Author: James Cano

We all love guns. What was it that started that fascination for you? Was it growing up hunting with your grandfather or father? Toys at the toy store? Or was it the guns of Hollywood movies that captured your heart? Personally, it was Hollywood for me. Rambo. John McClane. Riggs. Robocop. Arnold. Axel Foley. Any of the James Bonds…not Timothy Dalton. This whole era of action movies always had the coolest guns. This list is my personal favorite firearms from the movies I love.

10. The M60.

Rambo was my first experience with the m60. Throw in any Vietnam-era movie, Tears Of The Sun and BlackHawk down. Rambo was able to just use it as a regular rifle because he was…well he was John Rambo. 600 rounds per minute and destruction, it all would have been avoided had they let him just get a meal and be on his way.

9. The AK47

Probably hard to find a movie that does not have an AK47 or a variant of it in some form. I always associate it with the bad guys. A movie I watched on repeat countless times as a kid, probably too young to be watching it, True Lies has some cool AK scenes. The little Norinco-like AKM that the lead terrorist uses in the bathroom firefight. All the other terrorists use full-size rifles. Harry Tasker gets ahold of one and helps get out of capture.

8. The 1911/2011

One of the coolest guns ever. I mean two world wars!

Saving Private Ryan. Big Lebowski, there are rules this isn’t Nam.

Faceoff had the cool gold 1911’s and gum and misc substances for Nic Cages Castor Troy.

In Cobra, Stallone rocked one. Under Seige saw Segal use it.

They are just cool. I am a big fan of the updated use in the STI/Stacatto 2011 in John Wick.

7. .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson 29

Do you feel lucky? Well do ya, Punk? Dirty Harry…I don’t need to say anything else.

6. M134 Mini Gun

Electric-powered Gatling gun is capable of blanketing the land with 7.62 at a rate of 2,000 to 6,000 rounds a minute. Only Jesse The Body Ventura is man enough to backpack one.

5. Delta/Gordon Carbine

These were cool then, and they are cool now. People are making clones of these all the time and look at them, why wouldn’t you want your own?

4. Han Solo’s DL-44

Yeah yeah, it’s not a real gun. Han Solo was the man. It’s based on a real gun anyway so I am keeping it on the list.

3. Walther PPK

One day I will own one for no reason other than James Bond. They are cool and elegant. They should come with a tuxedo.

2. Beretta 92 FS

Hey Riggs! Riggs was the best. The hair, the vibe. Everyone wants to be Martin Riggs and the 92fs only made him cooler.

1. H&K MP5

The top spot for me. It’s the mp5, it speaks for itself and it always will. Welcome to the party pal.

There are some guns I left out that I love just as much, but wanted to get these on the list. Robocops auto9. Axel Foley’s HiPower. The suitcase gun from Desperado. The SPAS-12 and AMT Hardballer from Terminator. Snake Plissken’s mac10. I could go on forever. Maybe one day I will do a round 2 or maybe like a cool cowboy or war guns.

A couple weeks ago I wrote about our laser and testing products on it. Well, I am glad to say a lot of these items are now showing up for sale. We have some cool Unbranded lowers that have a couple different design options.

We have also started doing some mags, we sold out of the ODG Topo mags real fast. We still have some of these super cool plaid options.

What I think will be the coolest part is our laser services option. When you are on the website hit the menu and scroll down, you will see Laser Services. Click that and you will see our newest option for the Glock guys out there.

We will be offering a mail-in service or if you are local, drop-off service to get your Glock stippled. You can have a variety of frame panels lasered with a design of your choice. Panels included: 1911 panels. Interlocked Panels. Logo Panels. Ray panels. Box Panels and Ripple Panels. All these panels and the patterns in the image below are the current options on the website with more to come.

Here are a couple images of completed firearms to give you an idea of what we can do at AimSurplus. Each image lists what panel is done with what texture is lasered and what other modifications are done to the frame.

Pretty cool stuff. You might think yeah but I bet it’s a hassle to get my frame shipped. It’s not! Here is the process for the whole thing:

Once you have selected and paid for all your laser grip options, it is time to send your frame in with your Order Number. We prefer if you just send the frame, as we will not be responsible for anything extra that ships with it. Rest assured, your frame will only be worked on by certified Glock Armorers and will be in good hands. If you order other items or parts at the same time, they will ship with the frame when it is complete.

The current turnaround time is only 1 week. Sometimes even less. What that means is that we will laser engrave and send back your completed frame within 1 week from receiving it.

If you have any questions or would like other parts you ordered installed by our certified Glock Armorers while we have it for lasering, please email [email protected]. 

Buying a suppressor can be confusing, but it really does not need to be. We sell many suppressors, from first-time buyers to guys with 10 plus. We put together a quick list of our ten most asked questions, here they are!

1. What suppressor should I buy?

The one that suits your needs best. This is a question with many variables to it. Buy the suppressor that fits what you have or plan to have. Only shoot 9mm? Get a 9mm suppressor. Shoot multiple rifle calibers? Get a .30 cal suppressor. This answer will always change depending on what you want to do with the suppressor.

2. Why should I buy a suppressor?

Many reasons. Recoil Reduction. Reduced sound. Flash suppression would all be some of the top reasons

3. How do I buy a suppressor?

Research, Do your homework. This suppressor is a lifelong purchase.

Decide which suppressor you want.

Purchase the suppressor.

Create a silencer shop account.

Purchase tax stamp/s

Fill out the information/fingerprints at the Silencer Shop Kiosk in our showroom.

Take pictures for the silencer shop account.

Wait for your email to certify your e-file. If you did a paper form, you will be notified when your check is cashed. then you wait.

Wait for your suppressor to be approved.

Pick up suppressor and tax stamp

Enjoy it.

4. Do I have to get a license to own one?

Nope. You do have to pay for a “tax stamp” when you first buy the suppressor but that is it.

5. Are suppressors legal?

Under federal law, it has never been illegal to own a silencer. If it is legal for you to buy a handgun, and you live in a state that allows ownership, then it is probably legal for you to own a silencer. The basic requirements are as follows:

1. You must be at least 21 years old
2. You must live in a state that allows ownership
3. You must not have any felony convictions

6. Do they have suppressors I can use for every caliber?

You can use a larger caliber suppressor to suppress a smaller caliber firearm as long as you have the appropriate adapters. Using a larger caliber silencer is not as efficient as a silencer made for the specific caliber, but it will still be a good sound reduction in most cases.

7. Can I use .22 in a 5.56 suppressor?

You could sure. Not recommended at all.

8. What is the advantage to using a trust over individual?

To simplify the answer: A trust makes it easier to share the fun and benefits of shooting with suppressors. Without a Trust, the person that got the Tax Stamp and purchased the suppressor MUST BE PRESENT and in possession of the suppressor when it is being used by another person.

9. How do I certify my silencer purchase?

Watch this video.

10. What is the difference between serviceable and non-serviceable suppressors?

Serviceable suppressors can be taken apart for deep cleaning and removing carbon. Usually, the caliber is not burning all the powder off and will cause carbon build-up.

Non-serviceable suppressors are welded shut. The caliber burns it all off, think of it as self-cleaning. Usually, rifle suppressors will be sealed, they are lighter in weight and have better sound suppression.

These are just a handful of the questions we get daily in-store or via email. Silencershop.com has tons of great information, this is what they do. Feel free to ask us in-store and we can guide you in the right direction either by answering your question ourselves or finding out from a manufacturer directly.

-Cano

The AimSurplus SSTAT trigger is one of the best bang for your buck (pardon the pun) upgrades you can do to a mil-spec trigger. You get a fantastic trigger at a price that won’t break the bank, around a 3.5lb trigger pull with a clean break and short reset. All are housed in a self-contained design that makes it easy and quick to install with no fine-tuning needed. Pick a flat or curved trigger to cater to your style, drop it in and adjust the screws and you are good to go.

Every once in a while someone will get an issue with light strikes, 99.9 percent of the time this is due to two set screws on the bottom of the trigger housing. We made this video to help eliminate any concerns on installation or help fix an issue that could possibly come up.

-Cano

After what feels like a neverending wait, Magpul finally shipped out their 50-round drum mags for the Glock, PCCs with Glock style mags, and the MP5. I personally never thought the Glock drums would actually come out and I would be forced to use a Promag drum in a PCC. Wrong!

Magpul took everything that worked about the drum mag for the 5.56 drums and created these 3 awesome mags that deliver exactly what we want from them. Easy to load, easy to maintain, easy to transport. Made right here in the USA. For easy loading, it includes a ratcheting loading lever that removes tension from the internal spring. To keep track of your available firepower, They included a rounds-remaining rear window, a high-visibility follower, and a capacity indication roller. And like other Magpul drum magazines, they are easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance.

You may be wondering why there is a Glock mag and a PCC for Glock Mags. The PCC version has a shorter-bodied magazine, the Glock mag is a normal size 17 body. While providing a 50-round capacity, the unique drum configuration keeps the height of the magazine manageable, allowing for prone firing and easier storage. innovative bolt hold-open feature, the D-50 GL9 – PCC reliably locks the bolt back on empty when used with firearms designed to lock back on Glock pattern magazine followers. A really cool option outside of the 33-round Glock mags and both the PCC and Glock versions are the same thing except for that body length difference.

The other new mag is for the infamous MP5. Same benefits and features in this version but for an MP5/HK94. Giving the MP5 owners something fresh to play with on that already well established platform.

Excited to finally run a pcc with a drum and see how I like it vs a stick mag.

-Cano

Constitutional carry is having the ability to carry a concealed firearm without paying for a permit from your state of residence. There are currently 25 states to go to constitutional carry. I don’t know about you guys but anytime I do not have to give money to the government, I chalk that up as a win.

Permitless carry means more people are open to carrying a firearm and that means more people in the shooting community. As a result, it makes carrying a concealed firearm less strange, and less scary to the average person. This also opens up more new gun owners who will need/should take classes and instruction. Overall a really good thing for the industry and community.

This does come with some “drawbacks”. I would say there are 4 big ones.

1. Lack of legal knowledge. There is going to always be a place you can’t go, things you can’t do, and a big one: situations where you are not justified to use your firearm even though carrying it may be legal.

2. Lack of state reciprocity. Traveling creates an issue. You may live in a state where permitless carry is allowed, but crossing a state line into a state where it is not allowed and having your firearm creates an issue where the law is being broken.

3. In my opinion the biggest one, is lack of training. Most CCW courses require instruction to obtain that permit. Permitless carry eliminates that. I think taking classes to make sure you are proficient is the best thing you can do. Everyone talks about if SHTF, I will fight! Cool, that’s awesome but if you haven’t trained with your firearm the last person I want fighting next to or behind me is someone who has no idea what they are doing.

4. Another “drawback” is if you no longer feel the need for a CCW when you go to purchase a firearm you will have to do a background check at every purchase of a firearm. Not a huge deal but if you go to buy a firearm during a busy time, you are going to wait for that background check to go through. Could be instant, could be an hour, I know in the showroom when it got busy cause a law was passed or something happened to get gun control attention, things got really busy and you would see people who purchased with instant approvals all the time now get delays.

I personally will continue getting my CCW, I came from a state where I had to wait 10 days from purchase to pickup. I do not want to wait anymore, I am impatient. Another perk, that I am not sure is true or not but have heard from friends that are cops, having a CCW when you get pulled over tends to put law enforcement at ease a little. They take it as yeah this guy isn’t a criminal I can relax a little. Who knows, for sure it is up to the officer to decide but it’s no skin off my back to maybe get a free pass.

As always do your research for yourself and decide what is best for you.

-Cano

Last week we dropped an in-depth video on our AimSurplus BCGs, spending a little more time on why you should run ours and even some install tips. We take great pride in our BCG offerings and we stand behind them, not just because they are made in America by hard-working Americans, but because it has our name on them and that means something.

We have multiple offerings on them with the most popular being our ar15 bolts for AR/M16 5.56/.223/.300 BLACKOUT. We get them in TiN which is the gold color you see above. NIB which is a nickel boron coating and a silverish color, and DLC which is the black version. My personal favorite is the TiN, the color gives you a nice break from the standard all-black rifle, but the best part is that coating. The coating improves the maintenance, cleaning, edge retention, and corrosion resistance of the bolt. The majority of the time, wipe it down, and it’s clean as if it wasn’t used yet. Use a cleaner on them and they look like you just took it out of the package.

Check out the in-depth and see what I mean. Hopefully, you learn a thing or two!

If you are local, stop by the showroom and check the bolts out, we have them in several of the wall guns for you to play with.

-Cano

Our LEO trade in firearms are a hot item. Working in the showroom people would ask almost daily if we had any trade-ins, mid pandemic it was hard to get them. There is also a crowd that is against LEO trade-in or used guns, thinking “Oh I don’t know, the previous owners could have beat the gun to death and never maintained it.” Sure that could be the case but it’s doubtful, these are from police departments, they want their guys to make it home so firearms and maintenance are pretty important.

I will make this statement and sure some will get mad: Cops do not shoot their guns. Most cops train when it’s time to qualify and then that’s it. I wish more of them did, your life is on the line as well as your brothers, why wouldn’t you want to be as proficient as possible. We are lucky to train with some local PD who have become friends, pushing us to get better, pushing them to get better, all of us putting in the work to become better shooters. This being said, you see a police trade-in at a great price, chances are it’s barely been fired, a barrel may look untouched or internals are not even scuffed up. Most batches of trade-ins, slides have some scuffs from seat belts, sometimes down on the grip, you will see wear and then mostly its faded night sights and scratches from its former life.

This is probably your average-looking trade-in we get. This is a Detroit PD marked M&P. A couple scratches on the slide and trigger guard, but nothing outrageous. I randomly picked this one out of the group it was in.

Glock. Sig. M&P. FN. All the best of the best for our LEO, traded in because of budget increase or departments switching to 9 from .40, could be any number of reasons. Occasionally we will get unissued firearms, less common but it happens. The only major downside to picking up a trade-in would be no warranty but more common worries would be maybe you don’t have a box to go with it or only one mag. These guns were either unissued or a duty weapon that was fired a couple times a year so you get a broken-in gun that works like it’s brand new and just is not as pretty as it was when it was brand new. It’s a tool, not a showpiece. Save a couple hundred bucks on that Glock 19 you wanted to get, chances are it has been shot less than 200 times. That’s nothing, most of us shoot more than that in an hour at the range.

Let’s say you get one that isn’t the best shape, usually, they are cheaper anyway. let’s say you didn’t get it from us so they never went through it to make sure it worked properly. Gen 3 Glock 19. new parts kit and you are shooting a brand new Glock aside from the barrel and still cheaper than buying a brand new firearm. replace the barrel with one of our AimSurplus barrels and you are all brand new for a fraction of the cost.

Don’t let the words trade-in scare you off. If it’s a good deal get one, especially if you can see it first.

-Cano

Carrying a concealed firearm can be a nerve-racking thing at first. If you haven’t had much time to wear the holster it could be uncomfortable, so much so that you don’t want to carry it anymore. I personally dealt with this by wearing a holster around the house in the appendix position and when standing at the showroom counter. This was the easiest way for me to get used to the pressure of the holster pushing against me and after probably 4 or 5 days it was fine. 2 weeks in I didn’t even know it was there anymore. Appendix carry is the fastest draw but it may not be possible for you to do all the time, maybe a uniform or wearing a suit or dress will prevent you from doing so. That is wear off body comes into play.

For women, I usually am not a fan of purse carry for a couple reasons.

1. If you are approached by a bad guy who wants your money, where is the money? Your wallet…in your purse. Where is that firearm? In your purse. They can just take the whole purse and you are defenseless.

2. The other reason is, that most people who do so just toss a gun in the purse without a holster. That’s a very easy way to have an accidental discharge. A pen or keys or anything really can go in the trigger guard and bump the trigger back, or you go to grab something out of the purse and it gets tripped up and pulls the trigger. If you want to purse carry use a holster, or a dedicated CCW purse with its own compartment is an option.

They make so many cool bags for concealing a firearm: backpacks, fanny packs, slings, computer bags, gym bags, purses. Some look tactical and definitely telegraph there is a firearm in that bag, most look like a regular old bag. CCW-specific bags will have a dedicated compartment for the firearm to be separated from the rest of the items you keep in a bag.

Now carrying this way doesn’t mean you should toss a gun in a bag and think you are good. Train. Train to get that gun out of the bag when you need to get it out. Practice getting to your weapon, drawing it, and getting it in the action. It’s no different than practicing your normal draw during dry fire. Practice drawing from the bag sitting down, standing up, from the seat next to you in the car, and kneeling down with the bag next to you. There’s never a time when you will say I practiced too many scenarios. Find something that works for you and practice, practice, practice.

-Cano

This past weekend a couple of us participated in Pistol one at the Impact Shooting Center in Cleves, Ohio. Normally Shane Cardwell with the help of recent Impact Shoot 2 patch winner Bryan Flannagan. Due to outside circumstances, Shane was not able to instruct this class, so Bryan and our USPSA Master Class shooter Peter Woolard took over for Shane. Peter has been wanting to get into instructing so this all worked out for him and he crushed it. Bryan is always extremely helpful in getting people comfortable on the range, having Peter there as well just made it even better. Both guys have helped me go from shooting maybe 3-4 times in my life to 2 years later being pretty confident in what I can do now.

The class itself was your bare-bones pistol 101. Getting people comfortable with a pistol and getting people ready to carry a firearm safely and responsibly. Grip. Sights. Trigger. Reloads. Very basic but very important things to know. I think fundamentals are one of the most overlooked things in any discipline. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the fundamentals are key, sure there are fancy moves and super high technique moves, they are all based on a fundamental base. When I started at AIM, Shooting was just something you did, when I started actually shooting with these guys, shooting was no different than learning jiu-jitsu or any other martial art. You have a strong fundamental base you can do anything else the sport evolves into.

I have taken this class and versions of it I want to say 4 times now, I made the choice to take a brand new gun to learn and I am very glad I did. The grip on this gun vs my M&P is completely different but also the mechanics of the firearm are different so it was a very good refresher. Had I taken it with my m&p I still would have learned something and further drilled in the fundamentals but that is me, I like going over something again and again. Another person, they may just take it once and be bored taking it again. I don’t mind drilling the basics until it’s automatic, I think I may take a pistol 1 class once a year, almost like spring training for baseball players.

Bryan does a tremendous job explaining things much like Shane does. An expert shooter and someone shooting a gun for the first time will both understand what is being explained. Pete did a great job for his first time, he can shoot like the best of them so seeing him share what he does to get that good is awesome. Whenever there’s something I don’t get or understand I go to Pete or I just copy what he does until I figure it out. I hope he gets the chance to teach more in the future.

I wish I had taken more pictures during the class but I was too into learning some new things! If you have a chance to take classes, do them. There is no reason to not always get better. Skills in shooting perish, refresh em!

Here is a dump of the rest of the shots I managed to get.

-Cano