The hosts—Adriel, Kyle, Dustin, and Tony—return from SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas to discuss the latest industry trends, their range day experiences, and the unfolding situation regarding the Canadian firearms “buyback” (confiscation) program.
SHOT Show 2026 Highlights
Range Day Experience: The crew attended the Staccato Range Day, testing Staccato’s, full auto rifles and shotguns, and suppressed everything.
Standout Gear & Firearms:
Suppressed M2 .50 Cal: Tony got to see a full-auto, suppressed, belt-fed M2.
Briley Shot Shell Caddies: Adriel showcased magnetic caddies designed for quad-loading.
Vortex Defender CCW: Tony discussed using the 6 MOA dot on an RMR footprint.
Savior Equipment: Kyle scored a new 3-liter/5-liter sling bag and discussed their Friday floor deals.
Core Essentials: A new competition belt system featuring a ratcheting inner belt and a V-mount style holster release was highlighted.
Applied Ballistics Quantum App: Discussion on new binoculars that communicate with teammate wrist pads and Kestrels to sync match data and mover timings.
Canadian Firearms News
CCFR’s “It’s raining guns” Giveaway: The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights is giving away 100 guns (valued at $90,000) to raise funds for legal and advocacy efforts.
The “Buyback” Program: The federal government’s gun confiscation compensation program went live recently. The hosts noted that only 22,000 firearms have been declared so far out of an estimated 1 to 2 million prohibited items.
Jurisdictional Resistance:
Participating: Currently, only Quebec, Winnipeg, and Halifax are actively partaking.
Refusals: Alberta and Saskatchewan are actively opposing the program, while various other provinces (Yukon, Manitoba, NWT, Newfoundland) and major police forces (OPP, Toronto Police) have stated they will not participate.
Political Commentary: The hosts discuss that the program is politically motivated to secure votes in Quebec and may not change with a lead into a spring election.
Listener Questions & Gear Talk
First Rifle Debate: A discussion on the TM-22 versus the classic Ruger 10/22 for new shooters.
Derya 9mm: The hosts expressed interest in the new Derya 9mm bolt and pump-action firearms seen at the show.
Holster Concerns: A brief debate on the safety and utility of speed/race holsters versus traditional locking holsters for competition.
The team gears up for SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas!
This episode covers the hosts’ recent range trips, a DIY vintage rifle restoration, and a deep dive into the newest gun industry announcements leading up to the world’s largest shooting sports trade show.
What We Did in Guns
Adriel’s Restoration: Adriel shares his progress on restoring two .22 rifles: an Eaton’s Ranger and a Mossberg 36C. He details using a PVC tube with rust remover to un-seize a frozen bolt and his plans for a boiled linseed oil finish on the stocks.
Tony’s Match Struggles: Tony discusses recent issues with his ST-22 at a match, including slam fires and extraction failures. He also shares his experiences testing Sierra bullets and their seating depth.
Kyle’s SHOT Prep: Kyle focuses on dry fire practice and technical preparation for Las Vegas, including a new Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 lens for better video coverage.
Industry News & Canadian Updates
RCMP License Oddities: Adriel discusses how the RCMP may be swapping out the old purple licenses for blue ones, even before they expire.
Buyback Program Discrepancies: Tony highlights a “bait and switch” regarding the federal buyback pilot program in Cape Breton, where some participants reported receiving less compensation than expected for lower receivers.
Distributor Changes:Odell Engineering (Canucks) has ended its 10-year partnership with Derya Arms.
Expansion:Korth Group is reportedly expanding its distribution presence into Eastern Canada.
SHOT Show 2026 Sneak Peek
The hosts discuss several new products they plan to investigate on the show floor:
Ruger: The “New” 10/22 featuring a BX trigger, M-LOK slots, and a match bolt release.
Palmetto State Armory (PSA): Updates on the Saber bolt gun, the modular shotgun, and the .50 cal project (which may be on hold due to ammo costs).
Vortex: The high-end, compact Razor Gen III 1-10x LPVO (codename “Eleanor”) built for the British Royal Marines.
Holosun: A new optic featuring built-in IR/Visible lasers and target-based brightness sensors.
In this episode, the hosts reflect on their achievements over the past year and lay out their ambitious plans for the future of the show and their personal hunting goals.
2025 Year in Review
The team looks back at a successful year marked by consistency and growth:
Production Milestones: The show successfully maintained its weekly schedule, releasing 50-ish episodes in 2025.
Audience Growth: The podcast saw a significant increase in downloads and overall reach.
Matches: the hosts shot at many shooting competitions
Hunting Success: The hosts celebrated a productive hunting season
Goals for 2026
The hosts outline several key objectives for the upcoming year:
Expanded Content: Plans are in motion to increase video content production and improve the quality of their YouTube presence.
New Hunting Frontiers: The team aims to explore new hunting territories and pursue different species, including a planned moose hunt.
Community Engagement: A major focus for 2026 is to increase interaction with the audience through more live streams and listener-driven segments.
Personal Development: Individual goals include refining long-range shooting skills and improving physical fitness for backcountry excursions.
The Vision Ahead
The episode concludes with a commitment to providing high-quality, authentic content for the Canadian firearms and hunting community, emphasizing the importance of setting clear, actionable goals.
Adriel’s 2025 targets:
50-ish podcasts
Actual 45-47?
500 students PAL/RPAL
Actual: 331 (plus a bunch I helped at)
10-ish Mapleseeds
Actual: 8
6-ish 3 gun matches
Actual: 5
20 YT videos
Actual: 56
10 articles if that
Actual: 45 (about 5 in draft)
Vote in a federal election (DISAPPOINTED!)
Adriel’s 2026 targets:
45ish podcasts
400 students PAL/RPAL
Strat: more PAL than RPAL, remote communities, trying to find a more local spot to teach
8-ish Mapleseeds
4-ish 3 gun matches (4 majors): including 1 in the US, BOA, Rimfire Madness, MP3G
50 YT videos
40 articles
Mentor more new hunters (some AHEIA, some on my own)
Kyle’s 2025 goals:
6 majors
Dry fire once per week
Earn a spot on team USA for shotgun to go to world’s
Make Class A with Pistol and PCC
Do much better with content creation like at Shot Show
Kyle’s 2026 goals:
Assemble a bunch of AR’s for Canadians
Be the exclusive arms supplier for temporary Americans (Canadians)
6 majors
Break through the 60% of division plateau
Better with the content creation
6 videos (1 for each major)
4 gear reviews
Post 50 posts to Instagram
Dustin’s goals for 2025:
30 podcasts
Make 4-6 videos for the ccfr
Launch one of my YT projects (probably gonna be the political one)
Distribute double the amount of flyers for the ccfr election push
Shoot 5 – 3 gun matches
Explore getting my PAL/RPAL instructor Certification
Make sure at least 5 of our new MPs know my name after the election
Shoot my AR15… in the bush legally? Stay tuned!
Buy a Sig 320 FLUX legion
Start an ammo business, move to america, freedom!
Dustin’s Goals for 2026:
40 Podcasts
Do some work on shorter Slamfire video content
Shame my MP
Shoot more 3 gun matches then last year
Actually launch the first video that youtube project – just start doing it dummy
