Defensive Shooting

Defensive Pistol 4 – Advanced Skills

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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 Aaron 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. If you have questions about whether you’re ready for this course, email Aaron before registering.

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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Defensive Pistol 3 – Beyond the Basics

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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 Aaron 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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Defensive Pistol 2 – Core Skills

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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 Aaron 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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals

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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 Aaron 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

Equipment requirements for Defensive Pistol 1 are considerably more than our Intro to Defensive Pistol class. That is because 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.

Since this class covers drawing from concealment and reloading 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 marksmanship and balancing speed and accuracy (from Marksmanship Fundamentals and Intro to Defensive Pistol). We will move on to drills specifically addressing the draw and presentation from concealment. We will then move on to various reloading drills and the different type of reloads one is likely to make use of in a self defense scenario.

We introduce a timer in the later portion of the Introduction to Defensive shooting class. We will use one throughout 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 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

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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Introduction to Defensive Pistol

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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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals

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Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals

Class Level: Beginner

Class Type: Live Fire

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

 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.

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.

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Introduction to Shooting

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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.

Watch for more information on our additional classes coming soon!

Register For This Class Here

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

Training at Applied Ballistics

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Training at Applied Ballistics

I wanted to take a moment to put out some information regarding our new training format. We have been presented with some unique challenges with regard to training over the last year and it has lead us to rethink our approach.

Over a series of posts I plan to lay out each individual course we will be offering but this first post will be about the reasons for our change and how to navigate the courses we will be offering in the immediate future. Right now we plan to have the following courses available through 2021:

– Introduction to Shooting
– Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals
– Introduction to Defensive Pistol
– Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals
– Defensive Pistol 2 – Core Skills
– Defensive Pistol 3 – Intermediate Skills
– Defensive Pistol 4 – Advanced Skills

For those who have trained with us before, you have probably noticed that we have added several levels to our defensive pistol classes and removed our competition shooting classes.

First, we haven’t actually added levels to defensive pistol, we have just shortened the classes and broken them up into smaller parts. We have done this for several reasons. With the current ammo shortage we are all dealing with it is increasingly difficult to source enough ammunition for a high round count class. By making the classes smaller we can spend available ammunition addressing the most important skills first before moving on to other things. We are also able to spend more time on a particular set of skills by not overloading the student in one class.

We will conduct a skills test at the end of each class to evaluate a student’s mastery of the skills covered in that course. This will help the student gauge whether they are ready to move on and learn new skills or if another round in that class would serve them better. Students progress at different paces and each class builds on what was taught in earlier classes. Moving on too soon can leave a student struggling to keep up in a class they aren’t ready to tackle.

This will also mitigate cost. With ammo prices rising we are able to offer these short classes at a very reasonable price. Students can take these short classes without spending large sums of money and can move on when time, skills, and resources allow.

As for the competition classes, we hope to bring those back in the future. With the current influx of new gun owners and the primary focus of that group being on self defense we have decided to direct our time to addressing that need. Participation in shooting sports is down, despite the volume of new gun owners, simply because the industry hasn’t been able to keep up. We all hope that changes and when it does we hope to again add competition classes.

In the coming weeks watch for a class by class breakdown here on the blog. I will go through and provide a course description for each class detailing what experience level a student should have as well as what equipment will be required to take each class.

– Aaron

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.
Leg Target

Police Should Just Shoot for the Leg!

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Police Should Just Shoot for the Leg!

After a high profile political figure recently made a comment about how police officers should shoot for the leg rather than “shoot to kill” I have noticed a remarkable number of people on social media buying into this idea. Given the recent attention I have decided to explain several reasons why that is not how police or private citizens should train to use a firearm.

Is it Legally Justifiable?

First, let’s look at the legal aspect of shooting someone with the intent to wound them. In the state of Indiana the use of force is regulated under IC 35-41-3-2. In that statute deadly force is relegated to situations where a person reasonably believes that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to themselves or a third person, to prevent the commission of a forcible felony, or to prevent the unlawful entry of or attack on their dwelling. This is relevant because if you look at the definition of “deadly force” in IC 35-31.5-2-85 you will find that deadly force is any force that creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury. Further, serious bodily injury is defined in IC 35-31.5-2-292 as bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, unconsciousness, extreme pain, permanent or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ, or loss of a fetus.

To sum that up, a gunshot wound to the leg always qualifies as serious bodily injury. That means you can only shoot someone in the leg if you are legally justified in using deadly force. From a legal perspective shooting someone in the face and shooting someone in the leg is the same level of force. If you aren’t legally allowed to shoot them in the face, you aren’t legally allowed to shoot them in the leg.

Regardless, isn’t it Better to Wound Them Instead of Killing Them?

First, defensive shooters aren’t shooting to kill. They are shooting to stop a threat. The goal is not to kill, the goal is to stop the danger with the least amount of risk. Their opponent dying is a possible outcome but it isn’t the goal. In fact, death is a likely outcome if you shoot someone in the leg. The femoral artery runs down the leg and, if struck, will cause someone to bleed to death in very short order. This is one reason why shooting someone in the leg is still legally considered deadly force. Death is a very real possibility.

Ok, But They are Still Less Likely to Die, Right?

Assuming for a moment that an attacker is truly less likely to die from a leg shot, I can tell you that it makes the defender and/or innocent bystanders more likely to die. A leg shot may kill but it is less likely to incapacitate quickly, meaning the opponent can continue their attack even though they may die in 30-60 seconds. If the femoral artery and/or bone is missed the hit amounts to only muscle damage, which may not incapacitate them at all. To put it plainly, it is not reasonable to tell anyone that is legally defending themselves that they have to accept more risk to their life to reduce the risk to the person putting them in harms way.

The reason officers and private citizens are trained to shoot aggressors in the chest is because it presents a much higher probability of stopping an aggressor quickly. Understand that even direct hits in the heart or no guarantee, this is just a matter of stacking the odds in the favor of the defender as much as possible.

It is worth mentioning here that the highest probability of stopping an attacker is a hit to the central nervous system (CNS). Hits in the chest rely on internal bleeding to create incapacitation while CNS hits interrupt the actual nervous system, guaranteeing a stop regardless of how determined or drugged an attacker is. The obvious follow up question is, why not shoot for the CNS? The simple answer is the CNS presents too small of a target in circumstances where making hits is extremely difficult. Shootings don’t occur on a static one-way range. Stress levels are as high as they get and it has been clearly established that human performance degrades under extreme stress. Most people struggle to get center mass hits so trying to strike a target as small as the CNS isn’t practical in real world environments.

It turns out, this is yet another reason we don’t train people to shoot for the leg. A leg represents a much smaller target than center mass does. People often pontificate about how officers need more training, and for what it’s worth I agree with that sentiment, but it isn’t because I think it would allow officers to hit a leg during a gunfight. It’s because even shooting at the largest available target hit rates tend to be in the 25% to 50% range. To be clear, that’s 25% to 50% for hits anywhere on the body. Many of those “hits” are in appendages or peripheral body hits that don’t actually stop the aggressor. I advocate for more training because I think those numbers should be higher, but more training wouldn’t allow officers to make fast hits on small targets under life or death stress. Again, that simply isn’t reasonable, especially considering the level of training provided to the average officer.

To drive this point home, when I worked as a police officer my department purchased 30,000 rounds of handgun ammunition a year for approximately 130 officers. Fifteen of those officers were on SWAT, and received 15,000 of those rounds, leaving only 15,000 rounds for the remaining 115 officers. That boils down to 130 rounds per year of training ammunition for the average street officer. For comparison, I personally shot 30,000 rounds of 9mm handgun ammunition in 2019 between practice, training, and competitions. Yes, I shot as much 9mm ammo in 2019 as my department purchased for 130 people. And that’s just one caliber, I shoot several other calibers along with 9mm. Despite this level of practice and training, I can’t guarantee a hit on a reduced size target during a gunfight. If I could, I would much rather shoot for the CNS for that guaranteed stop rather than the low probability of success offered by a leg hit. I have zero interest in gambling unnecessarily with my life. Expecting a street cop that shoots less than 200 rounds a year to be able to hit a reduced size target under the stress of a gunfight is beyond absurd.

To summarize:

Shooting someone in the leg is legally deadly force, is still likely to kill them if they are hit, is less likely to stop the behavior that justifies the use of deadly force, and is more likely to result in a complete miss. It has a high probability for failure in a situation that is serious enough that it requires the highest probability for success. There is no reason to shoot for the leg and it is extremely disappointing that anyone in a high profile position would hold such a reckless attitude toward something this important.

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, holds a Rangemaster Advanced Instructor certification, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.
QIT-99

The FBI Qualification Course

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The FBI Pistol Qualification

I recently wrote about the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Police Qualification Course. I also mentioned how a citizen that uses a firearm in a defensive capacity might be in a better position if they could demonstrate that they can pass this qualification. In that blog I mentioned that I would also post the FBI qualification, so here is the information I promised.

The FBI qualification is the one used to qualify agents, who normally work in plain clothes. For this reason, the entire course is shot from concealment. To me this seems to apply better to the average citizen that would be carrying a handgun. It also focuses more on 7 yards and in, rather than on 15 and 25 yard strings of fire. This is also more consistent with typical self-defense pistol uses.

Having said that, I consider the FBI qualification to be more challenging. The target zone on the FBI QIT-99 target is considerably smaller than the G-17 target used by ILEA. If we compare the targets (seen below) the FBI “coke bottle” is the scoring zone. A hit there is 2 points. Anything outside of that is 0 points. The ILEA G-17, however, uses the large rectangular scoring zone for 2 points with anything outside of that but still on the silhouette as 1 point. The entire scoring zone on the QIT-99 is approximately 192 square inches. The 2 point scoring zone on the G-17 is approximately 182 square inches, which is slightly smaller than the QIT-99, but the remaining silhouette of the G-17 is a whopping 448 square inches. That means you have 630 square inches of scorable target compared to the 192 of the FBI QIT-99 target.



The FBI course also uses tighter time restraints on shooting strings. One example is the ILEA course has you fire 2 rounds, reload, and fire 2 more rounds at 3 yards in 12 seconds. The FBI course has you shoot 4 rounds, reload, and shoot 4 more rounds at 7 yards in 8 seconds. That’s twice as many rounds, at a target over twice as far away, in 33% less time. The close range work in the FBI qual requires more skill to complete well than the ILEA qual does.

I believe the FBI qualification to be a better skill test for a citizen that carries a pistol. It requires more skill at the ranges most likely to be important, it requires faster shooting constraints for someone wanting to use a gun in self-defense, and it requires shooting from concealment.

Here is the breakdown of the FBI course. It is a 50 round course of fire, using the FBI QIT-99 target. Any hit inside the “coke bottle” counts for 2 points for a total possible score of 100. Any hit outside of the “coke bottle” is 0 points. 80 points is required to pass. All strings are fired from concealment using both hands unless otherwise noted.

FBI Qual Course of Fire

3 yards (6 rounds)

– Draw and fire 3 rounds strong hand only then switch hands and fire 3 rounds weak hand only in 6 seconds

5 yards (12 rounds)

– Draw and fire 3 rounds in 3 seconds

– From the ready fire 3 rounds in 2 seconds

– From the ready fire 6 rounds in 4 seconds

7 yards (18 rounds)

– Draw and fire 5 rounds in 5 seconds

– Starting with only 4 rounds in the gun, from the ready fire 4 rounds, conduct and emergency reload, then fire 4 more rounds in 8 seconds

– From the ready fire 5 rounds in 4 seconds

15 yards (6 rounds)

– Draw and fire 3 rounds in 6 seconds

– From the ready fire 3 rounds in 5 seconds

25 yards (8 rounds)

– Draw and fire 4 rounds standing then drop to kneeling and fire 4 more rounds in 20 seconds

While the ILEA qualification is a good one to have under your belt, particularly if you live in Indiana, the more difficult FBI qualification shows a higher level of shooting proficiency if you ever needed to demonstrate that for court purposes. With that in mind, We plan to offer this qualification course as well as the ILEA course at Applied Ballistics in the future.

Aaron

About the Author

Aaron coaches the Purdue University Pistol Team, is a former officer of the Lafayette Police Department, holds an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certification as a firearms instructor, and is a court recognized expert witness that has testified in multiple cases and courts in Indiana regarding firearms. Aaron is the General Manager at Applied Ballistics and competes in multiple shooting disciplines including USPSA, IDPA, Steel Challenge, Rimfire Falling Steel, Indiana Multigun, and NRL22. Aaron is a USPSA Grand Master, a Steel Challenge Grand Master, and an IDPA Master class shooter. He has a National Championship title in Rimfire Falling Steel as well as several State Championship titles in IDPA and Steel Challenge. Aaron is the Match Director for USPSA at Applied Ballistics and for Steel Challenge and Rimfire Falling Steel at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club.

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