As you may know, the CCFR is going on a cross Canada Integrity tour, stopping at Liberal candidate offices and gun stores across the way in the hopes of having dialogue with politicians and members of the shooting community. I caught up with them at Firearms Outlet Canada last night.
The awesome campaign bus
Rod and Tracey from CCFR with Adam from FOC
Chatting with gun owners…great discussion!
And finally some group photos
Don’t forget to vote!
RL
I was planning to go to the Barrie Sportsmen and Outdoor Show last year but cancelled in the last minute. I didn’t think I would make it this year either as it coincided with NAS Customer Appreciation Day. However, thanks to Canadian Firearms Network’s live video coverage of the show, I thought it looked decent enough to make the trip…and look who I ran into in the parking lot lol
The deciding factor for me to go was whether they had firearms at the show…and they sure did! Even restricteds, such as the AR15s and handguns (mostly Walthers) at Top Gun Tactical
Bell Outdoors had a booth with guns, crossbows, and knives
More guns at Wolf’s Den Sports
Including an HK SL8 and Steyr Scout…I want to say you don’t see those every day but believe it or not, we stopped at RangeView sports on the way home and they had an SL8 in stock! What are the chances of seeing two in one day?
Knives and airsoft at Blades4You
My favourite of which was the MP-5
The production version of one of my favourite knives of all time, the Kasper Fighting Folder (I have two of the Crawford customs).
A mini-damascus Tracker (I have a Dave Beck custom on order…going on 3 years lol)
Lots of apparel options…such as Brass and Lead Co.
Bush Wookie
Just Hunt
Canadian Tactical
For those who want to preserve the hunt, Brains Taxidermy
Or if you want something more artistic, Pat the Woodcarver, who starts with a chainsaw before moving to finer wood carving tools
You may even find a shark at the show lol
And of course you cant have a Sportsmen’s show without some off-road vehicles, including bikes and ATVs
The venue itself Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery was super cool.
So with only 80 or so exhibitors it was a smaller show still in the growth phase. I believe it was bigger than last year and is planned to be bigger still next year and that is encouraging, especially in these tough political times.
RL
I had a great time at the NAS Guns and Ammo 2019 Customer Appreciation Day!
It even felt a bit like a TACCOM reunion with so many familiar faces….such as Will from Atlanta Arms
Dave, fellow High Capacity contributor and CCFR rep
And several others as you will see soon!
It was very busy inside
I really like the rustic look of the store
Given my recent affinity for PCCs, I was anxious to see the TNW Aero Survival Rifle in person. Not only can you take this gun down, you can easily swap calibers! I watched a Hickok45 review last night in anticipation and he commented that the gun seemed small, keeping in mind he is 6’8” tall! Yes, it was compact but not overly so…I found it quite comfortable. It was also heavier, or beefier than I expected….it certainly did not feel cheap, quite robust in fact. The bottom line is that I like it and am anxious to shoot one!
Speaking of survival guns, here is something you don’t see every day, the Midland Backpack…a folding single shot shotgun! This one was in 12 gauge as the shorter barreled one in 20 gauge sold just before I arrived.
As you might have seen in my post-TACCOM comments, someone tracked down a BNIB Commemorative Edition M17 for me and I am waiting for the transfer to go through. In the meantime, NAS had a standard M17 to check out…yup, glad I bought one.
It was also great to see Tim again, he was on site working on customers’ SIG guns. I do like that SIG airgun he is holding. It is a lot heavier than you might think…feels a lot like real steel.
Tim’s table was set up where the Nanuk cases are usually displayed…last time I was at NAS, there were even more Nanuk cases set up here.
More familiar faces…Dave from Grand Power with an X-Calibur Match like the one I shot two weeks ago at Select Range Day…I liked it a lot and now I had the opportunity to look at it in closer detail outside of a range setting.
And Mitch from Auscan with his line of race Glocks.
These are built on P90 frames and every part is replaced and/or hand tuned/finished.
I really like the aggressive texture on the P90 grip….and note the Auscan baseplate
And the details like the single and double undercuts, accelerator cut, huge mag release with cutout, in-house made compensator, suppressor height sights, and RMR cut etc. etc. Mitch had several barrel options such as DLC and slide options in many Cerakote colours.
For those who like more traditional guns, how about a Marlin in curly maple?
Still not traditional enough? How about some vintage guns, a Bren and a Sten
Vortex optics…i finally got to try the Fury HD with built in laser range finder…the last two times I saw one the battery was not installed lol. Having a built in rangefinder is super handy and IMHO at $1650 this is a great value compared to the $3000-$4000 you might pay with Zeiss or Swarovski.
The CCFR, needed now more than ever
Thanks to Code of Arms for the coffee
Lots of sales going on today..such as the buy one get one free on MECHANIX GLOVES..i ended up picking up some mags.
Thanks again NAS, your customers appreciate you too!
RL
I am so glad that Select Shooting decided to stay with Oxford Fish and Game club as the venue for their Annual Range Day as I really like the open layout of this range.
We arrived to a decent lineup of people and as we will see later on, it did get quite busy.
Select Shooting’s display with the raffle prize Canuck shotguns donated by O’Dell
And raffle cases generously donated by Nanuk
Returning exhibitors Black Rifle Coffee and the CSSA
And great to see my colleagues at High Capacity have a table this year…I picked up several copies of the two editions with my articles.
I also sampled Code of Arms new coffee. While Black Rifle Coffee uses proceeds to support veterans, Code of Arms Coffee supports competitive shooters…and they offered to sponsor 17 year old IPSC Grand Master Ryan Dobbs at the Code of Arms Golden Bullet Awards dinner at TACCOM.
The Code of Arms guys doing what they do best…filming an interview with Dean for CCFR Downrange Season 2 TV show
Canadian Historical Arms Museum is also a returning exhibitor although this year we were not allowed to handle the guns. Still, after seeing Canadian Gun Vaults prohibition kit at TACCOM it was great to see a real Tommy Gun for comparison.
Other hardware on display
Last year I focused on precision rifles so this year I decided to start with handguns.
Lineup for the handgun range…
At least we had some cool scenery to admire while we were waiting
Quite busy inside!
I have skipped Smith and Wesson in my previous reviews so wanted to show them some love this time around lol. First up, the SD9, S&W’s entry level offering
Shoots pretty well…a good bargain for under $500
Next the Victory Performance Centre .22LR…
being a .22 it was super easy to shoot, as shown by this young lady (thanks to her father for permission to take the pic)
Smokey ammo…looks good in pics imho lol
I really liked the super bright sights and I would say this gun had the best sights of all the ones I tried in the day.
Meanwhile Tom shot the M&P and .357 revolver
Next, the North Sylva booth for one of my favourites, the X95..in 9mm…I definitely want one of these and to take a course with Lovie, who I had the pleasure of meeting at TACCOM
Yup, definitely my favourite of the day.
As I mentioned in my TACCOM review, I intended to try the FN 509 here as I knew it would be on the
line. It shoots well but I would mount a red dot on it…those suppressor sights would take some getting used to.
Also from North Sylva, Girsan
And Walther.
I have heard so many positive things about the Q5 Match that I had to give it a try.
It was definitely nice but it did not “wow” me.
By contrast, Tom shot the P99 and it was his favourite gun of the day…said he would “look up pricing” when he gets home lol
The P1 was super fun but it would take me some practice to do speedy reloads with that heel mag release.
Next up, Grand Power….
i tried the Q100, which now has a flat trigger with a 3.5# release weight and a shorter reset than the original version.
And the X-Calibur Match, also a next generation model featuring a heavier steel dustcover for even greater muzzle rise reduction. …and I MUCH preferred this one. In fact, I liked this one much better than the Walther Q5 Match.
The fluted rotary barrel helps with recoil management and it feels great to shoot.
At the end of TACCOM, Wolverine Supplies generously provided some demo guns for today’s event, one of which was a Bruger & Thomet GHM-9….this one was near the top of my list to try. Too bad I embarrassed myself by hitting the mag release instead of the bolt release lol (apparently I was not the only one to do so)…the bigger issue was the small size of the aperature on the rear sight. I would definitely need to mount a red-dot on this.
Next my biggest surprise of the show, the Freedom Ordnance FX-9! Zero recoil and super accurate (the great Vortex glass helped too), plus it uses Glock mags…next to the Tavor this was my favourite gun of the day..i would definitely buy one of these!
Last but not least in terms of handguns, Glock!
The G19X was the most popular gun at their booth…while I have shot it before, I thought I would give it another try.
I must say that I liked it more than in previous outings…perhaps because I have been shooting my Glock lately so am more accustomed to the trigger.
Other Glocks on the line (note the American Tactical Omni AR with polymer frame that I covered in my TACCOM review)
All done with handguns, we headed to the rifle range….which was also super busy
Some of the guns available for us to try
Again I wanted to start with Smith & Wesson.
I watched Colion Noir’s video on the M&P 15-22 .22LR last night as I knew Select would have one on the line (thanks for putting out the list Select!)…he concluded that while an AR in .22 may seem silly, it is super fun to shoot and a great training tool…I concur! Once again, another gun I would buy!
As for the standard M&P AR, I wanted to try the one with classic furniture…while I like the look, I have really gotten used to shooting ARs with quad rails so I think I will stick to those.
Of course, S&W offers those as well..shown here with Tom and another guest.
I wasn’t planning to shoot precision rifles this time but they had the new Daniel Defense Delta so had to give it a try. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the gun, either it was over-heated of didn’t like the available ammo but the bolt had to be forced open after every shot so I only got one round out of it.
Fortunately the Daniel Defense AR was functioning flawlessly and I really liked it!
Finally, the trap range featuring shotguns by Mossberg
Browning
From O’Dell, Derya and Canuck
And Benelli / Beretta (sorry no pics)
Tom (not shown in these pics) got 3 out of 4 (or was it 3 out of 5? Lol…who is counting)
Select graciously invited us to stay for the RSO shoot after the event closed to the public and I brought out my John Wick guns for the team to try…
Here is our host, Dean, shooting my JW3 TTI STI
I have another 70 pics of the after-shoot and will perhaps post those later.
For now that sums up my great day at Select Shooting Annual Range Day 4…kudos to Dean and team for putting on another great event just one week after the craziness of TACCOM..we are all still recovering lol.
RL
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Had a great time at Glock Day at Lanz / Silverdale today although I spent more time talking than taking pics so just a few for today.
In addition to the discounts, there was no tax and free shipping on Glocks along with your choice of two pieces of Glock swag (out of a hat, bag, or mag pouch).
Virtually all Glocks available in Canada were on the line, including the G19X and new 48.
I shot a couple of variations of the G17, including the one with Ameriglo front sight currently used by local police forces and a Gen 5.
We were shooting at X-metal targets, generously supplied by TDSA
Speaking of X-metal, it was great to catch up with their rep, BrassLovingBrunette
She liked my John Wick guns too…I think she wants to keep them lol
Thanks BLB for the patch…pretty cool to be immortalized in your own patch lol
The NFA working to protect our rights and educate new shooters
Finally, some great holsters from Grey Fox Strategic
This one was designed for a police unit in Saskatchewan…they wanted something more streamlined
Some new camo options
And the robin’s egg blue looks great too!
There was a steady crowd during the event
Thanks again to Lanz, Silverdale, and the Glock crew.
RL
Given that this event was during the week, it is not surprising that it was more “intimate” than past events at Easthill…it was great to catch up with my friends from Stoeger Canada and get some good shooting tips from a Beretta Team shooter.
Some of the guns on the line
I chose the M9A3
This event was open to those with and without a licence and it was nice to see new shooters having a great time
I did not stay too long so no store pics this time…but as always, very friendly staff and an enjoyable experience, thanks again!
RL
Well i am pretty pleased with both GoRuck and SOE…
First GoRuck…i have wanted their GR-1 Shooter bag for a while and when i was finally ready to place my order, i was sad to see that it was being discontinued but glad that they still had some in stock and at a substantial discount!
It is of course a beautiful piece of kit
Since GoRuck also discontinued the velcro inserts for their bag, i ordered a bunch of stuff from SOE (and let’s face it, SOE is cooler anyway lol)….it took TWO MONTHS for my SOE package to arrive…i dont know if it is because of the delay or the fact that i placed my order on a holiday but SOE sent me TWO free bags!
In terms of inserts, i ordered the universal pistol holster
two pistol mag carrier
two AR mag carrier
Tool bag organizer
mesh inner pocket
<img src=“http://www.fototime.com/32F75C8D7652A8B/large.jpg”““““““““““““““““ alt=““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““
to give you an idea of the inserts mounted in the GoRuck Shooter pack
i also ordered some gear for my person lol..including a riggers belt with toxic green threading (and velcro lining)
a classic SOE wallet
key silencer with HK clip and belt loop
and they sent me this tool bag with glittery USA flag interior…for free!
and this bag…also free!
I am impressed!
RL
As you may have seen in my previous review or recent article in High Capacity magazine, I am happy to own a John Wick 2 gun, a Taran Tactical John Wick Combat Master Package G34.
As much as I love that gun, I have always been a 1911 fan and STI is one of my favourite makes so I was pretty thrilled when they released the JW3 gun at SHOT show 2019 and now, thanks to Freedom Ventures and Bulls Eye London, I have my grail gun!
Specs on the gun (per Taran’s website)
5.4 Inch Match Grade Bull Barrel
FDE/Bronze BLC coated Barrel
Combat Master Slide Cuts
Extreme Engineering Fire Control Group
Fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear sight
New Extended Slide Release
New extended Mag release
1.75-2.5 LBS trigger pull
Stainless Steel Guide Rod
Grip job
Tactical STI magazine
Four 22 round magazines with Taran Tactical baseplates
Compared to the JW2 gun
I went from the store straight to the range…I tried both 9mm and 9mm MAJOR and had absolutely no issues with the 100+ rounds I put through it. As you would expect from an STI, it shoots like a dream! What surprised me the most was how it tamed the 9mm MAJOR…I was expecting it to have a much bigger kick than it did.
My buddy liked it as well
And now for some detail shots
So I am super pleased with my purchase! Having shot it side by side with the G34 it is hard to pick a single winner…I like both! And thanks again to Bulls Eye.
Next stop, Taran Tactical JW3 Benelli M2!
RL
Last year’s inaugural Guns and Tactical Show was a great success. The co-organizers, Lanz Shooting Supplies and Code of Arms took lessons learned and made this year’s live fire trade show even better!
Some of the changes included modifying the show hours, limiting VIP tickets to 100, each with 2-day access, a larger swag bag, entry into prize draws, and a complimentary ammo ticket. And most importantly, more guns! I think there were about 100 on the line!
I attended with two of my shooting buddies, TheShmoo and Dave, both of whom have been to several shooting events and both of whom came away thinking that GAT Show was very well organized. The volume of guns and spread over 8 ranges meant we never had to wait in a long line. There was also great signage listing each gun on each range so it was easy to find what you wanted to shoot. Just very well done!
And that brings me to my main caveat of this review. Typically, I like to post pics of every gun shot by every member of my party. However, given that we each shot at least 10 guns and that we split up at times, that was not feasible. So keep in mind that our experience was even bigger than what is being posted in this review!
Part 1: The Tent
GAT show is divided into two main parts, a “tent” featuring a number of vendors and the live fire “try before you buy” spread across 8 of Silverdale’s ranges.
As is usually my routine for such events, I hit the vendors first, heading straight to visit my friends at Code of Arm’s
to pick up one of their t-shirts….
And to pick up a copy of the latest High Capacity magazine, featuring my first article, The Guns of John Wick!
Note in the above pics I am wearing my new HuntersHD Gold Aviators…thanks to Sean from Freedom Ventures for introducing me to these purpose built shooting glasses…not only are they photochromic, they meet or exceed milspecs for perspiration resistance, ultraviolet stability, salt spray resistance, heat resistance, solvent resistance, abrasion resistance, and flexibility…the lenses are incredibly clear and I can’t wait to try them on the range today
The crew from Firearms Outlet Canada were on site to sell tickets to the upcoming TACCOM show.
It was great to chat about the show. I already have a media pass but wow, the more I hear about TACCOM the more excited I become! In addition to Chris Costa, there will be other well known US trainers at the show as well as manufacturers from the US and Europe. A 40+ page programme listing all exhibitors will be released soon. Not sure how much more I can divulge here but wow, you do not want to miss this show!
As an aside, I must say that I like to see this comradery in the gun community…none of this “TACCOM is a competing show so they cant sell tickets here” nonsense. Thanks for sticking together GAT and TACCOM.
Next a check-in at Vortex to get more details on some of the optics they have will have on the shooting line…always educational.
I met the guys from Patch Panel at last year’s show and since that time I have become a lot more into patches, or at least have now realized how much I like them lol. Indeed I am not alone as I found out that some collector patches can command significant amounts of money, as in up to $1,800!
I really liked this Glockamole patch
This Deadpool collector patch has been seen for around $350 on the secondary market!
Patch Panel also does custom laser-cut work
I picked up a couple of patches as well.
Next stop, host Lanz Shooting Supplies..
Where I found one of the most beautiful guns of the show, a Colt Python! I think the Python is a great match to my Aviators with their removalble side shields lol
As well as another interesting revolver, the Chiappa Rhino, which was on my list to shoot.
Two more guns on my list to try, the Angstadt Arms UDP and Chiappa Little Badger (which sadly I did not end up shooting)
More of the Lanz display
Ragnarok Tactical for your safety needs
Whether they be medical supplies
Or body armour
We ran into Tracey Wilson …the last time I took a picture of Dave and Tracey, it ended up in the CCFR’s Down Range TV show…let’s see what happens this time lol
Black Bear Gear with Warrior Assault Systems and Eickhorn-Solingen Edged Combat & Rescue Knives
N.A.S. Guns and Ammo
Part 2: The Range
TheShmoo and I saw the Glock 48 during one of our gun store tours last week and we were anxious to shoot it so we hit the Glock range first.
It is hard to describe but it is pretty much how I expected a single stack Glock would feel. Again, my personal Glocks are at the opposite end of the grip spectrum so I think it would take some getting used to…the bottom line is that it was a little better than I thought but I am not ready to buy one.
Next TheShmoo wanted to try the Shadow 2…and he liked it a lot!
Dave already has a Shadow so he also wanted to compare it against the Shadow 2. He said that you can definitely feel a difference but he didn’t like the red-dot mounted on this one. Later in the day he ended up shooting another Shadow 2 without a red-dot and he much preferred that one.
Next stop, Tactical Imports
Where they had a nice selection of Type 81s, MK 1919 shotgun and my gun of choice, the BRS-99!
I put four mags through the BRS-99 last year and loved it so wanted to give the “Polish UZI” another whirl…you don’t see these too often
Yup, loved it
Dave also liked it but would get it with the non-restricted longer barrel
The NFA was right next to Tactical Imports and they had a staggering array of guns all the way up to a .50BMG. I really liked the fact that they brought some prohib revolvers, very “on brand” with their “No Compromise” positioning. TheShmoo shot two of them and preferred the little snubbie in .38.
Last year I missed shooting the Skorpion and I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. It was nice but I should have put a few mags through it to really get the feel.
The STAG10 was also on my list. I have never shot an AR platform in .308. I realize that .308 is much bigger than .223 but I guess I was expecting the AR platform to tame the recoil a but more than it did. As such, I think I will stick to .223. By contrast, Dave liked the punch of the .308.
Next stop, North Sylva for another one on my list, the HK SFP9. I had shot the P30L at SHOT show and wasn’t crazy about the trigger so I thought the SFP might be a bit better in that regard and my hypothesis was confirmed.
Lanz had quite a few of the guns that I wanted to try.
Including the Angstadt Arms UDP…the Sig MPX shown next to it, made me a believer out of AR platforms in 9mm. Indeed, the MPX is one of my favourite guns and having the ability to use Glock mags is a huge bonus. That having been said, and I don’t mean to offend Angstadt owners, the MPX feels like a way superior gun. Yes, the Sig is more expensive, but I would pay that difference.
I am used to shooting revolvers in single action and in bigger calibers so the 9mm Chiappa with its low barrel was an interesting sensation. I thought it was ok while Dave loved it and said he would “buy one any day”
My favourite gun at the Lanz booth turned out to be the S-W M&P..i haven’t shot one for years but I hear so many good things about them that I wanted to give it another try…very easy to shoot and all hits were on the steel plate.
Ok a quick snack before moving on…some great food trucks this year including Bacon Crazy where I had the won tons stuffed with bacon and hot sauce and covered in maple syrup
As we passed by O’Dell’s booth I saw my favourite AR, the F1, now fitted with a HIPERFIRE trigger…I was planning to shoot it again but did not end up doing so.
Lots of great stuff at the SIG booth including the 320 in a RONI micro conversion kit and the new MPX Copperhead edition with its 4.5” barrel!
I also shot the MK25
It was great chatting with the rep from Evans Group, shown here with their rotating magazine shotgun
Evans are the distributors for Springfield Armory and I love their 1911s (I am actually on the list for one of their FBI guns). Here is TheShmoo shooting one of the M1As
Next over to Vortex for more precision gun shooting out of custom builds with Custom German Gun and PSE stocks.
Last but certainly not least, the monster Cadex Tremor and Dave’s absolute favourite gun of the day.
So just to recap, here are the guns that I shot in order of my preference:
1 Sig MPX Copperhead
2 BRS 99
3 CZ Scorpion
4 HK SFP9-SD
5 Sig P320 RONI
6 Smith & Wesson M&P
7 Sig MK25
8 Glock 48
9 Chiappa Charging Rhino
10 Angstadt Arms UDP
11 Stag 10 AR10
Once again, fantastic job organizing GAT Show…we all had a great time and agree that this one of Canada’s “big three” must attend events, along with TACCOM and Wolverine Days.
RL
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