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.

Carrying a firearm should be comfortable. Some people carry full-size pistols and have no issues with them, but many people want to carry a small-footprint gun so it’s easier to conceal and more comfortable.

We have some great options like this Hellcat

Maybe you aren’t a Springfield fan. We have some great Glock options like the 48 MOS.

If you want something even smaller than the 48, we have the 43x!

In addition to those, we have this Shield Plus and the 365 lineups!

Choosing one of them should not be done based on size alone, I highly recommend trying them all out first. Shoot them, narrow it down by which one you shoot the best not which one just feels the best. Once you have your mind made up come on down and grab one!

-Cano

I have been waiting to get one of these back in stock for quite some time. If you follow USPSA and competitive shooting you know there are two guys crushing it right now Max Michel and JJ Racaza. I wish buying a gun they use would give you their skillset instantly but that is not the case. The firearm I am featuring today is Max Michel’s Custom Works Model.

The SIG SAUER P320MAX is a 9mm striker-fired pistol optimized for competition at the highest levels, specifically in the Carry Optics division.  The pistol is built around the TXG tungsten-infused heavy XFULL grip module with a flat skeletonized trigger.  The SIG Custom Works P320MAX slide was redesigned entirely with custom wrap-around serrations for ideal side and top manipulation and is fit with a 5” match grade bull barrel, one-piece stainless steel guide rod, and both a 14lb. and 12lb. 1911-style recoil spring, allowing for an easily customized shooting experience.  The pistol comes standard with a SIG SAUER Electro-Optics 6MOA ROMEO3MAX, and four 21rd Steel Magazines…enough for any competition set-up!

This week, I wanted to keep it “simple” Focus on fundamentals, get a good draw, get your trigger prepped, and go. So I went with the Bill Drill.

No reloads, no movement unless you want to do a retreating billy.

Bill drills are a solid way to warm up or find some flaws in your system. You are going to have to dial in your draw, focus on getting the sight picture, prepping the trigger, and then manage the recoil. Finding little flaws will help speed up time and make you more accurate.

The instructions for the bill drill are as follows.

1. Draw your weapon
2. Fire 6 rounds into the target
3. A zone hits are the goal
4. Time: everyone has different standards for the time. From 3 yards under 1.8 should be easily attainable. 5 yards and 7 yards people have different acceptable rates. I personally think at 5 yards it should be under 1.8 seconds as well. At 7, which is the “standard” distance, under 1.99 seconds is passing most standards. I think a better measure when starting out is to run it from whatever distance you want, do it 3 times. For the first run, do it cleanly and not worry about time but make a note of the time. For the second run, go as fast as you possibly can being safe, and take note of the time. For the third run, find a balance of those two speeds and times, and go for that. Set your base time and make that your goal to beat every time you run it.

Running this drill one of the most important components is the draw. If you start off with a bad draw you waste time correcting it to get back to where you need to be. If that draw leads to a bad grip when presenting you either fix it or run it with a bad grip and miss your shots. On the other side of it, if your draw is dialed in, it’s fast out of the holster, and you are presented and ready to fire, you have more time to make your shots.

Go grab some USPSA Targets, set them up, and head to the range to put in some work!

-Cano