Events: SSAA SHOT show 2015

I attended the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) show in Melbourne over the weekend of the 23-24th of May.

It's a big trade show that cycles around Australia, and is in Melbourne every two years. I went two years ago, and reported on it here.  It seems to be only a small shade on the big Las Vegas events put on in the US especially when you consider the BreachBangClear coverage.

That said, I had a good time, and got to see a lot of cool stuff.

I will just give you a few lines here and there to go with the pictures, and the like, as there was a lot to see at the hundred or so stalls, with everything from taxidermy to targets, bow-hunting to rifles and scopes.

The focus was almost entirely sporting shooting and hunting, as there isn't a big tactical and personal defense market in Australia.

 The Beretta stall had this display of pistols, with a variety of their pistols from the M92 range, as well as some old cap-and-ball style too. It was really nice to see the old along side the new.

This big bad rifle from SAKO (in 308WIN or 338LM) caught my eye. I've always been one to lean towards "bigger is better" when it comes to my arm-chair firearms assessment.

Weighing in at over 6kg, (13.2lbs) this was a big piece.









There were a variety of different gun-dealers, (go figure) and Gun Emporium was one of the big ones. All manner of hunting and target rifles, and kit. 

Here's a very cool little gun that I saw, a folding skeletonised folding Rimfire rifle, in 22LR or 22WMR, the Little Badger. 

This folds up into  a small package and comes with its own nylon carry-bag. Perfect for a pack in the wilds, or if you're gong to be salvaging in a wasteland.







Blaser had a impressive lineup too, some very well made pieces on display.

LEGear had a stall again, filled out with all the 5.11 GEar I've come to expect. No new gear that I noticed, but their heavy winter coats look good.

I met up with some of my mates from Q-Squadron ZERT .

I hadn't ever met these guys in person before, but it was a great chance to shake hands and out faces to names. ZERT on!

 I had a good drool over the Accuracy International rack. Some very fine looking pieces of nail drivers there.

I especially admired the thumbhole grips, which were a modular design accessory for these pieces. Again, offered in the big bore 308WIN or 338LM.

As well as all the rifle sellers, there were numerous hunting and trecking suppliers, as well as archery and bowhunting suppliers to browse.

There was no shortage of things for sporting shooters and hunters to peruse, but it was all very light on tactical or survival gear.

I did get to play around on the ATV's on display, thanks to Polaris, and if I had significant disposable income (or some actual practical need) I'd be well tempted. They offered singles, doubles and even quad-capacity vehicles, for all your dune-jumping and mud-bashing needs ...

One of the most tempting items I saw for sale were the new boots in the MUCK boot company range.


Waterproof, ruggedised and comfortable, they have three new boots, and well worth looking at if you find yourself often in wet, cold or sloppy conditions.















I was delighted to see Platatac having a stall, and got to catch up wit hthe guys, who showed off the HHA ASOT-01 again, but also had on display their just-about-to-be-released stretcher pack.










This innocuous sustainment and medic's pack comes fitted with a variety of external and internal loop-field and PALS/MOLLE attachment options.

The magic is in the pull-away top and bottom panels which deploy a last-ditch stretcher for rapid CASEVAC. I saw these in the factory months aga, and they're getting ready for retail sale. Stay tuned!

I also really liked the looks of the Warwick Firearms AR-looking straight-pull bolt actions, an Australian company.
 
These are offered in .223 and .300 BLK chambers, with three barrel lengths and two different upper lengths. They build these to spec, so if you're in the market for a very professional looking piece capable of being fitted out with all the bells and whistles, you might want to give them a look.











Always a sucker for big-bore, I spotted a Barrett M98b in .338 Lapua in the Clatton Firearms display.

Such a size-queen ...

having not brought myself to capture any of the Barbi-Pink camouflage on display "for the ladies" and enplaned to the horrified, practical and ever fashion conscious Omega why Blaze Orange can be a legitimate stalking colour-scheme, we agreed that we'd both prefer Real-Tree or one of the more widely accepted military patterns, she was delighted to come across this dapper sporting shooters outfit at the Beretta stall.

Not quite my thing, but, she's someone I'm willing to make concessions for, there weren't many other partners in attendance at the SHOT show, and perhaps sporting shooting and hunting is mostly a boys-own club, but I'll take capable and engaged family in a survival situation any day!

I enjoyed the SSAA SHOT expo this year, and made some good contacts, which will hopefully be fruitful and informative in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!

Review: Sea To Summit - Ultra-Sil Duffle

Do you ever find yourself with suddenly more loot than you were expecting, and no way of stowing it? I have, on numerous occasions. Having a few strategically placed recyclable shopping bags is all good and well, and they are no doubt a boon on the environment over the standard plastic dolphin-choker supermarket baggie but they aren't what I would call rugged. Most are good for living in the boot of my car, or in the kitchen shelf, awaiting runs to the supermarket, and perhaps day-trips without much hauling, but I like to be ready for serious salvage and swag. I was fortunate enough to be provided with a very nifty solution this last Giftmas, which I will share with you here.
This is the Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil Duffle and it is very cool. Ultra-Sil is a lightweight silicone treated nylon by Cordura, and the bag weighs in at 80g, and yet opens up to a 40L capacity duffle bag. The trick to it is that the whole bag carries itself in a key-chain sized stuff-sack, and unfurls to give the user a 56cm x 28cm x 25cm bag, complete with sturdy twin-strap carry handles and a well fitted zipper closure. The stitching is all Bar tacked at the stress points, and never gives me any hint of stress with the loads I've placed on it thus far (mostly clothes). Being a silicone treated fabric, it is very water resistant, but its worth noting that the seams are not sealed, and it is not intended as a waterproof bag. It comes with a key-chain attachment flap, so you can fit it to your keys, or dangle it off whatever gear you are running.

That said, for what it is; a lightweight, carry-compact yet spacious sack, I am very impressed and grateful that it was gifted to me.

Review: EDC

 

 So, this is what lives in my Crumpler messenger bag, which I carry with me everywhere I go. I've had some discussion with my partner Omega, that perhaps I carry either too much stuff, duplicates, or items that could be replaced with lighter kit. I really value both her support and helpful opinions. She was dead on, my bag is weighty. 

So, here is a recap of what I carry;

Crumpler Thirsty Al pouch  filled with paracord, on the outside strap.

Platatac FUP pouch carrying my 1L SIGG bottle

inside the bag I carry:

Wire saw 

Gerber bear Grylls "Basic" Survival kit 

First-Aid kit 

Sea-to-Summit Alpha cutlery set 

Lazerbrite in red and white 

DMT sharpening-stones 

credit-card tool 

Platatac CSI-folder 

Electrical tape

Toothbrush and Toothpaste

Sewing kit

Razor 

Cord

Cable Ties

Pad (great for injuries)

Spare glasses in case with HDD magnet

Waterproof pouch with q-tips

microfiber towel

specimen jar with hand-wash

collapsible cup

Compass

Swedish FireSteel

Poncho

Set of Allan keys

Tape measure

my lunch and an apple.

On top of that, I also pack my kendo gear, and a variety of other things, depending on the day, but this is my EDC.

Review: Sea to Summit - Alpha cutlery set

Having to "rough it" shouldn't mean having to tear at semi-raw food with your bare hands (satisfying as it can be). I was lucky enough to be the recipient of some new eating tools for Giftmas this year. Here's what I received: These are the Alpha Set cutlery from Sea to Summit and a more gorgeous set of metal to stick in my mouth I have not seem for a long while. The set includes a stand alone fork, spoon and serrated knife, connected through holes in the ends by the supplied carabiner. I've been caught out with my packed lunch, or in fact picnic having not thought to pack cutlery, or in fact the staff-room fork-goblins having visited again.


A set of these stashed in my bag would render any such disappearance moot. I really like the smooth lines and delightful feel of them in the hand. Made from hard-anodized ultra-light & very strong 7075-T6 aircraft aluminium alloy, they weigh only 37g and have a smooth, satin finish. Holes perforated through the handles add to their stiffness whilst reducing their mass, and this is further expanded but a fuller that runs through the middle of each utensil. The most exciting part however is that the ends of each utensil features a different size hex wrench (3 mm, 4 mm & 5 mm). Multifunction eating tools? Yes please! Being aluminium, I wouldn't be putting these to hard, frequent use but simply them being there, and thus, in my EDC, means I have another set of tools at my disposal should the need arise. Which it does, with recurring frequency. I like that the utensils take a break from the knife-spork utensil as seen in the Light My Fire meal-kit, which whilst serves a great function in minimalist design, can make for messy lunchtimes. The knife is serrated with a series of comb-like notches cut into it, and I'm curious as to how good a cutting edge this will give the aluminium blade.

 A full set of grown-up sized cutlery adds a certain amount of comfort in a desperate situation. Anyone caught with a broken plastic KFC fork and spoon from the bottom of the glove-box will know what I'm talking about. That said, I will not be giving up my titanium "battle-spoon" spork by SnowPeak which has been a feature of my CSI folder for some time now, and whilst I have been able to eat most everything with it (up to and including steak), so I look forwards to being able to do so using both hands at once with my new set, and I'll be interested to see how they compare. Dual wielding spoons, anyone?

Possum, dandelion and turnip stew again as you shelter in the ruins of what used to be a mall? Best have something decent to eat it with, and these are light, tough and portable enough to keep on you no matter what happens in your life!