rlauferblog

Friends of the Guild Pre-Show
In keeping with the higher end nature of the August show, the food was a lot fancier than the spring show lol

And I took advantage of the drink tickets too with a little Jim Beam Bourbon lol

But of course we are here for knives, so let’s get to it! First up, James Emmons, including his ABS test knife.

Which I can confirm was VERY sharp! My first time ever cutting myself at a knife show!

An earlier test knife, partially bent for the bending test

A beautiful forged bladed folder from James

A shot of his knives for the pre-show

Two heavy hitters, Wolfgang Loerchner and Steve D’lack

Wolfe’s knife…table price of $18,000

Awesome dressed up tacticals from Brian Tighe

This one was my favourite

Love the carbon fiber scales and clip on this one

A happy new owner…nice timascus!

Always stylin, I like Brian’s Corum bubble watch

And Rod liked his jacket lol

Ok back to knives..i like the direction Rod Olson is taking

Last but not least, Mike Mossington

And now for some candid shots..

Cant wait for the show to start tomorrow!

21st Annual Canadian Knifemaker Guild Show

I really liked what I saw from Brian Tighe at the pre-show so I thought I would check in with him first…wow, 15 knives each one better than the next! I liked the zirconium scales as well, ultra resistant, and the acid wash finish on some of the blades looked great.

Thanks again for the Damasteel bandages Brian, I could have used them last night!

Once again the show was open to international knifemakers and I was super impressed with Koji Hara’s knives. As luck would have it, a fellow collector picked up a Microtech version of his Closer from Tri-City (more on them in a second) so we could do some comparison shots.

Speaking of Tri-City, Bill brought an incredible selection including some makers whose knives I have never had the chance to handle before.

Some of the outstanding pieces..Allen Elishewitz

Todd Rexford Epicenter

RJ Martin, including my absolute favourite knife of the show the Uberstator

Jeremy Marsh custom Wench

A tactical from Ron Lake! The Taliwhacker

Incredible opening and locking mechanism on this Stan Wilson Non-Flipper Flipper

Another of my show favourites was William Nease’s titanium Dao sword! It was SUPER sharp, not an easy thing to do with titanium

Tig, just back from filming in New Zealand (though no Milla Jovovich this time  ) liked it too.

As I mentioned, I liked Rod Olson’s new knives at the pre-show…I especially liked the ones with Damasteel and pearl inserts

But for great handle materials, no one beat Denis Mura! In all the way form Italy, Denis brought some very unique knives…

Including this one with aluminum flakes

Petrified onion and garlic

Gold flakes

And a very well thought out piece with a bear motif that carried through to the claw marks on the back of the knife and the sheath…another of my show favourites!

More from Denis, including skulls with his logo and goatee

Time to check back in with James Emmons,

My thumb still stings from the cut of his test knife, but I imagine the rope and wood shown here will be in worse shape tomorrow.

As an ABS Mastersmith, Christophe Derringer will oversee James’ test

Also from Quebec, Stephanie Lemelin, more great art knives..love the handle material (drat, forgot what it is)

Of course you cant mention art knives without mentioning Wolfgang Loerchener

Or his daughter, Elizabeth

Mark Daley had one of my favourite knives at last year’s show, a little lockback…more great ones this year

Note how the two sides are different on this one

Steve Vanderkoff

My favourites were the loveless NY Boot style..playing around with bokeh here

Wide selection at Hacher & Krain, including this huge, possibly circumcision knives?

To kitchen knives

To these miniatures..complete with opening blade!

Iilja Zugaj

Jason Duclos

In from China, Hongbo Wang

Mike Mossington with working knives

And supplies

Collector Murray White

And Russ Coultrop

Culpepper

Steady crowd

Never know what you might see from fellow collectors…Stellite strider

UBR Commander

It’s been a great run.

RL

It’s great to see the CKG doing two shows per year again. While the August show will be held downtown again, the winter show is back at Four Points near the airport.

As is customary, I arrived early to catch up with old friends. Sure enough, Brian Tighe, Mike Mossington, Murray St. Amour, Christophe Derringer, Rod Cook, and Wolfgang Loerchner were all hanging out in the café when I arrived.

Wally Hayes arrived shortly thereafter.

Wally brought some great zombie spikes, including this all titanium piece

And one with glow in the dark handle….wow, third show in a row I find something to match my shoes…and the show hasn’t even started yet lol!

Another with black wrap.

And this beauty with silver dragon soldered on..Mike Mossington quickly snapped it up to add to his collection of Canadian makers

I liked Wally’s Sinn too…such great visibility..I miss mine but since the battery died I have to send it back to Germany to re-do the liquid filling. My Surefire / Luminox will just have to do in the meantime.

James Emmons, past winner of best show knives and on working his way toward ABS JS, had another stunning bowie with visible hamon.

Ok on to the Friends of the Guild pre-show…

Dayammm Murray White I LOVE that fur jacket! The hat and scarf are pretty cool too…I think you need shoes with Swarovski crystals like mine lol

Lots of familiar faces

Brian Tighe had the only tactical on display, a Tighe Tac

Another look at James’ fantastic bowie

Nice stag handled hunters from Mike Mossington

Murray St. Amour’s personal knife with ivory handle

Journeyman Smith, David Sylvester

Steve Vanderkolff once again had something with one of my favourite handle materials, mammoth’s tooth

Nathan Knowles with his usual attention to detail…

…Such as the copper rings around the pins

They had some food for us…

Although this wasn’t enough to satisfy our hunger so Wally Hayes, James Emmons, and I headed out to Zorro’s Steakhouse. Wow the last time I was there was with knifemaker Greg Lightfoot. Sadly my car is in the shop so I had to slum it with this 2015 C300 lol

I started with the Escargot

Followed by the house specialty, prime rib, Zorro’s Cut of course

Finally some crème caramel

I started the show by checking in with Wally to confirm I was keeping the zombie spike that he lent me for the pic with my shoes…lol…

Definitely one of the cooler pieces of the show, a homage to the movie Ninja Assassin complete with removable chain (manriki gusari)

Here is the sheath system

At Wally’s table I ran into knifeman7 who was receiving his awesome forged folder from Wally, complete with red carbon fiber scales

Knifeman7 was selling some of his incredible collection as well including this limited edition Ken Onion

Mike Obenauf framelock

Rod Olson with lightning strike Kevlar scales

Three of my favourites of the show were all at David Sylvester’s table…not only does this ABS Journeyman Smith know how to forge, he knows how to sharpen too! These knives were sharp! The chopper is modeled after knives that David uses in cutting competitions

Wicked forged throwing axe head

But I liked this tactical the best, I think (ok maybe tied with the axe)

Nice ambidextrous sheath design

More forged pieces from David

And from ABS Master Smith Christophe Derringer, who is always willing to share his vast knowledge

Next Brian Tighe..

This one reminded me of a gold tiger striped one Brian had a few years ago that I still regret not having bought

More from Brian

Including some of his collaborations with CRKT

Wolfgang Loerchner had five of his knives on display

As well as some German military knives

Too bad I did not get a chance to speak with Paul Savage

More fine forged knives from James Emmons, who as an engineer built his own power hammer!

Another of my show favourites was Murray St. Amour’s filet knife with damasteel blade and handle made out of a material that combines steel (aluminum) with synthetics. The red handle uses copper instead of aluminum

Murray also showed us a vintage Randall out of his personal collection, held here by Murray White

Who was busy in action shooting pics for his show review

Mike Mossington was set up next to Murray

Steve Vanderkolff had some of his new knives on display

As well as some of his knives owned by Russ

This striped Damascus pattern, which Steve had specially made, was one of the nicest knives of the show

Paul Bold

I really liked his Kris

This green scale material also stood out

As did Paul’s first folder

Nathan Knowles also had a Kris design

Along with some other very detailed knives on his table

I really liked the colours on this diamond wood

A few pieces from Murray White’s collection

More displays by other collectors

Ok off for some great souvlaki at Zet’s with Wally and waterfowler

I came back late at night to say bye to my friends…most knives were packed away for the night.

I hope they have a great show tomorrow.

Cheers.

RL

First off, to all of you whining and complaining that the Toronto Sportsman Show is not worth the price of parking, I don’t know what you are talking about. I had a lot of fun at the show and saw TONS of cool stuff. I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

My first stop was Rampart International as I wanted to catch my good friend gadget while he was there. For those of you who know gadget, he always has the latest and greatest in guns and gear so if he is helping out at Rampart you know you will find some kick-ass gear at their booth.

Sure enough, one of the first things that I see is a Nightforce scope on a very trick Ashbury Precision chassis lol

Next the Haley Strategic INCOG IWB Holster System in tactical fuzz, shown with some Inforce WML lights

Next gadget explained the very versatile G-code mounting system that gives you multiple options with easy switchover (just a couple of seconds and no tools required)

Packs from Mystery Ranch

S&S Precision mini shiv

Thanks for the swag!

Next I stopped by the CSSA booth to catch up with more of my friends, stormbringer and Tony Bernardo! I also finally got to meet 00buck…even though (like Michael and Latoya Jackson) no one has ever seen him in the same room at the same time as Dirt McGirt, he insists they are not the same person lol.

00buck was doing interviews for his channel (hopefully he will post a link) so we decided to do a joint one with Tactical Imports.
Whoa, crowded booth! It was like this all day, btw, and with good reason thanks to the great selection of guns, knives, and optics.

Thanks to Nick, the owner, for giving us an interview and tour. First up, the SAP6 assisted pump, magazine fed shotgun.

For size comparison

I tried to get a pic of the British mil-spec red dot but it didn’t come out as well as I hoped

Next FAMAEa SG542

On to the Bersa handguns

I am not a huge fan of .22LR but if I were to buy one, the Bersa Thunder 22-6 would be it! What a cool little gun!

TI also had a huge selection of Extrema Ratio knives!

I am a big fan of ER and TI brought two of my favourites, the RAO and nemesis.

Here’s Nick being interviewed by oobuck about the RAO

Like the RAO, this new model, the GLAUCA B1 was also intended to be carried either folded or like a fixed blade except that it also has a carbide glass breaker, zip-tie handcuff cutter, and Carson M16 style flipper openers.

A nice little neck knife from ER

Now on to my favourite thing that I saw at the show, the M84 Skorpion! Wow I gotta get one of these!

00buck liked it as well, especially the top ejector

My two favourites from the show

Tactical Imports also sells Hensoldt optics, the military division of Zeiss

Speaking of optics, I loved the thermal and nightvision sights from GSCI! These are all made in Canada, bringing non-exportable FLIR technology to us. You can see my thermal image in the tv screen.

Lots of options including weapon mounted units, helmet mount binos and monoculars

Thanks so much for the technical explanations of thermal vs. IR, it was educational. And thanks for the informative brochure!

More great optics from Steiner, though they had more from the Marine line than the Military line.

Big crowd at Vortex

More tactical gear from Frontline, including training guns

Woohoo I got a non-restricted 1911 lol

Always a big crowd at Fenix tactical

Note the 3200 lumen light

ArmyTek tactical lights

I liked their waterproof display

Tagua gun leather

Benelli

Sako

LeBaron

The NFA booth, no compromise! Signing up automatically entered you into a raffle for a PGW Timberwolf!!!

Hitmen

Try some archery

Taxidermy

I didn’t take pics of the boats or fishing parts of the show but there was certainly a lot of that to see if it interests you.

See you next year.

RL

URBAN TACTICAL

Wow, today was my first visit to Urban Tactical in Brantford and I was IMPRESSED! The store had a very nice clean layout, great selection of tactical gear, and super friendly staff. I’ll get to their range in a minute.

The view from the outside

Nice selection of firearms

And tactical gear

including Hazard 4

Oakley (including the Standard Issue line)

and tons of 5.11.

footwear..i didn’t even know Reebok makes tactical footwear!

Write under water

Ok on to the range…they offer “Vegas style” shooting packages but I opted for just the 50BMG, yes that’s right, 50 BMG INDOORS!!!!! I have shot this caliber before but never indoors…and never out of a Barrett so this was two new great experiences.

The video does not do the experience justice..the concussion blast is insane.

I was pleased with my shot placement.

Next my friend gave it a try

We also looked at the action range…

The backstop, made of essentially recycled tires, is designed to absorb point blank shots!

Finally we cashed out for some swag and headed to our next destination….

Al Simmon’s gun shop in Hamilton.

I did not take any pics inside but it was the usual selection of tactical and hunting firearms, along with a warm reception.

We were a bit peckish at this point so we stopped for some great cupcakes at Bitten before heading out to our third destination

…Shooter’s Choice in Waterloo!

Some of the standouts here were Tavor, Kriss, and Steiner binos. I was soooo happy to get to test the 10x42R, as it has been on my list for a while.

For size comparison.

Ok now we were really getting hungry so we stopped off for a crazy burger at Carl’s.

Traffic was terrible and it took us a helluva long time to get to Target Sports in Gormley.

I didn’t take any pics inside but as usual they had a large selection of “higher end” guns like Daniel Defense, Benelli, Fabarm, etc. Here is a pic I took from my visit a few weeks ago.

All in all a great day.

BUFFALO GUN CENTER
Took another one for the team today with another several hundred KM roadtrip..this time to the US! Indeed, it has been a few years since I have been to Buffalo Gun Centre so I was due for another visit.

I managed to snap one pic of a Shane Sibert designed Benchmade before I was told that pics aren’t allowed.

Truthfully I was a bit disappointed. The last time I visited, they had a benelli M3, Barrett 50BMGs, a whole shelf of Les Baer custom 1911s, Microtech auto knives etc, etc. This time they had just 3 Les Baers and none of the other stuff. I was hoping to pick up a few things but alas, I came home empty handed.

Next stop, Uncle Sam’s Army Navy Outfitters billed as “America’s Largest Army Navy Store”.

It was indeed huge, especially considering that only the first floor is open to the public and they have several more floors on top of the retail space. Just to give you an idea

I ended up buying this wicked authentic riot baton.

Next stop Wolcott Guns.

We were not allowed to take pics inside the showroom, which I would characterize as a smaller store. I mean their square footage was comparable to Target but I would say their selection was about half as big. On the plus side, they do offer range rental so I got to try an AK-47 for the first time. Per New York laws, 10 shots, semi-auto only.

Mebiuspower also took a turn although he has shot the AK-47 before

In addition to the gun stores we also did some shopping at Walden Galleria

Finally found a Compton hat!!!!

Matches my socks 

I ran into some guys who liked my streetwear…funny enough, I got stopped for my clothing several times in the day and had two people ask to take pics with me lol

Even more shopping at the factory outlets.

Here’s my loot from the day.

Of course a visit to Buffalo would not be complete without wings, either at Duff’s or Anchor Bar, both of whom claim to have invented Buffalo wings. We opted for Anchor Bar.

Finally, some dessert at Cheesecake Factory.

Alright, hopefully One Shot Tactical, SFRC, and Williams Arms on the next trip.

Here is a trip to Ellwood Epps from 2-3 weeks ago.

As usual, Epps had a great selection of firearms. I did go looking for specific things and they did have some of them in stock…namely a Remington 700 Police LTR

and S&W R8

but they did not have what i wanted the most, a Scattergun Technologies shotgun. After much deliberation, i ended up going with that one and put down a deposit on a Border Patrol…sadly it will be 4-6 months before it arrives…but i have always wanted a ST yet somehow got “distracted” by other tactical shotguns…now i will get something “clean”, no frills.

I did leave with some cool ammo though.

Of course a trip to Ellwood Epps is never complete without stopping at Webers.

CRAFM

Whenever I make it back to my hometown of Montreal, I try to make it a point to visit CRAFM. It’s a great range that easily rivals the best indoor ranges in Ontario. It has both a unique 50M indoor long gun range as well as a 25m handgun range. There are dedicated areas for gun repairs, gun cleaning, socializing, and a great gun store. Thanks to CRAFM for giving me permission to post a few pics for this review. CRAFM has a no photo policy, as I am finding out to be a common practice on this tour.

Great selection of black guns, including Kriss, Tavor, and PWS ARs.

Also lots of handguns including a flock of Desert Eagles.

A friend of mine really likes the gold tiger stripe so these pics are for him

You know, I think it suits me!

Given that CRAFM hosts a lot of IPSC, they also have race guns from SVI and these beauties from SIG.

Definitely worth a visit.

One Shot Tactical

I have known farmboy since he first started OST back in 2005…I remember visiting his store at his farm..i still have the BFG Ananconda breacher sling I bought that day (with all the other gear). It is awesome to see how far he has come! And thanks again for opening up for me today.

Quick shot of the store

Great selection of guns including Mossberg, Remingon, Bushmaster, Hatsan, Dominion Arms,

and Knights Armament! Here’s an SR25

I love the side sights on this DPMS 3-gun rifle….i have seen them online and this was my first time looking at such a setup

Oops forgot the name of this mini

Plenty of optics and mounting accessories

I am a huge fan of Raven Concealment and have a few of their holsters, as on display here

TONS of stuff from Blue Force gear including the Helium and Ten Speed series. Switching to this system can save 170 pounds for a typical team riding in a helo…leaving more space for ammo and other gear.

The helium carrier, made of the toughest materials available

The Dapper system allowing Velcro mounting for discrete carry

And of course, the BFG slings galore

It is amazing the treasures you can find walking around the store, especially when farmboy is your tour guy. This vest from Matbock alone had a dedicated holster for a laser aiming device

And pack with water and 12 minutes of oxygen.

Also from Matbock, this featherweight sling that can carry 400+ pounds!

How about a collapsible ladder!

More packs

Knives from Boker and Gerber

Combat lights from Surefire

And this cool light from Gerber. The head rotates between white light, red light and covert IR

More lights from Fenix

Safety eyewear from Smith Optics

Great display of gear used and shared by customers

Thanks again for the swag as well!

Ok, on to SFRC…

While SFRC has its roots as “the ammo source”, they sell a TON of firearms and related gear. It was great to visit their new retail location, opened just three weeks ago.

I love the complex, and old greenhouse on multiple acres (perfect for a shooting range  )

I parked next to this army truck and later found out that chemist is quite the collector

He collects de-activated guns as well, some of which you can see here, along with new guns. Of course there will be more on display once all stock gets transferred from the old store.

Some of the stand-outs…for you SKS fans

SCAR lookalike in .22lr

Although I prefer this .22 Badger

Optics from Vortex

Including pics of the new 1-6x

Trijicon

And Leuopld, including an electronic version of the side sights that I saw at OST.

Tactical gear from BlackHawk

Reloading supplies

We took farmboy’s advice and stopped at revolution Burgers in Belleville on the way home…lots of crazy flavours!

Sadly I am back at work next week so I guess that is all for the tour for the moment.

URBAN TACTICAL PART 2

Had another great visit to Urban Tactical today….it is quickly becoming my favourite range! this time mebiuspower drove though so you get a Boxster lol

once again, cool stuff galore…like these sample sizers for vests…i think i need a bit more coverage lol

Nice selection of 1911s

This dog was so lifelike it actually scared me lol

I need one of these t-shirts

This time mebiuspower shot the 50…his first time shooting this caliber

apparently a mosquito flew in his eye as he was shooting

Wings always taste better with gunpowder so we headed down to Anchor Bar’s location in Hamilton

Next stop, Al Simmons…once again, i did not take pics inside

And the obligatory cupcake run

Thanks again mebiuspower.

FOC PART 1

I had a great time at the Firearms Outlet Canada Grand Opening today!

The obligatory car pic lol

A long lineup at the 10 o’clock opening

Nice selection of Mossberg and Remington shotguns

As well as black guns

Nice to see some STIs as well

Especially this custom..$5000! But sadly in 9mm (I prefer 1911s in .45)

My first time handling Grand Power…thanks for the explanation of the rotating barrel

Nice to see 10x again…always good to run into other CGNers

Vortex optics

Too bad the Surefire and Vortex reps will only be there tomorrow..i wanted to take a pic of the Surefire knives designed by Steve Ryan with my custom Ryan M1.

FOC PART 2
I missed Sig day at Firearms Outlet Canada a week or so ago so i decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head out to Ajax for a visit to check out the much talked about Sig P320.

And here it is!

Yup, that’s the gun. Unlike other guns on the market with interchangeable backstraps, here the entire lower frame is interchangeable…this is the medium size frame

All the parts

The form fitted case

Fully assembled

And for size comparison

Once again FOC had a few STIs for me to fondle including this double stack Edge.

Yup I think it is me

Once again, great to see another gun store in town..especially one with a gunnut friendly atmosphere..thanks for the chat!

Of course the obligatory car pic lol

We went to Buffalo Wild Wing afterwards to try their new Ghost wings…I can confirm they are hot! Not to the level of my “wing incident” but hot nonetheless.

Then we tried an ice cream place in Pickering Village..grapenut cereal and birthday cake for me

AL FLAHERTY’S

So I usually begin my tour with a shot of my car in front of the store but this nice Rolls took my spot today.

It has been quite a while since I have been to Al’s, I don’t know why as I really like the place…staff are super friendly and the selection is great. Here are some of the black guns.

I was interested in checking out the Beretta 1301 and fortunately they had one in stock. It is super light! I also like the feel of the checkering…very nice gun.

I recently started a post about what gun I should buy next and I was surprised that a few people suggested revolvers…why not check some out then…the SW 460

My fav, the Performance Centre M&P 8

The Competitor was also a beauty…I like how you can remove the weights via the hex screw in the front.

My collection is also thin on carbines…I have mixed feelings about the Tavor but I am tempted to get one in time for that upcoming course lol

Aside from tactical shotguns, custom 1911s are my next favourite type of gun. While this Black Label is not custom, it was a SHOT Show special…it feels GREAT in the hand and I was super tempted to buy it, I am just not into .22s.

Al also had a great selection of knives

I really like what Ka-Bar is doing these days, such as this collaboration with Mike Snody

I ended up buying this cool bottle opener made out of the same material and same style as the handle on Ka-Bar’s knives

Here is another custom collaboration, this time between Benchmade and Shane Sibert

Finally the Leatherman display..i am not a fan of his considering his support for Clinton and anti-gun stance..despite that though he does offer a multi-tool for EOD complete with a C4 crimper

And despite my dislike for his politics, I cracked on the new Tread multitool bracelet

Thanks again to Al’s for being gracious hosts and also for letting me take pics for my tour.

TACTICAL PRODUCTS CANADA

Tactical Products Canada has been a CGN sponsor for a few years but I didn’t notice them till I saw their banner last night…I was happy to learn they are 15min from my place so I went over for a visit first thing this morning. Glad I did!

TPC’s clientele is made up largely of LE/Mil (as well as the movie industry) and they have plenty of gear for us mall ninjas as well lol.

Lots of clothes from Condor and 5.11

Gloves from Hatch and Mechanix

Boots from Underarmour, Original SWAT, and Rocky

Packs from Condor and Maxpedition

Eyewear from Oakley and Smith Optics

Fenix lights…thanks for the t-shirt!

Luminox watches

Lots of knives..Benchmade, Spyderco, Cold Steel, SOG, Zero Tolerance, and DPX Gear

Stealth holster

Sadly the blue guns were not for sale, just showcasing Aimpoints

I got this nice Aimpoint hat

Along with some other gear

Usually I crop my pics tighter but I left them pretty much as is because I like the look of the store with all the logos (I love logos lol). Very friendly staff and well worth a visit!

BULLS EYE LONDON

Out of all the gun stores that I have visited so far, I think Bulls Eye London has the best selection of guns, or at least the selection most aligned with my taste. I tend to gravitate toward the less common and usually I am happy if a gun store has 3-4 things that I like. Bulls Eye had at least 15 guns of interest, meaning I would seriously consider buying them. In fact I did not leave home empty handed!

In addition to their commitment to carry every HK, Colt, and S-W offered, Bulls Eye offers a wide range of brands. Black guns galore

Kriss Vectors in every colour..including pink!

Shotguns…long

And short

One of two Steyrs in .50BMG

Savage in .338 Lapua

Handguns…with lots of revolvers

And 1911s..note the SW Performance Centre and the Colt Marine M45-A1

Every variation of HK pistol including the Mark 23 SOCOM, which has been on my “list” forever

HK SOCOM

Yes, it really is as big as the Desert Eagle

But looks like a pocket pistol next to the S-W Performance Centre’s Counter Terrorist Sniper Revolver in
460XVR with 14” barrel!

A closeup of the compensator

As much as I loved those two, there is a serious gap of black guns in my collection so I narrowed down my choices to two, the Tavor and HK MR223

HK MR223

Diopter rear sight

In the end I chose the HK…but I am still committed to getting the Tavor (as well as the SOCOM and maybe even that crazy revolver!)

Moving on to optics..

This is the first time I have seen the Vortex 1500 rangefinder in person…all other stores still had the older 1000 version

I also took a look a the Sparc II, I would definitely put this on one of my shotguns

Trijicon

Meprolight

Gun accessories

I love how the Bulls Eye website shows stock of accessories real time..i noticed last night that they had one left of these so I rushed to pick it up before it disappeared

Good selection of ammo

And an in-store Reloading Room where you can watch a gunsmith reloading live and get some tips as well

All shopped out, I headed to Tony Romas for some ribs

Wow this tour is getting expensive!

BULLS EYE LONDON PART 2

As I wrote in my last review, I bought an HK MR223. The paperwork came through a while ago but I couldn’t get down to London till this weekend. Yes, I suppose it could have been shipped to me but I wanted to pick it up in person and shoot it at EESA.

I didn’t want to put so many KM on my car again so I rented a Challenger R/T for the roadtrip…it looks great but isn’t particularly fast (or loud).

As I have already done a full tour pretty recently, I wanted to focus on things that I missed last time or that were worth revisiting. The Mark 23 SOCOM is high on my list and I got a request to take more pics of it..so here it is in all its splendour.

Yup, I definitely need one!

Last time the Tavor pic came out a bit blurry so I needed another one…and I even wore a matching hat and shirt for the occasion lol.

And here it is next to a DP 12…man that thing is heavy! I cant imagine what it would be like to lug around fully loaded

Last trip I forgot to check out the Skorpion in 9mm…I LOVE it! I want to shoot it so badly!

I shot the USC a few years ago and really liked it…haven’t seen too many since then

The HK slap

And last but not least, my MR223!

Another great thing about Bullseye is that it is so close to EESA ..so I rushed over to sight in my new baby.

Now bear in mind that despite my Mall Ninja reputation, this is actually my first full black rifle! Yes, I bought a lower years ago when the Liberals threatened to ban semi-autos but I never got the upper to complete that gun. So far I have been shooting tactical shotguns and handguns.

I set up my target at 50 yards. I can say right off the bat that the fancy laser boresighter that I got was useless…totally invisible in daylight (which made me rethink my plan of trying to get a DBAL or something similar).

As usual, I started off shooting left…the Trijicon MRO is very easy to adjust but I was wearing dark sunglasses and started turning the adjustment screw the wrong way, making my shots go even further left

I made some adjustments and started tightening my groups

I pretty much stopped there as it was so hot (31 degrees)

The gun functioned flawlessly and wow does it kick out those empties…I would hate to be in the stall next to me lol. I used Hornady TAP ammo and the supplied HK mag. I did also try the Press Check Venture beowolf mag..while it fed ok, it did not eject very freely…certainly it would not be good for fast reloads without some modification.

I stopped at Johnny’s on the way back..had their Philly Cheese Burger, which, as the name suggests, is a burger with philly cheese steak toppings…along with battered mushrooms and chocolate cream pie.

Once at home I gave the laser boresighter another try..pretty close

And took some more photos of my new Haitch Kay

Cant wait to go back!

G4C

I am so happy to see new stores popping up in Toronto! Today I visited two stores, both for the first time, that have opened within the past year!

First up, Good 4 Canadians Sports. As I have posted in other threads, my next gun will be a bolt action precision rifle. Well this is the place! PGW, Accuracy International, Barrett, Cadex, and Desert Tech all under one roof! It turns out that the ability to compare didn’t help as I liked all of them!

Ok, first up, PGW Timberwolf..my first time seeing one in person…wow what a beauty! The signature fluted barrel is stunning. Serial # 007..hmmm

Next, Barrett MRAD..another stunner! I have handled other Barretts before but this was my first time for the MRAD. I like the feel of it for sure .

The Accuracy International AX didn’t have a bipod so we just took some in-hand pics…again, felt great to handle

As I have mentioned in past reviews, I am a huge fan of Desert Tech…especially when mounted with an S&B scope!

Cadex frame

More bolt actions

And lots of accessories for precision rifles..such as S&B and Nightforce scopes

Lab radar for measuring FPS of your reloads

Cadex spring loaded glass punch

Of course, G4C carries other types of guns as well, such as bull pups from Tavor, Kel-Tec, and Norinco

Tavor and Kel-tec

Kel-tec and Norinco

AR15s from Patriot Ordinance Firearms POF..wow it was as light as the SIG Mcx

Handguns too, of course

Including some anniversary guns from Glock and Beretta

The North American Arms .22 mag..wow it was super light!

Finally, a store pic

Thanks again for the hospitality..good luck with the new store..i will be back soon!

Tenda

Located just 10 minutes away from G4c, Tenda is jam packed with everything from .22s to .50BMG with lots of rare pieces.

Rare pieces such as this Browning custom

CZ Canadian Edition

Rare vintage guns

An $11,000 shotgun from Beretta

Gold Desert Eagle

What’s better than a gold deagle? Why two of them, of course!

More shots of the selection..handguns

Black rifles

Shotguns

Bolt action

Finally some gear

Thanks again for all the cool swag and the Mauser bag!

The Fifth is a famous nightclub and high end resto..they just opened a gastropub complete with alley seating so i decided to visit for an apres-gun shopping burger

i had them put brie cheese on it’

and for dessert, the cookie monster at Fugo

Black Friday at FOC!

Wow this was my best visit to FOC by far! I initially went for the sneak peek of the X95 but there were sooooo many other things that I liked (wanted to buy)!

Alright, let’s start the X95. The original Tavor was high on my list of future purchases so I have been very anxious to see the X95. My first impression is that it seems a bit more compact, though that may be an illusion because looking at them side by side they look pretty even.

Of course the X95 has lots of new features like a repositioned mag release (more AR like) and bolt (to make room for more rails).

It also features QD sling mounts.

Next to the X95, my favourite rifle of the day was the Colt MRR…wow it’s hot! I love the feel of the monolithic rail.

FOC also had lots of other nice ARs from Daniel Defense, such as this V11 Pro

And I believe they are the first in Canada to offer the Diamondback DB15, at a sweet deal of $1100 for a made in the USA rifle with 200 rounds of ammo!

As you probably know, I have a sweet spot for shotguns so it was great to learn that FOC is an official dealer for Tactical Ordnance! Fortunately they had one of each specimen to check out.

This one is based on the Versa Max semi auto…it has too many modifications for me to list here so I’ll just post some closeups.

I believe Casey is one of the few, if not the only, gunsmith allowed to do the Vang Comp modification…I seriously need to get one of these!

I should also get a Match Saver. This was my first time seeing one in person and it is a very cool piece of kit.

Shown with the Nightwatch…based on the 870

And the Operator..also based on an 870 but with even more modifications

Ok moving on to handguns…1911s are my favourite and I have always been impressed with the smoothness of STIs…this EDGE was a real beauty (and matches my Steel Flame Killbox, shot by a .45)

And now for the most badass .22 I have ever seen

I really like the look of the Walther PPX..it reminds me of a Hi-Point lol

With its bigger brother, the PPQ Q5 Match

Sig P226 R Long Dust Cover

Yet another thing I need in my collection, a revolver…this S-W Combat Magnum would fit the bill (shown with my Lil Snapper made by Paul Nolan, whipmaker for the Rock’s movie The Rundown)

It was great to run into Dave from Grand Power…thanks for the detailed explanation of the rotating bolt

Some more store pics of the great selection

And of course the guys at FOC are great…truly “gun guys” who actually enjoy talking about guns…thanks again for letting me handle and take pics of everything.

Since you always ask, I followed up with some Blazin hot wings at Buffalo Wild Wing lol

That Hunting and Fishing Store

I discovered That Hunting and Fishing store about two weeks ago through a Facebook post,. The timing was great as I was scheduled to visit an old high school friend in Ottawa during the Holidays and, even better, he lives only 11 minutes away from the store!

The store itself is in a very cool venue, a former theatre! For example, the former concession stand area now houses a wide selection of (largely Under Armour) hunting clothing…and the archery range is in te theatre area (more on this later)

This is just a sampling of the 600+ guns in stock…there are sheets on the counter listing current stock (as well as sale items)

Ok, let’s look at some specifics…starting at the top of the food chain, the Cadex Tremor in .50BMG, a behemoth of a gun of the typical stellar quality we have come to expect from Cadex

Massive bolt

Massive mag

Massive muzzle brake (notice a theme)

I also like the wheel on the scope

With it’s smaller brother in .308

Moving on to other long guns…a Robinson Armament XCR in .308 on consignment

Also on consignment, a VZ58 pistol

It was great to see the Colt MRR again..i like it even more after reading more details about it in the latest
edition of Calibre

Speaking of which, here is the other new release featured in Calibre, the long awaited CZ Phantom II

My first time handling the Rhino…felt high quality but the grip was too short for my hand

Since Para’s move to the US, I haven’t seen that many of them…I still appreciate the double stack design

In addition to guns, That Store has a huge selection of bows and crossbows

Such as this Hoyt Carbon Defiant in buckskin

And this Barnett reverse crossbow

Along with a sampling of arrowheads

I liked the turkey head remover

And now for some hands on experience!

As I mentioned, the archery range is in a former theatre

I had already shot bows in the past but never a crossbow and That Store graciously accepted my request
to try one, an Excalibur Micro Suppressor in this case…Marc showed us how to load and fire it..290 lb. pull

I just need an apple on top of my head lol

Next my turn

Deep penetration

Finally another quick look around the store before heading out for lunch…nice selection of knives

I did not leave empty handed

Thank you once again for the great hospitality. I am happy to support such a great family run business by
the passionate husband and wife team Rob and Jen and their son Marc

As for lunch, wings at Don Cherry

RL

So I didn’t get to go shooting this weekend as I had hoped but did the next best thing and visited two gun stores! Epps yesterday and Al Flaherty’s today where it was great to see their new Beretta “store within a store!”

Lots of Beretta gear including clothing

Hats

Bags

Gloves

And of course top quality shotguns!

Let’s start with their top of the line over-under. Used by Olympic shooters, this is not only a top
performer but a stunner with carbon fiber and heirloom quality wood furniture.

Just look at that action

The business end

You get a lot of carbon fiber and fine wood for that $14,000!

Great balance

Next, there is nothing more menacing than a side by side shotgun.

Love this shot

Beautiful wood and engraving

Again, real high quality wood furniture

Now at the other end of the shotgun spectrum, a very tactical Mossberg 590A1…I could use one of these

And I could REALLY use one of these, a Nighthawk Custom T3…I know this model is very popular and it was my first time seeing one in person..i can see why and I really want one!

Another Nighthawk, a collaboration with GA Precision

Finally got to see an Eotech magnifier in person as well

Pretty good selection of knives…my favourite was the Spyderco Yojimbo 2…I have the Yojimbo 1 and
met the designer, Michael Janich at the 2002 NY Custom Knife Show

I also liked the Advocate

And the Roadie

Which is really tiny next to this CRKT Ken Onion designed machete

More from CRKT

Re-stock of Blue Force Gear

And Magpul

So all in all another great visit to Al’s…good luck with the new Beretta shop!

RL

This was my third visit to Bullseye and this time I came prepared with a list of things to see / buy. It is so helpful that Bullseye’s website shows stock of every item in real time..i probably mentioned this in past reviews but the utility of this cant be stressed enough!

I was most anxious to check out the Kel Tec PLR16R…and sure enough it turned out to be my favourite of the day. I hear they are super loud and flashy…I shot a 7” AR (I think it was called mini moose) so I can imagine.

Hmmm that fits well.

Next up, by request, a S&W 460VX…beefy!

But still small next to the BFR…I shot one of these with a custom handload and despite its heavy weight, it flew over my head lol

At the other end of the size spectrum, this beautiful Colt 1991 Commander…wow that finish is nice! I love 1911s and the smaller sized variants are no exception…this was my second favourite.

I have wanted to see a Sig Navy for a long time…believe it or not, this was my first time seeing one in person

Last but not least, the Canik TP9, recently made famous by that assassination of a Russian diplomat on live TV

Sight picture with cocked striker indicator

Now on to some gear..Nanuk 925 4 up pistol case..i have the cheaper Seahorse version and I can say the Nanuk is a better design as it leaves space for your trigger locks

Another thing that no one seems to have in stock, the Vortex magnifier…I think I need this for my AR

And also by request, Scott!! His stellar reputation is well deserved.

My loot for the day

And now for the apres tour meal at The Bungalow

Baked Mushroom & Brie Dip…Fresh mushroom medley, oven baked brie, roasted garlic, fresh basil and spinach

Wild Boar Burger 8oz..Fresh ground boar stuffed with brie and roasted garlic and topped with sautéed mushrooms and arugula. Served on brioche

The table next to me ordered the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake

Next stop, EESA gun show.

RL
I just discovered Hero Outdoors a couple of days ago through a Facebook post about where to get knives in Toronto. As usual, I responded by doing a complete website scan to compile a list of all the things that I like and saw a few things that warranted an immediate visit!

I’ll get to my purchases later but first, lets look at the incredible selection.

Always a good sign when you are greeted by ammo belts.

Since my trip was prompted by knives, let’s start with those….most of the stuff that I wanted to see was available online only but they DID have the one that I wanted to buy!!

More blades and edged weapons

They don’t call themselves paintball and airsoft headquarters for nothin’…some SERIOUS airsoft going on here

And of course accessories…I want that Yippe Ki-Yay rail guard!

And gear for you too…TONS of clothing

I NEED one of these

Headwear

Eyewear

TONS of patches

Surplus

That’s not a grenade, THAT’S a grenade

Security products

So what did I get? Well I am sooooo excited about it! A Shivworks Trace Rinaldi Disciple Trainer!! I actually had a live blade on order back in the day but the project didn’t end up going forward. I am still a fan of the Pikal design (I have the Spyderco Pikal folder) and I LOVE training knives so to find such a rare custom is a treat. I love how the holes in the kydex line up with the knife…I have may trainers and have never seen that before.

As you may know, you draw the knife in Pikal grip, reverse grip but blade IN…this is the preferred grip by SouthNarc, who designed the knife for his Shivworks defense system.

I also got this awesome patch…sweep the knee!! Hahahaha

All in all, a great store definitely worth a visit!

RL

DANTE

Shopping at Dante is like no other gun store experience. Originally opened as a hardware store in 1956 catering to the Italian community, the store has expanded to guns and eventually to household goods. The family owners also offer cooking lessons and own several restaurants in the vicinity!

I did not drive my car this time but lo and behold an AMG outside keeping the tradition lol

To get to the gun section, you must first pass through the household goods.

Not quite the tactical gloves you typically see at gun stores

The worlds oldest weapon…the frying pan!

Quite a surreal experience to see chef knives next to tactical knives

Nice Opinel folders

Including this giant Model 13 with 9” blade…I loved it so much that I bought it! Who says you can’t use it as a tactical knife in reverse grip lol

Starting to crossover to the tactical side with optics

And other tactical gear

Finally the gun department!

Now for some more detailed shots…I wasn’t sure about the lighting so I brought my own background this time, thanks to Army Globe Surplus.

Let’s start with handguns. I handled a Sig P320 when it first hit our market but I did not pay too much attention at the time…since it was selected by the US military, I wanted to have a second look. Yup, I like it!

The frame inserts can be purchased separately.

At the other end of the Sig spectrum, the Xfive, great for competitive shooters.

Speaking of military handguns, how about a Beretta M9A3, fresh outta the box!

For those who read about my recent range trip, I have a newfound appreciation for .22s and of course I love customized guns so was quite interested to see this TANDEMIZED Browning Buck Mark Plus Camper UFX. The work is done by Dante’s gunsmiths.

Love that giant mag release

When it comes to customized Glocks, Zev needs no introduction. This Dragonfly was my favourite gun of the day.

On to long guns…the Tikka T3X Arctic was my favourite gun of the Toronto Sportsman Show and I definitely wanted to have another look at the Ranger’s new gun.

This time I got to compare it to the more tactical T3X TAC A1… I gotta say that folding stock makes it a very tough choice between the two

I have a Benelli M4 but it is always great to see new variations such as this factory cerakoted model

The ARGO system works incredibly well for recoil reduction

Also an interesting finish on this Weatherby PA-459 Reaper

My first exposure to FPS Russia was through his vid of shooting a Kel Tec SUB2000 while pepper sprayed…more recently I have seen a few threads about the SUB2000 and have never seen one in person (as they get scooped up immediately) so now was my chance. It is an interesting gun for sure but I think the folding aspect would make it a pain to mount a red-dot optic…apart from that, great for a bug out bag.

Last but not least, the Ruger Mini-14

All done my tour, I stopped for a quick iced coffee at Café San Simeon across the street

As for lunch, I thought it made most sense to visit one of the Dante family restaurants, GEMA for pizza

I chose the VETRI with home made mortadella and pistachio! It was great!

Cheesecake for dessert

Thanks again Dante for the hospitality!

RL

This is my second time covering a “grand opening” of a new gun store and I have to say it is so encouraging to see the gun scene expanding in Canada. The establishment of CDN Gunworx is especially interesting to me given their focus on the tactical community. Indeed, they carry things that you don’t see too often in our gun stores.

As outlined by badboybeeson in his S&J Forum, this is a group of companies and partners running its operations out of 1 location and includes:

• CDN Gunworx, Retail and LEO sales of firearms, ammo, duty gear, less lethal equipment, custom kydex
• CDN Tactical Finishes . cerakote, TiN, TAiN, DLC, electroless nickle, Nickle boron
• CDN Protection’s Security, K9 services, Spl events
• CDN Academy. Ctoms POD, TVOC “Tactical Vehicle Operations Course”, use for force training.
• Spatha Tactical, Muzzle breaks
• S&J Hardware, Body armor, Canadian made high quality Firearms Accessories, custom shotguns ,pistols and AR15s, LEO sales of Suppressors.
• WGT Consulting. Firearms Training

In anticipation of today’s crowds, I did get early access yesterday to take some pics, which explains why I am wearing different clothes in some pics lol.

I also arrived early today to watch the setup. Now THIS is how you make an entrance!

The event kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring the Mayor of Oshawa and MP for the riding!

In addition to the store itself, the event featured tents with vendors and organizations that support veterans, military, and shooters, such as Arrowhead Coffee, Canadian owned and operated by Veterans

Tactical Beaver, a Canadian Military Veteran owned and operated apparel company

Many to One, helping those with PTSD

Military Minds Inc.

I want that tshirt!

Thanks for the patch!

Always great to catch up with Tony Bernardo of the CSSA

Also working on our behalf, the CCFR

Of course, there were guns on display as well…thanks to Trigger Wholesale for bringing 17 different
colour variations of the Typhoon Defence F12

My personal favourites were the NRA blue and Grey CRS

Or if you prefer to blend in

Note the other style muzzle

And how about this Ranger Silah .410 shotgun?

Sadly the pic came out dark..i wanted to capture the “pink” or “salmon” colour one

For you Stery. Not. Steyr. Fans, the Lithgow F90….the new Australian military rifle headed to Canada in semi-auto format (and non-restricted!)…I think I was the first civilian to handle it lol

Also from Lithgow, some precision rifles

Ok moving inside the store…a selection of black rifles and tactical shotguns

And lots of tactical gear

The full line of accessories from S&J Hardware

Less lethal ammo

Gemtech faux suppressor….oooooo I would love one of these

Serious Nightforce scope

CDN GUNWORX

I was originally planning to get a KAC SR-15 but opted for an HK MR223 instead…I gotta say though the KAC is still pretty hot!

Not quite as expensive but equally cool, surplus Diemaco C8 uppers!

This was my first time seeing the ATRS in person…WOW!

As I have said in past reviews, I do like the Colt MRR…this time I got to compare the 11.5 to the 18.5 barrel

Moving on to tactical shotguns, some fine examples done up by S&J Hardware

As much as I like the blackticals, I LOVED the finish on this one

Last but not least, handguns! I have seen the MK-25 in black..it is equally beautiful in desert

It was great to compare it side-by-side with a P320, which feels a lot less bulky

I don’t know much about FMK but they did have quite a few of them..my favourite of which was the Tiffany blue

How about this Glock? Perfect for appendix carry

I managed to find a rifle to match the Opinel folder I picked up in Montreal

I missed the guard dog display but I did see the evidence from a past rowdy customer

Which cued me to getting my own meal. Now since this review involved two visits to CDN Gunworx, guess what? You get two restaurant reviews!

First Justice Burgers in downtown Oshawa

I had the Buffalo Blue Cheese Charge burger with Felony fries…both were great!

Next, the Crooked Uncle, voted best wings in Durham for 10 years in a row..i had the Forget About It wings and Cajun dusted mushroom caps

So to recap, I am glad that I was able to take part of this milestone for CDN Gunworx! I had a great time and saw LOTS of stuff that I like, especially the KAC, ATRS, P320, P226 Navy, and C8 uppers…I would buy all of those in a heartbeat!

I wish the team at CDN Gunworx all the best and lots of success.

RL
In anticipation of next week’s Grand Opening of Al’s Beretta Corner, I dropped in today to pick up the hat that I ordered for the occasion and took the opportunity to take some preview pics.

The SO6 EELL was locked away but I did manage to capture the 486 by Marc Newson (coincidentally who I just found out is a huge knife collector), which at $33,000 is still only ONE-THIRD of the S06’s price lol

This one is a 28 gauge

Incredible laser engraving on the rounded action

Walnut stocks

Next up, a pair of DT11s, including an EELL variant with extra long sideplate and wood grade of 4 (compared to 3 on the standard DT11)

In addition to the guns, I had a close look at the beautiful leather accessories from Beretta’s Hoplon line..i want that double cartridge belt! It was a lot lighter than I expected it to be based on pics.

The leather shotgun case is also stunning.

My hat (I also picked up the dog cap)

And the matching St. James collection

Fox tie (I have the buffalo)

And as a bonus, the Big Horn Armory model 89 Spike Driver Carbine rifle in 500S&W

You know what to do Jay lol

See you all at the Grand Opening next week.

RL

I covered Al’s Beretta Gallery when it soft opened a couple of months ago. Since that time they have brought in a lot of new stock including some truly remarkable pieces for the Grand Opening today.

Without further ado, the Premium Shotguns…a nice mix of field grade and sporting

Field grade tend to have flush chokes

while the chokes are typically extended on the sporting models

Let’s start with the top of the food chain, the S06 EELL…I normally don’t post this many pics of the same gun but it is hard to do justice to a $93,000 masterpiece..this is one of those guns that you keep finding something new the more you look at it.

Next, the 486 by Marc Newson (coincidentally who I just found out is a huge knife collector), which at $33,000 is still only ONE-THIRD of the S06’s price lol

This one is a 28 gauge

Incredible laser engraving on the rounded action

Walnut stocks

Perhaps my personal favourite of the Premium Beretta field grades, the Giubileo…both for its aesthetic appeal and performance features

I thought it had the nicest engraving (ducks)

Beautiful stock with a sleek shape and half pistol grip

The barrel was especially shiny

Also from the field grade side, the 687 EELL Classic…unfortunately I did not get a good shot of the whole gun so here are some closeups of the action which is reputed to be very strong with two conical locking lugs that are lighter and less bulky than a locking lever.

Note the unique grip

Finally a Parallelo

Now on the sporting side, a pair of DT11s, including an EELL variant with extra long sideplate and wood grade of 4 (compared to 3 on the standard DT11)

In terms of semi-autos, the multi-target that I saw last week sold so lets look at the rest of the Beretta lineup…the A400 Xtreme Unico with matching Beretta clothing

Ok these are more my usual speed, the 1301 Tactical and 1301 Competitor

Serious over-sized controls

Both are super light and fast handling

Last but not least, handguns…the APX

Shown here with the Beretta TKX tactical pen

And the TKX compared to other tactical pens

A few 92 variants

In addition to the guns, I had a close look at the beautiful leather accessories from Beretta’s Hoplon line…I want that double cartridge belt! It was a lot lighter than I expected it to be based on pics.

The leather shotgun case is also stunning.

And more conventional luggage

Lots of high quality clothing

I especially liked this jacket

Which had a waterproof inner layer and hood

Lots of hats…

I picked up a St. James hat and dog cap

And the matching St. James collection

I also liked this version

More interesting pieces

Fox tie (I have the buffalo)

Customers checking out the shotguns

It was great to chat with the Beretta crew…I learned A LOT about premium shotguns!

And thanks of course to Al’s for letting me check out all the guns..good luck with the Beretta Gallery!

RL

S&R KNIVES

S&R Knives is pretty much the go-to place for knives in Toronto. Owned by Sean and Rodney for over 25 years, the store moved to a new location today just three minutes away from its old home at the Woodbine Mall. I was there today for the soft opening.

Blades of all shapes and sizes from spears to neck knives (this is one side of the store..i missed getting a full pic of the other side…oops)

Ok let’s start with Tops knives

And my favourite knife of the day, the Tac Ops karambit…this thing is SICK!

I would be hesitant to spin it but here it is in retracted and extended grips

Next, the Kuma Tac-Ri, designed by a martial artist, holding it makes you just want to destroy things and the only thing that diminished its impressiveness was that I just finished handling the Tac Ops Karambit lol

Smaller Tops fixed blades on display, including the mini Tracker.

I have a Beck Tracker on order and I am a big fan of the design…wow they are not kidding about this being a mini version!

Next Fox knives out of Italy

Including this SUPER RARE kempo Banty, designed by Borut Kincl, Official trainer of Slovenija Army

The knife has a lot of great features like a handle shaped for use as an impact tool (very similar to the Spyderco Yojimbo), integral glass breaker, secondary lock, divots for grip transitions etc.

Next Spyderco..

i was most anxious to see the Introvert, again designed by a martial artist as a sort of folding version of Fred Perrin’s famous LaGriffe. It is the first flipper lockback and I really like the deployment. I was glad it was sitting next to a P’Kal for size comparison as I have one of those so it was a good reference.

Tons of folders from Cold Steel

As well as impact tools. The British Police Truncheon is a lot heavier than you would think

My favourites were the boomerang

And Steven Seagal walking stick

More knives from…Spartan Blades

Esse

Fallkniven

My first time handling a Medford…well deserving of its beefy reputation although the Micro Praetorian was a bit small for my hand

Zero Tolerance

Ka-Bar

Including my favourite, the TDI

CRKT

Including a Kasper Fighting Folder, one of my favourite knives of all time (I have two Crawford customs)

Kitchen knives and other accessories

They were still unpacking so I did not get a chance to see all the brands they carry so hopefully I can make it back to the Grand Opening.

I saw lots of stuff that I liked but alas left empty handed.

Ok on to lunch..cant be a few minutes away from Zets, my favourite souvlaki place and not visit! (curiously I just found out there was a shooting in the Zets parking lot just 12 hours before my visit!!! I didn’t see any evidence of it).

RL
SELECT SHOOTING

I have been looking forward to the Select Shooting Supplies second annual range day for several weeks now and needless to say, it did not disappoint! I had a great time shooting things on my “list” and visiting their store afterwards.

Guests were greeted by the Canadian Historical Arms Museum’s awesome display of military hardware

Stinger

M16A1

M60

Vickers water cooled heavy machine gun

MG42

Didn’t get the name of this very long gun

AK-74, Sterling L34A1, Thompson M1A1

The French Famas…I asked and it does NOT come equipped with a white flag

Cape gun

Ahhh I managed to find a knife on display, and a beefy one at that, shown with my RJ Martin kwaiken for size comparo

For a small donation to the Museum you could take a pic with one of the guns…this was a no brainer for me as I am happy to help the shooting community and I always wanted a pic with the M60. I shot one in Vegas but it was mounted on a tripod so I could not do a Rambo hip pic that time…I was amazed at how light it was!

Both the CCFR and CSSA were on hand to provide info and promote our sport (sadly I did not get a pic of the CSSA booth). It was nice to meet Tracey Wilson

Ok, on to the shooting! I have been to many range days but I think this was the largest selection of guns I have seen….I believe there were nearly 50 guns on the line including…precision rifles from Savage and Tikka

AR15s from F1, Daniel Defense, and S&W

Some sporting Vortex optics like the new Razor AMG..i tried to get pics of the red dot but it is challeging

BCM 102

Girsan MC28, Walther Q5, and IWI X95 9mm from North Sylva

CZ Shadows

Beretta APX and M9A3

Smith & Wesson 686 and M&Ps

Sig MPX and lots of P320s

I was most anxious to shoot the CZ Skorpion Evo…however I don’t think it is for me based on my body and experience with other platforms. Yes, the controls are ambidextrous but I did not find them intuitive as say the MPX which is the same as an AR.

The RO was kind enough to shoot it so that I could get an ejected casing pic lol

Fortunately they had the Sig MPX so I could shoot it side by side with the EVO and my conclusion about the MPX was the same as the last time that I shot it, I love it! I love the AR feel with zero recoil.

It has been a long time since I shot a Beretta and since I have been to a few Beretta events lately I wanted to give them another try. I chose the M9A3 and it was great! I preferred it over the Sig P226 Navy that I shot recently.

Last time I shot the Sig P320 with red dot I did quite well so I wanted to give that one another try as well. To my eye the red dot was not aligned with the iron sights but using it with both eyes open I was hitting the steel gong. I really think my next handgun should have a red dot sight.

Finally, I have always loved revolvers, especially .357s so I used my last ticket on the S&W 686…you really feel the power over 9mm lol.

Tons of people

Thanks to all the RSOs, Select Shooting Supplies, and to the Galt Sportsmens Club for putting on a great event.

All done shooting I headed down to Select Shooting Supplies store

As I have noticed with many Canadian gun stores that I have visited, their retail footprint is not huge but they manage to have a great selection.

I am a big fan of Benelli shotguns and have found them to be the most accurate. The SuperNova tactical is no exception and it was great to see a 14” variant, shown here with a Canuck Regulator, another shotgun that I really like.

Robinson Armament might be best known for their non-restricted XCR-L but they do make a restricted version, the Micro shown here with the Beretta Storm

My favourite handgun in the store was the S&W Performance Centre 1911…what a beauty!

Look at those details like the scales and big extractor

Slide cutouts

Grips

I also liked the custom battle worn coating on this Canuck 1911

For those who saw that recent video of a S&W 500 kaboom, here is the aftermath of one on a .357…legend has it that S&W honoured the warranty with a replacement gun even though this was caused by an out of spec reload.

More shots of the store, Bladetech

Magpul

And other gear

I got a Benelli LE patch to accompany my M4 LE.

All done shooting and shopping I headed out for lunch. As I have said in the past, wings tend to taste better with gunpowder so I stopped by WingsUp!

They were kind enough to let me try their two hottest sauces, Jamakan Hot and Sweat’N Bullets before dropping my wings. I prefer red sauces so I went with Sweat’n Bullets (an appropriate name as well!)

Very unique plating lol

The wings were great! I love the fact that you can request no breading, all flats and extra saucy (or as they call it Slightly Sloppy)

I also had the Stuffed Spuds, which are essentially breaded mashed potatoes

Definitely worth a repeat visit!

RL

RANGEVIEW SPORTS

Located in Newmarket, about half an hour north of downtown Toronto, in an open mall next to Walmart and other big mainstream stores, Rangeview Sports is well positioned to attract foot traffic from prospective shooters. Being fairly new, the store has a very modern, neat feel as you can see here.

Tikka T3X tactical and Ruger Precision

Tikka T3X Arctic

Handguns

I especially like the showroom section…it reminds me of the Sommelier in John Wick 2 lol. Unfortunately I took the pics before we turned all the lights on so they are a bit dark and I forgot to retake them (oops).

Ok now for some closeups…starting with the Ohio Ordnance Works Colt 1918A3 SLR BAR 30-06 Springfield

Believe it or not, I think this is the first new HS Precision that I have ever seen…all the others have been pre-owned

I have seen the Steyr SSG 69 before but I like it so much that I had to have another look at this iconic “original” sniper rifle…I just love the look and feel of the stock material. Of course the cold hammer forged barrel and rear locking lugs are impressive too.

It has been a longggggg time since I have seen a Steyr pistol…it felt a little top heavy, I am curious how it feels to shoot one

Those triangle sights are unmistakable

As always, high fit and finish on this Kimber

Nice grips and checkering

As I have reported elsewhere, I have shot the Sig MPX twice and loved it both times…just wanted a few more pics of this beauty.

Revision has some of the most robust eyewear as shown by the test lens that stopped a 12 gauge. I have a Sawfly and it could quite possibly be the only pair of sunglasses that I have ever said is too big for my face…aesthetics aside, the big size gives good protective coverage though. Fortunately, Rangeview had most of the models in stock so I could compare and I ended up taking a Hellfly.

As you probably know, I love binoculars and was pleased that they had a Bushnell Elite for me to try..i took it outside to test and found it to be very clear.

More optics

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Strider Knives along with Canadian icon Grohman knives

I had never heard of Z-corr anti corrosion storage bags but I bought a couple to test them out.

Magpul

All done shopping I headed out to Big Bone Ribs and Wicked Wings…I have been to their sister location, Memphis Ribs in Vaughan and thought they were great. Last time I took the rib and wing combo and I though the ribs were the better part so I went with 9 bones this time (they throw in a 10th)

Thanks again to Rangeview for the great service and I wish you guys the best of luck.

RL

DS TACTICAL

So this is my first time in Vancouver…thanks to everyone who suggested places to visit.

As usual Budget did not have the car I reserved so I paid a small upgrade to get a 428i convertible….

I headed straight from the airport to the factory outlets, specifically to hit the Robin’s Jean store. Pretty cool how planes fly right over the mall lol.

Pretty good selection but they did not have the ones that I wanted most

I went with these…no point in buying Robin’s without the bling (amplified as they say)

And a zombie green hat

Next, check in at River Rock Casino resort…nice marina view from my room

No time for anything else today, except dinner at Gotham.

They were kind enough to let me “sample” stuff and brought half portions…no, I did NOT finish it all!

Ok on to day two!!!! First stop, DS Tactical!

The selection of gear at DS is ASTONISHING! So much so that they are in the process of expanding from
4000 sq. ft. to a three storey shop with 12,000 sq. ft.

Let’s start with bags and cases..

I am a big fan of Hazard 4

I was glad they had an Overwatch in stock as I specifically wanted to check it out..i loved it but sadly it
would not meet our transport rules without modifications

Another cool brand worth checking out is First Spear…these just landed at DS

They literally had gear for all parts of you from head to toes

And in between

I thought a Hazard 4 poncho villa would be appropriate for Vancouver rain (ooo shots fired)

Stuff to kit you out…eyewear from Oakley and Revision

Knives

Including a zombie Izula to match my hat

Extrema Ratio and Chris Reeve

Benchmade, including a bali trainer..yay! saved me a trip to W&W and a better price too

5.11

I actually have a custom Duane Dwyer version on which that black one is based

And some knives from local maker Peter Marzitelli…coincidentally the next stop on my tour!

Watches

And stuff to kit your guns out…holsters and pouches from every make you can think of

Optics

I love the Elcan Spectre DR! The glass is so clear and the easy switch from 1x to 4x is so cool

Slings

Lights from Inforce and other accessories

One of the coolest things I have ever seen, the Surefire Beast!

Along with a Hellfire…that’s like $10,000 of lights

Some cool displays like this one for Trijicon night sights

Some neat firearms and artillery on display throughout the store

DS were incredibly gracious hosts…thanks for taking the time to show me all the cool gear!

PETER MARZITELLI

Next stop..Peter Marzitelli…with the practical death of the Canadian Knifemakers Guild, my opportunity to interact with knifemakers and handle custom knives for sale in person has diminished quite a bit. I have always liked Peter Marzitelli’s knives, including the folders that he used to make so it was a no brainer to check him up when in his neck of the woods.

While I am more into tacticals, this one caught my eye..i liked the feel of the natural handle and the leather, yes that is a LEATHER sheath is killer…I really like the way the camo is fused with the leather.

Dinosaurs are classic Marzitelli

More utility knives…like this filet knife

One of peter’s standard models

And another, this time in lignum vitae the rarest of woods

Bushcraft kit with compass and Firestarter

Ok, getting more tactical…some cyborgs…one with Peter’s “diamond” tip, the other a tanto..sadly the pics of the circuit board in the handle came out blurry

Funny, I found something to match my hat again..Tactanto Zombie

Also a leather sheath

The Shaman Tanto really fit my hand well and I liked the gabon ebony handle…so it came home with me

I loved this little Wharn Skully neck knife..so much so that I bought it lol

Finally, some shop pics

Bead blaster

Thanks again for the tour and awesome knives Peter!

WANSTALLS
Ok Vancouver, you have officially put Toronto to shame! Yesterday I chose DS Tactical as my favourite gear store and today I am proclaiming Wanstalls to be my new favourite gun store!!!

Let’s start with optics…I have never seen a selection like this is one spot.

Once again, I loved the Elcan..except that this time I got to compare it to the older 4x

And the new TR 1x to 9x scope! A very sweet piece of kit…a true red dot at 1x and then the crosshairs appear as you power up

Also super cool was this Meprolight MOR…you can see the reticle in virtually any light..indeed as I swept it past the door it was still visible.

OMG Barrett!

Micro red dots from Trijicon and Vortex

The new Vortex Sparc AR and Sparc II

More scopes

Laser rangefinders

Another cool piece of optics kit…U.S. Optics level…can swivel away as well

And now guns for these optics…Kimber Mountain Ascent billed as the lightest hunter on the market…wow, they are not kidding! super light and looks great too

Not quite as light..Bushmaster .50! Sorry the picture came out dark

But I think I redeemed myself with this first one…imho one of the coolest pics I have ever taken

My first time handling a Cadex…obviously very high grade and great attention to detail

But at the end of the day, my favourite bolt action was this Steyr SSG!

Rotary mag

Bolt

Yup, I could use one of these

If you really want to go old school…how about a James River Armory Arsenal Restored K98 8mm Mauser

Next up, shotguns

Chiappa Triple Threat

Old school Remington 870

Black guns

War Sport Costa Ludus

Sig MCX..wow it’s light!

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH I HAVE PTSD

Last but not least, they don’t call Wanstalls the House of 1911s for nothing!

You might ask what makes a 1911 cost almost $8000 but if you held this Wilson Combat Classic Supergrade in your hand you would know..it was spectacular!

My absolute favourite gun of the day was this Ed Brown Second Amendment edition

Accessories from Magpul

And Aluma grips (didn’t get pics of the VZ grips but they had plenty of those)

Knives

Bullets turned into bottle openers and shot glasses

Thanks so much to Matt for your hospitality and for joining me for dinner

RELIABLE

Good news, I made it to Reliable after all!

Hmm, where to start, where to start…

Ok THIS I was not expecting…Cabot guns in Canada? Wow if you thought that Wilson was expensive, Cabots are around $10,000! Unfortunately, I could not handle them as they were already sold.

Not quite as expensive but also impressive, the STI DVC…better in real life than I expected.

And a race gun from Sig

I have always wanted a Glock red gun even though you have to register them like a restricted…sadly you have to be training certified to buy one

My first time handling a Glock 26…smaller than I thought…maybe 2 fingers?

Super lightweight .22s from Ruger and Browning

I already have a Benelli M4 but if ever there was a motivator to buy a second one, this Half Life custom is it! WOW!

I have seen Desert Techs before and I am just as impressed every time…you might not necessarily shoot one standing, I held it that way for size comparison…and it is pretty light.

Lots of new features on the Tikka T3X…including new swappable grip, better recoil pad, new texturing,
metal bolt end etc.

Mossberg MVP

Ruger precision rifle

JR rifle

Outside my area of expertise, an untouched Nazi Mauser fully matching…apparently this is significant to
collectors?

More historic firearms…Bren MK II

Browning M37

Ok on to accessories…optics

Including the new Trijicon binoculars…I have been anxious to check them out

Super light rail with both picatinny and keymod

And a locally built keymod rail for the Tavor

Exploding targets!

BCM

So once again, I am very impressed with the gun scene in Vancouver…I thought our stores were good in Toronto but I aint never seen a Wilson Combat, let alone a Cabot 1911 here..so Vancouver guys you have it good!

All done with my tour, I had a nice, relaxing bite at Lucy’s Eastside Diner. It was PERFECT..great atmosphere, nice and chill…food was good too.

See y’all next time.

RL