rlauferblog

DAY 2

Epic, if there is one word I could use to describe Day 2 of TACCOM, it would be Epic!

I will start with my main personal highlight but really there were several. It turns out that my idea to focus on booths instead of covering the seminars was a good one. Indeed, many of the coolest things I saw were from re-visiting booths that I had already been to.

As you all may know, I am a big John Wick fan so it should come as no surprise that my favourite part of today is JW related, specifically meeting The Tracker from JW4!

I only found out he was coming about an hour or two beforehand and thank you to the team at Gagnon Sports for making it happen!

It was great to chat about the Wick universe in general and his custom build in particular. In an extreme coincidence, I had already started ordering the parts to match his movie gun a couple of weeks ago!!

With Justin from Gagnon Sports

After a few quick words on stage, he met with fans for some pictures, including Fred, organizer of TACCOM

Steve from Crusader Arms

Show attendees

I wanted to do a Tracker themed pic with his signature lever action and dog. As luck would have it, Ian from O’Dell Engineering was walking by and graciously accepted my request to borrow a Wrangler Blackout. BTW, the gun is definitely Tracker approved as he liked it a lot! Baden K-9 was equally generous with the German Sheppard Twins. Thankfully Tracker did not issue a “nuts” command!

Thanks again to Ian

And to Baden K-9. This pic is especially fitting considering my Magnum P.I. shirt as it reminded me of his canine co-stars Zeus and Apollo.

So glad Baden K-9 came back this year. Their dog-bite demo was definitely a highlight last year (even though I ended up “reconsidering” my participation lol).

My first stop of the day was actually another visit to the Chiappa booth to handle the Tmodel, the Terminator lever action gun shown here with my Terminator glasses and Arnie watch.

Yes, I held it one handed, no, I did not do the Terminator flip lol

Next a visit to Tactical Imports to have a look at the Extrema Ratio Glauca G1, the GSG9 version of that folder. But first, the guns.

Several variants of the Type 81

Axor Arms TR-410 non-restricted compact revolver shotgun and Serengeti S Tactical

The Auslof that I covered in detail last year

HK G36, used by the GSG9 (hmmm I am sensing a theme)

Big selection of Extrema Ratio knives

As I mentioned, I was most interested in the Glauca G1. This variation of the Glauca has features specifically for the GSG9 counter terrorism unit of the Bundespolizei, such as a rear glass breaker in tungsten carbide and a stainless steel spike for untying knots as well as a rescue tool for making quick emergency cuts to free the potentially injured or to use as a belt cutter.

With the spike deployed

In forward grip

In reverse grip

Shown with my Sinn UX EZM2B GSG9 Edition

GSG9 starter kit, complete with their official knife, watch, gun, and authentic made in Germany Addidas GSG9 boots!

Canadian Tier 1 Operators might prefer something in the Mike from Canmore camo offered by Rugged Textile from “The Redacted Group” of companies, which also includes S&J Hardware (shotgun/firearm mods), and Aratech Research (body armor).

Especially when paired with a matching holster from Gray Fox Strategic and Pit Vipers

Complete with essential Canadian gear

Rugged Textiles can make any pattern

They also make duty belts

Such as the new Balteus Max Tactical Belt System, that will be sold exclusively at Urban Tactical. Designed with input from Law Enforcement and Military professionals, it is made of Berry compliant Brookwood Squadron* and Milliken Tegris® and offers exceptional abrasion resistance and durability.

Some examples of its well thought out features include: An end opening for padding insertion to reduce bulk and pressure points on wearer’s back and hips, the use of 3D spacer mesh that is FR treated for breathability and antimicrobial protection made of Squadron, a stiffener panel made with 12 layer Tegris® to allow the belt to self-support for wearer comfort. You can read more on Urban Tactical’s website.

Modified shotguns from S&J Hardware including their latest MCS build

The MCS in pistol grip configuration

In this configuration, it is intended to be carried on the weak side for quick transition/deployment when you need to do some breaching or your main firearm goes down, as demonstrated by Simon

Being a “modular combat shotgun” you can easily add different stocks

I also really liked S&J’s new folding Serbu style forend grip, shown here by Simon

Body armor from the Aratech Research side of the business group

So I did go back to Perroz Designs and I was right, it was a groin plate!

Glad I went back too as this time they had the guns out (my previous visit was before show opening so the guns were locked away)

Can’t go wrong with an MP7!

I also learned that Perroz was acquired by Movie Armament Group! Initially a one-man shop, Perroz found it challenging to meet the huge demand for his great designs but with MAG’s acquisition they were able to ramp up production. MAG also brought some movie guns to display such as these from The Boys series that I binge watched recently lol.

From Arnie’s Fubar series

including his Pink Lady

Hmmm gold guns seem to be a theme at this TACCOM lol

Ok on to Hera Industries to see the new H6!

The innovative H6 rifle features a side feeding AR-15 magwell to allow you to shoot and reload easily in prone or any other shooting position. At under 6 lbs. it is incredibly light, as is the trigger action (made by RECKNAGEL) at only 2.2 lbs. It will fire with the stock folded but still meets the minimum 26” length requirement.

You may have seen these two gents in Youtube videos

Two new product introductions from Sterling this year, including the R18 MK3 and the R9, a new PCC, which accepts proprietary MP5 style mags. These mags are more of a straight design compared to the angled Glock style mags.

There have been quite a lot of modifications to the internals moving from the R18 M2 to the MK3. The bottom line is that it is now much lighter and should be reduced in cost.

As one of the main distributors in Canada, North Sylva covers a wide array of brands including CZ, IWI, FN, Kriss, Remington, Black Creek Labs, Chiappa, Aimpoint, Sordin, etc. etc. etc.

I have always loved the FN PS90

Another one of my favourites, the Skorpion

I liked the Canadian flag finish on this BCL

More Canadian flags

Gravel, another top distributor, also had a booth with a small sampling of the vast number of brands they carry (God I hope they bring Noveske back if the Conservatives overturn this OIC nonsense).

I liked the tricked out Remington shotgun with Cadex and Magpul parts

They are also a distributor for Boker knives

I tried the Mantis training system at a previous TACCOM and it was one of my favourite booths of that show. I was hoping to see their new system mounted to a Steiner laser but it is not available in Canada yet.

They did bring their new AK-47 system though, and this one was autographed by famous Youtuber and founder of The AK Guy Inc, Brandon Herrera (reminding me of Chris Costa autographing my Raven Concealment holster at a previous TACCOM)

The whole kit

Cromag makes loading your mags a breeze

I really liked the look and feel of 416 Tactical’s booth with the Ghillie suit and camo netting, not to mention the great gear. A store visit is definitely in order.

Spyderco, Cold Steel, and SOG knives

Hmmm weapon light cleaner…I should get some of that.

Armorum also had a great selection of tactical gear.

I liked the knife sheaths from Gray Fox strategic.

And the shirts in multi-camo black

Veteran owned and operated, Mad Hatter Industries

I knew we would find a hat to match the Mike from Canmore plate carrier

Speaking of clothing, I ran into someone with a similar shirt (mine is Retro Rifle, I believe his is Savage Tacticians)

And another wearing Retro Rifle, the Rule #1 from Fight Club also from their Pop Culture series like my Perched from Magnum P.I.

Knives etc. from The Pocket Blade

Last but certainly not least, Vortex!

Including the Impact 4000 Ballistic Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder that I covered in a lot of detail in my Toronto Sportsmen’s Show 2024 review.

And that concludes my coverage for this year. While this is a lot fewer pics than I normally post for TACCOM, don’t interpret that as this being a smaller show. I didn’t cover every booth but more significantly, I didn’t cover ANY of the presentations/seminars. As I mentioned, I opted to re-visit several booths multiple times. As a show-goer this was a better experience for me as I got to see things that I missed the first time. I also didn’t go back for Day 3. I know that I would have spent a lot more time (and money lol) at 416 Tactical and Armorum if I did lol.

My overall thought is that TACCOM continues to feel like its major American counterpart gun shows with elements like new product introductions, having brands and industry reps in from all around the world, celebrity appearances, BCL’s display of guns mounted to an offroad vehicle, items autographed by industry celebs, on the spot collaborations like getting a tricked out lever action and service dogs together for a cool pic etc. These are the types of things that happen at major shows like SHOT. Hopefully next year will bring in a political climate a lot friendlier to gun owners and that will only help make TACCOM bigger and bigger.

RL

Links to Parts 1 and 2

TACCOM 2024 – Part 1

TACCOM 2024 – Part 2

SET-UP DAY

TACCOM has moved to Hall 5 of the International Centre and the layout is more “grid-like” to ease movement down the aisles. Another big change is that multiple vendors will be selling guns and ammo. Guns will be “cash and carry” meaning you can pay and carry the gun out of the show. In order to keep the ammo separate from firearms, the ammo is kept in trucks out back as in past shows but now there is a “drive through” option so you can drive your car up and load out.

Upon entering the Hall, I was greeted by this armored vehicle, which I had seen recently at Aquino Tank Day. There will be a machine gun mounted to the turret tomorrow for photo ops.

While not quite as armored, Black Creek Labs showed us how to arrive at a gunshow in style.

Guns were arriving by the palette! Foc alone brought 4 skids (with huge discounts)

Quite the mix of guns too, how about this “dictator chic” gold gun at the FOC booth?

What’s better than one dictator gun? Why two of them, of course! These are actually for sale and there are two more with white furniture to be raffled off.

More great guns at FOC, Troy PAR and SPR

You know I love trainers

Our host Fred looks on

SFRC was one of the first booths to set up and I heard they were bringing surplus armor so that was my next stop.

They weren’t kidding about the surplus armor! This is just a part of it…Revision/Galvion helmets in all sizes including XL! Coincidentally I bought a Revision visor in anticipation of finding one of these helmets one day hmmmm

Or if you prefer new over surplus, my favourite brand of armor

Less than lethal option, the Byrna TCR Pro

Airsoft SIGs

One of the many contests at the show

Next stop, Amchar for another look at the SUB2000 Gen 3 that I just shot at O’Dell Day

KSGs in all sizes

and TROY PAR and SPR

Love the camo

So excited for Glock to be back and YES, they will be showing handguns!

Also great to see SIG back at TACCOM. They will have some new variations of the Cross

And for the first time at TACCOM and all the way from Germany, Hera arms! So looking forward to checking out the H6.

Another one high on my list, Opfor. Can’t wait to try that quad night vision

Ha caught the Tactical Imports booth being built last year too

That sampling should give you an idea of the show. Of course, there are lots more booths that are still being set up as I type this and I look forward to seeing them all tomorrow.

DAY 1

I have seen panoramic night vision on display but never got to try one so I was super excited to confirm that Opfor Night Solutions had a demo unit at the show. Needless to say, they were my first stop of the day. Turns out that was a good choice as I dare say they were my favourite booth of the show.

Static unit in black

The demo was FDE…I am ok either way!

I have to say they were even cooler than I expected! I tried to capture the experience (though wished TACCOM could turn out the lights for me)

Flipping them up changes the weight dynamic. I can see why people mount counterweights to the back of their helmet

The helmet is made by Opfor’s sister company, EON and features a custom 4D Tactical memory foam pad set

While I have seen night vision before, Opfor takes it the next step with their super cool mission recording devices. This one fits right over the tube to see things exactly from the operator’s perspective.

OMG I NEED one of these for my camera!!!

More cool gear from Opfor

Coincidentally, the theme of night vision came up at the next booth that I visited, my friends at The Patch Panel.

Great selection as usual

Love the display (I have two Avon masks as well, love them)

Next I went to visit Remington in the hopes of seeing a less-than-lethal orange variant of the 870…. we are in luck!

I would want a rear ghost-ring sight though

More fine shotguns from Remington

Ok I know everyone is excited that Glock is back at TACCOM and hopefully we can buy handguns again soon, so I headed there next to find a G34, G17, G19X, and the G45 in the exact setup being used by Ontario ETF.

Guess which one was my favuorite?

All the display guns had GoSafe lockable mags that require a key to be released and to unlock the trigger.

By now Chiappa had finished setting up so I headed there next, again with a very specific gun in mind, the Terminator lever action!

In luck again! I will have to come back tomorrow to handle it.

In the meantime, I got a pic with my Gargoyles 1984 Terminator glasses and Seiko Arnie watch

I was hoping the see the new Big Badger, essentially centre-fire versions of the Little  Badger but no luck (I heard they were at the show so maybe I just missed them)

More Chiappas

Speaking of movie attire, I visited Clarington Airsoft’s shooting range in the hope of finding a revolver to recreate the “everyone be cool, this is a robbery scene” from Pulp Fiction. Yup!

Great selection of airsoft

There was a long lineup so I didn’t end up shooting this time but I tried it at last year’s TACCOM and it was a lot of fun.

At the opposite end of the spectrum to airsoft, some SERIOUS  ammo from Fort Scott Munitions.

Their TUI is designed in such a way that it passes through solid material but tumbles when it encounters liquids or fluids. The results are pretty devastating as shown by this ballistic gel.

It is available in both rifle

And handgun calibers

Specs on their 9mm as an example

I was happy to see SIG back at TACCOM though their last visit turned out to be quite expensive for me as I ended up buying a Commemorative Edition M17. This time they were showing new variations of their popular Cross platform. The Magnum takes the Cross into larger calibers like .300 Win Magnum, 300 PRC, and 7 PRC and is available with carbon fiber and stainless steel barrels.  

Next you have the standard (that camo is being discontinued) and TRAX with its lighter/simpler chassis.

SIG was also showcasing their expansive line of optics

My favourite of which were the stabilized binos

Next, a huge variety of precision rifles from Cadex, including full builds

As well as chassis

No .50BMG this year, the biggest gun they brought was .375Cheytac

Very cool though I would probably get a Kraken

There has been quite a lot of buzz about Crusader’s new Crypto semi—auto and its proprietary 5 round mag so that was my next stop.

And here it is!

Along with the actual gun used in their now famous 1000 round torture test video

It handles really well! Much lighter than their early designs.

A few variants

Including a prototype carbine length

Some of their previous designs

A solid match for FOC’s gold guns lol

Speaking of which, here are FOC’s raffle guns

vs. the sale versions I showed yesterday

This Derya wasn’t very subtle either

More of FOC’s selection

Incredible prices on Steiner binoculars

Sordin earpro

I was at O’Dell Range Day a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed shooting the new Wrangler lever action. They have been officially launched now and I wanted to see the final variations that went to market.

I think these are my favourite products ever from O’Dell

Two of the most popular guns at O’Dell Range day, the wood furniture Operator this year and the FD12 a couple of years ago.

Large variety from O’Dell with Canuck, Bergara, and Derya

Big Tony with Gilles from Mossberg

Phil O’dell with Fred from FOC and TACCOM organizer

Fred and I

With Ian photo-bombing

Not to worry Ian, you will get your usual comparison pic!

First timers at TACCOM, Tandemkross with an incredible line of upgrades for Ruger 10/22s and PCC

A few examples of their builds

This one, featuring their Manticore X Lower was my favourite. I urge you to check out their website for full details on the Manticore X as they are too extensive to list here. Basically it is a a pre-assembled housing ready to accept AR style accessories and includes upgrades to the trigger, safety, bolt keeper, etc etc.

PCC with a flared magwell and very extended mag release

I didn’t get to chat with the Perroz Designs crew but their gear looks very interesting

Chest rigs

Helmet mounting options

Gear carriers

Am I seeing this right? Is that a groin protection plate carrier with testicular tourniquet mount? Maybe I should talk too them tomorrow lol

MAB Impex is becoming a real staple at gunshows in Ontario, not just TACCOM. I was into knives long before guns. I am sure you can find something you like at their table.

Although I covered Amchar yesterday, I wanted to go back to get more pics of their guns from the side angle

Liam from Amchar and Ian from O’Dell

Kodiak Defence

Tamgha

I will close Day 1 with the best display method for guns I have seen at a Canadian show (reminds me of something you would see at SHOT Show), BCL

Originally I was planning to cover seminars tomorrow but I want to spend more time at the booths so we will see how it goes. In any case, expect another 200 pics lol.

RL

Links to Parts 1 and 2

TACCOM 2024 – Part 1

TACCOM 2024 – Part 2

By now you should be familiar with O’Dell Engineering’s Annual Range Day as this is my third time covering the event. Still, some things are worth repeating.

First of all, it is super impressive that O’Dell has been running this annual event for 10 years, especially given our political climate. Not only that, they are continually bringing new products to our market and each event features several introductions.

Just to recap, the industry event allows retailers to test the latest offerings and provide/receive direct feedback. The intention is to increase retailers’ first-hand familiarity with the products so they can better answer questions and better match firearms with the customer’s shooting needs.

Opening words from our host, Phil O’Dell and briefings from Ian about some new products we will see on the line

Mike from the CSSA has been at all 10 O’Dell Days

The full CSSA crew with Mike, Jordan, and Tony Bernardo

Reps from Amchar, the event co-sponsor and Fred from FOC/TACCOM

It is great to see politicians at such events. Doug Treleaven, Conservative candidate for the Kitchener Conestoga riding with Ryan from SFRC

This year’s event shirt features the new Wrangler, which I will get to shoot shortly

Time for the traditional pic with Phil and Ian

I also wanted to use this opportunity to try the new custom hearing protection I got from Safe and Sound. The left ear was rock solid and gave good protection but for some reason the right ear was moving a bit so I ended up switching to my Peltors later in the day. Not sure why as this didn’t happen when I tried them at home.

I took the VIP limo to the rifle range lol

First up, Canuck shotguns

The Enforcer

and the folding version

However the Operator with wood furniture was the most popular gun of the day

EVERYONE was shooting it lol…I guess there is something to “retro”

Vs. the FD12, the most popular gun in 2021

On to Bergara, another product line distributed by O’Dell. They had several on the line from .22 all the way up to 6.5

I love the finish on the Bergaras, both in terms of look and feel

Shooting the Bergaras

Doug shooting the Bergara. He clearly has experience with firearms and was shooting like a pro in no time!

Canuck pro-staffer and competitive shooter Dave Tree brought his personal gun for comparison against a stock Bergara

Nifty Arca rail on Dave’s competition gun

Bipod’s are also a convenient place to hang your shooting bag for PRS competition lol

Influencers like Chris Costa and Jade Struck have helped to cause a big resurgence in lever-action rifles. I can see why as the new Wranglers, available in .357 and .410 were my favourite guns of the day! So fun to shoot.

I prefer the one with the full rail and beautiful green stock

Though this one had a beautiful wood stock and bluing

This one was chambered in .410

Or if you prefer rimfire….

The crew from FOC giving the lever actions a whirl

And now my turn! We were shooting .38 but of course you can also load these with .357

No recoil but it throws the casing high! I think that one hit the ceiling lol

I was amazed by the low recoil, even on the .410

My co-photographer, Tom liked the Wrangler as well

Rep from Al Simmons in Hamilton with the .22

There are now 3 versions of the Derya TM-22 including the new Standard, which will retail for $299

Closer look at the Standard

Shooting the Standard

Amchar, co-sponsor of the event, brought 7 Kel-tecs (and one GSG) for us to try, including their shotguns with dual mag tubes

SU22

And the Sub2000, including the new Gen3 version with iron sights that stay in place when you fold the gun

Learn more about Kel-Tec here

Fred shooting the SU22

I would definitely put a red-dot on it as it was a bit challenging for me to find the Ghost ring. Other than that, really fun to shoot

Next the Sub2000 Gen3

And the KSG Compact

Doug was impressed

The GSG-16

Ok on to the skeet range!

 I like the Hunter pump in Bottomlands and the Over-under in Realtree Max5 camo

Rep from Al Simmons shooting the over-under

the Trap version

the auto-ejector throwing the empty shell over his shoulder

I wanted to get pics of the over-under in Max5 and Tom was happy to oblige

More skeet shooting

On to 5-stand

Some of the guns on the line

Clays come in high and low

We close the day with a prize draw for the attendees

Scott from Bullseye North wins the Kel-Tec

Rep from Al Simmons taking home a very small box with a folding Canuck shotgun!

Another Canuck shotgun prize

And a Bergara for Gary at Select Shooting Supplies, accepted by Dean on his behalf

As usual, the event was catered by the legendary Lancaster Smokehouse (I was just there after another event a week or two ago!)

Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, the Sportsmens Club Galt, and of course the O’Dell team for putting on such a great event.

RL

As is becoming a tradition, for the third year in a row I stopped off at Shooter’s Choice for their great Annual Hunting and Target Sports Sale on my way to the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show.

So funny, I was just saying in another thread about a event in the Alberta that we don’t have horses here and what did I find in the parking lot?

Though I prefer this chariot

Or if you like more modern.

Ok on to the store

My favourite guns of the day…from Gravel, the Rossi 95 in .357 with Midwest Industries Handguard

Speaking of Gravel, they are now distributors for Viper knives out of Italy

Last year I looked at the Pedersoli 86/71 in BOARBUSTER HV-1 CAMO

This year the 86/71 GUIDE MASTER STAINLESS, so beautiful!

Matt from Stoeger making it rain

I picked up a nice Browning handwarmer before heading up to the archery store

Last year I looked at the Twinstrike, this year I wanted to see the most compact crossbow that Excalibur offers, the Short Mag 308 shown here in Bottomland camo matching the reps cap!

It shoots at  308 FPS, with a draw weight of 154 lbs and 30.4″ overall length

Quite the power despite the small size as you can see by the penetration of the 16.5” bolt

It was quite busy and great to see guns being sold (including a DT11!). The sale is still on tomorrow and I recommend you stop by.

See you next year!

RL

Some of you may remember my “gun store tour” that I started back in 2014. What you may not remember though is that Urban Tactical was the very first store that I covered! Now 10 years later I was super happy to attend their 10 year anniversary celebration! It is amazing that with all the challenges of more restrictive gun laws, covid, and even a destructive robbery, Urban Tactical continues to expand with new product lines and even new store locations!

The secret is that they are run by a great group of people and are a trusted source by law enforcement and civilians alike. Plus, as you will see as I go through the store, they offer some of my favourite brands.

As a usual caveat with my reviews, I got early access so that I could take pics without attendees. Of course, the event was busy with a few hundred signed up for the range package of the day.

Among the celebrity guests, Conservative MP Larry Brock, who is such a strong advocate for our community

And The Hacksmith! You may recall that I saw his bulletproof John Wick suit at a previous event at Urban.

Alright let’s start with some shootin’!

The special package included Glock 17 and 22, CZ P07, Savage 110 Precision in .338 Lapua and 2 mystery guns! (that shall remain a mystery)

Great to see politicians shooting! Remember when the Liberal MP in charge of gun regulations refused to try shooting? As I said, Larry Brock is a strong advocate for our rights.

Larry’s daughter also tried shooting for the first time!

Councilor Rose Sicoli!

She REALLY liked that .338 Lapua!

I didn’t take pics of all the guests, as I said there were a few hundred lol. Big smiles were a common theme though

Ok on to the store! Let’s start with guns…

My favourites were the Troy PAR and SIG Cross

Knives

Including all variations of the SOCP (I picked up the dagger and trainer at previous visits)

Nex batons

Including a trainer with orange handle

More great gear, Garrett metal detectors

Including the THD

Options to keep water in you (Camelback) and out of you (Mustang Survival flotation)

Retro Rifle is such an awesome brand. I discovered them through SHOT Show and have since joined their Facebook collector group. Their attitude and the collectors’ attitudes (some own 100+ shirts!) is so great! I especially like their Pop Culture series with their twist of adding subtle firearms into the designs.

I was happy that Urban had some in 4XL and 3XL for me to compare and thankfully the 3XL fits (I have one on order).

Now on to protective clothing

Urban Tatical just started carrying Masters of Gloves

The anti riot gloves were my favourite

Full lineup

Mechanix

Oakley and Blackhawk

Hakson

Huge selection to protect your feet

Lowa Z-8N and a couple of Salomons were my favourite.

Continuing on the protection theme, eyes from Oakley, including their Standard Issue M-frames

Another one of my favourite brands, Revision (I got those Snowhawk goggles at a previous event)

Ray-Ban

Vortex optics

Peerless cuffs

The full display

Plate carriers

Tactical clothing from 5.11 of course

Kuhl

UF Pro

Packs

Rifle cases

Lots and lots of Yeti

Here’s to 10 Years, I look forward to attending the 20^th!

As usual, I capped off my visit to Urban with a stop at Camp31. I wasn’t that hungry so I just went with the quesadillas with brisket. Turned out to be pretty good!

RL

Now in its tenth year, the Aquino Tank Weekend is the largest historical military show in North America. Organized by the Ontario Regiment Museum, the weekend long event features:

• Static displays from Canadian Armed Forces units, partner museums, historical re-enactors, and other related organizations
• The ORM’s Military Vehicle Conservation Centre with over 80 military vehicles and tanks on display
• A Tank Arena with live demonstrations, battle re-enactments, and one-on-one tank battles with an opportunity to ride in some of the vehicles
• An opportunity to meet veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, the Second World War and the Battle of AQUINO in 1944
• Access to the Ontario Regiment Museum that houses artifacts, medals, weapons and uniforms covering 150+ years of military history
• A militaria market

The last Aquino Tank Weekend that I attended was back in 2017 so it was high time for a re-visit.

Show-goers were greeted with what we later found out to be the staging area for the tanks to be used in the Gulf War re-enactment. Some of these vehicles and their crew actually served in the War.

May as well start “tank weekend” with the tanks!

If one big gun isn’t enough, how about a 2×5 array of 15cm surface-to-surface rockets

Self-propelled gun

Artillery cannon

Sparrow hawk (Homing All the Way Killer) missiles

As much as I like tanks, APC are just as cool. At least I could fit in one of these lol.

More modern APC

I like the gun ports on this one

Great to see Ryan from SFRC!

OMG this would be perfect for downtown Toronto!

No armor but still an effective way to say “get off me”

For sale eh? Hmmmm

Lol “Hooligan”..is that a drift stick?

I love this car!

Military motorcycles

Remote control tanks

Now on to the tank arena for live demonstrations! The two hour show featured detailed rundowns of at least a dozen tanks, including history and specs, often narrated by famous Youtubers. Many of the tanks shown were used in battle and are extremely rare in the sense that not many rolling examples still exist.

And for the grand finale, a re-enactment of a Gulf War battle complete with live fire (of blanks of course) and explosions!

The scene starts with light and heavy RECCE by Allied Forces with suppressive gunfire from both sides.

Not realizing the full extent of the Allied Forces, the Iraqi’s launch an attack

Undeterred, the Allied Forces press forward

and strike a massive blow to the Iraqi tank

Iraqi infantrymen continue to engage

As Allied Forces continue to advance

Till the Iraqis have no choice but to surrender

What a fantastic show!

All done with the big guns, we visited the Ontario Regiment Museum to look at historical small arms

The CBRN was my favourite display

Displays showing period uniforms

Engine displays

A visit to the gift shop

Morgy picked up this beautiful hat

I would have bought a tanker hat if they had one

And now for some poutine from SFRC’s awesome .38 Special food truck!

This was even better than my 2017 experience and I highly recommend Aquino Tank Weekend. Next time I might even go to the next level and book a ride in one of the vehicles!

RL