A Visitor’s Guide To CANCON 2022

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David Lane

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October 18, 2022

THE GUNS WILL BE QUIET, BUT WE WON’T BE!

RECOIL magazine and Silencer Shop are excited to put on the first CANCON this Veteran’s Day weekend, November 11-13th, 2022, at the 17 South Rod and Gun Club near Savannah, in the great state of Georgia!

This is a big event with a lot to talk about, so we thought a guide to visiting might help some of you out.

WHAT, WHERE, AND WHEN IS CANCON?!

What:

CANCON is a gun show and fully suppressed range day brought to you by RECOIL and Gun Digest Magazines.

With over two dozen sponsors we’ll have hundreds of guns, suppressors, and optics for you to try out hands-on and on the range!

Ammo will be provided, all you need to bring is your shooting finger.

It’s not very often people get access to this many suppressors, guns, and accessories all in one place to actually try themselves. Don’t settle for just looking at them through glass, get yourself to CANCON and shoot them!

Where:

17 South Rod & Gun Club at 5899 N Coastal Hwy, Fleming, GA, 31309!

With over 50 lanes and acres of space, 17 South Rod & Gun Club is a wonderful venue for this event. If you’re not from the area, Fleming is about 30 miles south of Savannah, GA.

When:

November Friday the 11th, Saturday the 12th, and Sunday the 13th! Tickets are day specific, but you’re welcome to get multiple tickets for multiple days!

Veterans get in FREE on Friday!

THINGS TO DO!

The highlight of the range day will be guns. Lots of guns.

There will be a ton of sponsors with truckloads of guns and suppressors to try out!

From new releases like the Springfield Armory HELLION to classics like a Heckler & Koch MP5, there is going to be a lot of cool stuff to get your hands on.

CANCON 2022 Sponsors!

THINGS TO BRING!

Ammo is provided and refreshments are available for purchase. We recommend bringing some water and other supplies for a warm day in the sun. Hat, sunscreen, etc. Your own eye and ear protection are recommended but will be available on-site.

Personally, I like to bring a pair of shooting gloves to events like this just in case. Guns can get hot!

Don’t forget your tickets!

TICKETS & TICKET TYPES

Shooter Tickets

Entry tickets for a specific day include a certain amount of Lane Tickets together in a package.

Entry-Only Tickets

Provide entry into the event only. Visitors with Entry-Only tickets will need to purchase Lane Tickets at the event if they wish to shoot at one of the lanes.

Lane Tickets

One Lane Ticket can be exchanged at a shooting lane for one test shooting experience at a shooting lane. The amount of ammunition per experience is determined by the lane operator. Visitors must queue at each lane to get a turn for their experience and surrender a Lane Ticket to the lane operator. Lane tickets or turns cannot be combined to increase the amount of ammunition per experience.

Daniel Defense will have their new SoundGuard line of suppressors at CANCON!

BRING THE FAMILY!

In addition to entry-only tickets for visiters who might not want to shoot, kids under age 12 get in FREE! Children are permitted to shoot with parental supervision, but tickets must be purchased for any children who would like to shoot. There will be kid activities available at the event!

COMING FROM OUT OF TOWN?

17 Rod & Gun Club is located in Flemming, GA but Richmond Hill is less than 10 miles away and a larger town with lots of accommodations. There are over 80 hotels with 20 miles of CANCON, so you have tons of options!

If you’re coming from further away, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is just 25 miles from the range.

LOOSE ROUNDS

For loads of more info, take a look at the CANCON Event Website!

Tickets can be purchased HERE!

Don’t forget to follow RECOIL on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest information!

5 Tactical Pens That Write And More

Mike Ableson

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October 17, 2022

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Tactical Pens Allow You To Have A Self-Defense Multi-Tool On You Even In Places Where A Knife Isn’t Allowed. These Are Five Pens That Will Keep You On Top Of Your Work And Can Keep You Safe.

The tactical pen is the perfect protection tool to have when you’re going somewhere where knives simply aren’t allowed. A tactical pen is great to take to the airport, to the big game, or to have in your pocket every day simply: it is a pen, after all.

Beyond just writing, tactical pens usually come with a glass-breaking tip, but many have additional features that make them far more than just a rugged pen.

Why Should I Buy A Tactical Pen?

For starters, they are high-quality pens that can write in adverse conditions. Beyond that, they are excellent safety tools that can go with you anywhere. Sure, you could look at a tactical pen and think “this is really excessive for a pen,” but that would miss the point of why they are so useful.

A tactical pen is an excellent way to keep yourself prepared for whatever life can throw at you. Sure, you may never need to use the pen for much more than signing checks, but it is a lot better to have the tools at hand and not need them than to need them and not have them.

5 Tactical Pens That Will Make Your Life Easier

These five pens feature a bevy of different tools and features that make them all incredibly useful as an EDC. No, none of them have built-in blades, but they do all have something that will make life much easier, and you safer when needed.

Atomic Bear SWAT Pen

Don’t let the low price of this pen fool you: it is the real deal. The SWAT pen is a beast. Made from 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, the SWAT pen is light and can take a beating. The tungsten carbide tip at the end is perfect for shattering glass when necessary and can provide an added bit of malice if you need to protect yourself.

The writing implement is smooth and easy. The inkwell takes Parker G2 ink, which is easy to find and easy to replace. All in all, this is a high-quality tactical pen at a bargain of a price.

MSRP: $15.99

Boker Plus Quest Commando Pen

Boker makes great knives and that craftsmanship carries over to their tactical pens. The Quest Commando was designed by Kevin Passon & David Cyr, and the duo left no stone unturned. The six-inch, black aluminum pen can be used like a kubaton in self-defense situations. The writing implement uses Lamy M-22 ink and is smooth as butter.

This is a durable, quality pen that you can travel the world with and feel confident when it’s in your hands.

MSRP: $44.96

Smith & Wesson Stylus Tactical Pen

It’s not a firearm but it’s made with the same care as Smith & Wesson’s famous guns. The Stylus Tactical Pen is a self-defense tool for the modern age. Yes, it is a good pen and uses Schmidt P900M parker ink cartridges, but this pen shines by what it does away from the page.

Most notable is the stylus tip atop the screw cap. This rubberized tip allows you to use the pen on all touchscreens, which is easier on your hands, especially on a phone screen, and allows you to still use your tech even in wet or cold conditions.

The window breaker at the opposite end of the pen tip works as advertised and is ridiculously strong.

MSRP: $39.99

Nitecore NTP10 Titanium Tactical Pen

The priciest pen on our list is from Nitecore. It’s the only knife on our list made from titanium instead of aluminum. Milled to a thickness of 1.8 mm, the NTP10 is almost unbreakable, and the tungsten steel tip at the end does what you expect. It is insanely light at just .64 of an ounce and takes German Schneider gel ink.

The main thing to think about with this pen is the price. Yes, the titanium is robust in a way that aluminum isn’t, but is it worth it? That’s for you to decide.

MSRP: $119.95

Schrade SCPEN4BK

Is it the most expensive? No. Is it the beefiest tactical pen? No. But boy, did Schrade pack a boatload of features into this pen at an incredibly fair price.

Of course, there’s a tungsten steel glassbreaker at one end, and the pen uses Black Starminen Fine Point D1 Pen Cartridges. But beyond that, the pen elevates to a proper survival tool. When removed from the body, the pen cap doubles as an ear-piercing survival whistle. It’ll get the attention of anyone in the vicinity and even a bit further than that.

Also embedded in the pen is a ferro rod that can be accessed by unscrewing the back half of the pen. There is a striker plate underneath the tungsten steel breaker and is reverse threaded into the pen body so you can’t accidentally unscrew it and lose it, as it is very small.

So many features in such a small space, and at a great price too. Schrade hit a home run with the SCPEN4BK.

MSRP: $33.19

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The Best Wharncliffe Options

Mike Ableson

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October 13, 2022

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The Wharncliffe Is An Interesting Blade Design With A Captivating History. Over The Years It’s Grown Into A Desirable EDC Blade. These Five Wharncliffes Stand Out From The Pack.

There aren’t many blade styles like the wharncliffe. The wharncliffe stands out from many other blade designs thanks to its long, straight cutting edge and spine that tapers to the point. This allows for a variety of shapes of wharncliffe blades, with some being more squared off with a sharp taper and others being more rounded with a more gentle taper.

Regardless of the taper or size of the blade, the wharncliffe has grown into a beloved blade that has evolved to meet the needs of knife lovers over the last 200 years.

Where Does The Name Wharncliffe Come From?

If you guessed that it was named for a person you’d be correct, or at least almost correct. The name for the blade dates back to the 1820s and British Colonel James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, the first Lord of Wharncliffe.

One night, while having dinner with his cousin, Archdeacon Corbett, Wharncliffe was lamenting how staid and tired the cutlery industry in Britain had become. The two then worked on a new type of knife to present to the Joseph Rodgers & Sons cutlery company in Sheffield, the epicenter of the cutlery trade in the UK.

Rodgers liked the blade so much that the company put it into production and named it the wharncliffe in the Lord’s honor.

What Is The Wharncliffe Used For?

The wharncliffe initially was used mainly as a whittling knife. The long, straight edge made it perfect for long strokes on a piece of wood. Over time, the blade has evolved with the rest of the knife industry and is now a quality all-rounder EDC. The straight edge is excellent at transferring energy from the hand into the material being cut. Not great at puncturing, it’s very good at most other cutting tasks.

5 Wharncliffes You Should Look Into Buying

Today, the wharncliffe has become a standard blade design by makers around the world. These are five that you should take a look at.

Spyderco Salt 2

Few companies have dived deeper into wharncliffes than Spyderco. The Salt 2 is a prime example of how the company has smartly developed the blade style, although there are many knives on the company’s roster that utilize it as well.

The ergonomic green FRN handle makes this knife easy to use, especially considering how it was designed to be used near water. The H-1 steel is highly corrosion resistant, which makes this knife the perfect choice to use near water. You can choose between a plain edge and a serrated edge, and the lockback keeps everything secure even when drenched.

Spyderco is beloved because of the quality of its knives, and the Salt 2 shows many things the company can do.

MSRP: $124.25

CRKT Inara

A simple, elegant design from Richard Rogers, the CRKT Inara is a perfect example of a quality, affordable wharncliffe EDC.

The framelock is strong. The deployment is smooth. The G-10 stands firm even in extreme conditions. This little flipper really does it all and looks good while doing it. The stonewashed 8Cr14MoV stainless blade is 2.78 inches long and the whole construction weighs just 1.8 ounces.

A small, nimble knife, the Inara showcases why the wharncliffe has become a regular EDC blade.

MSRP: $56

Emerson Knives P-Sark

If the last knife was for day-to-day use, the Emerson Knives P-Sark is for the most extreme situations. This is the standard issue knife for U.S. Navy Rescue Teams, according to Emerson Knives. It’s a thick, beefy blade designed to extract people in severe situations.

The 3.5-inch blade is made from 154CM stainless steel with a chisel grind. The G-10 handle is waterproof and perfect for the type of intense moments this knife was built for. The blade comes in both black and stonewashed varieties.

Sure, this could be used as an EDC, but this knife is designed for much more than just opening boxes and stripping wires, and is priced accordingly. If you want a strong, physical knife, then this is the one for you, but you’ll be able to find good EDC wharncliffes at more affordable prices.

MSRP: $226.95

Kershaw Leek

Kershaw has them all, and it’s no surprise that it offers a solid EDC wharncliffe. The Leek line of knives runs 16 deep, but we are concentrating on the original.

The whole construction is stainless steel with a 3-inch blade made from 14C28N stainless steel. The Ken Onion-designed knife is a sleek, sturdy flipper held in place with a framelock. At 3 ounces it’s a bit heavier than some of the other knives on this list, which is good because it helps the piece feel better in the hand and more secure in use.

The assisted-opening flipper, the tip lock to keep it secure when closed, and the reversible pocket clip are all features on the knife that elevate it from just a good knife to a high-quality EDC.

MSRP: $79.99

Cold Steel Tuff Lite

Small. Tough. Durable. Three ways to describe the Tuff Lite from Cold Steel. This little wharncliffe is a rugged little beast. Made from Japanese AUS-8A stainless steel, the Tuff Lite’s blade is just 2.5 inches long with a relatively squared-off tip that makes it perfect for deep cutting tasks.

The handle is made from Griv-Ex which, when paired with Cold Steel’s Tri-Ad lock, provides a rock-hard construction when deployed. This is the most affordable knife on our list, but it may be the highest value thanks to how the knife was put together.

MSRP: $40.99

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Factory Award Winners At BLADE Show West

Mike Ableson

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October 11, 2022

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Five Different Factory Makers Picked Up Awards At Salt Lake City With WE Knife Stealing The Show

Factory makers brought out their best for the BLADE Show West knife competition, and they did not disappoint. Five factories took home wins with the big winner being WE Knife, which won two categories and the Best Of Show award.

All images are SharpByCoop Images

Best Factory EDC: WE Knife Shakan

Best Factory Tactical: Bastinelli Knives Grumpy Dual Carry System

Best Factory Hunting Knife: TOPS Knives Muley Kit

Best Non-Knife: Stroup Knives Pry Tool

Best Of The Rest: UP Knife D2 & D3

Best Factory Folder/Factory Best Of Show: We Knife x Peter Carey Nitro Mini

Read More

BLADE Show West Takes Over Salt Lake City
BLADE Show West Custom Knife Awards

BLADE Show West Custom Knife Awards

Mike Ableson

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October 11, 2022

1

Awards Were Given Out In Nine Different Custom Knife Categories Including Best In Show At BLADE Show West In Salt Lake City.

Dozens of makers entered knives in competition across eight different custom knife categories. The skill on display was tremendous, and numerous knives wowed the judges. However, these were the blades that stood out from the crowd and took home the awards. All images are SharpByCoop Images.

Best In Show/Best Kitchen Knife: Trevor Morgan

Best Hunting Knife: Shayne Carter

Best Damascus Custom: Shane Taylor

Best Custom Slip Joint: Evan S. Nicolaides

Best Custom Tactical: Michael Jarvis

Best Custom Locking Folder: Tim Robertson

Best Custom Bowie: Shayne Carter

Best Custom Chopper: Mardi Meshejian

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BLADE Show West Takes Over Salt Lake City
BLADE Show West Factory Knife Awards

BLADE Show West Takes Over Salt Lake City

Mike Ableson

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October 10, 2022

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BLADE Show West Rocks Salt Lake City And Packed The Salt Palace Convention Center.

Call it home.

After bumping around the greater Pacific and Mountain West, BLADE Show West definitely felt it found its place in Salt Lake City. For two days–Oct. 7-8–the Salt Palace Convention Center was packed to the gills with top knifemakers and blade aficionados.

The main question on everyone’s lips–aside from, “How much does that knife cost?”–was, “Is BLADE Show West coming back here?” To set everyone’s heart at ease, yes, the foremost knife show in the west is due back in Salt Lake City, Oct. 13-14, 2023.

Until then, there’s plenty to discuss on what made this year’s gathering such a top-notch shine dig.

Attendance

More than 200 vendors descended on the Beehive State for the show from all across the United States. Of course there were big makers like Microtech and Spyderco in attendance but smaller factories like Schenk from Idaho and Stroup Knives from North Carolina were also on the show floor.

Blade HQ, a sponsor of the show, had a huge booth and gave out free shirts to attendees throughout the day Friday.

With so many vendors in town expectations were high, and the knife community did not disappoint. Thousands of fans came to the Salt Palace to buy, browse, and catch up with friends.

Best In Show Awards & After Party

A big thank you to Black Rifle Coffee for welcoming Blade Show West with open arms.

BLADE Show West featured stiff competition in the factory and custom knife awards. The We Knives x Peter Carey Nitro Mini collected Factory Best in Show and Trevor Morgan Jr’s kitchen knife won Custom Best in Show accolades.

Handing out the hardware was a pretty special affair, as Black Rifle Coffee hosted the awards ceremony and its after-party. Situated next to the company’s HQ, the nearly perfect Utah night added a great finish to a heated competition.

Demos Pack The House

Outside of the main convention hall was a series of demos that across the board drew large crowds. Two of the best attended were the sharpening clinic, hosted by Wicked Edge, and the knife critique, which had a panel of masters review makers’ knives.

Wicked Edge’s seminar was especially enlightening, give the company gave attendees a close-up view of the sharpening process, employing a microscope projected onto the big screen. Everything from creating a burr to polishing the edge was made crystalline with the visual aid.

As for the knife critique, Enrique Pena, Steve Schwarzer, Lucas Burnley, Bill Ruple, and Will Stelter reviewed around 20 knives created by intermediate, new, and hobbyist makers. The advice these well-respected masters gave in their critiques extended well past the knives being reviewed, but to knifemaking in general

Other demos focused on everything from texturing titanium handles with Shane Magnussen, and ABS Master Smith Neels Van Den Berg ran a course on making a Symmetrical Quillon Dagger from start to finish.

West Coast Flipping Championships

The balisong competition award winners were all smiles at the end of Blade Show West

The thumping of music and the clacking of bali-songs closed out the slew of events at BLADE Show West with the West Coast Flipping Championships. Sponsored and run by Squid Industries, the competition swelled to well over 200 participants and audience members.

The crowd was so large, the venue eventually was expanded by removing a retractable wall to the conference room next door. In the end, Nick Minges took home the $1,000 top prize with Tanner Knapp taking second and Sebastian Campas third.

BLADE Show West Vendor Highlights

Microtech

Microtech had a booth so big it even had a back room built into the signage to hold its extra product. The company has new models coming later this fall, but pieces like the Glycon caught eyes throughout the weekend.

Kizer

Kizer was showing off some new knives, and showcased some of their funkier knives, like this awesome Aquaman-inspired folder.

307 Forge

Being in the Mountain Time Zone brought out many makers from the Big Sky and Pacific States. The family-run 307 Forge of Big Piney, Wyoming had a wide selection of knives and showed that even in America’s least-populous state, knifemaking is thriving.

Knife And Gun Finishing Supplies

The team at Knife And Gun Finishing Supplies from Lakeside, Arizona had multiple tables dedicated to just handle materials. All sorts of woods, treated and untreated, metals, synthetics, Knife And Gun had almost every type of handle material covered.

It was materials galore at the Knife And Gun Finishing Materials Booth

Already Gearing Up For BLADE Show West 2023

It was, by all metrics, a rousing success at BLADE Show West. Start planning now to be at the Salt Palace next year for another edition of BLADE Show West on October 13-14, 2023.

Read More

Factory Knife Award Winners At BLADE Show West
BLADE Show West Custom Knife Awards

Time Is Running Out To Get Your CANCON Tickets!

Featured

Elwood Shelton

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October 9, 2022

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Time Is Running Out To Get Your CANCON Tickets!

SUPPRESSORS, NIGHT SHOOT, FOOD, AND FAMILY FUN!

Welcome to CANCON A Fully Suppressed RECOIL Range Day!

Save the date and make your plans to come down on Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 11-13 to the 17 South Rod and Gun Club in Savannah, Georgia.

Hundreds of the newest and best suppressors, firearms, and optics will be on the firing line for you to get hands-on trigger time.

All ammo will be provided, just bring your trigger finger!

Veterans get in FREE Friday, so come spend your Veterans Day weekend with us at CANCON!

SATURDAY NIGHT VIPs will have the opportunity to shoot suppressed with night vision goggles, clip-on night vision optics, IR lasers, tracers, and more.

CANCON will even have activities for kids, making this a completely family-friendly event.

Expect to see hundreds of firearms and suppressors, every one of them available to shoot. Don’t forget your eyes and ears for safety!