Day 2

First stop of Day 2, the FN booth, which as you can see was quite crowded!

I have always been a fan of the Five-Seven…looks great in FDE

The 509 is also very nice…I plan to shoot it next week at Select Shooting’s range day

Next stop ATN…their optics are so cool, exactly like what you see in movies with screens of information that scroll distance and ballistics data

The tablet on the table was showing a live feed from their binoculars and head mounted monocular

Here’s me looking at the FOC booth…so cool!

Next back to the IWI booth for another look at the Tavor 7 as well as their new augmented sight and Massada pistol

The augmented sight can be controlled by a phone app

I had seen the Massada pistol in black…now it is available in grey and FDE as well

Well well well..look who I ran into at the IWI booth..Lovie Malespin! What are the chances of meeting this Tavor training legend here? Lol

Funny I would run into Lovie several more times during the day…here she is with my good friend Doug from Code of Arms, who are now publishing High Capacity magazine, for which I am writing some articles!

So cool to see my magazine article at the show!

The Code of Arms guys are up to so many great things..in addition to their youtube vids and High Capacity, they are filming the CCFR’s DownRange tv show as well as their own tv show, Midlife Mayhem!

Atlanta Arms is one of the few ammo manufacturers offering the 9MM MAJOR I shoot out of my John Wick 3 gun so I wanted to talk to them about this great cartridge.

Their spec for 9MM MAJOR is a 147 grains at 1170fps with a target power factor of 171. It was developed about 6 years ago for champion shooter K.C. Eusibo…he was shooting out of compensated guns and given that comps reduces velocity/power factor, he wanted something more potent than a standard 9mm luger.

Atlanta Arms uses the same testing methology as the military of 10-10-10 (10 rounds in a 10 ring 10 times) and achieves 1” groups at 50 yards with this ammo!

That’s it for booths for today…the rest of the day will be dedicated to seminars and the industry dinner. But first, lunch! I know you guys like food pics…given that I was going to the Golden Bullet Award dinner, I wanted a lighter lunch so I hit FireHouse Subs nextdoor for a 12” steak and cheese sub.

You may think I am eating huge amounts of meat, and I am! Lol…but I am also doing A LOT of walking at the show lol..Adam from FOC posted that he took 100,000 steps at the show and I must be pretty close lol.

First up, a great presentation by Rod Giltaca of the Canadian Coalition for Firerarms Rights (CCFR) on the Political Dynamics of Gun Control…get out and vote people!

Next and incredible panel of instructors with different perspectives, including internationally acclaimed tactical trainer Chris Costa, with extensive military/LEO background, Magpul ete. etc. (come on you guys know who he is lol)

4 time national IPSC production division champ Alex Berdat

former IDF and Tavor training legend Lovie Malespin

Mike Brake, Former DND Special Service Forces and an Emergency Task Force SWAT operator with 25+ years’ experience and Certified Use of Force Instructor

And former Special Forces, M. Rohlehr, who is now teaching the PAL course to new shooters

The discussion centred around the different approaches and mindset for instructing shooters and what we as shooters should look for in an instructor.

I can say that I share Chris Costa’s mindset and would be thrilled to take a course with him. He gave an EPIC speech that I video taped but unfortunately forgot to ask his permission to share so I will just stick with still shots.

Each speaker had their turn and all were very humble

Great discussion, I learned a lot!

And I got to hang out with Alex a bit and got some great shooting tips!

I cant tell you how much forward I was looking to seeing Master Ken in person..he is AWESOME! He started off by providing his opinion on other forms of martial arts..like BJJ “the only place you will find more inappropriate touching is at a slumber party at Bill Cosby’s house” hahahah he is so awesome.

Some gun disaems

Next, how to deal with Beta Males who need protection from his airborne toxic masculinity

Demonstrating his “non-orifice specific” fish-hook technique to the audience

After the show I got this awesome pic with Master Ken

And bought the whole Master Ken Starter Kit lol…one of everything he had on the table including his book, hat, ballbuster, diploma, and patch…and he autographed a couple of them!!

Time for a wardrobe change lol…and off to the VIP Industry Dinner and Golden Bullet Awards show!

Lots of well dressed people

The crew from FOC

Scott from Bulls Eye London

Mr. Wolverine

Ha Lovie again! And as luck would have it, we were assigned to the same table!

Dan from Nanuk with BabyGoesPewPew and Mrs. Grey Fox Strategic

Dan with Grey fox Stretegic and friends

Tracey Wilson with Mrs. Select Shooting

Tim from SIG…thanks again bro!

Robo Rambo making his rounds

Ok let’s take our seats

Great job on the atmosphere!!

Happy Birthday Adam!!! You and the team at FOC did an incredible job on the show!

And guess who is MC…Master Ken!!!

Awesome I get to see more Ameri-Do-Te martial arts demonstrations!

Some opening words from Fred of FOC, lead organizer of TACCOM

And now an introduction to the Code of Arms Golden Bullet Awards

Firearms Rights Advocacy Award – presented by O’Dell Engineering ………17 year old Ryan Slingerland for getting 80,000 signatures on a petition advocating for us…he couldn’t be here to accept the award in person.

Best Seller of Canadian Product – presented by the CCFR goes to..Triggertech Diamond Trigger!

Veteran Industry Award – presented by Vortex Canada ………. Millbrook Tactical Inc.

Aspiring Youth Award – presented by Wolverine Supplies goes to Ryan Dobbs …who came 2nd to Alex at the IPSC nationals, and he is only 17 years old…oh and an IPSC Grand Master!…plus he was at my table! Lol

Firearm Instructor Award – presented by Black Bear Gear… Mike Brake! Glad I saw him on the panel earlier in the day.

Mens Shooter of the Year – presented by Select Shooting Supplies, goes to…Alex Berdat! Also at my table!!! Lol we had the best table…the #1 and #2 IPSC national champions and Lovie Malespin

Should be no surprise that Hunting Ambassadors Award – presented by O’Dell Engineering – went to… Amanda Lynn Mayhew of Just Hunt!

Canadian Made Product of the Year – presented by the NFA, goes to…the WK-180C Rifle

Women’s Shooter of the Year – presented by FOC………… Emily Brown

Media Recognition Award – presented by NAS Guns & Ammo ………. Nicolas Johnson (I thought about Kanye Westing this one lol)

People’s Choice Retailer award – presented by High Capacity Magazine ………. The Shooting Edge

Lifetime Achievement Award – presented by Code of Arms ……… John Hipwell, who got a well deserved standing ovation and delivered a very emotional speech surrounded by his family.

And last but certainly not least, the Secret Award: Industry Visionary Award – Fred Pellegrino..who also got a well deserved standing ovation

Nice food too…

We take a moment for Adam to blow out his birthday cake…

A great way to cap a great evening.

PART 1

https://rlauferblog.com/2021/09/08/taccom-2019-part-1/

PART 2

https://rlauferblog.com/2021/09/08/taccom-2019-part-2/

PART 3
https://rlauferblog.com/2021/09/08/taccom-2019-part-3/

Set-up

It’s TACCOM time! I was originally going to cover the show on Friday however the TACCOM team has graciously invited me into many of the seminars and events so I have decided to make a weekend out of it! As such, I will be providing daily updates as opposed to one big review at the end so check back for new pics.

Checking in to the Westin…

I requested one of their “airport view” rooms

Good idea for dinner but I plan to hit Zorro’s tomorrow

All checked-in, I head to the International Centre for pre-show set-up!

First stop, pick up my media pass and snazzy media t-shirt (thanks TACCOM!)

Through the magic door

A few aisle shots to give you a sense of the scale of the show

It was very cool to watch the booths being built and filled with awesome guns and gear. I didn’t have a plan of what to visit first but the shiny F-1 Firearms at O’Dell Engineering sure caught my eye. I have shot F1s and I dare say they are my favourite ARs (maybe even more so than my HK)

I will definitely be back to check them out in more detail during the show.

Another one of my favourite brands at O’Dell’s booth, U.S. Optics! Including the new 2.5-20 issued with our troops Colt sniper rifle system (they will have one on display during the show)

Also at O’Dell, for those of you looking for a bullpup shotgun

Speaking of bullpups, I can confirm the Tavor 7 is at the IWI booth!

Another distributor high on my list to see is Gravel Agency, who carries Remington, Bushmaster, and Marlin among many others.

Ahh much better as the guns start coming in…so glad to see the Marlin Dark

Apart from all the guns and gear, it is always great to catch up with friends in the community…I ran into Tracey Wilson again

Ironically she told me to “keep out of trouble” yet the very next time I saw her, I was playing with a grenade launcher at Wolverine’s booth (caught with my hand in the cookie jar lol)

One must behave though when Chris Costa is nearby lol

More friends…from the CSSA

And Mark from Canadian Gun Vault…love that new prohib package you are introducing through Trigger Wholesale bro!

And the FOC crew…awesome job organizing the show guys!

Ok back to guns…Mossberg

And SIG…wow so much goodness at SIG! I can tell I will spend a lot of time at their booth during the show ..cant wait to handle the Rattler!

Simunitions guns in blue

M17 commemorative…should have bought one when I had the chance

From their custom shop

The Nightforce Optics booth will be EPIC! Hope they have a BEAST

Also looking forward to Springfield Armoury..i am on the waiting list for one of their FBI guns

But ultimately I think my first stop tomorrow will be Korth, in all the way from Germany with their fantastic revolver

Also in from Italy, Chiappa

Good to see my friends at Grey Fox Strategic..i plan to pick up one of their Geist mag holders

Movie Armaments Group was still setting up so I could not get a closer look

Durham Military vehicles

Lots of retailers will be present with great show specials…Select Shooting

Rangeview Sports

Don’t forget to stop by the TACCOM swag booth

And enter the many contests for great prizes

As for dinner? Well it was Ruth’s Chris after all….16 oz. bone-in filet with blue cheese crust

Nice touch that you can select your own knife

That covers the pre-show set up

Day 1

Showtime! Still a bit surreal to see TACCOM on major signage…as it was to see ads for “Canada’s Largest Gun Show” in mainstream media!

My first stop was to pick up my media tshirt..sadly it was too small

As was this one

I’ll tell you what wasn’t small though, the crowds! Yowza! Luckily I had early access so I could take some of my pics

Show organizer Fred looking spiffy with Ian from O’Dell Engineering

Per my plan, my first stop was the Korth booth to see their spectacular revolvers.

I was immediately drawn to the Super Sport ULX…I loved its wild styling and it felt INCREDIBLE in my hand…it seemed as if the grip was moulded to my hand and the cut-outs on the slide improved the balance over the other SuperSports that I handled.

I also liked the National Standard, at the opposite end of the spectrum…I tend to like extremes lol

The cutaway was also very cool as it showed the internals, demonstrated interchangeability of the chamber, and most importantly, allowed for dry firing of the legendary double action for which Korth is known

It was great to chat with the Canadian distributor and also to speak with the owner! I learned so much about the lineup. For example, this .44 magnum (with the red grip)

Has a front sight that is quick adjustable to different distances

As is the rear sight…specifically the gap can be widened or narrowed by turning screw…don’t remember ever seeing that before!

It is also possible to add a compensator such as this

If you prefer a smaller revolver, Korth has the Ranger for you

Korth also makes a unique semi-auto, the PRS, which may look like a 1911 but is quite different. The barrel is fixed and it has a roller locking system with bolt head like an HK MP5…it was surprisingly heavy!

Thanks again to the Korth team!

Next stop, Gravel Agency to have a closer look at the Marlins. My buddy bought a Black Knight and I had the chance to shoot it…how fortunate that I could compare one side by side with the new Dark!

The Dark is very interesting…it has a rough pebbled finish that feels like plastic but it is actually wood. Ultimately, I liked the stainless trapper the best.

As I mentioned in my review of set-up, SIG had a lot of awesomeness so I didn’t waste time heading over there. Thanks for letting me have an closeup look at the commemorative edition of the M17..again, wish I bought one.

The rattler was cool too but didn’t excite me as much as the M17….that may change after I shoot it,

Also so happy to see a 365!! Per my John Wick obsession, Halle Berry used on in JW3.

On my way back to Wolverine, I ran into Chris Costa again (or did I? One does not find Chris Costa, Chris Costa finds you lol) and he very graciously accepted to autograph the Raven Concealment holster I bought due to his endorsement…this was worth the show alone! Thanks Mr. Costa…super nice guy.

Ok on to Wolverine! I must visit this store one day! Incredible selection of Brugger & Thomet

Barrett

Accuracy International

Schmidt & Bender scopes

Daniel Defense, including the new Delta precision rifle

Angstadt Arms

And FLIR…happy that the Breach made it to Canada

Etc. etc. lol

By now the Nightforce booth was ready and it was SPECTACULAR! They set up the same booth they used at SHOT Show and the NRA Show…so pretty serious

And they had a BEAST! This is Nightforce’s top of the line scope with intelligent four-function elevation control

I also love the ATACR 1-8×24..it is a FFP that functions as a red-dot at 1 but a reticle starts to appear as you increase magnification

The new NX8 2.5-20×50…it features DigIllum reticle illumination so you can change the colour of the reticle and other features like powering up to your previous intensity settings

Spotting scopes including the TS-82 with APO Fluorite glass..this is even higher quality than ED but would be too fragile for a scope mounted on a gun with heavy recoil

And we all know durability is a hallmark of Nightforce scopes

Of course, to benefit from a great scope like Nightforce, you need a great rifle so off to Alberta Tactical Rifle…to see their new collaboration rifle with the CCFR…a Modern Sporter variant that looks exactly like a classic AR15 yet is non-restricted! One of my favourite guns of the show!

Vs. the original Modern Sporting Rifle (with carbon fiber forend..so beautiful!)

If you prefer bolt action, check out this rig with McMillan stock and Proof research carbon fiber barrel

The Shooting Edge also had some new non-restricted options including a whole new product line for Canada from Sterling

I preferred it in white

Those these custom builds were pretty snazzy

And the Troy 102 has finally arrived as well.

The original AR10 upon which modern 102s are based.

Another economical option, albeit restricted, were the polymer AR15s from Omni at Armchar

For those who prefer more classic designs to AR15s, Czech Small Arms

They are still made in the Czech Republic but the chrome lined barrels are supplied by Lothar in Germany

CSA also offers mounts for red-dot sights

The Scorpion is also very cool…I shot one recently and wish I put more than 5 rounds through it.

Ok, although I have lots more pics..i am pretty beat so the last booth I will cover today is Trigger Wholesale….

LOTS of shotgun options here…from bullpups to double barrels to mag fed to compact

But of course I had to have a closer look at Canadian Gun Vault’s prohibition kit that simulates a Tommy Gun….that is not an actual drum mag, rather a housing for a conventional mag…very clever!

Trigger Wholesale also carries Armalite, the original AR.

That’s it for Day 1…now off to Zoro’s for their 28 oz. Zoro’s cut prime rib…but first a dozen escargot

PART 1

TACCOM 2019 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2019 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2019 – Part 3

Let me start today’s coverage with yet another gun that far exceeded my expectations…the Full Conceal Glock 19! My first impression is that it is far more “solid” than I anticipated…also the way it is designed, it is completely safe to carry with one in the chamber as it is impossible to fire when it is in the folded
position. One of my favourites of the show.

Easily fits in the pocket

This year Full Conceal introduced a more economical model built off a proprietary frame instead of a Glock.

As I mentioned earlier, B&T has been my favourite booth of the show so far…I knew they had a second booth but I didn’t actively look for it so was pleasantly surprised to come across it. It was great to have another look at the USW and SPR 300…and to finally see VP9 pistol as well!

Team Wendy has a stellar reputation for helmets. In case you were not aware of the back-story of the company, it was founded after the owner’s daughter died from a head injury suffered while skiing. Their comfort and safety features were quickly noticed by law enforcement / military and the rest is history.

They had a set-up showing how some testing is done.

I tried on an Exfil Ballistic helmet…super comfortable and Level IIIA protection

The “Team Wendy” comfort can now be retrofitted to your other brand of helmet via their “cloud liner” system…note the strategically placed cushioning and ratchet tightening system

My timing for visiting the Winkler knives booth was great as both Daniel Winkler and James Williams were at the booth!

James puts his martial arts / combat training to good use designing application specific knives…

such as this one

More great Winkler knives

My personal favourites were the Tactical Cleaver

And weapon retention tool

For fans of Alien and Judge Dredd, digital round counters are now a real thing! The Radetec system requires changing three components of your Glock, the slide, backstrap, and one internal part of the trigger group as well as the follower on your mags.

They also offer a rail mounted “armourer’s tool” which is meant to keep track of shooting sessions…not only does it count the number of rounds fired over the life of the gun, it also keeps track of every shot to the 1/100th of a second…so you could check your splits etc. with the mobile app

Another cool piece of high tech gear, the new Trijicon Ventus …it uses Doppler LIDAR to measure headwind, tailwind, crosswind and vertical wind components at six different distances up to 5000M and includes a ballistic calculator as well

In case you were wondering what a $100,000 1911 looks like, Nighthawk has your answer!

Nighthawk is continuing their collaborations with Agency Arms

Their double-stack is much thinner than others on the market (such as STI) and features a full dust cover and compensator

Some new finishes such as this “triple black camo” with three shades of black…and nice stippling on the top of the slide (like the Bob Marvel model)

This is actually a Colt tuned by Nighthawk

Nice Officer sized gun, the Counsellor

Nighthawk Korth revolvers

Including this 8 shot .357

Ok ok HK HK….in my review of SHOT Show 2018, the HK booth seemed to get the most response so here
is another picture dump lol….first some military hardware

my favourite was the M27, which is based on the 416

My favourite handgun, the Mark 23 SOCOM

And from the civilian line…

.22LR

.556

Last but certainly not least of my booth coverage, Kalashnikov!

The new Komrad semi-auto shotgun

Vs. the KS12

Lot’s of variations of KR-9s

And the new American made AK, the KR103 (on top)

Ok that’s it for my booth coverage. I will follow up later today with random cool things, more celebrity spottings, and yes, food pics.

Tom is also working on additional booth coverage and I will add that when ready as well.

Random Cool Stuff and More Celebrity Sightings

The Press Room for those with a media pass

The famous “back pack”

The Throne of Freedom

Mini-gun at Elite Defense, the Official Sponsor of the Good Guys

GPNVG-18

MTM watches, including my favourite, the RAD with its built in Geiger counter

Gun DMC

I ran into the Ballistic Ink guys at Cabot guns…LOVED that Gustav shirt so much that I already ordered
one lol…along with another hoodie…such great designs! Note: I ended up ordering two of the Hawaiian shirts!

The 1 Millionth Sig P320

Bullpup Beretta

The Magnum Research BFR with 17” barrel!

Serious truck

I ran into a buddy and he got the prototype for the CRKT Provoke Stormtrooper edition! Let me know when you are ready to sell bro!

It was a real honour to meet Jerry Miculek and his family at the Mossberg booth..such nice people! And I am sure my shooting performance improved exponentially just by shaking his hand!

JM Edition Mossbergs

Glock’s new spokesperson, Chuck Norris!

All done with SHOT Show, we headed to PVK, an incredible knife store.

Thanks to PVK for letting me have a look at the Microtech John Wick special edition set

My second favourite was this Microtech OTF rescue hook prototype…with a $4800 price tag to reflect its
rarity

I also liked this Microtech fixed blade…pretty nasty

I picked up a Strider SLCC by Warren Thomas in his signature carbon fiber laminated and bonded to titanium and impregnated with carbide lol

And a set of John Wick assassin coins!

The obligatory swag pic

Coming up, the food of SHOT!

Friday

Despite all my planning, Mother Nature threw a bit of a curve at us with the biggest snow storm of the season. As a pre-caution, we flew out two days early to beat the storm. That is ok as we wanted to get some “Vegas time” and this gave us two extra days of that and I will be covering some of that as part of this review (we will see if I have time to make it to the Adult Video Awards lol).

The first thing we did after arriving was to have our first Vegas meal at In-N-Out burger!

How fitting that I was customer #1 lol.

Saturday

Today we started with lunch at Jack in the Box, my first time eating here. I had the classic buttery burger, which is essentially like an egg Chalah bun.

Then we headed over to Boot Barn to pick up some Lucchese boots that I pre-ordered for delivery to the store. I have always wanted Lucchese cowboy boots and when I saw their new hybrid cowboy/work boot I had to pull the trigger. I love the concept! Although everyone raves about the Lucchese fit, I had never tried on a pair so was a bit worried and sure enough they were way too tight!

So I ended up buying these Dan Post boots in rough suede.

I also got a proper cowboy hat, a Rodeo King in “grizzly” style fur. It was an open crown

So I had them custom form it to a Gus crown with Rodeo brim…very cool to watch that being done!

I have to say Boot Barn has AMAZING customer service!!!

Next we went to the Shelby Museum. I had been to their old location and compared to that, I would say their museum is smaller and more focused on older cars while the factory and store are bigger.

We both signed the wall

Our nice tour guide

Lots of gear in the store including clothing, travel goods, signs, and even knives.

I got a few things.

Finally we went to watch the UFC bout between McGreggor and Cowboy at Tilted Kilt. It was quite surreal to watch it here knowing that the fight was going on live down the street! The crowd went bananas (I have some vids I may post later). We also ran into some guys headed to SHOT Show from OSS Suppressors, Sig, and a company that makes custom hearing protection.

Food at the Tilted Kilt….mozzarella sticks

Wings with Kilt Burner sauce (not very hot)

The Celtic Knot, a giant pretzel (the best part of the meal)

Our lovely server

$5 shots

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/

Wednesday SHOT Show 2020 Day 2

First stop on Day 2, Silver Shadow to check in with Lovie and see the Gilboa double AR-15!

I liked it a lot more than the Arsenal double 1911

I knew about the Gilboa but a big surprise was that Silver Shadow also brought a Corner Shot, which I have always wanted to see in person so I was pretty happy about that!

Lovie doing some demos of how it works to shoot around corners

I always feel safer when Lovie Malespin provides cover

I have a Battle Blades Tops Wolfhawk mounted to my HK MR223 and there are a few disadvantages to the design. In my opinion, the Gripknife is a much better way to have a blade mounted to your gun. The intriguing design is a spring mounted blade that deploys out of a rail mounted fore-grip.

It comes in two sizes in multiple finishes

Thanks to Lovie for demonstrating as well

And thanks to the Gripknife team as well…great guys.

I love catching up with old friends at such shows…such as knife designer Liong Mah…I have a few of his older, more radical designs

His new lineup is geared more toward EDC and utility

For example, the Field Duty with drop point, flat ground blade and frame lock

It looks like an integral but is actually made of two pieces…either way, super solid

Next, the Lanny

KUF

Warrior 2

Forgot the names of these two

It was also great to see Michael Janich again…and update our comparison pic lol

Spyderco now offers an all black version of Michael’s Yojimbo 2…I really like how the lock-bar on the compression lock is coated black as well

Shown here with the Chinook 4

The Chinook 4 closer to James Keating’s original design (I have a Chinook 1 with box signed by James)

Another new interesting knife from Spyderco, the Nightstick single edged dagger

As I have reported in the past, F-1 Firearms are my favourite AR15s. I dare say I like them more than my HK MR223! They are known for feeling “light” when you shoot them and I had the same sensation whenever I have shot one.

They are also known for their wild finishes, although those have been toned down this year.

This finish changes colour depending on the angle of light

More examples

PCC

Their newest model is more discrete and geared more toward law enforcement than competition

Shown here by Tom, who tests / tunes the guns that go out (thanks for all your time!)

My favourite is the Dynamis Alliance collaboration…I should add that since SHOT Show I have purchased some gear from Dynamis and they are AWESOME! Quite apart from the quality and design of the gear, they are a great company…I really like their attitude!

Here was a big surprise for me…F-1 is getting into handguns! Right now they are based off Shadow Systems guns but they are gradually transitioning to completely in-house.

And suppressors!

A Cabot would be a good pairing with an F-1 lol…sadly they did not bring their $4.5 million meteorite guns of even the Trump gun they had at SHOT Show 2018. Fortunately they brought my personal favourite, the Ultimate Bedside gun

Of course, if you are going to buy a Cabot, you may as well buy a pair to benefit from their clone technology…their guns are made to the thousandths of an inch and unlike other custom guns that need to be hand fitted, you can interchange the parts on a cloned pair.

Some of you may know that I have a fetish for trainers, even going so far as to have custom knifemakers build training versions of their live blades for me. In the world of firearms trainers, Blue Guns is on top. There is a Blue Gun for EVERYTHING, and if not, they will custom make one for you! In fact, Blue Guns makes props for movies as well as mock ups of prototypes before they are launched. They do not use lasers, rather they make physical molds of products.

Love the 249

And the pipe wrench! Lol

Black Aces Tactical was not on my original list but thanks to online coverage of the show, I found out about their new lever action shotgun…it also caught my eye as I passed by their booth (I guess I am susceptible to shiny new things at SHOT show after all!)

While this bullpup looks similar to others on the market, it is actually 2 inches shorter

As I mentioned in my intro, I got an Otte Patrol Parka in anticipation of this show. I discovered this great piece of kit through some past SHOT show videos showing Todd explaining its various features so I wanted to stop by Otte and meet him in person. Todd gave me a similar rundown on the HT Insulated Parka that he is wearing.

Also in terms of tactical clothing, I am a big fan of Crye Precision…I have a G3 Combat Shirt and am waiting (for six + months!) for my G3 Combat Pants. It was great to see their Loft jacket in person and I have to say that G4 Field coat looks awesome (sadly I did not get a pic).

I left the show a bit early today in order to attend Doug Marcaida’s seminar on karambits…it was very educational! Once again, it was great to update a comparo pic lol

SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range

SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 1 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 1 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 2 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 2 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 3 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 3 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 Day 1

The Media room is open an hour before the show so I hung out there for a bit

…and ran into none other than Hickock45!!!!

Per the SHOT Show 2019 fact sheet, the total weight of goods delivered for the show exceeded 7,000,000 pounds! This included more than 15,000 firearms, which were all inspected and tagged before being put on display. Did I mention that SHOT is big?

STI was the first booth that I visited in 2018 so I thought I would keep up the tradition, especially since there was a chance of seeing the actual movie gun from John Wick 3! Of course, I love my own JW3 gun but handling the real movie gun is still a special experience for me.

Sadly it was not there but I would get a related surprise later on in the day. In the meantime, STI briefed me on their totally new lineup of no less than 7 Staccato variants! Based on customer demand of people wanting to carry their competition guns, STI is moving more toward “tactical” as opposed to a pure competition gun. They have even brought back a single stack!

From a quality standpoint nothing will change as the guns will still be hand fitted and will retain features such as island barrels.

Next on my list, B&T, which was my favourite booth of the show so far. As I mentioned, I REALLY liked the USW-A1 at range day so I wanted to have a closer look.

I also REALLY liked this in SPR in 300 blackout with integrated suppressor!

As well as this grenade launcher.

Just great product from B&T.

I shot IWI’s T12 shotgun at 2018’s Range day but I missed their booth at the show to get better pics and to see a real UZI in person so I wanted to correct those issues.

And here is the micro Uzi!

The Tavor shotgun with rotating magazines.

Loved the cut-aways

I visited the Ed Brown booth to see two things in particular…first the new “Fueled by Ed Brown S&W M&P collaboration…while there are lots of custom Glocks out there, not as many people are doing custom M&Ps…this one has Ed Brown parts and is hand fit just like a custom…US$1,999

And second, the Jeff Cooper re-release…the last time this model was available, I chose my Molon Labe over it…glad that I can have another chance

I got to meet / re-meet a lot of celebrities and industry icons today….such as Les Baer (he was not at the booth when I visited in 2018), who I also ended up seeing a second time in the hotel elevator later in the day lol.

I am holding the new American Handgunner

While he is holding this one

I also got to meet the founder of Freedom Arms…who had this very special set made in his honour

To me though, all of their great big caliber revolvers (and a single action) are works of art

I know a lot of people are into chassis systems, when I hear the words “precision rifle” I immediately think of the H-S Precision HTR. I especially like the take-down version.

H-S was showcasing many new, lighter hunting models in various finishes.

I especially liked this one.

That having been said, I’d be very happy with a Desert Tech lol…especially the Covert

Or for larger calibers…

The MDR is now available in multiple calibers.

I stopped at the Kel-Tec booth mainly to check out their KSG line of shotguns. Yes, they introduced some new handguns but the focus of my review is on things that I like not necessarily reporting on every new introduction lol.

I liked the ultra compact, which would be prohibited here I think but there is a version with an extended barrel that I handled recently at Bulls Eye London

Speaking of, look who I ran into at the booth! None other than Scott from Bulls Eye.

I knew that Tom was visiting Cadex so I wasn’t sure that I would but their booth sure caught my eye! (that happens at SHOT lol). LOT’S of great new products here.

The Sheepdog was introduced last year

…and now there is a lighter version for hunting.

The Kraken with interchangeable calibers…you can see the take down tools to make the switch in the second pic

And if you think that suppressor on the Kraken is big, check out the one on the .50BMG Tremor!

My personal favourite, the C.P.S with quick release stock

New colours

New two stage trigger (vs. single stage)

New rail mount

New bi-pod

And new shotgun accessories!

As you may know, I am just as much into knives as I am into guns, maybe even more so! I did visit several knife booths, such as Benchmade.

I took the opportunity to look at their latest Balisongs, since we don’t really see those here. The handles on these three are G10, steel, and titanium respectively. The magnetic latch on the titanium model was pretty cool (pretty much pops open when you squeeze the handles).

Apart from their Balisongs, my favourite Benchmade of all time is the Stryker designed by custom knifemaker Allen Elishewitz (who is at SHOT as he designs knives for Hogue), now only available as an auto.

I did like their new out the front auto a lot though

SHOT exclusive scales and S90V blade steel on this one

This gentlemen’s folder is expected to be their biggest new introduction…no pocket clip, it comes with a sheath

Continuing with knives…I was hoping to see Ernie Emerson and update our comparison picture but sadly he was not at the show.

I did get to see the new smaller Sheepdog, shown here next to the original size.

Other interesting knives at his booth…the Seax fixed blade neck knife

CQC-7 fixed next to the folding version

The P-SARK trainer

And my personal favourite, the Super Commander

Back to guns….I put myself on the “the list” for a Springfield FBI gun almost 2 years ago without ever having handled one in person…now I can say that my instincts were right because it is stunning in person

Next stop, Colt

Of course all the talk about Colt is around the re-released Python, but as I mentioned after shooting it at Range Day, it didn’t excite me enough to want to purchase one.

The cut-a-way was pretty neat though

The King Cobra

Or if you prefer your revolvers to be more dressy

To me the most interesting gun at Colt was the M16

Vs. the more modern M4

And M5

I started the day with a celebrity sighting and will end with a few more…Lou Ferrigno at Brownell’s booth

Taran Butler at Benelli with the actual John Wick movie guns!

On the way to dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s Steak (which I will cover later) I ran into Lovie Malespin in the parking lot!

Then at 11:30 at night I went down to the convenience store in the hotel lobby to get a drink and ran into Royce Gracie!!!

Quite a good start to the show!

SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range

SHOT Show 2020 – Industry Day at the Range

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 1 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 1 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 2 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 2 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 3 Coverage

SHOT Show 2020 – Day 3 Coverage

NOTE: THIS IS A REPOST FROM MY SHOT SHOW 2018 REVIEW

As if going to SHOT wasn’t exciting already, I was thrilled to get into Doug Marcaida’s MyEdge seminar for 8 hours of training in knife fighting! Well actually the session was more than that…first we got to design our own knife, which they printed for us using 3D printers ahead of the training session, then we trained with not only Doug Marcaida but also Fred Mastro.

Some of you may know Doug Marcaida as one of the judges on Forged in Fire but he was well known as an edged weapon specialist in the knife community long before then.

Getting back to my knife design, I combined the blade and handle of two of my favourite knives, the REKAT Pocket Hobbit (which is based on the Bob Taylor Warrior) and the Emerson Karambit.

Here is the design that I submitted

And this is what they produced! I will have a knifemaker make me a real version 😊

We weren’t allowed to take pics of the actual training (they will send us a video including drone coverage) but I did manage to get a few good pics.

The venue for our training

Doug Marcaida

And btw, I got a chance to do a comparo pic at SHOW Show 2020!

Fred Mastro…i really like his “what works in the dojo does not work in the street” approach

ABS Mastersmith Jason Knight (who said my design is cool)

They also had knifemaker Charly Mann on hand forging a knife live.

Now for our swag.. 5.11 hat as Doug now represents the brand, foam and electronic training knives, the later of which chirps when you stab or slash your training partner

Best of all, a signed Kali stick

All in all a phenomenal experience!