CANCON Carolinas 2025: The “Try It Before You Buy It” Range Day That Actually Delivers
- Rick Hogg
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
When RECOIL Says “Range Day,” They Mean a Live-Fire Playground
Most “range days” are a few lanes, a folding table, and a line that moves slow. CANCON is different. CANCON Carolinas 2025 took over The Clinton House Shooting Complex in Clinton, South Carolina, and turned it into a two-day, fully suppressed live-fire event on November 7–8, with VIP early access (and dinner) on Thursday, November 6.
And when they say “fully suppressed,” they mean it: every firearm on the line runs a suppressor, no exceptions.
That’s not a gimmick. That’s the point.
The CANCON event is built around one idea that matters to everyday shooters, serious enthusiasts, and law enforcement professionals alike: get real trigger time on real setups before you spend your money.
What CANCON Is, in Plain English
CANCON is RECOIL’s signature “all cans, all the time” event, one place where you can run suppressed pistols, SBRs, PCCs, and precision rifles back-to-back, with ammunition included in the ticket price.
Think about that for a second.
Most people research suppressors through opinions and internet sound clips. CANCON lets you compare setups side-by-side, in real time, with your own hands and your own ears.
If you’re new to suppressors, it’s a fast education. If you’re deep into the NFA world already, it’s still valuable because you can validate what you think you know and see what’s actually changed in the market.
The Venue Matters: Clinton House Is Built for This
CANCON Carolinas 2025 returned to The Clinton House Plantation & Shooting Complex, a sprawling property (2,000 acres) with multiple live-fire bays and long-range capability out to 1,000 yards, and even a full mile.
Location-wise, it’s in Clinton, SC, roughly 45 minutes south of Greenville, making it an easy draw for shooters across the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and the broader Southeast.
This is important: a venue like that gives RECOIL and the industry partners room to expand. More lanes, more brands, more platforms, longer distances.
And if you’ve ever tried to evaluate a suppressor without being able to shoot distance, this is the difference between “I think it’s good” and “I know what it does.”
The Big Hook: Unlimited Ammo Changes Everything
Here’s the selling point that makes CANCON what it is: once you’re in, the ammo is free.
That matters because it removes the biggest limiter in training and testing: cost. If you want to bounce from lane to lane and run multiple suppressed hosts, you can do it without wondering if you just burned through your monthly ammo budget.
And from a “smart buyer” perspective, that matters even more. You’re not committing thousands of dollars based on a YouTube opinion. You’re making decisions based on trigger time.
War HOGG Tactical and On The Range Podcast at CANCON Carolinas
RECOIL invited On The Range Podcast with War HOGG Tactical and Kelley Defense, to record both audio and video episodes on-site, and we took that seriously.
We sat down with a wide spread of industry guests, including Walther, Ammo To Go, Wilson Combat, PTR Industries, DPMS, Palmetto State Armory, Gun Owners of America, and more.
This is one reason I like recording on location: it’s real-time learning. You’re not getting polished talking points, you’re getting product insight, industry context, and the stuff people say when they’re standing behind the table with their gear and their reputation.
One example from the event coverage: Walther promoted a free C&H red dot with PDP purchases through the end of 2025, and it’s the kind of deal most people miss if they’re not plugged into manufacturer updates.
What You Should Actually Do at CANCON (So You Don’t Waste the Day)
If you walk into CANCON with no plan, you’ll have fun, but you’ll leave value on the table. Here’s how I want you thinking, War HOGG-style:
Pick your mission first
Are you building a suppressed home-defense setup? A duty rifle setup? A PCC for training? A carry pistol you want to shoot more comfortably? CANCON makes it easy to get distracted, so define what you’re trying to solve before you ever step to a lane.
Compare apples to apples
The best comparisons happen when you keep one variable consistent. Same host, different suppressor. Or same suppressor, different host. CANCON gives you enough lane options that you can do this if you’re intentional.
Ask better questions
Don’t ask, “Is it good?” Ask questions that reveal real performance and real ownership realities:
How does it mount (and does it stay tight)?
What’s the backpressure like on common hosts?
What’s the maintenance schedule?
What’s the warranty process actually look like?
What’s the expected POI shift, and how consistent is it?
You don’t need to be an engineer. You just need to be a disciplined buyer.
Long Range + Suppressors: Where You Learn Fast
Clinton House isn’t just close-range bays. CANCON took advantage of the longer distances, including 1,000-yard and 1-mile capabilities, and Barrett was involved in pushing that experience.
For the average shooter, this is where suppressors become more than “quiet.” You start noticing recoil impulse changes, shooter comfort differences, how optics and dope hold up under long strings, and how a setup behaves when you’re not just dumping mags at 15 yards.
And yes, if you want to see whether your “precision” skills are real, long range has a way of telling the truth quickly.
“Try It Before You Buy It” Is the Real Value Proposition
CANCON is a rare opportunity to compare suppressors in a way most people never get to do.
Instead of watching sound tests online, you can hear (and feel) differences across calibers and platforms in real time.
That’s why I keep coming back to this principle: good gear decisions come from experience, not opinions.
For law enforcement officers, trainers, and responsible armed citizens, being able to test combinations before committing to a purchase is huge. It’s not a blind leap. It’s a live-fire evaluation.
It’s More Than Shooting: BTAC, Vendors, Nonprofits, and the “Event” Factor
CANCON Carolinas also included BTAC - the BLADE Tactical Knife Show, with a tactical/EDC knife pavilion accessible on Friday, November 7, featuring 25+ custom knifemakers and factory brands.
Beyond knives, the grounds included vendors selling gear like optics, holsters, slings, plate carriers, packs, and range equipment, plus food trucks, concessions, and giveaways.
There were also nonprofit groups on-site, like the Scout Sniper Heritage Foundation fundraising for a war memorial project.
This is what makes CANCON different from a standard range day. It’s industry + community + hands-on experience, all at once.
The Hidden Benefit: CANCON Makes You Rethink Training
Here’s the part that matters for War HOGG readers: CANCON isn’t just about suppressors. It’s about mindset.
When you see shooters running well-managed lanes all day, learning from reps, and testing setups under guidance, you realize something simple:
Most people don’t need more gear. They need more structure.
CANCON can inspire the right kind of training questions:
What do I actually shoot well?
What do I need to improve, accuracy, speed, recoil control, target indexing, distance standards?
What setup makes me more consistent, not just more excited?
That’s why we push measurable training. Skill builders. The Firearms Training Notebook. Data over opinions.
Dates, Tickets, and What’s Next
CANCON Carolinas 2025 ran November 7–8, 2025 (9 a.m.–4 p.m.), with VIP early access and dinner on November 6.
And if you missed it, CANCON’s official event site lists the next CANCON East in the Carolinas for May 8–9, 2026, with VIP early access on May 7.
If you’re in the Southeast and you care about suppressed shooting, gear evaluation, and meeting the brands face-to-face, put it on your calendar.
Bottom Line: CANCON Is Worth It If You Show Up With Intent
CANCON Carolinas 2025 delivered what it promised: a fully suppressed range day with the space, brand presence, and live-fire volume to let shooters make smarter decisions.
Show up with a mission. Compare setups intelligently. Ask better questions. Take notes. Then go home and train, because the real goal isn’t owning cool gear. The goal is being dangerous with fundamentals and responsible with capability.
Train Hard, Stay Safe, and I’ll see you On The Range - Rick
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