Words By: Wally F.     Photos By: Wally F.

……….Early morning and I’m driving through a dense fog down a back country road towards a day of shooting.  This is how my TAC West experience started this year.

……….The annual conference for law enforcement and military in western Canada, TAC West hosts specialized courses for front line officers, tactical, and SWAT teams.  Millbrook Tactical and ONN Training hosted patrol shooting and other courses for officers in attendance at the CDTSA Milo Range in Vulcan county Alberta.  With Officers from all over the province in attendance TAC West is a hub for passing on the latest training techniques at their range shoots.

……….Also out on the range were companies debuting hardware such as Bad Rock Rifles, directly affiliated with Defiance Machine, they unveiled their line of precision rifles at the range.  Based in Montana, USA, their barrels and actions are custom built.  Bedded in MDT chassis and sporting Trigger Tech packs with a large portion of their system parts made in Canada.  When asked about it, founder Glen and Mike said it had nothing to do with Canadian gear and everything to do with sourcing the best parts for their precision rifle systems, and if they happened to be Canadian, so be it, their US dollar goes even further up here.

……….Shooting Bad Rocks .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor rifles were intuitive and very easy.  I’m not a PRS or distance shooter, so when I can key hole rounds at 200 meters without trying, you know a rifle is well built.  Ideally I would have liked to punch the rifle out past the 500 or 600 or 800 meters to really test the builds, the current range we were at was limited in that respects.  I have no doubt that their rifle will be a hit in the PRS community, agency sharp shooters, and even civilian hunters.  Bad Rock built very light weight and accurate rifles.  I look forward to seeing more from them in the near future.

……….The show floor in Calgary had premier companies from western Canada in attendance showing off their latest kit, firearms, hardware, and software. One such company is Joint Force Tactical.  A company out of Chilliwack, B.C.  It is a veteran and LEO owned store that services the British Columbia interior with the latest products for military and law enforcement.  Owner Daniel is well versed in his products and has been supplying his area for quite sometime now.  Any one current in the Canadian Armed Forces knows about the BOOTFORGEN requirements for outside purchase and reimbursement of boots while on duty.  Joint Force Tactical has anticipated the demand and has plenty of choices of footwear that meet the requirement and is ready to sell.

……….Moving along with the military theme I stopped over at Meggitt Training Systems.  Anyone in the Canadian Army will be familiar with the SAT Trainer/FATS system.  Essentially a video game version of a live fire range with actual converted firearms to practice and conduct drills either for a qualification or scenario training.  Having seen Meggitt’s system at SHOT Show earlier this year, I know their training systems have virtually limitless configurations tailored for their clients.  In the next coming weeks they have an RFP pushed out for individual units military/LEO/ and civilian for upgrades to current systems.  In the army’s case, software patches, screen and projector upgrades to high definition and cleaner, easier interfaces to work with.  I was assured that these mid-life upgrades are very much well within unit annual budgets, it just a matter of making the call.

……….What some people might not know is that Meggitt also developed and supplies live fire range setups for training of small arms as well.  They have a state of the art bullet trap system that is actually cheaper, safer, and more environmentally cleaner than traditional dirt and sand back stops.  They also have a variety of electronic scoring and target systems that are currently in use at many military bases and LEO agencies.  If you have more interest in this, Meggitt has an extensive list of videos on their YouTube channel that outlines all their systems and what they have to offer.

……….Over at Korth Group, Adam gave me a rundown of what they have to offer right now.  In addition to being an approved Leupold dealer, they carry a full line of Proof Research products as well.  The highlight though is the POF Revolution and Renegade Plus rifles.  With a lot of talk of semi-auto .308 builds lately you can’t ignore the Revolution.  A .308 platform rifle with the weight of a .223 AR.  In fact their BCG is a .223 BCG with a .308 bolt in a .223 receiver.  Obviously with a wider magazine well to house .308 rounds the BCG also has a unique round bearing designed cam pin to reduce weight and friction.  Also in the lower receiver there are two nylon screws to the left and right on the frame near the rear take down pin that your can adjust up or down to increase the tightness of the fit between the upper and lower to prevent shifting and wobble when making those longer shots, hence better accuracy.  Another upgrade I really like in the lower receiver is a bolt lock button recessed inside the trigger guard towards the front so that you can lock the bolt to the rear without taking your fire control hand off fire control and eliminating the need for an after market B.A.D. lever.  A .308 platform in the weight and size of a .223 AR is definitely an eye brow raiser in my books.

……….The gentlemen over at Black Box Customs has not let up on the gas since starting their custom Cerakote, milling, stippling, parts, and builds company.  With over 3000+ projects completed they have been the subject matter experts for customizing firearms, especially polymer frame pistols for quite sometime now.  They have upped their stippling game recently too to include a variety of grips in addition to their traditional Fine Point, they have added their Shale, Fracture, and Granulate designs.  Keeping in mind that their Granulate design may just look like they slapped on some skateboard tape, it just isn’t so.  They use a specific epoxy mix to bond the highly tactile and course grip to the firearm so that heat and wear don’t affect its placement especially if you are engaging long strings of fire in a row and bringing the heat.  Black Box Customs has also just successfully completed an agency’s Tac Team build of enhanced service pistols with MRDS that are fully compliant with agency standards, issued retention gear, and are fully operational on the streets right now.  If your agency or unit is look for sidearm or pistol upgrades you really need to contact Jay over at Black Box Customs right now.

……….I had an excellent conversation with the team over at 911 Supply.  They have been a staple for years, supplying first responders with top notch equipment, gear, and advice.  Nothing has changed… with the exception of their ongoing renovation at their store front.  They are expanding their retail space and organizing their store lay out to better serve their customers.  They’re expecting a grand reopening ideally before Christmas of this year, if it’s sooner, even better.  They demoed the 2019 Arcteryx LEAF line of the ATOM LT.  It looks and feels awesome, the new year can’t come around fast enough.  Like other retail tactical stores, they are also aware of the Canadian Armed Forces BOOTFORGEN requirements and have been trying to keep their supply of boots stocked as best they can.  When they reopen their new and improved store, hopefully a fresh supply of footwear will come with it as well!

……….Coming in fresh off the Patrol Pistol course they held at the TAC West range day.  The gentlemen, owners, and former special forces veterans of ONN Training also took time out of their day to sit down with me briefly to discuss the current state of training in the firearms world, military, and law enforcement.

……….Having spent years training foreign military and police in other countries, ONN Training has aspirations to expand their expertise to enhancing not only civilian firearms owners with safe and judicious marksmanship in target shooting and competition but also training law enforcement and assisting agencies enhance and improve their existing shooting programs and standards.  If you are interested they are running their Pistol Fundamentals Course (PFC) October 27-28, and November 17-18, with their follow up course Balance, Speed, Accuracy (BSA) October 6-7, November 3-4, and December 1-2.

……….You don’t have to travel far or pay a fortune to get excellent training and products if you’re located out in western Canada and I think like this year as in years past TAC West has been an excellent showcase to prove my point.

For your regular cravings in the firearms world in Canada and beyond be sure to follow TV-PressPass on Facebook and myself Wally F. on Instagram.

Reporting for TV-PressPass

Wally F.

Words By: Wally F.          Photos By: Wally F.

……….In amongst the World War I and World War II memorabilia of cap badges, medals, flashes, and patches, the junky 20-30 year old army surplus offerings, out of towners, political, and lobby organizations populating the 1000+ tables at this years Calgary Gun Show, I found a few stand outs definitely worth mentioning, especially if you’re a Canadian firearms owner.

……….Every year the Calgary Gun Show is held at the BMO Centre in the centre of the city.  The BMO Centre has around 250,000 square feet of open show space.  The Gun Show was in the Palomino Room which has roughly 12,000 square feet, all of which was occupied with everything a history buff, firearms enthusiast, political party recruiters, lobbyists, and gun range/shops could offer up.  Here  few highlights I thoughts were worth mentioning.

……….Dave and Buddy at Templar Tactical Solutions is a small outfit that does custom cerakoting, gun smithing, and milling.  Milling specifically in titanium like this blade in burnt bronze cerakote.   They also make edged weapons and tools as well.  If you’re looking to get some work done give these gents a shout.

……….International Barrels Inc. is a company based out of Chilliwack, B.C.  They manufacture barrels of all types and do it very well.  Product Specialist Ryan Steacy, a Veteran, multiple competition winner in shooting in the military as well as on the circuit, he has an in depth knowledge and great love of what it takes to build a precision barrel from scratch.

……….With Service Rifle season starting up soon. IBI is in full swing producing barrels for competition shooters for their builds.  They source all their steel themselves and builds barrels literally from the blocks of steel they select.  Right now they are awaiting their 6mm and 7mm tooling to be shipped to their shop so they can begin working on more barrels.

……….Ryan knows that with the soon to be released SLR and BCL non-restricted lower receivers that people will be looking for quality built to spec barrels for their NR rifle builds.  This is why he and IBI are concentrating on getting 18.5″+ AR barrels out to customers ASAP.  IBI also recently acquired a cold hammer forge machine.  It’s the same equipment that Colt Canada has, now IBI has the same gear as well.  They will be spending the next year or so prepping the machinery, specs, and programming so they can begin building and CHF barrels into their line up.

……….For right now Ryan and IBI are concentrating on pushing out quality button rifled barrels at a reasonable prices.

……….Black Leaf Industries may or may not be the best kept secret in the firearms community, but out here in the west they are know for designing and sourcing the best materials and products for their boutique builds.  In addition to being an Agency Arms dealer, they also carry Odin Works parts and accessories.

……….They’re flagship build right now is their BL9 Pistol Calibre Carbine.  The receiver build is slick and sexy, and the balance and weight is just right.  With hundreds of rounds already downrange on this Canadian designed and built PCC the BL9 is shaping up to be a sweet looking and shooting rifle.  I’m looking forward to test firing this little gem very soon.

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……….Range Warrior Accessories is a quiet company that manufactures shooting support accessories and parts.  They have been working in conjunction with NoDak Spud and iRunGuns to debut their AR 180B Non-Restricted 5.56NATO rifle.  The lower is produced by NoDak Spud and already has an NR listing in the RCMP FRT as I’m told.  The upper is designed and manufactured by RWA with iRunGuns distributing the rifle.

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……….This trinity of companies has been quietly working on this AR 180B build since December 2017.  The unique design of the upper and fantastic fit and finish with the relatively short turn around from concept to production (talking about a few months) is a testament to hard work and good planning.

……….The left side of the upper actually has a modular plate system that you can swap out and replace as needed.  It also presented a unique look at the custom designed last round hold open and bolt catch release lever.  If you’re thinking that open side plate is a gimmick and must make that upper squishy you can look at their pressure test video of their upper easily withstanding well over 3000 PSI of pressure.

……….In addition to the upper design they offer 100% in house RMA on all internal parts, so if you break a take down pin, want a spring replacement, or shortly down the road when they manufacture upgraded parts, you can get them right from the OEM source at RWA.  Running a 20″ spiral fluted barrel with a choice of 18″ or 12″ fully licensed MagPul MLOK free floating hand guards, you are getting a beautiful looking and functional NR Rifle.  Based out of Calgary RWA is already taking orders of their AR 180B, shipping on or around June 1st from their last report on the show floor (could be subject to change).

……….Other notables from the Calgary Gun Show were Western Metal Inc just recently opened a turnkey state of the art indoor shooting range called Straight Shooters.  If you live in the Calgary area it’s definitely worth a look at the their pro shop and facility.

……….As always Black Box Customs are the masters of Cerakote, custom milling, and specialty polymer gun gunsmith services and upgrading.  Almost everyone I know that owns an M&P or Glock has had some type of work done with the gents at Black Box Customs.

……….Lastly Battle Rattle Tactical Supplies.  They are a Veteran owned and operated retailer and carry a variety of products geared towards shooters and soldiers, the owner Richard was very pleasant to speak to and great with the customer service.

……….With all the doom and gloom of gun control Bill C-71 all the talk right now in Canada, not a single person I spoke to at the show was even thinking about it.  2018 is shaping up to be a decent business year for distributors and manufacturers.  That will translate very well to every day consumer.

For your regular cravings in the firearms world in Canada and beyond be sure to follow TV-PressPass on Facebook and myself Wally F. on Instagram.

Reporting for TV-PressPass

Wally F.