Author: James Cano

I am exhausted. I had a two-day class with Gabe White and shot 941 rounds over those two days with the majority of them coming on day 2. Three days off and I was right back in the mix with the pistol performance class with the best-concealed shooter on the planet: Donovan Moore of Point 1 Tactics.

This was my third class with Donovan and this class was the most stacked lineup of shooters I have been in. Everyone was at a higher level than in prior classes I have been in, and it was great for pushing us all to perform at our highest level.

Day 1. The infamous cold start v1. This is one of my favorite drills to get started with, over the last year I went from not being able to run it clean and overthinking to being able to run it clean under time and then push it further and go for expert time. Unfortunately for me, I tend to throw one shot every single time I am on pace to pass it. 8.38 and missed my last shot on the last small logo. If you are not familiar with this cold start, I posted a blog about it a couple months ago so go check that out. If you want more info on it, check out point 1 tactics website.

The rest of day 1 was a blast. We all came to shoot and pushed eachother to perform, work the trigger, get your sights, get your hits. Blend speed and accuracy. We got to take a run at the hardest standards out right now. The 007 Standards. Here is a quick rundown of the standards that out of thousands only 5 have passed.

Stage 1:  15yds / 5rds within 2.6 seconds.  Hits must be in ‘A’ zone

Stage 2:  10yds / 2rds within 1.9 seconds.  Hits must be in 4″ x 4″ head zone.

Stage 3:  7yds / 2rds Reload 4rds in 4.99 seconds.  All hits must be in 4″ x 4″ head zone.

Stage 4:  3yds / 6rds in 1.99 seconds.  All hits must be in ‘A’ zone.

Every stage will be ran back 2 back for a total of 8 runs.  38 total rounds.

6 out of the 8 runs must be clean & you must have at least one passing run on each stage.

Mulligans are allowed:  1 per stage.

Starting positions are as follows:  Hands relaxed, Hands at side, Hands High Thoracic.  You are NOT allowed to prep your garment.

Stage 4, you will be REQUIRED to start with hands at high thoracic.  On the beep you MUST initiate movement backwards and not pause until course of fire is complete.  No rolling, or leaning, you must walk backwards.

Some people chose to start at the 15 yard stage and most chose to start bill drill. I was shooting really well, I knew I was not going to crush these, my hands were shot from the last class of shooting so going into this I wasn’t pumped on my grip. One by one people bowed out from not getting hits or not making time. My goal was to gauge time on first run, then crush it second since bill drills always get me. 2.02 just over time all clean. I knew I needed a faster split time so I locked in to a hole in the zone I wanted to hit and did not remove my eyes from it until I completed the stage. 1.82 clean and on to stage 2.

Stage 2 is one I knew I had no chance at, I never practice reloads or dry fire for that matter. This was going to bite me. beep. I step backwards like I am supposed to be walking backwards again. Somehow just barely over the time with a 5.04. That screwed me, I knew I could get it done and all i could think about was passing it instead of shooting. Beep. 4 clean, reload. first shot out of the headbox second shot dead center. I’m out and I knew it as soon as I fired the first shot. The next 4 guys go. I was the only person who made it past stage 1, I will take that small victory.

We finish out day 2 with some solid shooting but everyone is spent from the heat and putting in all the work. I am ready to go home.

Day 2. The second class to get a run at the brand new cold start v2. Reading what it was and then visualizing it, i thought it would be a lot harder than v1. I was way wrong, I feel like it is actually easier somehow than v1. Everyone was a shot away or slightly over the time as they made the way down the line to myself. My turn came and decided run it clean since I know I can do the speed portion, lets see how I do. Missed 1 damn shot. Second shot off the reload, I tired to get to the other logo faster than I should have and left early, broke the shot as I was transitioning to the other logo. Oh well, at least next time I know I can run it clean and for time.

After we did the standards we worked on transitions and attack control movement and shots. So much fun, so much work to do. We finished the day running micro USPSA Stages and we got to see just how absurd Donovan is vs even a Master Class Shooter. He walked a stage and scored higher than everyone by a ton. Effortless but so precise and dialed in. Insane to see in person.

I loved this class, a lot of it was because of the way Donovan teaches and encourages you to perform. It may be because I come from a sports background, but that’s what you want to be pushed to perfom at a level you know you are capable of. The other reason I loved it so much was because of the people nobody was light years ahead of anybody except our own Peter Woolard. Everyone was pushing eachother and competing and talking trash, it was great. Good People, Good Times. There are a couple of people I may want to take a class with but I think I will always do Donovans classes when they come around, its the best in the industry by far. If you have the chance to take one, do it!

-Cano

This weekend I was fortunate enough to take a two-day class with Gabe White. You may not know the name but I am willing to bet your favorite shooter knows precisely who he is. Gabe is a wizard, he does not look like a tactical bro or your average gun guy at all. The amount of information and knowledge he has to share is mindblowing. He doesn’t just have the info and explain it, he can back it all up with his shooting….on an iron sight Glock! Yes, I said iron sights.

Gabe is not just your average instructor who just trains people who want to get better. He is actually the current Chief Instructor of Public Range FTU and public defensive handgun training program for Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office at the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas, Oregon. Gabe is also an incredible shooter. Some of his accomplishments are:

• Master class in USPSA Limited Division shooting carry gear from concealment
• Master class in GSSF
• FAST Challenge Coinholder #09
• One of only four people worldwide to clean the Rogers Shooting School Test
• Only person worldwide to clean the Rogers Shooting School Test from concealment
• LFI Judicious Use of Deadly Force Instructor
• NRA-certified Pistol Instructor
• Over 800 hours of formal defensive handgun and emergency training as a student
• Defensive handgun practitioner since 1999
• Defensive handgun instructor since 2007

Insane resume from a guy you would never expect to be THAT guy and I love it.

His class is probably the most valuable you can get in any class. 8am to 6:30pm no lunch break, constant information and knowledge but not overwhelming. He takes time to work with you individually where you need it and answers any and every question.

Day 1 was a lot of the standard stuff you will see at most classes. Grip, Sights, Trigger. A good amount of training before you start the fun stuff and run his performance tests for the almighty Turbo Pin. You run two tests on day one and two on day two. Day one tests are a bill drill and failure to stop. Day two is immediate incapacitation and a split bill drill. Very doable tests for your average shooter if you are locked in and shooting well. This was not the case for a lot of the better shooters in the class, I will throw myself in that category. I felt off the whole day, it was hot and I was drained mentally by the end of the day when we started the tests. I also was just not feeling it, didn’t really wanna shoot.

The Bill Drill. Normally I can run it clean sub 2 seconds no problem, usually, 1.8 -1.99, right around there with the occasional over 2 second time. This day was just rough. I ran 1.92 with charlie which pushed my time over the turbo pin time, second run I had a horrible grip and ran 2.33 clean. The biggest issue I am having aside from my grip and desire to shoot: the timer. I am reacting way too late and it’s not our normal stand by one second goes by the beep. He has it set to random, I cannot game this.

After Stage 1: 1 light run, 1 dark run

Stage 2 is the 2 to the chest and 1 to the head.

My hands were shot, and my grip strength was nonexistent but I was ready to just get it done. I didn’t take any of the practice reps to keep my hands rested. 1.71 with a shot outside the circle so no pin there and 1.72 clean. Had I not missed that one shot I would have 3 Light runs on Day one. No turbo times. Not a complete failure of where I wanted to be but close. I know I can run them all for time, now I just had to do it perfectly the next day 4 times in a row.

After Stage 2: 1 dark run, 2 light runs

Day two was wet and windy for a little which ended up working in my favor, we moved the tests up sooner so we would avoid the potential lighting storm. First up were the 2 headshots.

This one should be harder but I have always found this to be the easiest one, 1.71 and 1.78 clean but felt like it took forever. Two Turbo times to start the day. Now I had pressure to run the last drill and get my turbo pin.

After Stage 3: 1 dark run, 2 light runs, 2 turbo runs. Light Pin acquired.

The last and final stage. The split bill drill., 4 to the body and 2 to the head. I always mess this one up because we always do the 3-2 so that extra shot to the body makes me think.

First, run, I did not love my draw so I knew I had to run fast splits to make up the time.

2.14 clean, I was shocked I thought I for sure went over the minimum 2.6

Now the pressure was on, all I needed to do was draw clean and shoot it.

I got anxious and almost jumped the beep, threw my first shot, and confirmed it for what felt like forever before finishing the drill. I missed a turbo pin by one inch and that penalty cost me to go over time by .10

Instantly pissed at myself because I had it and dropped the first shot. Oh well, you live and you learn. Gabe was happy with my recovery and overall performance so even though I came up short, I know I can get it.

The class was a ton of fun, a ton of learning, and some good competition which the two guys from AIM cleaned up on. Both of us from AIM won competitions and both of us got light pins. Not a bad weekend for the boys.

Gabe teaches an awesome class, I think right after pistol 2 or whatever a more advanced pistol class is, once you are really comfortable shooting and have a solid draw this is the class to take first. Take this and absorb everything you can, pick his brain, and get dialed in. I personally think this is the best class to take after the basics. Once you have this class, then take a Modern Samurai Class and when you are feeling really solid, take some classes with Donovan at Point 1 Tactics.

Gabe is a great instructor with just an endless amount of knowledge from beginning to end, from grip to trigger manipulation all the way into the more advanced day two barrier use and defensive-based shooting. Just a great time and a great value, you truly get your money’s worth in his class, and the most important part, you leave a better shooter than when you arrived. Take this class!

We get cool stuff in all the time. Police trade-ins, customers selling us something they want to unload, lots of different opportunities. Recently we had the opportunity to grab a really cool sniper rifle. A French FR F2 rifle to be exact. The FR F2 is the 7.62x51mm version of France’s FR F1 sniper rifle which was then redesigned and re-barreled to accept the 7.62x51mm cartridge when France began using standard NATO ammunition.

The FR F2 Sniper Rifle was first pressed into service in 1986 to meet the French military’s demands for a precision rifle that could accurately strike targets at ranges up to 800 meters. Both versions were built to be a Squad Sniper Rifle rather than a Designated Marksman Rifle.

Mechanically, the FR F2’s action is identical to the French military’s primary rifle of WWII, the MAS-36. The bolt utilizes dual rear locking lugs, a sizable flat spring extractor, and a fixed ejector – this elegantly simple configuration makes disassembly/assembly quick and easy and makes sure you have reliability even in the worst conditions. To get the best accuracy, the FR F2 employs a free-floating barrel which is topped with a proprietary muzzle device that can be finely tuned to the user’s preference. The FR F2’s features a thermal shield that covers the barrel and part of the receiver. This was chosen to conceal the weapon from night vision and thermal devices that would detect the heat generated from firing multiple shots. The thermal shield is also used to alleviate the mirage caused by heat coming off the barrel. The FR F2 also includes a unique integrated bipod, which attaches to the rifle by a sleeve that sits over the barrel. This bipod structure allows the rifle to effectively “hang” from the bipod instead of “sitting” on the bipod and allows for some degree of swivel movement. Other features of the FR F2 include a wide, flat-bottomed surface on the handguard, allowing the rifle to be braced on a surface.

This week I picked a really cool gun from a brand people may be sleeping on. Tisas/SDS imports have been making noise in the 1911 world with their budget-friendly 1911 lineup. Now you may be thinking oh it’s a cheap 1911, it’s probably junk. You would be wrong. These 1911s are probably the best sub-800 dollar 1911s you can get. There are a couple options that go above $1,000 starting but they have 16 total options, so 14 of them are below $1,000. The quality is there, they are built very very well and even the super snobby 1`911 fans have acknowledged the quality of these pistols. They are not just .45, they come in 9mm and even 10mm!

The pistol I am wanting to highlight in their lineup is the Tisas 1911 D10 which is chambered in 10mm.

The spec sheet alone speaks for itself.
– 5″ Hammer Forged Barrel
– Forged Full-Size Length Slide w/ Front and Rear Cocking Serrations
– Forged Stainless Steel Full-Size Frame
– 25LPI Checkering Front Strap w/ Trigger Under Cut
– Stainless Flat Mainspring Housing w/ 25LPI Checkering
– G10 Target Grips
– Flared and Lowered Ejection Port
– Ambidextrous Safety
– LPA Small Blade Adj. Rear Sight, Serrated Black Front Sight. (Bomar Cut)
– Series 70 Internals
– Includes 2 Magazines, Cleaning Kit and Owners Manual
– Waterproof and Lockable Hard Case, w/ Fitted Cut Foam Insert
– Weight 2.40 lbs. (Unloaded)

Without getting into the ballistics and argument of .45 over other calibers, I think this is a great option for home defense or if you want to carry it.

Check one out!

-Cano

At AimSurplus we don’t just sell guns and ammunition.  We actually love shooting.  Many on our staff spend their weekends at the range running drills and honing their shooting skills.  We believe that as responsible gun owners and concealed carriers it is our responsibility to be the best shooters we can be.  This is why we train, and we train hard.  Out of that training among our staff came the idea and desire to create something special that we are excited to share with the entire shooting community:

The AimSurplus Training Target

We have created a Free Printable Range Target to help us all become better shooters.  The best part of our target is its adaptability to multiple types of shooting drills and exercises.  You can take this one target to the range and shoot for hours honing different skills.  Our target utilizes:

• • Standard B8 Accuracy Target – Used for zeroing, accuracy, and drills like the Super Test and the No Fail Test.
  • Two 2” squares with 1” squares inside of them – Used for throttle control, target transitions, and hold-over tests.

This target offers so many different options for training on your own, but we are taking it a step further.   Every month starting in September 2022 we will be releasing a competitive shooting drill that anyone can participate in at your own ranges. These drills are designed by us and a few of our select friends and trainers in the industry. The drills will change each month and will challenge us all to become better shooters.  Send us a video of you passing or tag us on social media and you will get a reward directly from AimSurplus.

AimSurplus Drill 1.1–

1. From 7yards, you will start from Concealment. Draw and fire 4 rounds within the 9 or 10 ring circles.

2. Followed by 1 shot into either of the top 2in squares.

3. You will then perform a slide lock reload.

4. Fire 4 more shots into the 9 or 10 rings.

5. Finishing with 1 shot into the opposite top 2in square.

Passing time is 7 Seconds with Expert time being 6 seconds. If you pass, tag us in the video @aimsurplus on Facebook or Instagram.

This week I have what might be the best bang for your buck AR10 you can get. This is the Sig Sauer 716i Tread SnakeBite Special Edition. This thing is loaded. All you need is an optic and you are ready to go.

The 716i TREAD series of rifles gets an upgrade with the introduction of the 716i TREAD SNAKEBITE SE. The new TREAD SNAKEBITE SE offers the same features as the amazing TREAD SNAKEBITE with some added upgrades. 

The unique Flashhider/Compensator combo provides minimal flash and reduced muzzle rise, a two-stage Matchlite trigger delivers an ultralight trigger pull for increased accuracy and the Cerakote finished receivers and barrels offer maximum protection. And like all TREAD models, the SNAKEBITE SE works with the complete line of TREAD accessories. SIG MATCHLITE Flat-Blade Trigger and full ambi controls set this rifle in a league of its own.

As you may or may not know, Aim gets law enforcement trade-in firearms and equipment pretty often, almost monthly. Usually, it is your typical Glocks/ M&P/ Sig firearms, once in a while, some shotguns or even some rifles will come in. On occasion, we get really, really cool stuff like 6 months ago when we had some Remington R700 rifles come in, or last year we had Benneli short barrel shotguns come in.

Today we have a wonderful treasure chest of guns to sort through and grade. Tons of Rock River ARs, a bunch of Benelli shotguns, random revolvers, and even some 1911s

When these come in, we will lay all the duplicates out and check them over, look at conditions and then grade them. Once they are graded they will get put on the website for people to swoop up. Anything that is 1 off or something maybe with a blem will be in the showroom locally. If there happens to be anything super rare or unique, that will get a full go-over and then tossed on the website as well.

Stay tuned because these things are not going to stick around!

-Cano

I wanted to toss a couple questions to the new black belt patch winner Peter Woolard!

1. What is your prior firearm experience?

I’ve been shooting seriously for about 4 years now.  I have attended multiple classes from some very high-level instructors including Donovan Moore of Point One Tactics, World/National Champion Bob Vogel, World/National Champion Ben Stoeger with Joel Park, and now finally Scott Jedlinski aka the Modern Samurai Project.  I’ve been shooting USPSA for almost three years now and shooting in the Carry Optics Division for the last two.  Near the end of last season, I reached the rank of Master which translates to being in the top 15% of shooters in the division.

2. What firearm/setup were you shooting?

For the first two days of class, I was shooting my Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 4.25″ that was optic cut and chunk ported by Monsoon Tactical.  I have a Holosun 509t red dot, Streamlight TLR-1 HL flashlight, Floyd’s Custom magwell, and Apex Tactical flat-faced trigger installed.  For a holster, I was using my Axis Elite from Tier One Concealed with Discreet Carry Concepts clips.  On the third day, I used my competition setup which is another M&P 2.0 4.25″ also optic cut by Monsoon Tactical for a Trijicon SRO.  Also installed are a Streamlight TLR-1 and Apex Tactical flat-faced trigger.  The belt I use for the competition is a Shooters Connection two-piece competition belt with a Henry Holsters hanger and a Trex Arms Ragnarok holster.  My mag carriers are from Double Alpha Academy.

3. What did you hope to learn going into this class?

I was hoping to learn how to diagnose problems with my own shooting as well as be able to do the same for others.  On top of that learning Scott’s draw and his grip on the gun specifically.  I had heard it from multiple friends who have trained with him before but I wanted to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak.

4. What was your biggest takeaway from the class?

I had a couple big takeaways.  One was from Scott’s explanation of his grip.  He teaches his grip in reverse which I think is very helpful because it takes the draw completely out of the picture until you have the fundamentals down.  His “wave” technique has been explained to me before but not in the exact terms that he uses which I think are very precise and easy to understand.  My other main takeaway came from just listening to him as he was helping the other students as well as myself.  If we were having issues with something he would diagnose what has happened very quickly and give us a clear path on how to fix it.  On the flip side of that, if everything was going very well and we weren’t having problems he wouldn’t try and find something to nitpick like some instructors would.

5. What area did you improve the most?

I think my biggest improvement in the class was, again, learning how to diagnose problems in my own and other people’s shooting.  I have a couple adjustments to my grip that I plan on implementing as well.  Rather than just trying to crush the gun with my support hand I want to try and focus specifically on applying upward pressure with my pointer finger and inward pressure with my pinky.

6. Is there anything you thought you would learn but did not?

Nope

7. What did you think of Scott’s teaching style?

You can tell that Scott’s curriculum has been pretty much perfected through hundreds of classes with everyone from FBI agents and other Law Enforcement to your average citizen who just wants to be more proficient with their handgun.  He makes concepts easy to understand by not using big confusing words that don’t really mean anything and keeps things relatively light with his terrible jokes.  He makes sure to demo each concept live in front of the class so you can see exactly what he means in action.

8. Are you interested in taking the instructor class?

I would love to take his instructor class.  Teaching people how to be more proficient with their firearms has been a goal of mine for the past few years after I started taking shooting more seriously.  Even after this class as I have mentioned, I feel much more capable and confident explaining different concepts to people who might not be as far along in their journey as I am.

9. How did you feel going into the standards, did you have nerves of steel or jello?

The first day going into shooting the Black Belt Standards I didn’t feel too much in the way of nerves until right after I finished the third iteration which is the Bill Drill.  After I passed that then I definitely got a little shaky.  Walking to the 25 I looked back and the target looked tiny.  I ended up missing that shot by about 1/2″ in 1.43 seconds and walked away with a 3/4 patch.  On day two I tried to boost myself up all day constantly thinking about how I was going to crush it and it worked out.  Once again though when we got back to 25 the target looked small, but not as small as day one.  Doing a couple practice draws and checking my dot brightness I noticed that it was the most I had ever seen the dot shake that I could remember so I took a couple deep breaths to try and calm myself down.  As soon as I pulled the trigger I knew it was a good hit but wasn’t sure if I made the time constraint so when Scott yelled out “1.47” an instant wave of relief hit me.  Coming into day three I was on top of the world.  I wanted to be the first person to get two Black Belt patches in one class as well as the first person to get one from AIWB and OWB.  Running my competition setup meant that I had to do every iteration .1 second faster than from concealment though so I knew I needed to push it.  I passed the 3×2 by a very good margin and stepped off the line to wait for my turn at the single shot from 7 yards and proceeded to get in my own head.  I focused too much on pushing myself that I ended up throwing the shot low right in .7 something seconds.  I should’ve taken a mulligan and reset but I wasn’t patient enough.  I passed the Bill drill and 25-yard shot so I ended up with another 3/4 patch which was a good consolation prize but definitely left me feeling upset with myself.

10. What’s next for you?

The next step is continuing my own training.  I’m going to start implementing the techniques I learned in this class to become more consistent and be a better shooter overall.  On top of that, I’ll be passing on things that I have learned to my friends who are also committed to improving and willing to put in the work.  My main shooting goal currently is to make Grandmaster (top 5%) in Carry Optics which I definitely feel I am prepared to do.  

-Cano

If you have taken classes or trained even via youtube, chances are you have heard of Scott Jedlinski of Modern Samurai Project. If you want to learn the red dot, he’s the man to see. Everyone and their mother has a standard to run where you get a coin or a patch. A lot of them you can submit video proof and get your patch. The actual shooters know, that the hardest ones to earn are done in person, under the pressure of the instructor and the whole class watching you perform on demand. There are no 400 takes to get it right, you get one shot and if you do not pass, you have to wait till the next class.

Let’s take a look at Jedi’s standards :

To earn the MSP Black Belt Patch you must pass these four standards in one of his classes. They must be done in this order and consecutively.
 1. 3&2 Drill. 3 yards. 3 shots to the COM Alpha then transition to 2 rounds on a 3×5 card in the head box. Par is 2.0 seconds.

2. 1 Shot Drill @ 7 yards. 1 shot to COM Alpha. Par is 1.0 second

3. Bill Drill. 7 yards. 6 shots to COM Alpha. Par is 2.0 seconds.

4. 1 Shot Drill @ 25 yards. 1 shot to COM Alpha. Par is 1.5 second

Black Belt STANDARDS

All standards are from concealment. If not concealed, then the following will be added to your time:
any holster no retention – Add .10 seconds.

(Time is 2.00 add .1 for total of 2.10)
ALS + SLS – Subtract .1
ALS Only – No extra time added

Nothing crazy, its all doable…but under pressure and back to back… you need to be on your game and dialed in to get even 2/4. I have seen really really good shooters come up short. I have seen insane shooters pass it. I have seen tons of people fail miserably. It is all part of the game.

That is where Peter Woolard comes in. We have a lot of really good shooters here, in fact, I would put our top 6 up against any shop in the country’s top 6. We all like you to train, and we all get out there and train fairly often. Peter takes it to a different level. I pride myself on being one of the hardest workers in the room, whether it’s working out or drilling something until it is automatic. I enjoy putting in the work and enjoy it more after someone I’m working with says alright I’m done. Pete takes it to a different level.

Pete is a Master class shooter in USPSA and should be Grand Master by next year at the latest. The crazy part is, he’s not some guy whos been doing this for years. In the last 2 years, he’s gotten very serious in his training. Dry fire daily, train Saturday, compete Monday. Repeat year round. He has mini USPSA targets in his living room, if you walk by his house you will probably see him dry firing.

This weekend Pete became number 19 of thousands of people, to earn the black belt patch. I guessed a couple thousand but Pete informed me Scott and he had done some math on it and it’s close to 9,000 people. Some of the best shooters in the world have not passed this test. Pete smoked them. On day 1 he was 3/4 and missed the patch by 1/2″ on the 25-yard shot. Day 2 he burned it down and earned patch #19.

We are super proud of Peter and his hard work.