Training From Beginner to Advanced
Instructors
Chris
Chris is a Deputy Marshal with Otterbein Police Department and holds numerous instructor certifications including Rangemaster Advanced Instructor, Pistol Instructor through Defense Training International, Red Dot Pistol Instructor through Modern Samurai Project, and a Certified Graduate of Active Self Protection Instructor cohort. In addition to teaching at Applied Ballistics, Chris runs his own training company called "Practical Guardian" and is a board member of the Tippecanoe County Conservation Club. He travels around the country regularly continuing to train. Chris has been a member of the Applied Ballistics team since 2015.
Trainings
Firearms Training
Applied Ballistics is your headquarters for Firearm Education. Whether you are an experienced shooter, or a novice, we have the course for you. We offer a wide range of curriculum including, but not limited to:
Introduction to Shooting
Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals
Introduction to Defensive Pistol
Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals
Defensive Pistol 2 – Core Skills
Defensive Pistol 3 – Beyond the Basics
Defensive Pistol 4 – Advanced Skills
At Applied Ballistics, we believe in safety first. All of our classes are conducted on site by qualified firearm instructors with full credentials and years of experience.
We encourage students to use their own firearm and ammunition during most classes (Introduction to Shooting only uses Applied Ballistics equipment). However, rental guns are available upon request with purchase of ammunition.
“Guns, Force, the Law and You!”
– Legal Issues & Use of Force
Class Level: Anyone/Any Experience Level
Class Type: Classroom
Class Length: 3 hours
Prerequisites: None
Cost: $50/Person
Student Required Equipment: Note-taking material and any questions you have!
Description: Have you ever considered what happens AFTER a self defense situation? Do you know what Indiana Law has to say about the use of a firearm or other tool to defend yourself? These are just a couple of the numerous questions that we will discuss in class.
This class will discuss the following topics:
Legal Definitions such as Use of Force, Battery, Castle Doctrine, etc.
What makes one case Self Defense and another case Murder?
Ramifications of Use of Force.
What are your options for self defense?
Dispel popular “myths” surrounding self defense
Whether you carry a gun daily, have just purchased your first firearm or don’t own a gun at all, this class is for you! Too often defensive encounters get looked at through the lens of “shoot or no shoot” without considering the numerous options available to all of us beyond using a firearm.
As expected, this topic brings up a lot of questions and we look forward to helping you answer your questions!
Introduction to Shooting Class
Class Level: Beginner
Class Type: Classroom/Live Fire
Class Length: 2 hours
Prerequisites: None
Student Provided Equipment: None (we provide everything)
This will be the first in a series of entries that will describe our new class layout for shooters looking to develop their skillset with a handgun.
First I want to highlight our most popular course, which happens to also be our most basic. Introduction to Shooting is a class for the true beginner. This class spends the first hour in the classroom where we discuss gun safety, the common reasons people seek training, and basic handgun shooting technique. We start at the beginning and work our way through how to handle a gun safely, how to hold it, how to load it, how to stand, and how to use the sights and trigger properly.
Spending this time in the classroom gives us a chance to demonstrate the techniques we are teaching to students who may have never held a gun before. We have students that are nervous starting out and we understand that. We strive to move slowly and help students gain the confidence needed to feel comfortable and safe when they first handle a firearm.
This isn’t to say that the class offers nothing for someone who has some experience. We often have couples take this class where one person is completely new and the other has been shooting for years or even decades. If the more experienced party has never had any formal training they invariably come away with new knowledge. Shooting is like any other physical skill, you don’t know what you don’t know. Our professional training staff can expose people who have been around guns their entire lives to techniques they have never encountered, even in a beginner class.
The Range
Once we finish in the classroom we move to the range. We conduct this portion of the class when the range is closed so that we are not distracted by other shooters. We start with some basic handling of the firearms used in this class. We teach students how to approach a firearm that is in an unknown condition and confirm it is unloaded and safe to handle. We then walk them through what is known as dry handling. We go through the motions of firing the handguns but without ammunition, which allows students to get a feel for the operation of the handgun without the noise and recoil of live fire.
After the dry handling we move on to live fire. In the live fire session we begin with loading and shooting one shot at a time under close supervision. As students become more comfortable and demonstrate they understand the safety principles of using the handgun we move on to longer stings.
What Does the Student Need?
One of the most common questions about a class is: what does a student need to take the course? For Introduction to Shooting the short answer is: nothing but a desire to learn.
For the Introduction to Shooting class we provide literally everything. We provide the gun, the ammo, the eye and ear protection, the targets, and most importantly the knowledge. We start shooters in this class with a handgun that is easy to use in the small .22LR caliber. We use this equipment because it is low noise, low recoil, and user friendly. It is a great way to start, using the lower powered .22LR round allows us to introduces a beginner with little or no experience to live fire without creating bad habits that can form with excessive recoil and noise. For this reason, students cannot bring their own guns for this class. Everyone starts with the same gun. If you want a class that teaches you to use your own gun, our Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals class would be more appropriate.
Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals
Class Level: Beginner
Class Length: 2 hours
Prerequisites: Intro to Shooting Recommended
Student Provided Equipment: The student will be expected to have a reliable handgun and serviceable ammunition. A semi-automatic or a revolver is acceptable and any common handgun caliber is acceptable (no rifle caliber handguns). No holster is needed but we recommend at least two magazines or revolver loading devices (speed loaders, speed strips, moon clips, etc).
Round Count: 75-100
Equipment
This is the first class in our lineup that the student will provide their own gun and ammunition. We encourage shooters to take this class with whatever handgun they intend to use regularly. This is a good class to get comfortable with your particular handgun and learn to use it effectively. Any reliable handgun, semi-auto or revolver, is welcome. Just about any common handgun caliber is acceptable. Rifle caliber handguns are not permitted.
Shooting for this class will be done from the shooting table in the standard lanes so no holster or magazine carrier is required. We do recommend having at least two magazines or revolver loading devices for this class so that time isn’t wasted loading on the firing line but one will suffice.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will start with a refresher on things like grip and stance. We find that most shooters have some wrinkles in this area that need to be adjusted and a little work here will often produce significant improvement. We will start shooting at close range and gradually work our way to longer ranges. During these drills the instructors will evaluate students’ techniques and results and provide feedback to help assist the student in refining their skills and correcting any bad habits that may be detrimental to accuracy.
The round count for this class is 75 to 100 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the range session and in between live fire session to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor. It is possible to shoot more than 100 rounds if that student wants to, so it is never a bad idea to bring extra.
The Skills Evaluation
This is the first class where we will have a skills evaluation at the end. The evaluation for this course will be a simple bullseye course of fire. It is scored and based on that score we can determine if the student should focus on continuing marksmanship training or if they are ready to move on to the next level. This evaluation isn’t something to get nervous about, it is simply a tool used by our instructors to help students evaluate their own performance so they are not getting bored or getting overwhelmed.
Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals is a class that covers exactly what the title implies. It is a class for a pistol shooter that wants to improve their accuracy with a handgun.
Shooting a handgun isn’t difficult. Shooting a handgun well is very difficult. The majority of handgun owners are not very accurate with their handguns. Shooting a handgun accurately presents a challenge that requires a larger degree of skill than most tasks a person undertakes. We won’t presume to turn a student into a champion bullseye shooter in a single short class, but we will help the average shooter improve their basic marksmanship considerably.
The Marksmanship Fundamentals class works on the foundations of accurate shooting. We will show students the most effective means to ensure that they can operate a handgun with practical marksmanship. This is a skill required before any other skills can be mastered. If a student can’t reliably hit what they are shooting at, the rest isn’t important.
Introduction to Pistol Optics
Class Level: Anyone/Any Experience Level
Class Type: Classroom & Live Fire
Class Length: 3 hours
Round Count: 25
Cost: $60/Person
Prerequisites: Intro to Shooting Recommended
Student Required Equipment: Note-taking material and any questions you have. Handguns with Pistol Optics will be provided as will ammunition. If you have your own handgun that has a pistol-mounted optic on it and would like to use it instead, feel free to bring it. Eye and Ear protection is suggested, but if you don’t have your own, we have loaners available.
Description: Pistol Mounted Optics (often called “Red Dots” or “RDS”) are commonly seen on firearms today, but their use is still often not understood. This class will introduce the Pistol Mounted optic including the following topics:
Why use them? What are the benefits of and “RDS”?
Are they reliable?
How do I easily “find the dot”?
Do I have to do anything special to my gun? How do I maintain an “RDS”?
This class will be a mix of both classroom discussion and time out on the shooting range experiencing being able to shoot using a pistol-mounted optic. If you’ve never really considered using a handgun with an optic on it, this class will help to show why it is a viable option. If you’ve tried and struggled to effectively use a handgun with an optic on it, this class is for you. And if there is a curiosity surrounding what all the interest in this technology is about, this class is Definitely for you!
Introduction to Defensive Pistol
Class Level: Beginner
Class Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 2 hours
Prerequisites: Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals Recommended
Student Provided Equipment: The student will be expected to have a reliable handgun and serviceable ammunition. A semi-automatic or a revolver is acceptable and any common handgun caliber is acceptable (no rifle caliber handguns). No holster is needed but we recommend at least two magazines or revolver loading devices (speed loaders, speed strips, moon clips, etc).
Round Count: 130-150
Introduction to Defensive pistol is our beginner class that takes students from a focus on accuracy to a focus on balancing speed and accuracy. When a handgun is being used for self defense the most critical skill a person needs is being able to make fast accurate hits at typical defensive shooting distances. Perfect hits and small groups are great, but in the context of self defense a person must learn to balance good enough accuracy with fast enough performance.
The drills we shoot in this class are all designed with this balance in mind. We will work on rapidly acquiring sights, pressing the trigger quickly without upsetting the sights, and controlling recoil to make follow up shots faster.
Equipment
Students will need to supply a handgun and ammunition for this class. We strongly encourage students to take this class with whatever handgun they intend to use for protection, either in the home or for carry. For this reason, we recommend using a defensive caliber handgun (at least a .380 but 9mm is better). You can take this class with a .22LR handgun, but we do not recommend the .22LR caliber for self defense.
All shooting in this introduction class will be done from the low ready inside the shooting stalls. No holster is needed. A magazine carrier isn’t needed but at least two magazines or revolver loading devices are needed to keep the pace of the class moving on schedule.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will start with a refresher and warm up on marksmanship fundamentals. After that we will dive straight into drills designed to improve speed. After some time is spent on the techniques that will support faster shooting, we introduce a timer so that students can evaluate their performance and gauge improvement against a standard.
The round count for this class is 130 to 150 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the live fire sessions to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. Time pressure is new to most shooters, even those with experience, if they have not engaged in competitive shooting or defensive pistol training. The standards for this test will not be excessively difficult, as this is a beginner level defensive pistol course. They are merely a gauge for whether the student is ready to advance to our next class, Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals.
Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals
Class Level: Beginner
Class Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 3 hours
Prerequisites: Introduction to Defensive Pistol is required unless you have prior training. If you have received prior training from another source email us before registering for this class.
Student Provided Equipment:
This class requires more equipment than our initial courses:
– A reliable handgun in a defensive caliber (.380ACP, .38 Spl, or larger)
– Quality practice ammunition that works in your handgun
– Quality belt (must fit properly and support all equipment)
– Quality holster worn on strong side hip or appendix
– Appropriate garment (gun and ammunition should be completely concealed but accessible)
– Minimum of 2 magazines or revolver loading devices (3 is strongly recommended, more is better)
– Magazine/speed loader carrier or pouch for spares
Round Count: 130-150
Defensive Pistol 1 is the natural progression of skills following our Intro to Defensive Pistol. Our intro class teaches shooters to balance speed and accuracy. This class adds drawing from a holster using concealment as well as reloading techniques.
Drawing from concealment and reloading are fundamental skills that any defensive shooter will want to master. By breaking them into a different class from speed vs accuracy (Intro to Defensive Shooting) we ensure that students looking to acquire and/or refine these skills are already at an acceptable level of speed and accuracy that they can focus on the new skills in the new class.
Equipment
Students will need to supply a handgun and ammunition for this class. We strongly encourage students to take this class with whatever handgun they intend to use for protection, either in the home or for carry. For this reason, we recommend using a defensive caliber handgun (at least a .380 but 9mm is better). You can take this class with a .22LR handgun, but we do not recommend the .22LR caliber for self defense.
All shooting in this introduction class will be done from the low ready inside the shooting stalls. No holster is needed. A magazine carrier isn’t needed but at least two magazines or revolver loading devices are needed to keep the pace of the class moving on schedule.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will start with a refresher and warm up on marksmanship fundamentals. After that we will dive straight into drills designed to improve speed. After some time is spent on the techniques that will support faster shooting, we introduce a timer so that students can evaluate their performance and gauge improvement against a standard.
The round count for this class is 130 to 150 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the live fire sessions to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. Time pressure is new to most shooters, even those with experience, if they have not engaged in competitive shooting or defensive pistol training. The standards for this test will not be excessively difficult, as this is a beginner level defensive pistol course. They are merely a gauge for whether the student is ready to advance to our next class, Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals.
Defensive Pistol 2 – Core Skills
Class Level: Intermediate
Class Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 3 hours
Prerequisites: Graduating Defensive Pistol 1 is required unless you have prior training.If you have received prior training from another source email us before registering for this class.
Student Provided Equipment:
This class requires the same equipment that you need for Defensive Pistol 1:
– A reliable handgun in a defensive caliber (.380ACP, .38 Spl, or larger)
– Quality practice ammunition that works in your handgun
– Quality belt (must fit properly and support all equipment)
– Quality holster worn on strong side hip or appendix
– Appropriate garment (gun and ammunition should be completely concealed but accessible) – Minimum of 2 magazines or revolver loading devices (3 is strongly recommended, more is better)
– Magazine/speed loader carrier or pouch for spares
Round Count: 130-150
Defensive Pistol 2 continues the progression begun in Intro to Defensive Pistol and Defensive Pistol 1. It is our first intermediate level class and it introduces skills such as malfunction clearance techniques that move beyond the basics. This class also covers adjusting shot cadence, which is more complex than shooting a single target at a specific range at a specific cadence. The drills in this class will require students to adjust their shooting cadence based on the range of their target and this is the first class we will go out beyond close range while working on speed vs accuracy.
Skills from previous defensive pistol classes will continue to be honed, such as drawing from concealment and reloading, but these will be combined with the new skills being introduced. As we add levels of skills used within a specific drill the complexity and difficulty increases. As students master more complex combinations of skills their mastery of pistol craft progresses.
Equipment
Equipment requirements for Defensive Pistol 2 are identical to Defensive Pistol 1. This class requires daily concealed carry equipment. Once you have this equipment, it will be usable for the remainder of our defensive pistol courses.
Any reliable magazine fed semi-automatic or double action revolver in a defensive caliber will work for this class. We recommend using a handgun that you intend to use for personal protection. What better way to hone your skills for self defense than using the same tool you plan to use in everyday life? Having said that, even a short class like this will be substantially more difficult with a pocket pistol. Pocket holsters are not permitted, so pocket pistols will still require standard holsters. Students will also need to understand that the skills will be harder to learn and the skills testing will be more difficult with such a handgun. Examples of what we call pocket pistols would be small .380s like the Ruger LCP or S&W .380 Bodyguard and small snub nose revolvers like the S&W 637 or Taurus 856. These guns can be used effectively for self defense but require considerably more skill than their mid to large counterparts.
To clarify what we mean by defensive caliber, we mean .380 ACP or larger in a semi-automatic and .38 Spl or larger in a revolver. A semi-auto in .380 ACP is common, so we allow them, but they are the absolute minimum caliber for a self defense handgun and we would recommend 9mm if a student is capable of using one. It is rare to see revolvers in calibers smaller than .38 Spl unless they are in .22LR. While .22LR handguns are great training tools, are fun to shoot, and inexpensive to shoot, we do not recommend the .22LR for any type of self defense. In addition, holsters and magazine carriers for .22LR handguns are far less common since these guns are not intended for self defense use.
The ammunition used for this class can be any ammunition that isn’t specifically banned from use on our range (such as tracer or armor piercing ammunition). Buying quality ammunition is critical because it has to function properly in the handgun in order for a student to work through the class and learn.
A holster and magazine carrier secured with a strong belt will be required. Both inside the waistband and outside the waistband holsters are acceptable. Cheap nylon holsters are not permitted. A quality polymer or leather holster secured to a strong belt that holds the handgun securely and completely covers the trigger and trigger guard is required. The holster must be positioned either on the strong side hip or strong side appendix location for safety reasons. We cannot accommodate alternate carry locations as they are not safe on a firing line with multiple shooters. Magazines and revolver loading device pouches should be belt mounted but location can vary depending on preference and type of handgun.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will have some warm up and refresher drills covering material from our previous classes. We will move on to drills specifically addressing malfunction clearance and shot cadence. We will then move on to drills that combine the skills from previous classes with malfunction clearing and shot cadence.
We use a timer in most of this and later Defensive Pistol classes. Shooting skills necessary for the defensive use of a handgun all require fast and efficient application of skills. A timer is the best way to measure and evaluate those skills.
The round count for this class is 75 to 100 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the range session and in between live fire sessions to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor. It is possible to shoot more than 100 rounds if that student wants to, so it is never a bad idea to bring extra.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. The standards for this test will not be excessively difficult but time standards will get progressively tighter as a student advances through our defensive pistol courses. These standards are simply a gauge for whether the student is ready to advance to the next class.
Defensive Pistol 3 – Beyond the Basics
Class Level: Intermediate
Class Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 3 hours
Prerequisites: Graduating Defensive Pistol 2 is required unless you have prior training. If you have received prior training from another source email us before registering for this class.
Student Provided Equipment:
This class requires the same equipment that you need for Defensive Pistol 2:
– A reliable handgun in a defensive caliber (.380ACP, .38 Spl, or larger)
– Quality practice ammunition that works in your handgun
– Quality belt (must fit properly and support all equipment)
– Quality holster worn on strong side hip or appendix
– Appropriate garment (gun and ammunition should be completely concealed but accessible) – Minimum of 2 magazines or revolver loading devices (3 is strongly recommended, more is better)
– Magazine/speed loader carrier or pouch for spares
Round Count: 300-350
Defensive Pistol 3 is our second intermediate level class and introduces students to more difficult topics such as one-handed shooting (both strong and weak hand). It also expands heavily on shot cadence and balancing speed and accuracy. In Defensive 3 we introduce the student to multiple different standardized drills that help evaluate performance and provide benchmarks for improvement moving forward. This is the first class we will go out beyond close range while working on speed vs accuracy and the speed and accuracy standards on drills are challenging for the majority of experienced shooters.
Skills from previous defensive pistol classes will continue to be honed. Many individual skills have already been covered once getting to this point so much of the class is learning to combine those skills.
Equipment
Equipment requirements for Defensive Pistol 3 are identical to Defensive Pistol 1 and 2. This class requires daily concealed carry equipment. Once you have this equipment, it will be usable for the remainder of our defensive pistol courses.
Any reliable magazine fed semi-automatic or double action revolver in a defensive caliber will work for this class. We recommend using a handgun that you intend to use for personal protection. What better way to hone your skills for self defense than using the same tool you plan to use in everyday life? Having said that, even a short class like this will be substantially more difficult with a pocket pistol. Pocket holsters are not permitted, so pocket pistols will still require standard holsters. Students will also need to understand that the skills will be harder to learn and the skills testing will be more difficult with such a handgun. Examples of what we call pocket pistols would be small .380s like the Ruger LCP or S&W .380 Bodyguard and small snub nose revolvers like the S&W 637 or Taurus 856. These guns can be used effectively for self defense but require considerably more skill than their mid to large counterparts.
To clarify what we mean by defensive caliber, we mean .380 ACP or larger in a semi-automatic and .38 Spl or larger in a revolver. A semi-auto in .380 ACP is common, so we allow them, but they are the absolute minimum caliber for a self defense handgun and we would recommend 9mm if a student is capable of using one. It is rare to see revolvers in calibers smaller than .38 Spl unless they are in .22LR. While .22LR handguns are great training tools, are fun to shoot, and inexpensive to shoot, we do not recommend the .22LR for any type of self defense. In addition, holsters and magazine carriers for .22LR handguns are far less common since these guns are not intended for self defense use.
The ammunition used for this class can be any ammunition that isn’t specifically banned from use on our range (such as tracer or armor piercing ammunition). Buying quality ammunition is critical because it has to function properly in the handgun in order for a student to work through the class and learn.
A holster and magazine carrier secured with a strong belt will be required. Both inside the waistband and outside the waistband holsters are acceptable. Cheap nylon holsters are not permitted. A quality polymer or leather holster secured to a strong belt that holds the handgun securely and completely covers the trigger and trigger guard is required. The holster must be positioned either on the strong side hip or strong side appendix location for safety reasons. We cannot accommodate alternate carry locations as they are not safe on a firing line with multiple shooters. Magazines and revolver loading device pouches should be belt mounted but location can vary depending on preference and type of handgun.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will have some warm up and refresher drills covering material from our previous classes. We will move on to drills specifically addressing multiple targets and then drills with multiple targets of varying size and distance. We will then move on to drills that combine these new skills with skills from previous classes.
We use a timer in most of this and later Defensive Pistol classes. Shooting skills necessary for the defensive use of a handgun all require fast and efficient application of skills. A timer is the best way to measure and evaluate those skills.
The round count for this class is 300 to 350 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the range session and in between live fire sessions to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor. It is possible to shoot more than 350 rounds if that student wants to, so it is never a bad idea to bring extra.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. The standards for this test are starting to become difficult. Time and accuracy standards are becoming tighter and will require a high level of proficiency to continue to Defensive Pistol 4. This is the first time scoring is based on speed rather than par times, so there is no maximum score. These standards exist as a gauge for whether the student is ready to advance to the next class.
Defensive Pistol 4 – Advanced Skills
Class Level: Advanced
Class Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 3 hours
Prerequisites: Graduating Defensive Pistol 3 is required unless you have prior training. If you have received prior training from another source email us before registering for this class.
Student Provided Equipment:
This class requires the same equipment that you need for Defensive Pistol 3:
– A reliable handgun in a defensive caliber (.380ACP, .38 Spl, or larger)
– Quality practice ammunition that works in your handgun
– Quality belt (must fit properly and support all equipment)
– Quality holster worn on strong side hip or appendix
– Appropriate garment (gun and ammunition should be completely concealed but accessible) – Minimum of 2 magazines or revolver loading devices (3 is strongly recommended, more is better)
– Magazine/speed loader carrier or pouch for spares
Round Count: 300-350
Defensive Pistol 4 is our first advanced level class. As such, it requires a fair amount of previous training. The primary skills addressed in this class involve divided attention and movement. Shooting drills involving movement and/or processing other information while shooting are substantially more difficult than typical stand and shoot drills. Only students that are comfortable with the skills covered in our previous Defensive Pistol Classes should consider taking this course. Since movement and use of cover, including low cover, will be required in this class it may not be appropriate for students with limited mobility due to injury or medical conditions.
If a student is ready for this class, it is one of our most fun and most beneficial. The best way to know if you’re ready is to take our other Defensive Pistol classes and pass the skills evaluations at the end of those classes before moving forward.
Equipment
Equipment requirements for Defensive Pistol 4 are identical to Defensive Pistol 1, 2, and 3. This class requires daily concealed carry equipment. Once you have this equipment, it will be usable for the remainder of our defensive pistol courses.
Any reliable magazine fed semi-automatic or double action revolver in a defensive caliber will work for this class. We recommend using a handgun that you intend to use for personal protection. What better way to hone your skills for self defense than using the same tool you plan to use in everyday life? Having said that, even a short class like this will be substantially more difficult with a pocket pistol. Pocket holsters are not permitted, so pocket pistols will still require standard holsters. Students will also need to understand that the skills will be harder to learn and the skills testing will be more difficult with such a handgun. Examples of what we call pocket pistols would be small .380s like the Ruger LCP or S&W .380 Bodyguard and small snub nose revolvers like the S&W 637 or Taurus 856. These guns can be used effectively for self defense but require considerably more skill than their mid to large counterparts.
To clarify what we mean by defensive caliber, we mean .380 ACP or larger in a semi-automatic and .38 Spl or larger in a revolver. A semi-auto in .380 ACP is common, so we allow them, but they are the absolute minimum caliber for a self defense handgun and we would recommend 9mm if a student is capable of using one. It is rare to see revolvers in calibers smaller than .38 Spl unless they are in .22LR. While .22LR handguns are great training tools, are fun to shoot, and inexpensive to shoot, we do not recommend the .22LR for any type of self defense. In addition, holsters and magazine carriers for .22LR handguns are far less common since these guns are not intended for self defense use.
The ammunition used for this class can be any ammunition that isn’t specifically banned from use on our range (such as tracer or armor piercing ammunition). Buying quality ammunition is critical because it has to function properly in the handgun in order for a student to work through the class and learn.
A holster and magazine carrier secured with a strong belt will be required. Both inside the waistband and outside the waistband holsters are acceptable. Cheap nylon holsters are not permitted. A quality polymer or leather holster secured to a strong belt that holds the handgun securely and completely covers the trigger and trigger guard is required. The holster must be positioned either on the strong side hip or strong side appendix location for safety reasons. We cannot accommodate alternate carry locations as they are not safe on a firing line with multiple shooters. Magazines and revolver loading device pouches should be belt mounted but location can vary depending on preference and type of handgun.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will have some warm up and refresher drills covering material from our previous classes. We will move on to drills specifically addressing divided attention and movement. These drills will draw heavily from skills learned in previous classes.
We use a timer in some of the drills in this class. Shooting skills necessary for the defensive use of a handgun require fast and efficient application of those skills. A timer is the best way to measure and evaluate those skills.
The round count for this class is 300 to 350 rounds. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor. It is possible to shoot more than 350 rounds if that student wants to, so it is never a bad idea to bring extra.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. The standards for this test are significantly more difficult than previous classes. Scoring is based on speed so there is no maximum score. Time and accuracy standards are tighter and will require a high level of proficiency to pass. Performing well on the skills test at the conclusion of this class is a significant achievement.
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