rlauferblog

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!

This year’s report on 5.11 Day will be a lot less pic intensive than my usual reviews simply because I attended for different reasons. In the past, I didn’t do any shooting so that I could concentrate on taking pics and doing my review, whereas this year it was the opposite.

Make no mistake though, the event was HUGE! I know that last year 200 people went through the range and I dare say that was easily surpassed this year. For example, the first 50 people got a 5.11 hat and the lineup was over 50 deep before the event even opened!

Indeed, there were huge crowds all day in all sections of the store and the lineup for the range was constant.

This year’s range package included 6 firearms for $50, including the Glock 17

CZ P-10F

S&W 686 (in .38 special)

Glock 22

Type 81 LMG

And Mossberg MVP. I forgot to take a pic of the gun but we did a “shoot the shirt” (in addition to the draw for a Yeti cooler) and check out this great shot from a new shooter!

Meanwhile, there were tons of sales going on (not just on 5.11) and we did manage to do a little browsing in the store. I was most interested in boots and there was indeed a big selection of 5.11

But my favourites were the SALOMAN QUEST 4D GTX FORCES 2

And LOWA ZEPHYR GTX MID TF

Retro Rifle made quite the splash at SHOT Show 2023 and I am now starting to see them at Canadian retailers. I love gun themed Hawaiian shirts and have a couple from Ballistic Ink. I plan to pick up some from Retro Rifle as well.

As usual, huge selection of Yeti

In retrospect, I do wish that I spent more time checking out the guns and knives but there were tons of people and I didn’t want to distract the staff to take pics.

Of course, I was also super anxious to check out the John Wick Bulletproof Suit commissioned by Lionsgate and made by The Hacksmith.

Coins such as this one were also available for purchase (yes, I got one)

A John Wick bulletproof suit would not be complete without a backup pencil

Knowing the suit would be there, I brought my JW guns 😊

Once again, we skipped the barbeque (no offense!) to hit Camp31 and it was awesome. We had the “backside” combo (1/2 baby back, ½ side ribs), smoked turkey, brisket, smashed potatoes, and mac and cheese and everything was amazing. In fact, this was my fifth or sixth time having Camp31 (including their restaurant and booths at various ribfests) and this was the best experience.

We tried all of their sauces and both agreed that Honey Mustard was the best.

This pic pretty much sums up our great day.

In closing, I would like to thank Urban Tactical once again. The crew is so incredibly friendly and accommodating, it is much appreciated! Definitely one of my favourite gun stores.

If you don’t want to wait till next year’s review for more store pics, check out my 2022 review.

5.11 Day at Urban Tactical 2022

One of my biggest surprises at last year’s show was the SHERP…so great to see it again!

Extreme off-grid appeared to be a theme with vehicles at the show

Love the old-school KC lights

But the heating system housed in a Pelican case was even more impressive

Now that’s old school

More trucks

For the ultimate protection

If you need to load-out your truck, Tasmanian Tiger has just the thing

The OPP had a Zodiac boat at the Toronto Boat Show…this time a Boston Whaler

Or if you prefer to travel under your own power, lots of SUP and paddleboards at the show

And now a special shout-out to some of the organizations that promote our sport/lifestyle.

Just Hunt promoting the sport to women

I love balaclavas

Thanks to Amanda Lynn Mayhew for autographing a hat for my Mother’s partner. They watch her show all the time.

And last but certainly not least the CCFR, thanks to Rod and Tracey for all you do.

I picked up a nice new shirt

Morgy and Rod

Morgy and Tracey

And with the rest of the crew

My haul from the show

Once again, a fantastic show! I spoke with a few of the exhibitors and the consensus was that the show was very well organized (better than past shows in fact). It was also bigger than last year’s show with nearly 300 exhibitors covering a larger space.

I was super happy to see the increased presence of firearms, notably O’Dell and Wolverine, as well as in TSS communications/social media posts. Also good to see more “tactical” gear, e.g. Hudson and Army Issue Surplus. I found that the previous management focused too much on fishing, kids, and dogs and I really like the new direction.

Now I wonder if I could fire those B&Ts while wearing those giant fur gloves…

RL

LINK TO PART 1 https://rlauferblog.com/2023/03/18/the-toronto-sportsmens-show-part-1/

NOTE: I CAN ONLY POST 200 PICS AT A TIME. PLEASE SEE THE LINK TO PART 2 AT THE BOTTOM

Last year I broke from my tradition of covering all things firearms related first but with the entrance of O’Dell Engineering and Wolverine Supplies, guns are back in the limelight at the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show!

The O’Dell Engineering booth had the best spot in the show, meeting show-goers right at the entrance.

The booth was divided into Bergara precision rifles and Canuck shotguns.

I headed straight for Bergara to check out the Premier line, including the MgLite, Competition, and Divide

Other fine Bergaras

Canuck shotguns including the Engage, Operator, Sentry

The extremely popular FD12

And new Freedom Enforcer

There were multiple chances for show-goers to win a Canuck shotgun by tagging pics at the booth (although as media I did not enter)

Morgy and Phil O’Dell

Morgy and Tom

Ian from O’Dell, Dave from NAS Outdoors and Tyson from Wolverine Supplies

Speaking of Wolverine, I was sooo excited for them to be at the show!

I LOVE B&T! The newly approved non-restricted SPC9 has not arrived yet, but that’s okay, I would gladly take an APC or GHM9 (or anything else they offer lol)

Accuracy International is not too shabby either

The GHM9 with a Freedom Ordnance FX9

Closeup of the GHM9

And FX9

Non-restricted variant of the FX9

Andrea and Tyson of Wolverine’s The Breakfast Club podcast

Me with the B&T APC

More great firearms on display at Stoeger Canada, Benelli shotguns including the Super Black Eagle, Nova, M2 etc.

Big selection at Shooters Choice

High Falls Outfitters

Wing’s Live Bait and Tackle

Ok on to knives!

PUMA was the star of last year’s show. I covered them quite comprehensively so I won’t go into the details again but just to recap their three main product lines are Hand Made in Germany, PUMA IP, and PUMA TEC.

PUMA Defender Elforyn Damasteel Superclean, a limited edition of 50 pieces

PUMA Knife of the Year 2022 carbon Superclean Damascus, also limited to 50 pieces

PUMA IP Longhorn Stag

PUMA also has some unique knives. Last year I was smitten with the Fishing knife (ended up buying one), while this year I liked the PUMA IP mushroom knife with brush, tweezers, carabiner, and walnut wood scales

Finally the El Hacha

Happy to see Svord from New Zealand back at the show

My favourites were the Giant Peasant

And Von Tempsky Golok

Also nice to see Skip’s Customs back at the show. As I mentioned last year, this Canadian knifemaker has been making custom knives for over 30 years.

and from the other side

HUGE selection of knives at Blades4You, including brands such as Spyderco, CRKT, SOG, United Cutlery, Ka-Bar etc. etc.

The Rambo knives were my personal favourites lol

More custom knives from Ash Gears, MAB Impex, and The Pocket Blade

I must confess that I don’t know much about game calls but fortunately there were three great custom makers at the show to teach me all about them. First up, some pot calls from TS Custom Calls

Beautiful hand-made duck and goose calls

Next, some beautiful wood and acrylic duck and goose calls from Knotty Beaver

My favourites were this white acrylic duck call

And this buck call

Although their pot calls were pretty stunning

It was great to meet Claude Piette of Conception CP

I liked these acrylic predator calls so much…

that I picked up a couple

Later on in the show, Claude was to provide a demo of how he makes the calls by hand (using this machine)

Claude was sharing his booth with Samuel Côté-Sculpture sur panache & Antler carving. His carvings are absolutely incredible!

In past shows I have kind of breezed by the fur and pelts but this year I wanted to take a closer look, particularly because I have some old fur pieces that are shedding and need replacement.

The great selection of pelts at Ontario Fur Managers Federation provided a great opportunity to see what I like

And the answer is wow, this wolf pelt would make such a great stole lol. It felt so bada$$, I wanted to walk around the show like this.

More incredible fur pieces at Fur the North.

These coyote mitts are even bigger than my rabbit ones and I absolutely love them..definite show favourites.

Morgy liked them too!

On a related note, taxidermy…I know lots of people like Owls so I tried to capture all of the ones on display

Though personally I liked the beaver the best

Looks angry

Beautiful colours

I got a much greater appreciation for taxidermy at this show

I guess this show was all about learning for me, or at least exploring things that I have glossed over in the past like game calls, fur/taxidermy, and archery/crossbows. I spent some time at Excalibur’s booth and it was quite educational.

I took a close look at their top-of-the-line Assassin 400TD, which has a lot of great features such as take-down with a simple push of a button and without affecting accuracy, a dead-silent integrated crank, tool-less fully adjustable stock, sound deadening system, and match-grade trigger

In terms of optics for your crossbow, the Garmin XERO X1i was one of the coolest optics I have ever seen! It has a built in laser rangefinder and allows you to use digital aim points automatically calibrated to your crossbow setup. Check out their website for descriptions of the Steady Aim and other features, truly impressive!

They also have a red-dot for bows but it is much simpler than the crossbow optic

Speaking of red-dots, the new Defender ultra low profile CCW sight from Vortex. While small in size, this thing is tough! The ShockShield polymer insert absorbs shock to the 7075 aluminum body protecting it from everyday abuse. In fact, it is shockproof, waterproof, and fogproof. It has motion activation with 14 hour shutoff and battery life of over 9000 hours.

More great optics from Vortex

And Steiner

The rumours that Yeti coolers are addictive are completely true! I don’t know anyone (including myself) who has just one lol. While most people like all of Yeti’s crazy colour releases, such as Canopy and High Desert Clay shown here

I prefer the ones with laser engraving, like the Ducks Unlimited on the re-designed stackable lowball

In addition to Yeti, there were other cooler brands at the show, like Chilly Moose with their cool wood-grain print

And Calcutta

Great gear selection from Hudson, including Tasmanian Tiger, Nanuk, and Bridgford MRE

Glad to see Radioworld back at the show, I love this store! While they offer a huge array of electronics, they mostly concentrate on their marine line and metal detection for the Sportsmen’s Show

It was great to run into Muskyhunter, a fellow gunnut who now works at Radioworld!

Another welcome returnee, Army Issue Surplus recently moved into a bigger retail space

Some massive ropes at Afraid Knot

Survival gear at Offgridtrailers

LINK TO PART 2: https://rlauferblog.com/2023/03/18/the-toronto-sportsmens-show-2023-part-2/