I went to the 20th Gun Show at the SM Megamall on the opening day on July 19 (Thursday), and again on a Saturday morning. This time I had my aunt with me because she was looking for a home defense firearm because she lives up in the boonies. Yep, I sure had a lot of fun!
As usual, this year's show was extremely well attended. I had to wade through a crowd at every turn. Here were a few highlights:
- ARMSCOR is moving up in the world with its new products like the .22 TCM pistol and MIG22 rifle making waves here and in the USA.
- ARMSCOR had 5-time IPSC World Champion Eric Grauffel and double USPSA Grand Master JJ Racaza at their booth for autographs & charity events.
- The champions Jethro Dionisio, Mary Grace Tan, and Edward Rivera were present at their respective stores. Its like the dream team of practical shooting!
- A higher number of female shoppers looking for defensive options, not just the wives and girlfriends brought in by enthusiastic partners.
- The convention space was a little larger this year.
- Non-firearm booths present. Tactical-style and concealed-carry clothing options, competitive gear, a small museum of WW2 weapons and artwork.
On to the photos!
Eric & JJ were present for a couple of days and signed autographs. The proceeds went to charity. It was a lot of fun to see the crowd show their enthusiastic support!
Both of them competed at last week's Bolo Cup, a level 3 tournament and qualifier for the Australasia Tournament. I've saved a lot of the footage for educational purposes. Watching them in action is just amazing.
Clockwise: .22 TCM Pistol, Armscor XT22, Armscor 1911 Compact .45, and those Caracal pistols that are gaining in popularity.
As you could expect, these are some of the top sellers of the company. Armscor is the distributor of Caracal. They are getting a lot of attention because of their great quality, price, and the mechanism directly compares with Glock pistols.
From clockwise: Bersa Thunder .380, Sig P238 in rainbow finish, Taurus Tracker .357 Magnum, Taurus TCP .380
I suggested the following to my aunt. The revolver stands out because it is the simplest to operate and its high-visibility sights are very helpful. Among all of these, I'm really recommending the Bersa .380 for her. Its a reliable gun and fun to shoot compared to all of the pistols.
Firearms from WW2. Lovely. Click to zoom
Clockwise: Rescue vehicles & gear by TACOPS. They are a manufacturer of competitive and military gear. This truck looks ready for all kinds of emergencies.
The Philippine Army had a booth with our valiant troops who were there to share the history of the Armed Forces. It was also something of a recruitment station. It was nice to see some of the guys shopping around too.
Luminox is one of the sponsors of the Philippine Shooting Team, and they're featuring our champions in the background. I see a lot of guys at competitions wearing their stuff. And on the lower left are the friendly booth ladies for the famous PNSA Shooting Club.
Magazines? They got all shapes and sizes.
Willi Hahn Enterprises, a leading sporting goods and firearm shop. They've got survival gear, airguns, and camping equipment. I also bought something nifty from them and I'm working on the review!
Firearms for concealed carry and home defense are on the rise this year. On the right is a display from
Defensive Armament Resource Corporation (DARC). They're an official distributor for Kel-Tec, Stoeger, and FNH.
I've purchased two pistols from them and I'm really happy about the stuff they're planning to import in the coming months.
For my American readers, the prices are usually around 2-3x your own when the products hit our shores.
To get an idea: The Kel-Tec P3AT sells for Php 26,500. Divide that by the exchange rate (43 to 1 USD) = $616.
Ouch! Pretty expensive! Considering that a P3AT costs about $250 at some sources. I think its mostly due to customs & various taxes.
Vintage American revolvers. Old is cool.
The famous Glock Generation 4 sells like hotcakes over here.
I can't wait for the next gun show this November. I'm saving up for either a Ruger 10/22 Takedown rifle or Kel-Tec SU-22. Hope they'll be available by then.
Stay vigilant!
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