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!

RL

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!

The maple cider was also really good!

Can’t wait for the next one!

RL

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.

RL

As mentioned in the closing comments of my review of last year’s Toronto Sportsmen’s Show (TSS), I liked the direction the new management was heading, specifically by being more welcoming to firearms and tactical gear. I am happy to report the trend continues!

Typically I cover all things firearms related followed by knives and gear but this year I will flip the script and do it in reverse order while splitting gear into “tactical” and “hunting/traditional.”

Tactical Gear

Hudson Tactical Supplies had pretty much my favourite booth of the show. They were showcasing some of the MANY brands they carry, such as Tasmanian Tiger, Nanuk, Flashbang Magazine etc.

There were lots of interesting TT backpacks on display such as the Tac Modular Pack 30 Vent

With its “open-book” design and super thick grab handle, you can open it completely in a flash

I really liked the MOLLE Velcro as well (cool concept!)

Another super cool one, the Modular Gunners Pack.

The upper front pocket of the backpack flips up so you can attach a magazine holder (three AR15 mags or 4 pistol mags).

Both middle front pockets are removable and behind each is the same MOLLE Velcro shown in the previous pack. The backpack has a MOLLE reverse system on the back so you can integrate it into a plate carrier.

More great packs from TT

This one from the Tatonka line is a duffle bag, backpack, and dry bag all in one…and it’s huge!

The TT Secret Cummerbund has elastic side pockets for pistol magazines or radio devices and you can add attachments using the MOLLE hook and loop panels.

The TT Modular Front Seat Panel (from their TacVec line) is pretty legendary. Great way to mount gear in your car and the panel can be removed quickly from the vehicle with all attachments. They also make a similar panel for your sun visor.

Nice helmet on display

Some TT patches

Carcajou is a Canadian manufacturer of high-end gear like plate carriers and attachments.

I liked their Thermocell pouch. You can see their famous Boonie hats in the background…they even have one that allows you to attach NVG!

Ok I am a bit obsessed with eyes and ears. I have “customizable” plugs from Decibullz but that is not the same as a good pair of custom earpro like the mil-spec kind Safe and Sound Hearing offers.

Tons of colours available

Their two-way radio model comes with a plug for your other ear so that you can use a PTT while retaining 28-30 NRR!

Didn’t take much arm twisting for me to get fitted for a set…in black of course!

Fitting the coil

Of course this was just the fitting, there are several steps involved for the finished product.

In terms of eyes, this Pit Viper vending machine at the TeamLtd booth caught my attention! I have a pair (with matching holster in the same pattern lol). Don’t be fooled by their wild styling, Pit Vipers are legit safety glasses and some models have a formal ANSI rating.

Hmmm, purple or black?

For darker environments, Fenix is a great option! So glad to see them back at TSS.

The HT30R white laser flashlight has an insane 1,500M throw! Yes, 1.5KM!

Or if you prefer a more traditional source of light, the Firestarter Guy will have something for you lol

Or if you need to see longer distances, Vortex has a solution for you.

I specifically wanted to check out the new Impact 4000 Ballistic Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder. This technology marvel, according to Vortex, is “an all-in-one range and ballistic problem solver that delivers point-and-shoot solutions without coming off the gun. The rail-mounted laser rangefinder provides range, ballistic, and weather data via the integrated GeoBallistics® solver, on-board Environmental Sensors, and Vortex’s patented Wind Bearing Capture Mode.” Thanks to the rep for the long discussion of pros and cons of the design.

Well it is pretty hard to get more tactical than the actual military lol. The Forces display was awesome!

What’s better than a G-wagen? How about a G-Wagen with a turret!

Their “mine clearing” demo was very popular with show-goers

I liked the breaching equipment too

The O.P.P. also had a display of their various vehicles (including a commemorative boat)

And for your milsurp needs, Army Issue Surplus

Lol I always take pics of their gas masks whenever I see AIS at a tradeshow

Hunting/Traditional Gear

One of my favourite parts of last year’s show was all the fur goods on display so I was quite eager to see this year’s offerings. Indeed, Silver Cedar Studio ended up being another show favourite.

Yes, their infamous skunk mitts were really nice

While their mountain man hats were spectacular! I especially liked the wolf

Lynx

Raccoon

Beautiful pelts at Ontario Fur Managers Federation

I would say the taxidermy pics in last year’s review got the most online buzz. There wasn’t quite as much at this year’s show though.

Not quite taxidermy but still quite realistic chainsaw art by Against the Grain

I almost thought they would come to life with all the calling going on lol. Last year I bought a couple from Conception CP, including one that I gifted to someone who has used it to successful call tons of coyotes.

Once again Claude was sharing his booth with carver Samuel Côté

I just saw Knotty Beaver at the Milton Gun Show a few days ago. Nice to see their beautiful acrylic, wood, and hybrid calls back at TSS

Recall Designs custom calls

Victory Ridge, a great store out of Barrie, is an authorized dealer for Sitka. I don’t hunt but if I did, I would buy Sitka. Their approach of optimizing camo to match the vision of the game is really cool.

I wanted to check out their Caller Glove but lo and behold I arrived just as someone else was buying the last one in XL. At least he was gracious enough to let me try it on! I love the concept of the single glove on your weak hand with built in hand-warmer for the dominant hand.

I don’t know much about Kuiu other than they have a great reputation

Skre

Or if you prefer hi-viz over camo, Traktiq

Firearms

I was pleased that Kodiak Defence brought their K9 9mm PCC (Glock mag compatible) along with the WK180C of course. And no, no K98 (before you ask)

O’Dell Engineering brought their vast lineup of Canuck, Bergara, and Derya.

I was looking forward to checking out the Derya mag-fed lever action .22 and was not disappointed.

Other show specialties, the OG, a limited run of 50 just for this show

Pioneer semi

I covered Williams Arms grand re-opening a few months ago. So pleasantly surprised to see them at TSS! Williams was showcasing Rossi lever actions in 30-30. I am seeing more and more lever action options to close Marlin’s production gaps.

Hunt Group with a massive selection of shotguns in every configuration

Wing’s Live Bait and Tackle

Shooter’s Choice with a wide array of firearms and archery equipment

Speaking of which, I shot Excalibur’s wild Twin-Strike over-under crossbow at Shooter’s Choice Customer Appreciation Day and wanted to have another look at it.

The rep also introduced me to the RevX, a fast (400FPS) crossbow with built in crank

(his hand is blurry because he is spinning the crank fast lol)

Like all Excalibur, the RevX is a recurve…no compound bows from the brand

Bowtech does offer compound bows, like the new CoreX

Knives

Puma Canada brought a huge selection of knives representing Puma, Svord, Otter, and Hubertus

I saw on social media that Puma was bringing several rare pieces that I wanted to check out, such as the extension knives from Puma and Hubertus

What a difference in feel between the retracted and extended positions

I have been lusting after an Automesser for a long time. It was just as great in the steel as I thought it would be

 My two favourite folders from the Puma lineup, the General and Hunter III

The Otter Mercator Black Cat K55K has a very colourful history. I wont get into it here so I urge you to watch some Youtube vids talking about it.

Rotwild

Blades4You

MAB Impex

Ash Gears

Closing thoughts

You can definitely feel that the show keeps growing under the new management. There were 350 exhibitors, including many newcomers to TSS, spread out across the massive space. I also found it to be more experiential, for example getting fitted for custom earpro, the Canadian Armed Forces exhibit, the calling competitions, and I think there were even driving/riding opportunities? In any case, it is nice to see something beyond the fishing pond.  

So to management I say, keep doing what you are doing, it is working.

RL

Finally a local gun show where I can take pics! And a good thing too as the venue of an old barn is one of the nicest I have seen for a gun show.

View from the upper level

And from the lower level

Cool lights

I heard Buffalo Bones would be at the show and that was one of the main draws for me (along with custom knifemaker Todd Bolce) and look at who the first person was that I ran into!

Seamus doing a little fur shopping.

He showed me the challenge coin that Todd made for him, complete with Leprechaun heads and Buffalo tails!

We walked over to his Buffalo Bones table where Seamus showed me some more unique pieces such as this fur lined pocket knife holster

Pocket wallet with Griffin Co. Scout Medic knife

And prototype case for your glasses/shades

That I just had to have

Though my absolute favourite piece was the ring lizard leather covered Pelican case!!

More great pieces on his table

look at that stingray

Seamus and his lovely family

I also ran into Sam the Cannon Man at his table!

Next I headed straight for Todd Bolce’s table

This little fixed blade was my favourite and it reminded me of a Fred Perrin Street Bowie

Amazing handle material on the next two. First, Ultrex Sure Touch, a new patent-pending process that combines the toughness and durability of G-10 with the grip and anti-slip properties of rubber

Next, ancient bog oak from Ukraine, about 5400 years old!

Mated to a blade in W2 steel with Hamon

Todd and I holding my two favourites

Todd doing some sharpening

Thanks again for the 1 $%^& coin, I could sure use some

More great custom knives from Sharp Sticks, most featuring 440C steel.

Interesting handle material on these

especially the pine cone

I really liked this one as well

no shortage of blades at the show including saws

and axes

I thought the billhook was a good match to my Dixxon Freddy Krueger shirt

Still more knives

Of course, this being a gun show, I am sure you want to see some guns! Believe me, there were plenty of them but out of respect, I didn’t take pics of all of them. Keep in mind that most exhibitors are private individuals selling their personal guns as opposed to the dealers and manufacturers you might see at a show like TACCOM. This is mainly why gun shows have traditionally been camera shy.

beautiful 10 gauge

CCFR on site educating consumers about what the government have in their sights next

There was also lots of gear at the show, both new and old

As well as a couple of vendors selling fur

I saw Knotty Beaver Calls at the 2023 Toronto Sportsmen’s Show and was happy to see their selection of calls here as well. And yes, they will be at 2024 TSS next week!

I am not sure how long the Milton show has been around but I can say that it was a good one! The venue is awesome and it was PACKED with people (to the point I could hardly move). Clearly they did a good job promoting the show. I think it helped to have some big names (at least in the knife/EDC communities) like Todd Bolce and Buffalo Bones. Those guys also did a great job promoting the event on social media (indeed, I wasn’t planning to attend till I saw their posts). Also, thanks again for allowing pics!

For my apres show meal, I was planning to go to Lancaster Smokehouse but in the end I wasn’t hungry enough and I was more in a burger mood. After some quick research I landed at Kevin’s Hamburger House, which turned out to be a fast food kiosk located in a mall. Also, the Kevin Special was gigantic and I was hardly able to finish it.

RL

DAY 2

Day 2 opens with an opportunity to get an autograph from and photo with Lovie Malespin.

In keeping with the theme of all the cool experiences of TACCOM, I rushed over to SFRC to try their Transcend Robotics Vantage. These are used by SWAT teams for room clearing (though sadly the gas cannons were not installed).

Check out the remote on this thing!

It can climb obstacles in forward and reverse!

just gotta turn it around

and from a sideview vantage point

again look at the remote!

thanks again to SFRC for letting us try it…and also for letting me borrow the red gun yesterday

nice to see Ryan again…this time selling Viking axes

I’ll get back to guns and gear but for now, let me stick with more great experiences at TACCOM! Such as the Clarington Woods Airsoft range!

Funny, I was wearing the same shirt when I saw a real Stoner with grenade launcher

AR15 airsoft for us to try

I have shot airsoft before but it is still always freaky to shoot something with absolutely zero recoil

By this point Lovie moved over to the Range 519 Shooting Simulator, which was quite popular with attendees.

Show-goers got the chance to shoot against Lovie for prizes and also to get her autograph

Thanks for bringing the simulator to TACCOM Dean!

More shooting experiences…the Mantis booth was one of my favourites last year, glad to see them back.

Or how about virtual reality! Gaim has a past connection to Aimpoint…

great to meet the rep from Sweden and get the details on the Bluetooth module

Ok on to presentations! First up, Solomon Friedman, lawyer extraordinaire for gun rights.

Next up, Rod Giltaca and Tracey Wilson, who just flew in from the Conservative Convention in Quebec City.

Lots of seminars today….next up, Steve from Crusader Arms with a new product introduction

This should be a hint about the next presentation, which ended up being one of the coolest I have seen at a show!

Baden K—9 has been training dogs for the Navy Seals and other elite military units for three generations. First some background info from gen 2 lol

Next the dogs are brought out for some live demonstrations

First they demonstrated how dogs are checked for wounds, either in the field or when they come back from a mission.

Next to demonstrate the dogs’ composure, they had one dog walk over the other three. Not a peep from any of them. Astonishing.

Finally the bite demo! Here comes the perp

Guess who is next?

Hahahaha not me! I bet all my haters are disappointed they didn’t get to see me get mauled by a dog hahahaha.

I think they like Lovie!

Woah who is this guy in the audience

While I would love to have a service dog by my side, that isn’t really feasible so having some self-protection skill is important. To that end, Chris from Tirsia Tactical gave us an informative presentation on situational awareness…

Followed by a demonstration of his strategy of “moving off the line” when it is too late and the perpetrator has already entered your space

Thanks Chris!

And now a real treat for me! I have watched MANY of GrandMaster Oliver “Pintados” Garduce’s videos. He is incredible!

Thank you so much for your pre-seminar demonstrations, especially with the Karambit!

On to the presentation…an introduction to Filipino Martial Arts and the Pintados style

Next a live demonstration using various weapons such as double sword, single sword, cane, and staff.

Next an introduction to Modern Arnis, the sport version of Filipino Martial Arts.

That was great!

Ok back to gear. I was really looking forward to visiting Sportsman Group to check out the lineup of Cloud Defensive lights, which are reputed to be among the most powerful out there.

With super high Candela ratings, these lights have incredible throw and easily penetrate glass without dispersion.

One of the features I really like is the adjustable depth of the firing button. This is accomplished by removable rings.

Also being brought in by the Sportsman Group, the King Competition Pineshot shell carrier from Finland.

Another one I was anxious to see, thanks to Code of Arms great video, the Byrna Launcher. This non-lethal solution shoots .68 caliber round kinetic projectiles that can disable a threat from up to 60-feet away.

What you get in the kit

It’s available in orange

and grey

the business end

with serious stopping power

very intuitive to us shooters

Back this year with their great line up of smoke grenades, Enola Gaye Canada, this time accompanied by distributor TAGinn.

Love the grenade water bottle (yes, I bought one lol)

Cool helmet

I picked up a box of FBG4 flashbangs (which have to be orange in Canada)

And a box of Thunder Flash

I forgot to take a pic with the helmet so ended up coming back on Day 3 for that lol

Alright, I will close off Day 2 with one of my favourite booths of the show! I came back here A LOT and made several purchases lol. I am talking about the MGear booth of course!

First, congrats to MGear for getting a patent for their famous RFID modular wallet!

Some early prototypes on display

In case you are not familiar, the wallet allows you to attach different faceplates and tools, keeping everything in a secure compact package

MGear was also running the Holodeck again.

I got my 3-D action figure in 2019 and the technology has evolved quite a bit since then. Some examples on display

Look at that, Master Ken made it to TACCOM 2023 after all!

But the Filipino Martial Arts section was the best part of the booth for me! In addition to the ongoing demonstrations, it featured an incredible selection of authentic knives and trainers hand-made in the Philippines, including my favourite, Karambits!

What’s better than one Karambit? Two Karambits!

Of course, I could not resist.

Oh what’s this? Karambits made out of water buffalo horn!

Got bit again.

Lots of other traditional blades as well such as Parong, Golok, Kriss etc

Am I doing this right?

Pocket Karambit!

Well pocket, hip, or neck really

More trainers

Cold Steel Balicki sticks!

Checking out some Kali sticks

Yup got one of those too! I love these guys!

RL

PART 1

TACCOM 2023 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2023 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2023 – Part 3

SET UP DAY

It’s TACCOM time! My favourite time of the year lol. As usual, I will be covering the show from set-up to closing on Sunday. If history repeats itself, I will post over 500 pics in the next few days lol.

I arrived to set-up quite early so exhibitors were still in early stages.

the big stage

It is very interesting to watch the booths getting set up

So great to see Nightforce back again

As well as Chiappa, in all the way from Italy.

CroMag

I like the way this is shaping up

Well that didn’t take long for me to do some shopping lol. I heard Premier Body Armor was bringing their new Home Shield…I loved it so much that I ordered one on the spot!

Meanwhile, guns were coming in by the truckload! I am looking forward to seeing Stoeger’s new straight pull rifle.

Cadex…I had visions of a T-Rex storming out of that crate

FOC already had some of their guns out

I will definitely take a close look at that 870 with 14” barrel and rifle sights!

Mossberg was also quite set up with a few variants of the 930JM

Nice HK at North Sylva

It was great to see my friends from MGear and AmChar again

I cant wait for the party atmosphere of the show tomorrow!

And now for the first meal of TACCOM, chicken souvlaki at Zet’s!

DAY 1

I arrived super early to try to get pics of the booths before the crowds showed up.

My first stop was Premier Body Armor, in part to take another look at the Home Shield that I just ordered and in part to pick up my past order 😊 But first, a glimpse of their expansive lineup

So this is what the front and back of the Home Shield looks like. It’s Level IIIA and weighs 3.5 pounds. There is another version that also stops rifle rounds and that one weighs 8 pounds (and costs twice as much). I opted for the lighter model.

Thanks to SFRC for providing an ASP training gun to allow me to demonstrate how the cutouts on the corners work (yes, I did end up buying that training gun too…sigh)

I ordered an Everyday Armor t-shirt in 3XL at TACCOM 2022 and I was thrilled to pick it up at this show! It took so long in part because 3XL is not easy to come by but also because they released a version 2.0 with improved placement of the plates and I wanted to wait for this new version.

So happy it fits! Lol

And it doesn’t print at all (well it did a bit in the first pic but after we re-set the plate it didn’t show at all)

Such a great product!

Next a check in with show host, Firearms Outlet Canada

Lot’s of great guns to see here, such as these shotguns done up by Tactical Ordnance (I will cover their booth shortly)

I like that “lego” Kriss Vector in hidden camo

The Fix by Q

Again, I wanted to take a closer look at that 870 Police with factory 14” barrel and rifle sights

It was nice but I think I prefer Ghost ring sights

Some nice Winkler axes on display

the new TACCOM patch

As I mentioned, I liked the TacOrd shotguns at FOC so figured now would be a good time to visit Casey and crew. As I am sure you know, they are among the best in the business when it comes to modifying shotguns.

Their Nova Speed caught my eye (I’ll show you a stock one later). TacOrd flared, cleaned up and polished the loading port

Father and son

If you were looking for a tactical shotgun that doesn’t cost quite as much as a custom TacOrd, fear not as there were tactical shotguns of all ranges at the show. In fact, my next visit was to Stoeger to look at some of the Benelli and Beretta shotguns that TacOrd uses as a platform.

For example, here is a stock Nova Speed

While there, I also discovered the new Beretta BRX1 straight pull rifle. What a fast action!

My picture doesn’t do this Burris Veracity PH scope justice but it was hella cool! It features the Burris Connect App and has a head up display that shows elevation turret position in yards, meters or MOA, as well as rifle cant, rifle angle, distance-accurate wind holdover and battery level!

More high tech optics from the Burris and Steiner lines

including binoculars with laser range finders

If you know about my love of sunglasses (safety/shooting glasses in particular) another great surprise at the Stoeger booth were these Beretta collaborations with Rudy Project

Next I visited Mossberg to see the 940 Pro that finally hit our shores as well as the arctic white variant of the 930JM.

First off, I REALLY liked the 940 Pro! So far it is one of my favourite guns of the show. I like the feel of it and the way the red-dot is mounted in the cutout made it super easy to find.

I also liked the texture of the white coating on the 930

After seeing Solely Outdoors post about the “official shotgun of the Chinese police” I was anxious to check out the Termnion International booth. Their shotguns are compatible with Remington 870s and are actually made in a factory in China that used to make parts for Remington.

Considering that the base model starts at $399, it is amazing how much gun you get for such a low price.

Even with a bunch of accessories, it is still below $500 I believe

Of course, O’Dell Engineering’s Canuck line is also a super popular option for tactical shotguns

And don’t forget they are the distributors for Bergara precision rifles

Also don’t forget to pick up some swag when you visit their booth!

Speaking of high end precision rifles, how about Cadex eh?

Don’t forget, they make shotgun parts too!

Alright, moving on to black guns, like Crusader Arms

or should I say shiny guns because this sure caught my eye!

It was also great to run into Lovie!

Lots of WK180C variants at Kodiak

The top one here was part of their giveaway

I especially liked the one with folding stock

Or if you prefer competition bolt action

Sadly this one is not available

Next over to AmChar for yet another look at the TROY PAR and SPR. I swear I have looked at these so many times and STILL never shot either! I am sooooo anxious to test fire them!

Lots of Kel-Tecs on display

Alright, I have a lot more pics to post but need to conserve some energy for the rest of the show so I will close with North Sylva.

That’s a lot of KRISS!

I’ll have to go back to their booth to check out this shotgun

And the new S&W folding gun

North Sylva was also hosting CZ reps who gave the first presentation of the show.

And as usual, my meal for the day, escargot, blue cheese salad, Zorro’s Cut Prime Rib and crème caramel.

RL

PART 1

TACCOM 2023 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2023 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2023 – Part 3

 

Many loyal customers were excited to hear that Williams Arms was moving to a new location. They didn’t have to wait long though as the whole process from conception to fruition took only 60 days and the store was open for business the whole time! Indeed, the entire inventory of guns was moved to the new location in less than 24 hours!

I arrived early and parked in front of the old store for posterity.

Luckily I made it to the Grand Re-Opening in time to see opening remarks to an already forming crowd.

Next, the ribbon cutting ceremony. This is the third or fourth time I have been at a ribbon cutting for a gun store and it is a great feeling!

Some group pics

And now into the new store! Upon entrance it feels more open and airy than the previous location, at least brighter.

There were reps on site to answer questions, like my good friend farmboy from Gravel (who I will be seeing again next week at TACCOM)

Guns and swag to be raffled off for the occasion

Alright let’s look at some guns! I headed straight for the tactical shotguns

Where I found a nice set in matching green lol. Beretta 1301, Chruchill with shockwave type grip, and Canuck Operator

Or if you prefer less tactical, a Beretta A400 perfect for waterfowl

Or fancier still, a Beretta Silver Pigeon

Ok on to bolt action and other long-guns

I was pleased to see some options in semi-auto, such as the BCL Siberian. I saw this at TACCOM last year and this was the first one I have seen in the wild.

Williams has something for all your shooting needs…eyes and ears

Reloading

Black powder

Optics from Vortex and Bushnell

Knives

And of course the great service and super nice people you have come to expect from Williams. Congrats once again on the new store and great job, especially in such a short time. I am sure Mr. Williams would be proud of his legacy and I am sure the new store will be just as successful.

As is customary for me, I like to visit a local eatery after my store tours. I picked a local “institution” just 5 min away, Haugen’s BBQ and Chicken. This place has been featured on the Food Network and is very popular spot for motorcyclists. I can see why as it has beautiful expansive grounds.

I got a window seat to enjoy the nice view

A perfect setting for my full rack of ribs

Yep fall off the bone

and finish with a homemade coconut pie

Definitely a great complement to a visit to Williams.

RL