose, promoting mental health and suicide prevention

OAFC

and of course the CCFR fighting tirelessly for our gun rights

Great vibe with a DJ

And Greek food from the Runaway Greek

I had the Gyros plate

Once again, a phenomenal event and given the intention of bringing new shooters into the fold, I couldn’t think of anything better.

RL

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

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

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