As is becoming a tradition, for the third year in a row I stopped off at Shooter’s Choice for their great Annual Hunting and Target Sports Sale on my way to the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show.
So funny, I was just saying in another thread about a event in the Alberta that we don’t have horses here and what did I find in the parking lot?
Though I prefer this chariot
Or if you like more modern.
Ok on to the store
My favourite guns of the day…from Gravel, the Rossi 95 in .357 with Midwest Industries Handguard
Speaking of Gravel, they are now distributors for Viper knives out of Italy
Last year I looked at the Pedersoli 86/71 in BOARBUSTER HV-1 CAMO
This year the 86/71 GUIDE MASTER STAINLESS, so beautiful!
Matt from Stoeger making it rain
I picked up a nice Browning handwarmer before heading up to the archery store
Last year I looked at the Twinstrike, this year I wanted to see the most compact crossbow that Excalibur offers, the Short Mag 308 shown here in Bottomland camo matching the reps cap!
It shoots at 308 FPS, with a draw weight of 154 lbs and 30.4″ overall length
Quite the power despite the small size as you can see by the penetration of the 16.5” bolt
It was quite busy and great to see guns being sold (including a DT11!). The sale is still on tomorrow and I recommend you stop by.
Some of you may remember my “gun store tour” that I started back in 2014. What you may not remember though is that Urban Tactical was the very first store that I covered! Now 10 years later I was super happy to attend their 10 year anniversary celebration! It is amazing that with all the challenges of more restrictive gun laws, covid, and even a destructive robbery, Urban Tactical continues to expand with new product lines and even new store locations!
The secret is that they are run by a great group of people and are a trusted source by law enforcement and civilians alike. Plus, as you will see as I go through the store, they offer some of my favourite brands.
As a usual caveat with my reviews, I got early access so that I could take pics without attendees. Of course, the event was busy with a few hundred signed up for the range package of the day.
Among the celebrity guests, Conservative MP Larry Brock, who is such a strong advocate for our community
And The Hacksmith! You may recall that I saw his bulletproof John Wick suit at a previous event at Urban.
Alright let’s start with some shootin’!
The special package included Glock 17 and 22, CZ P07, Savage 110 Precision in .338 Lapua and 2 mystery guns! (that shall remain a mystery)
Great to see politicians shooting! Remember when the Liberal MP in charge of gun regulations refused to try shooting? As I said, Larry Brock is a strong advocate for our rights.
Larry’s daughter also tried shooting for the first time!
Councilor Rose Sicoli!
She REALLY liked that .338 Lapua!
I didn’t take pics of all the guests, as I said there were a few hundred lol. Big smiles were a common theme though
Ok on to the store! Let’s start with guns…
My favourites were the Troy PAR and SIG Cross
Knives
Including all variations of the SOCP (I picked up the dagger and trainer at previous visits)
Nex batons
Including a trainer with orange handle
More great gear, Garrett metal detectors
Including the THD
Options to keep water in you (Camelback) and out of you (Mustang Survival flotation)
Retro Rifle is such an awesome brand. I discovered them through SHOT Show and have since joined their Facebook collector group. Their attitude and the collectors’ attitudes (some own 100+ shirts!) is so great! I especially like their Pop Culture series with their twist of adding subtle firearms into the designs.
I was happy that Urban had some in 4XL and 3XL for me to compare and thankfully the 3XL fits (I have one on order).
Now on to protective clothing
Urban Tatical just started carrying Masters of Gloves
The anti riot gloves were my favourite
Full lineup
Mechanix
Oakley and Blackhawk
Hakson
Huge selection to protect your feet
Lowa Z-8N and a couple of Salomons were my favourite.
Continuing on the protection theme, eyes from Oakley, including their Standard Issue M-frames
Another one of my favourite brands, Revision (I got those Snowhawk goggles at a previous event)
Ray-Ban
Vortex optics
Peerless cuffs
The full display
Plate carriers
Tactical clothing from 5.11 of course
Kuhl
UF Pro
Packs
Rifle cases
Lots and lots of Yeti
Here’s to 10 Years, I look forward to attending the 20th!
As usual, I capped off my visit to Urban with a stop at Camp31. I wasn’t that hungry so I just went with the quesadillas with brisket. Turned out to be pretty good!
Now in its tenth year, the Aquino Tank Weekend is the largest historical military show in North America. Organized by the Ontario Regiment Museum, the weekend long event features:
Static displays from Canadian Armed Forces units, partner museums, historical re-enactors, and other related organizations
The ORM’s Military Vehicle Conservation Centre with over 80 military vehicles and tanks on display
A Tank Arena with live demonstrations, battle re-enactments, and one-on-one tank battles with an opportunity to ride in some of the vehicles
An opportunity to meet veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, the Second World War and the Battle of AQUINO in 1944
Access to the Ontario Regiment Museum that houses artifacts, medals, weapons and uniforms covering 150+ years of military history
A militaria market
The last Aquino Tank Weekend that I attended was back in 2017 so it was high time for a re-visit.
Show-goers were greeted with what we later found out to be the staging area for the tanks to be used in the Gulf War re-enactment. Some of these vehicles and their crew actually served in the War.
May as well start “tank weekend” with the tanks!
If one big gun isn’t enough, how about a 2×5 array of 15cm surface-to-surface rockets
Self-propelled gun
Artillery cannon
Sparrow hawk (Homing All the Way Killer) missiles
As much as I like tanks, APC are just as cool. At least I could fit in one of these lol.
More modern APC
I like the gun ports on this one
Great to see Ryan from SFRC!
OMG this would be perfect for downtown Toronto!
No armor but still an effective way to say “get off me”
For sale eh? Hmmmm
Lol “Hooligan”..is that a drift stick?
I love this car!
Military motorcycles
Remote control tanks
Now on to the tank arena for live demonstrations! The two hour show featured detailed rundowns of at least a dozen tanks, including history and specs, often narrated by famous Youtubers. Many of the tanks shown were used in battle and are extremely rare in the sense that not many rolling examples still exist.
And for the grand finale, a re-enactment of a Gulf War battle complete with live fire (of blanks of course) and explosions!
The scene starts with light and heavy RECCE by Allied Forces with suppressive gunfire from both sides.
Not realizing the full extent of the Allied Forces, the Iraqi’s launch an attack
Undeterred, the Allied Forces press forward
and strike a massive blow to the Iraqi tank
Iraqi infantrymen continue to engage
As Allied Forces continue to advance
Till the Iraqis have no choice but to surrender
What a fantastic show!
All done with the big guns, we visited the Ontario Regiment Museum to look at historical small arms
The CBRN was my favourite display
Displays showing period uniforms
Engine displays
A visit to the gift shop
Morgy picked up this beautiful hat
I would have bought a tanker hat if they had one
And now for some poutine from SFRC’s awesome .38 Special food truck!
This was even better than my 2017 experience and I highly recommend Aquino Tank Weekend. Next time I might even go to the next level and book a ride in one of the vehicles!
I have been to Prefair and ordered from them online multiple times and they continue to impress me.
Located in Beloeil, about 45 min outside of Montreal, the store itself is mind-blowing, literally a Costco size warehouse of tactical, outdoor, and work wear and gear!
The main part of the store is mostly clothing, including footwear (I’ll come back to this in a minute) while airsoft and tactical gear is in a separate room.
I seem to find John Wick everywhere lol
Hopefully the Conservatives get in and reverse C-21 so I can add a real steel John Wick 4 Pit Viper to my collection
I should have bought a real steel Tomb Raider when I had the chance
As you may know, I am obsessed with safety eyewear and Prefair has a huge selection including Smith, Revision, Wiley X, and ESS.
Only the third pair of laser lenses I have ever seen (including mine 😊 ), Revision Stingerhawk
Wiley X Gravity
More eyewear pics from previous visits
Uncle RL1 is a positive influence on his nephew lol
Ok on to the main store. HUGE selection of footwear including Danner, Salomon, Lowa, AKU, Hanwag, Bates, 5.11 etc. etc.
My favourites from Salomon included the Speed Assault 2 and Quest 4D Forces 2 GTX
My top picks from Lowa were the Z-8N Certified
and the new Combat Boot Mk2 GTX
Cool rain gear
Ghillie suit
I didn’t take too many pics in the warehouse part but you can imagine a huge selection of 5.11, Rothco, Outdoor Research, Dickies etc. etc.
Definitely worth a visit, just prepare to be overloaded.
This year’s Yorkville Exotic Car Show was twice the size of previous shows, with the red carpet extending from Avenue to Yonge street.
I have a lot to cover so I will get right to it with my show favourites. I have seen TVRs in the past but I think this was the first time for the Sagaris and it was STUNNING! Also a lot smaller than I was expecting. The grey car in the foreground almost looks like an SUV in comparison…
…but it is actually a Nissan GTR!
The Sagaris looks like it could fit inside Godzilla
Notwithstanding the size, look at the amazing details on this car
And that incredible rear spoiler
vs. the GTR
and me for further size comparison
Another small car with freaky spoiler that I loved, the Maserati Shamal
the latest offering from McLaren
Back to my picks for most beautiful cars of the show, the Wiesmann MF4
Believe it or not, I have seen a BMW Z1 on the road back in the day. I think he was driving with the doors down as well lol
The M8 competition would certainly blow the Z1’s doors off
I saw the Rimac Nevera at the Toronto Autoshow, in fact I met Mate Rimac and his spokesperson, Richard Hammond! It was nice to see it again, this time in black.
Koenigsegg Agera
Pininfarina Battista
Bugatti Chiron
vs. the Veyron
Not all of my show favourites were small lol. Take for example the Gwagen 4×4
It makes the Defender look tiny
No Ruf this year but they did have a 1978 930 Turbo Slantnose
look at those old school BBS wheels!
and 40 years apart, a 2019 911 Turbo
977 C2S “Daffy Ducktail”
928 S4! I almost bought one of these back in the day
More Porsche
The Aston Martin corral
DBS showing off its engine
DB11 AMR Signature Halo Edition
Vantage V12 S roadster
DBX
And my favourite Aston Martin at the show
I did not stay for the unveiling of this one though
Aston Martin sponsored this area
Sticking with British cars, Lotus Exige
More Lotuses (Loti?)
Including the Eletre
The new Emira
and old Esprit
Evora
Bentley Continental GT Speed
Another Conti
Rolls Royce Wraith
Moving on to Italians, my favourite Lambo of the show, Murcielago
New Countach
Gallardo
Love the steering wheel on this racer
Ferrari 328
No Ferrari hypercars this year like the F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari etc. but still plenty of Prancing Horses to see
For those interested in electric cars that are cheaper than the Rimac and Pinninfarina, how about a Lucid
or Polestar
Tesla Model X Plaid
I’m not ready to give up on big gas engines 😊
Lots of old school at the show
Cool display!
That’s it for my coverage of cars but I am not quite done for the day.
The show’s location on Toronto’s premier shopping street provides ample opportunity to peruse luxury goods such as high end apparel, jewellery, and watches. And you better believe I will take advantage lol.
Royal De Versailles has split their store into two, a dedicated Rolex boutique and a separate showroom for all their other brands. This new setup allows for a much larger selection to be on display.
Indeed, in addition to the 5 Daytonas in the window, they had at least 4-5 more on display inside!
Lots of GMTs and Submariners too including a Deepsea (inside)
What Rolex shortage? (these are just the window displays!)
The window displays for the second storefront, including JLC
Omega
Breguet
Hublot (they had TONS of Hublot inside)
Blancpain (sadly they sold one of my grail watches, the 500 Fathoms, that they had last time I visited)
Vacheron Constantin
Inside they also had lots of Franck Muller, Chopard, IWC etc.
I was super happy to see an Omega Ultradeep though they didn’t have it in Titanium. It was much SMALLER than I thought it would be! Seriously, the way people describe it online, I was expecting a frisbee on my wrist. This is totally wearable.
Both of these watches can go down to the Marianna’s Trench!
Now on to our newest watch store L’Oro for IWC, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, Grand Seiko etc.
It has been a while since I looked at a Doppelchrono. It was smaller than I remembered.
BTW the white ceramic you can see in the background looks stunning in person!
Incredible dial on this AMG G63 edition Big Pilot
This Roger Dubuis would match that bright yellow Lambo I showed earlier
Roger Dubuis uses the tires from F1 winning cars as strap material!
Ok last but not least, my food choice for the day. Someone always asks about and I have a treat for you today, the first Shake Shack in Canada!
Given the time I spent in line, I figured it would be good to try a few things such as the Shake Stack burger and High Heat Hotdog, with cheese fries of course.
It’s always exciting to see new places open in our hood, especially from a major player in the restaurant industry like SIR Corp (Jack Astor’s, Loose Moose etc). It is amazing how quickly this location of Duke’s Refresher was setup (I watched the progress over the past few weeks). Very professional.
I was fortunate to attend tonight’s Friends and Family preview ahead of tomorrow night’s grand opening at 4pm. Here are my impressions…
The space was revamped quite a bit from the previous occupants, Brickwork’s Ciderhouse. An eclectic mix of taxidermy
and vintage electronics like Ghetto Blasters and arcade games (forgot to take a pic)
There is a second level with additional seating
And a lounge area
Interesting boat motors
The view from upstairs
Last but not least, a rooftop patio!
On to the food! I had the wings with Nashville 911 sauce. They were super crispy and well cooked. Heatwise they were closer to the typical Nashville Hot you would find at similar places than to suicide or challenge-level sauces at winghouses like Duff’s or Wingmaster.
I did ask for extra Nashville 911 sauce but next time I will have to bring some from home lol.
Drink-wise I tried Signal Hill Whiskey from Newfoundland for the first time. It tasted more like a Rye than a Bourbon with 40% alcohol.
I also had a taster of Brickworks 1904 as I have been on a cider kick lately. It was smooth though I prefer a stronger/more pronounced flavour.
Ok cool atmosphere and good food, so how was the service? In a word, fantastic! Everyone was super nice and attentive. You could tell they were just as excited to get this new neighbourhood joint up and running. I will definitely be back.
As I have said in the past, the St. Catheirnes show is one of my favourites as I always manage to find something cool.
Morgy was super thrilled to pick up a silver fox pelt. Apparently only 10% of foxes have fur this colour.
I liked the coyote
I also really liked the A.P Forge Works knives, especially the stag handled bowie
And the Karambit! I am sure you must know by now I love Karambits.
Great to see the Freedom Firearms Canada display again. Morgy liked the new Type 81M with underfolding stock while I picked the FEG KGP9 for my Hungarian background
You should definitely attend this show!
Afterwards we went to Iggy’s for some breaded mushrooms, fish and chips and awesome wings!
My apologies to Bliss Acoustics for not posting this earlier. I typically have my reviews up within 24 hours, not 3+ months lol. In fairness, I did have a photo album up immediately lol.
As I posted in my Toronto Audiofest 2023 review, the Bliss Acoustics room was the best show experience. Great group of people.
The stars aligned and I was scheduled to be in Montreal for Christmas and heard that Bliss received their Nagra 70th Anniversary Reference Turntable so a visit was a nobrainer.
Alright, let’s get to it. The main listening room
Nagra goodness
My beloved turntable! IMHO one of the nicest pieces of audio hardware out there
the suspension system is incredible. You can literally press down on the platter while a record is playing and it doesn’t skip a beat
the electronics
crazy remote
I also auditioned the KHARMA Elegance dB7 loudspeakers with the Gryphon CD player. The bass was so good that I thought there was a subwoofer in the room!
that is one serious amp!
Yes, it is a real Herman Miller Eames chair!
Moving on to the other listening rooms, we passed by these Vivid bookshelf speakers. I would love to hear those.
Magico speakers! With Pillum electronics
Nice carbon fiber finish
Beautiful J. Sikora turntable
Nice paintings
On to the last listening room with Gryphon speakers
In summary, the space is beautiful! It was custom built with accoustics in mind so audtions wont disturb the neigbours lol Thanks so much to Dragan for the hospitality!
My visit inspired me to get appropriate clothing for my visit to Bliss Acoustics room at Montreal Audiofest 2024 lol. Check out my show reviews for more coverage of Bliss.
Big Buck Day and Gunshow 2024 is a multi-faceted event where you can get your trophy scored by official measurers, see/buy from outdoor exhibitors/vendors, and peruse a proper gun show!
The event is held at a really cool venue, specifically the hockey rink at Seaforth Community Centre.
Racks waiting to be scored
And the experts measuring them up
In keeping with the wildlife/game theme, some beautiful taxidermy from Bluewater
And beautiful fur pelts from Huron-Perth Trappers Association
I was excited to hear that some custom knifemakers I had met at the Great Lakes Custom knife show would be at Big Buck Day. Matethi Custom Knives featuring Justin Dale, a co-resident of Ontario and Oaklahoma.
Nice colours on these
I liked the one in Lager G10 (it developed more of a green hue in the process)
Justin with one of the two in brilliant red
This one in Tiffany blue was also a nice package with its accompanying sheath
Great to run into world-famous art knife maker Wolfgang Loerchner at Justin’s table as well!
Another GLCKS alumni, The Fire Pit Forge
My favourite was definitely his interpretation of a Kukri (with Lignum Vitae scales)
I also met custom bow-maker Max Turczyn of Saratoga Bows at GLCKS and was happy to see his stunning bows again.
To help call in your game, Rustic Calls
And some decoys
Amazing leatherwork from Yogis Leathershop
I especially liked the leather can holster
And can confirm it will hold a 591 ml Yeti Tumbler
McGrath Custom wood working
Ok on to the gun show, which was held in a side room. Again, due to privacy, I won’t be sharing pics of the guns for sale. I will share my favourite display, Freedoms Firearms Canada! This is more my speed anyway!
Rossi Riot shotgun pistol!
Zastava M84 Scorpion…love shooting these
Another one I love to shoot, the Glock 26
Some Famae, both mini
And full size lol
BRS-99…I shot one of these courtesy of Tactical Imports, I think at GAT Show. Love it!
Nice to see my Hungarian roots represented in the FEG (I held one of these at Select Shootings old store…so heavy!)
They had a food truck
Though I opted for wings at Morty’s pub
I also stopped off at Shooter’s Choice on the way home. You can’t miss this one-off shotgun!
The Bow Shop upstairs has a staggering array of bows and crossbows. I liked the Excalibur Mag Air
So all in all a great day! Fantastic job by Mouse in organizing Big Buck Day. I love the venue and there was lots of great stuff to see. Definitely worth the 2+ hour drive.
I just attended my third motorcycle and tenth trade show THIS YEAR! Lol I am a machine!
I haven’t attended the Spring Toronto Motorcycle Supershow for a few years so thought it was time for a return and I am glad that I did! It is the smallest of the three annual shows but there is still plenty to see.
Let’s start with Harley, courtesy of local dealer, Mississauga Harley Davidson.
No Fat Boys this time but some real stunners like this Hydra Glide Revival. I LOVE the half red windshield! The whole package was stunning.
I do tend to gravitate toward the CVOs, such as this Street Glide
Or the Pan America
Very interesting air filter on this one
Ok on to Ducati and this SPECTACULAR 899 Panigale
Panigale V4
DesertX
Diavale V4
Monster
Hypermotard 950 SP
Multistrada
Streetfighter V4
It is incredible how Ducati’s lineup has expanded over the years. They also had Scramblers although I didn’t take pics of them. I did get their swag table though
In keeping with my recent obssession for high end audio, it was nice to see Rockford Fosgate again courtesy of Altered Sound
Clean side-saddles…
reveal speakers and removable subwoofers
Thanks for demo-ing with Lil Wayne A Milli, my reference track for audio lol. This really shows why Rockford Fosgate used to say “if your mirrors aint shaken, you got taken”
On to customs…I believe there is a $50,000 prize for best in show. This one gets my vote
Of course, not all customs were cruisers or touring bikes. We will come back to those but first some awesome custom sportbikes.
Oooo more Ducati
And more Suzuki
Yamaha
Custom electric bike
Back to cruisers
Interesting headlights on this one
And this one (albeit with the white and yellow reversed)
I always manage to find something “tactical”
Ride for Sickkids Hospital
Speed Trix Customs
The venerable V-Max
Love the lights
Mini bikes
A whole booth full of 0 $%&@s
Guns and knives (oops blurry pic)
food for the day, pistachio nougate
and can’t go the International Centre without stopping at Zet’s
So once again, super happy that I decided to go to the show. I must confess that I perceived the past ones as a bit more of a flea market feel but this one didn’t come across that way at all. Usually the customs are in a separate hall but I like the way they were interspersed with the other bikes. Guess I will be back next year.
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