rlauferblog

DAY 2

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

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

Check out the remote on this thing!

It can climb obstacles in forward and reverse!

just gotta turn it around

and from a sideview vantage point

again look at the remote!

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

nice to see Ryan again…this time selling Viking axes

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

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

AR15 airsoft for us to try

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

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

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

Thanks for bringing the simulator to TACCOM Dean!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next the dogs are brought out for some live demonstrations

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

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

Finally the bite demo! Here comes the perp

Guess who is next?

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

I think they like Lovie!

Woah who is this guy in the audience

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

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

Thanks Chris!

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

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

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

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

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

That was great!

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

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

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

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

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

What you get in the kit

It’s available in orange

and grey

the business end

with serious stopping power

very intuitive to us shooters

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

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

Cool helmet

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

And a box of Thunder Flash

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

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

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

Some early prototypes on display

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

MGear was also running the Holodeck again.

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

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

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

What’s better than one Karambit? Two Karambits!

Of course, I could not resist.

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

Got bit again.

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

Am I doing this right?

Pocket Karambit!

Well pocket, hip, or neck really

More trainers

Cold Steel Balicki sticks!

Checking out some Kali sticks

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

RL

PART 1

TACCOM 2023 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2023 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2023 – Part 3

SET UP DAY

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

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

the big stage

It is very interesting to watch the booths getting set up

So great to see Nightforce back again

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

CroMag

I like the way this is shaping up

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

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

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

FOC already had some of their guns out

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

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

Nice HK at North Sylva

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

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

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

DAY 1

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

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

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

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

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

So happy it fits! Lol

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

Such a great product!

Next a check in with show host, Firearms Outlet Canada

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

I like that “lego” Kriss Vector in hidden camo

The Fix by Q

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

It was nice but I think I prefer Ghost ring sights

Some nice Winkler axes on display

the new TACCOM patch

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

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

Father and son

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

For example, here is a stock Nova Speed

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

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

More high tech optics from the Burris and Steiner lines

including binoculars with laser range finders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t forget, they make shotgun parts too!

Alright, moving on to black guns, like Crusader Arms

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

It was also great to run into Lovie!

Lots of WK180C variants at Kodiak

The top one here was part of their giveaway

I especially liked the one with folding stock

Or if you prefer competition bolt action

Sadly this one is not available

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

Lots of Kel-Tecs on display

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

That’s a lot of KRISS!

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

And the new S&W folding gun

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

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

RL

PART 1

TACCOM 2023 – Part 1

PART 2

TACCOM 2023 – Part 2

PART 3

TACCOM 2023 – Part 3

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

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

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

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

Some group pics

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

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

Guns and swag to be raffled off for the occasion

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

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

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

Or fancier still, a Beretta Silver Pigeon

Ok on to bolt action and other long-guns

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

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

Reloading

Black powder

Optics from Vortex and Bushnell

Knives

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

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

I got a window seat to enjoy the nice view

A perfect setting for my full rack of ribs

Yep fall off the bone

and finish with a homemade coconut pie

Definitely a great complement to a visit to Williams.

RL

It was great to be back at O’Dell Range Day after having to miss last year’s event due to work obligations. Unlike me, O’Dell hasn’t missed a beat, putting these events on for 9 years straight even during the “tough” times of COVID and ridiculous regulations.

As I wrote in my previous review, the intention of this “invitation only” (2 reps per retailer) is to “arm” retailers with first hand product experience to better respond to customer inquiries and match them with the right firearm.

As is customary, O’Dell invites other distributors/manufacturers to share in the event. I was happy to see Wolverine back in attendance along with Crusader Arms!

I arrived quite early as they were still setting up

Love this year’s tshirt, great design!

As with past events, we started off with a safety briefing but this time were also treated with some new product introductions!

These included the folding Enforcer 2 with 30-round drum!!!

Trap gun

The Recon 2

A new SxS shotgun with beautiful case hardening

The Arctic (homage to the BAR)

Here are all four new guns

After the briefing we were split into two groups and once again I headed to the rifle range first…in style!

Last time I wanted to concentrate on taking pics but since Tom was here co-photographing, I fully intended to shoot this time around 😊

A quick look at what was on the line

Canuck FD12 (the most popular gun at the 2021 event)

Flanked by the Canuck Operator and Enforcer

Derya TM22

Bergara

Crusader Arms, including the Templar and new CRUX in .308

And courtesy of Wolverine, a bunch of B&T!! The APC, GHM9, and SPC9

And the amazing APR! I just saw one of these at FOC in .338 Lapua…for a cool $13,000!! I was so excited to shoot this one (in .308)!

Accuracy International

Daniel Defense

Ok now let’s get shootin! Let’s start with the guns of our host, O’Dell Engineering and this Derya TM22

Dave Tree showing us how it is done

FOC crew shooting the Canuck Operator

Bergara rep (technically he fired the first shot of the day lol)

Dave Tree with his personal competition Bergara

Fred from FOC shoots a Bergara

I think he liked it!

The Bergaras were quite popular

Tiny from Club de Tir Ville St. Pierre (CDTVSP) liked the Bergara as well

Moving on to other brands of precision rifles, Tiny on the B&T APR

And finally my turn! Two shots, two dings on the steel plates…how can you miss with this thing?

The Accuracy International was pretty sweet too!

You need good optics like Vortex for the distances these guns can cover

Ok on to black guns! I have seen Crusader Arms at Big Bang and TACCOM, now I get to shoot one 🙂 But first, Corie from Code of Arms gives us a demo

Tiny

Sorry I didn’t catch her name

My turn with the Templar..it’s heavy but that is good for recoil mitigation

Next the B&Ts, including the APC

The GHM9, which I was most looking forward to shooting in this short-barrel configuration

But I actually shot better with the brand new SPC9!

Now a quick break for an amazing lunch! Actually, I discovered Lancaster Smokehouse through their food truck at the last O’Dell Day I attended. Since that time, i visited their smokehouse and not only was it the best ribs and brisket i have ever had, it may very well have been the best MEAL!!! That is saying A LOT considering how often i eat out, and at high end places. i went back a couple of weeks ago and came to the SAME CONCLUSION! I just dont understand how they make it so good! This time I had the brisket sandwich and it was just as stellar!

What better way to wash that down than with some home made ice cream?

Lunch break was great time to catch up with Phil O’Dell, Ian and other industry folk

Have we changed since 2021?

Great to see the crew from FOC and Corie from Code of Arms/Crusader…can’t wait for TACCOM!

Phil O’Dell with Dean from Select Shooting Supplies/Range 519

And the rest of the crew from Select Shooting Supplies/Range 519

Jarlath representing the CSSA

In all the way from Edmonton, the crew from Tundra

Canuck prostaffer Dave Tree with Tracey Wilson

Tactical Teacher and Dave Tree

The crew from Wolverine Supplies

Back to shooting, this time the skeet range where Tom was killing it with the Canuck shotguns

I like the renovations The Sportsmens Club Galt did to their five stand

All done shooting it was time for closing remarks and prizes, including rifles from Bergara, Canuck, Crusader, and Wolverine! But first we sing Happy Birthday for Phil O’Dell

I didn’t attend the afterparty this year so that’s a wrap on my review. Thank you once again to O’Dell Engineering, Bergara North America, Crusader Arms, Wolverine Supplies, The Sportsmens Club Galt, and Tom for your pics. Great swag bag too!

RL

It was great to stop in at Shooters Choice for their 30 year anniversary Annual Hunting And Target Sports Show on my way to the Great Lakes Custom Knife show.

There were tons of sales going and reps from several companies including these fine gents from Stoeger

Adam of course

Given my limited time, I was on a mission so didn’t spend too much time checking out all the sales. First I wanted to check out the Pedersoli Lever Action Boarbuster in “HV-1 Camo”. I don’t know much about Pedersoli but I can say the gun was high quality. The stock and grip had an interesting rubber-like coating and the scout style sights (with fiber optics) were pretty cool.

Despite my love of knives and the deep discount, I passed on this Boker lol

I did pick up a Hornady mug and got two swag caps, thanks for those!

Next I headed upstairs for part two of my mission, to see the Excalibur TwinStrike. I was pleased to run into the Excalibur rep who I had met at the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show. He gave me a detailed rundown on the TwinStrike and I even got to shoot it!

an over-under crossbow, how cool is that!

this nifty hand crank draws the bows (yes BOWS in plural lol)

cocked, locked, and ready to rock

keep in mind this is my second time ever shooting a crossbow

and I was very pleased with the result!

I absolutely love this thing and will get definitely get one…as soon as I recover from the Great Lakes Custom Knife Show and TACCOM lol

Thanks to Shooters Choice for the great event! I was super happy to talk to the rep and to shoot the TwinStrike!

Now, before y’all ask, I ate at Lancaster Smokehouse. The last time I went there, I said it was not only the best ribs/brisket I have ever had, but possibly the best meal. I came to the same conclusion this time around! I can’t understand how they make it so good!

RL

Wow it was so great to be back at Al Flaherty’s! Covid and the govt BS sure put a dampener in my visits but I gotta get back to my gun store tours! Again, I didn’t bring my DSLR as I wasn’t planning on a full tour but you know how it is.

Since some have requested more “old school”, I’ll start off with this beautiful Beretta 486 Parallelo SxS with Floreal Engraving that extends down the stock..

The round action and balance feel incredible in the hand.

I dare say I liked the Parallelo better than the DT11 Pro Sport.

As for the DT11 Pro Sport, it has an adjustable stock from TSK. If you cant adjust this one to fit you then nothing will.

Ok back to tactical 😊 The new Cadex CDX-SS SEVEN S.T.A.R.S. PRO for PRS

With the Arca Elite System rail

I didn’t take a pic but I also looked at the new SIG Cross PRS. Compared to the standard Cross, it has a heavy barrel and steel in the receiver. Considering the Cross is one of the lightest guns I have handled (next to the Fix by Q), the difference in weight to the PRS was astonishing! It is even heavier than the Cadex.

Ok on to knives, first up the SHOT Show 2023 edition of the Benchmade Bailout with orange anodized aluminum handle scales along with complimentary cyan hardware

Another limited edition, the Spyderco Native 5 in SPY27 steel, developed specifically for Spyderco by Crucible steel. I am happy to hear they will be offering other models in this steel as well.

That’s all for now, but as I said, it was great to be back and see the crew again. I’ll try to get back to my old pace lol.

And because y’all always ask, I had wings at Bistro on Avenue

RL

Camouflage sells knives, airsoft, clothing, and tactical gear. They have locations in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and even Houston Texas! Of all the locations that I have visited, I like Montreal the best. In fact, I dare say it is my favourite store in the city!

I stopped by for a quick visit yesterday and will be back for a full photo review with my DSLR. In the meantime, some of my favourites from the knife section.

Benchmade introduced the SOCP fixed blade trainer at SHOT Show 2023 and this was my first time seeing it in the steel. As you may know, I love trainers and the SOCP is no exception.

Even better, the Spyderco P’Kal trainer. I have the live blade as well as a SouthNarc Shiv Works fixed blade trainer.

Speaking of SouthNarc, the TOPS Unzipper was definitely inspired by his Clinch Pick concept. I liked it a lot!

On of my favourite TOPS knives of all time, the TAC TOPS Karambit

Another one on my “list”, the Cold Steel Espada XL, literally a two-handed folder lol

Not sure what this was but I like it!

I have been watching a lot of videos on cane defense lately and really like the concept. Luckily Camouflage had a Ka-Bar TDI Cane for me to check out.

And Sake, an accomplished martial artist (who makes great action mini-movies) was on hand to show me some moves.

Speaking of trainers and action movies, Camouflage had some great props such as this rubber baton

Again just such a great store, I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area and be sure to say hi to Sake.

Oh, almost forgot, here’s a pic from my first visit

RL

Fast forward a few months and another great visit to Camouflage Montreal! This time i picked up a Cold Steel Trench Hawk for my Lady and the Espada XL I left behind last time for me lol. It is big but disappears in the pocket…and tiny compared to Sake’s blade

Coincidentally my online order with Camouflage arrived the same day, an OKC machete with sawback and Balicki sticks. I am now ready to walk the plains of the post apocalypse

RL

Can’t stop by Montreal without visiting Sake at Camouflage! This time my sisters and all their kids came along and everyone left with a little something. As for me, I picked up a SOCP dagger for my SOCP bag.

I may have to go back for the Espada Large as I really like that one as well.

with my hataclava deployed lol

and compared to the Espada XL

Great to see Sake and thanks again, everyone had a great time.

Oh and I forgot to mention that I popped into the Toronto downtown store on my birthday. I didn’t buy anything but did look at the Cold Steel karambit

I have also been to their main location in Toronto

And got this bag on my most recent visit

And now they have opened a new store in Oshawa! I have already been twice lol

Aaannnnnd back downtown today lol

I looked at the Spyderco Canis. Although I love the concept, it didn’t quite fit my hand well. I made an impulse purchase instead as this Carhartt balaclava felt so fluffy lol (it is made with 3M Thinsulate)

I’ll keep documenting my trips to their various locations lol

Wow the Oshawa location has definitely expanded their stock of knives and airsoft since my last visit!