Defensive Pistol 3 – Beyond the Basics

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.