The third Milton show this year felt more like a traditional gunshow than an outdoor show with the change of venue and mix of vendors. I would say this show was more focused on guns and ammo and less so on knives, fur, etc.
Once again, Canfirearm had my favourite table (gunwise) and it was great to see the Akdas again.
They even brought an HK!
A beast of a lever action in 45-70 by Chiappa
29th Infantry of Ontario WW2 ReEnactors
Ok that’s it for gun pics as I know vendors don’t really like pics taken of their guns…so on to some knives! My good friend Todd Bolce
With some new ones hot off the press (err grinder)
I liked the Damascus skeleton knife
and the “brisket slicer” (top knife)
Always nice to see KC Forge
I liked the bread knife featuring great scales made out of resin with coffee beans courtesy of our friends at Muskoka Turner
Muskoka Turner also provided the honeycomb handle material for this fillet knife (that had incredible flex)
My favourite knife on the table was this little forged skinner with Bocote scales
Also great to see Fire Drawn Forge again with some “pyrography” wood burning artwork
Ok here is something you don’t see everyday, a multi-tool with folding axe!
Once again, great job by Big Bang Events putting on their third show of the year with a fourth (fishing show) coming later this month!
I have been attending Scriptus Toronto for several years and I have to say this was the best one yet! The show organizers did a great job promoting the show with tons of raffles, swag, and social media presence. They also put out an exhibitor list and interactive map (critical for someone like me). As usual before attending a show, I did a ton of research on the exhibitors and created a “list” of stuff I wanted to see.
The show itself was expanded to another exhibition room on a second level. More importantly, they attracted dealers like the legendary Fountain Pen Hospital from New York!
I arrived about an hour early and, as usual, there was already a big lineup! The line in front of me
And behind me
I rushed right over to the Fountain Pen Hospital table. I have been to their NY store a few times and it is quite spectacular. They opted to bring pre-owned/vintage stuff from their “back room” for the show.
My next stop was Stylo.ca, another great retailer in from my hometown of Montreal, and I got to cross one off my list! Sailor 1911L Wicked Witch of the West edition.
Later on in the show, I also got lucky by finding a matching Wicked Witch ink at penablers.ca table!
Speaking of ink, yet another one on my list, Ferris Wheel Press Leadcast Letters, thanks to Midoco Art & Office Supplies
That’s not a pen, THAT’S a pen!
Incredible collection of vintage Montblanc
In addition to pens and inks, there were tons of accessories and leatherwork like this beautiful book cover. It reminded me of something you would see in a movie.
I didn’t take too many show pics as it was super crowded and you know I like to focus on product shots over people lol. I also didn’t have a media pass for early access (perhaps I can talk to them about this for future shows).
So I will close with some haul pics.
I love the way the bottle cap is exposed
I got this for a future planned pen purchase
And now the Sailor
That’s purple alright
The business end
In closing, it is worth pointing out that all exhibitors I spoke to were super friendly. You can tell this is a tight knit community of people who are very enthusiastic about pens and are excited to share their hobby.
Great to be back at Toronto Audiofest! As this is my third audio show, I want to try something a bit different for my review. Rather than covering each room, I will focus on specific components, starting with speakers and headphones, then turntables, and then electronics.
Why this approach? “Hear” me out lol. The combination of gear in each room is not necessarily borne out of optimization. In other words, they are not always the “best possible” combination of components. Rather, they can be different product lines sold by the same dealer or by the same brand.
In the context of an audio show, it makes perfect sense for Sonus Faber speakers to be powered by McIntosh amps as they are both owned by the same company. But in real life, just because I buy Sonus Faber speakers doesn’t mean I haaavvvveeee to buy McIntosh amps and vice versa. Sure, there are advantages to sticking with one brand such as confidence that all components will be compatible or unified aesthetics as you would get with a complete Nagra system. However, I prefer to mix and match.
So with that said, my first Audiofest review focused on speakers that produce the best BASS, my second focused on those that stirred my emotions, and my third will focus on building my “dream system.”
Before I get to the audio gear, a couple of quick pics. I started my last review with a pic of a classic Breguet. This time, something a bit more exotic, an MB&F Horological Machine courtesy of Adrian from Audio Excellence! This watch features his classic speedometer-style display on the side of the case and a dial showing the movement with spinning, and I mean spinning rotor.
It was great to chat about the state of hi-fi with an industry icon like Adrian, who got an Achievement Award at last year’s TAF.
Also great to run into famed cellist Vincent Belanger again.
LOUDSPEAKERS
A well-known YouTuber, Jay’s Audio Lab, made a very interesting point about speakers that I wanted to put to the test. To paraphrase, he prefers tall speakers because they can project sound to a higher level and this is more in line with listening to live music up on a stage while you are sitting in the front row in the pit in front of the orchestra. In other words, the music is coming from “above” you. I think he is on to something here.
Conversely, that may be why all my favourite speakers so far have been shorter in height with big bass drivers down low. For example, the Acora VRC (so far my absolute favourite) has two 12” drivers per speaker that rumble the ground similar to the dance clubs I used to visit or even like the subs I had in my car. By contrast, the Audio-Nec Evo 3 that I heard at Montreal Audiofest 2024 has one 12” woofer at the base and a second one about 6’ high, throwing bass from a height that I am not used to.
Of course, the Acora VRC and high-end speakers like that aren’t designed to “compete” with PA type systems that you would find in dance clubs or rock concerts and are much more dynamic in range, aesthetically pleasing, artistically crafted etc. etc. It would be silly to directly compare a 550lb. granite piece of beauty and all its engineering to a black square that gets thrown around on stage lol.
My point was more about the fact that the way you are used to listening to music can be a factor in which speaker is right for you. The bottom line is that we don’t just have a taste in genres of music, we also develop a taste in the way we listen to or experience music (as an aside, I recently had a conversation about how to get newer generations who grew up listening to music on Apple earbuds into high-end audio but I digress).
So with all that said, let’s start with Acora! No VRC this year but we were treated to the SRB and accompanying BedRock bass module.
The SRB is constructed of 2cm solid slabs of Black Granite/Quartzite and features a beryllium tweeter.
The BedRock features a 12” rear firing woofer that plays all the way down to 18HZ!
Some samples of their incredible sound from two different cameras
I also got a sneak peek of prototypes of Acora’s upcoming new speaker line made in marble. Sorry no pics of these.
Next over to Focal to see their new powered speaker, the Diva Utopia! The active bassreflex speaker has built in Naim electronics with Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology that surpasses CD standards at 192kHz/24bits, can be controlled via the Focal & Naim app, a remote control, and voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Siri. The package comes in at under $60k.
A bit bolder in style than the classic Focal offerings with its felt OEKO-TEX skin and red accents on the tweeter
A quick sound demo
As I mentioned in my Montreal Audiofest Review, the Magico S3 is the best of all speakers that I have heard at projecting sound around the room. Another listen confirms this.
That having been said, to my ear the Audivector QR 7 SE was very close to that Magico sound.
Especially with Nordost on the line
I was more interested in Audiovector’s Trapeze Reimagined, a modern take on their classic 1979 design. The Trapeze features a proprietary 12-inch high-power mid/bass driver with an 8” internal isobaric driver behind it. They lived up to my expectations and sounded great! In fact, I spent quite a bit of time in this room listening to a few songs through them.
I will be adding a sound video soon (exceeded my daily limit)
I keep hearing amazing things about Elac but had never heard them so I made it a point not to miss them at this show. Glad I did as they are another brand that lived up to/exceeded expectations!
The Concentro S 503 Bookshelf Speakers can be optimized for your room by using three exchangeable Directivity Control Rings (DCRs) to adjust midrange directivity. Per their website, the rings range from more Direct (often preferred for nearfield) to more Diffuse (often preferred for farther listening positions). They sounded amazing and it is hard to believe so much sound is coming out of such a small speaker. I think they were $12k.
Sound check video
Imagine pairing the Elac with this SVS sub that was on display lol
As much as I liked the Elac, the EPOS ES-14N could still be the champ of bookshelf speakers. As you may recall from my review of last year’s show, I had a squirrel moment where their powerful bass drew me into the room to hear the tail end of Hey Now. This year I made a dedicated stop to listen to Hey Now from start to finish and again compare them against other speakers in the line such as the ES-7N, which recently won an award for best speaker in the 1500-2500 British Pound price range.
ES-14N vid
ES-7N vid
As well as against the Fyne Vintage. Again, the ES-14 was the best! I can listen to Hey Now on repeat on them all day. And our testing seemed to have a similar effect of attracting other show goers as they were pouring into the room.
Fyne vid
We even managed to snag my favourite audio YouTuber, Audiophile Junkie! Great to see you again.
Speaking of vintage, I love JBL, both in look and sound. My pictures don’t do justice to the glossy black finish of the L100
I love the look of the Mission as well (I didn’t get to hear them though)
I heard the Stein Bobby M horn speaker with HighLine Bobby Bass Extension at Montreal Audiofest but it was standing room only so I didn’t get the best position. This time I got the sweet spot and they sounded even better! For even more bass, you can add a second Extension on top of the horn!
(I will be adding a video of this one as well)
Up till now I have mainly been talking about “short” speakers but remember the hypothesis about tall ones so let’s look at some of those, like the Kroma Atelier Irya from their reference line brought to us by our good friends at Bliss Acoustics. Similar to the Audio-Nec, it features two 10-inch drivers, one at the top and one at the bottom (there are also even bigger versions with two 12’s and two 15’s) and is ported in the rear to give a frequency response of 19Hz- 27kHz. They sounded as great as you would expect. The listeners next to me felt it was the best in show.
Kroma Atelier sound vid
Great to have the rep fly in from Spain.
I covered the Børresen Acoustics X6 in more detail in my Montreal Audiofest review so here is another quick look and another sound sample.
Quick X6 vid
The Børresen Acoustics C1 was on static display
Unfortunately my pic of the Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 55 came out blurry (apologies) but that shouldn’t take away from their amazing sound. They were playing jazz music through reel-to-reel and while this is not my usual type of music, I can certainly appreciate the sound. So clean.
Solid sound out of the Dali Rubikore as well.
Dali sound vid
I have heard the KEF Blade before but this was by far the best experience of them. I should have taken a closer look at the amp setup.
The last speakers that I listened to were the Coherent M18 FC31J with 18” field coil woofer! Pretty good way to end my listening sessions though next time I would want to hear them with digital media and my type of music (as opposed to jazz on vinyl).
Now for a few static shots, Harbeth
Kharma
IMHO the Gold Audio KB2 were the best looking speakers of the show. They remind me of old photography equipment
Corby’s Audio
Charisma Capresse bookshelf speakers
Spendor
Bricasti
Pure Fidelity
EARVANA
New this year, EARVANA fest featuring a huge array of headphones located in the hotel next door to the main show. I missed the $75k reference Sennheiser HE1 headphones last year and I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again. Actually, this is more of a “system” with tube amp included and is claimed to have “the lowest distortion ever measured in a sound reproduction system.”
I listened to a few tracks including my reference Lil Wayne, Five Tiger Generals, and the theme from Bladerunner. All produced fantastic bass with the promised 0 distortion.
I was super impressed with the Focal Utopia headphones with Naim Uniti Atom headphone amp last year and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do a head-to-head comparison against the HE1.
I dare say I preferred the Focals! They are definitely more “aggressive” than the HE1, which may not be entirely surprising as solid state amps can produce more bass than tube amps. In either case, I LOVE the way the Lil Wayne track sounds through the Focal so I think these are better suited to the type of music I listen to.
In terms of headphone amps, the Auris Audio Headonia 300 was super impressive. It features “impedance matching” and “maintains perfect impedance matching, guaranteeing an authentic, distortion-free sound reproduction across the entire frequency spectrum” (per their website). It costs about $15,000 and was paired with headphones that cost about a tenth of that yet the sound was easily matching/surpassing some of the other reference headphones I listened to.
I did a head-to-head comparison of Audeze’s flagship LCD5 planar and CRBN2 electro-static headphones. I preferred the electro-static but perhaps these are not the best options for my type of music. Great playlist though.
Last but not least, the Auribus Acoustics Sierra. Perhaps it is a bit unfair to compare $899 headphones to $75k and $8K headphones but they held their own! Certainly great bang for the buck.
I didn’t have a chance to listen to the SPL
A shot of the room
TURNTABLES
When it comes to audio equipment, I believe turntables are the most aesthetically pleasing and the Nagra Reference is among the top as you may recall from my shirt and modulometer hat at MAF 2024.
I was glad to see it again in the Bliss Acoustics room
As well as the awesome new Nagra Streamer
It was also great to see Rene Laflamme again. Thanks for autographing my copy of your Audiophile Speaker Setup CD
Also great to meet a fellow CAMmer. Thanks for the kind words!
My pictures absolutely don’t do justice to the Jean Nantais Reference Lenco, what a beauty! And sounds great too.
Also visually stunning, the Audio Note TT-3
I love turntables with visible spinning gyro like Transrotor and the Michell Gyro SE
More fantastic turntables… Kuzma Stabi S
Stable 33.33
Pretty sure this is a Pro-Ject Metallica edition
Musical Fidelity MX8TT
Vertere MG-1 Magic Groove
Regardless of which turntable you choose, I suggest a Seismion Reactio 2 active vibration isolator. In fact, the new Thorens Reference turntables has one built in! It uses extremely sensitive piezoelectric sensors to detect even the smallest vibrations from both the equipment above it and the surface below. Then an all-analog electronic control circuit generates the required compensation forces.
AMPLIFIERS
Among the more interesting amplifiers at the show, the new Marantz Model 10 Integrated Amp. It has a newly designed “dual-mono symmetrical amplifier topology” and Marantz claims it is their most powerful amp ever.
New Marazntz CD player
More from Marantz
I have always liked Accuphase
Audio Note is so beautiful
Fezz Audio
Tektron and Alnic
Naim
Unison Research Simply 845
Sennasound
CONCLUSION
So first my answer to the question about speaker height. Yes, I do prefer shorter, smaller speakers. I like their “punchiness” if that makes sense.
In terms of a dream system using components that I saw at the show, well I can’t narrow it down to one so I created Gold, Silver, and Bronze versions.
Gold System
Acora SRB with Bedrock
Gryphon Amp
Nagra Reference Turntable
Silver System
Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined
Accuphase amps
Jean Nantais Reference Lenco
Seismion Reactio 2
Bronze System
EPOS ES-14N
Marantz Model 10 Integrated Amp
Michell Gyro SE
Nagra streamer
Focal Utopia headphones/Naim Uniti Atom headphone amp
Oh yes, I would be happy with one of those systems.
For those of you who miss An Sibin, Riverside just got a new Irish Pub! The West Cork had a soft opening last night and a full grand opening today at 5pm.
Upon entering you can see that TWC has done extensive renovations to the space previously occupied by Hermie’s, Nomad, Soma etc. It looks quite good and the chairs are comfortable. The main room was packed
So I opted for the back room that hadn’t filled up yet (though it did by the time I left)
Lots of interesting things on the menu (sorry for the blurry first pic). Next time I want to try a breakfast or the wings.
This time I wanted to go with something authentic Irish, a Steak and Guinness Pie! It was quite good as I like strong flavours and you could definitely taste the Guinness. They were also kind enough to give me a side of the suicide sauce they use on their wings and that was pretty good too. I think the creamy mash could have used more flavour so I would definitely get the garlic mash next time.
In celebration of the Grand Opening, your first alcoholic beverage was on the house! I opted for the Whiskey Mule with whiskey, lime, cranberry and ginger beer. It was better than I expected and I would definitely have that again.
I didn’t go for dessert this time so I will have to try the bread pudding on the next visit.
Service was good. So far I felt “welcome,” an important point since I cannot say the same for the old An Sibin where it seemed like non-Irish guests were not welcome (but I digress).
I was quite surprised by how busy it was. Certainly one of the more packed Grand Openings I have visited. I look forward to future visits.
RL
Update: Back for a second visit, this time The Irish Breakfast Roll with egg, sausage, rashers, and pudding.
And it was HUGE!
Rashers are like peameal bacon but they reminded me of a thick cut smoked meat
I liked the black and white “pudding”
It doesn’t come with a side included so I opted for spicy wedges
Now I wasn’t planning on having alcohol but TWC had Connor McGregor’s Proper 12! I was super happy about that as I have wanted to try that for a long time. It was pretty good and again, strong flavour (which I like).
Just six short months after the very first Milton Sportsmen’s Show we are treated to a second one, and an even bigger one at that!
The show now spans across the main building
A secondary building
And an outdoor area
I’ll start with the beautiful barn
For those who thought there wouldn’t be anything “tactical” here, how about an Akdas Masterkey! I admit, I was not expecting to see that today!
Canfirearm, exclusive distributor for the Akdas, also had a Kodiak K9 and Crusader Crypto on display as well as a Tavor 21 in the original IDF configuration (well not full auto, of course)
Charlie Does Leatherwork had my next favourite firearms related booth. He does all of the beautiful leatherwork by hand, including tanning, stitching, and wrapping.
Check out this beautiful package with matching rifle case
Charlie sourced that piece of coyote fur at the last Milton show!
Even the lever is wrapped
Ok time to visit the second floor for a mini-reunion of the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show that I covered a couple of months ago!
Back for his second Milton show, Todd Bolce
Again, 5400 year old wood handle
More interesting handle materials from Farmboy customs
Sheaths too
Of course, Farmboy uses more traditional materials like Stag as well
Some table shots
Also back at Milton, Buffalo Bones and their great leather goods
This incredible machete sheath/scabbard was my favourite piece
The Man behind Buffalo Bones, Seamus
With Todd Bolce and Matt Metcalfe
More unique pieces, such as this custom dog collar
And lady’s wallet
Nice leather notebooks we are used to seeing from Buffalo Bones
More nice leatherwork and paracord from Matt
Continuing with GLCKS alumni, Wynn Stitt
Again, I like that big stag handled bowie
Good to see KC Forge again as well
More great forged knives from Steve Cornelson – Bad Llama Forge
Fire Drawn Forge mentored under KC Forge
This one is similar in profile to a competition chopper
One of the first knives he ever made with sheath made by his son
Also back at the show, Sharp Sticks customs
This homage to the Canadian military’s issue knife was my favourite
Game calls from Knotty Beaver
I didn’t take many pics in the second building as they were mostly private gun sales but I did find yet another knifemaker from GLCKS, Mark Summers of SM Knives
Had another look at his GLCKS build-along knife
Finally, the outdoor market area where my favourite piece of kit was this 1997 fragmentation vest
Last time I was blown away by the fact that it was the first Milton show, the organizer did such a good job promoting and putting on the show. I came to the same conclusion this time as the show was even better than the first. It feels like this show has been running for years! I think there is a third one in a few months and I highly recommend you check it out.
I think I found my new favourite tactical store! I discovered 416 Tactical Supply last week at TACCOM. As I wrote in my review, I really liked the look and feel of 416 Tactical Supply’s booth with the Ghillie suit and camo netting, not to mention the great gear.
Spyderco, Cold Steel, and SOG knives
Hmmm weapon light cleaner…I should get some of that.
As I mentioned, a store visit was in order and it took me just a week to get there lol.
I love the loft style industrial building. The look and feel continues on the inside.
416 Tactical Supply carries brands that are harder to find, like Vertx, Faraday Defense, Broco, Lorica, Safe Life Defense, Klarus, as well as more mainstream brands like 5.11 and First Tactical. I even found some Ares belts and a Revision Sawfly in the store!
I didn’t bring my DSLR camera to do a full review but as usual, I had to snap a few phone pics.
I have a Vertx SOCP bag in black and now they have introduced a limited edition camo version! I will have to come back to see if my Premier Body Armor plate insert fits in the new version.
Broco makes great door breaching equipment. I have the little Jimmy and it is quite handy for your go bag. Those massive bolt cutters feature non-conducive fiberglass arms.
Their 36lbs. Enforcer Door Ram is pretty badass
Once again, beautiful store, great selection and great people!
And now for a quick review of what I got. First up, a Vertx hat, shown with my SOCP bag
Next, another Faraday Defense RFID blocking key sleeve
Yes, I did get the weapon light cleaner lol
Last but certainly not least, these absolutely incredible Asset tactical jeans from 221B!
I love the stretchy material and combined with the gusset crotch, you can do Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks in these
Like most tactical jeans, it has a lot of pockets, and I mean a lot at 13. The usual “watch pocket” is replaced with a deep pocket where you can clip knives or a Neomag
Hidden pockets inside
moving to the rear
AR mag slash pockets
And perhaps my favourite feature, which I haven’t seen on any other tactical jeans, is a Velcro panel for mounting an outer competition-style belt (or other dual belt setup) in scenarios where you don’t have enough time to put on the inner belt. What a genius idea!
I love it!
Really glad I went to visit 416 Tactical Supply’s store and I highly recommend you do too!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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