Pistol Fundamentals
Grip, stance, draw, presentation, sight picture, trigger control. The non-negotiables, repped until automatic.
Discipline
Weapons Training.
Six tracks. One standard. Taught by vetted instructors with operational backgrounds — at private ranges, never on a stage.
Tracks06
Disciplines covered — pistol, carbine, defensive, close-quarters, precision, force-on-force.
Ratio6:1
Maximum student-to-instructor on every live-fire line. Every rep observed.
Curriculum04
Tiered levels — Foundations, Applied, Defensive, Operator.
Re-qual90d
Quarterly shot-timer requalification on FAST, Bill, 1R1 and 2x2x2.
Carbine & Rifle
Zeroing, transitions, positional shooting, malfunction clearance, and movement under load.
Defensive Shooting
Decision-making under stress, target discrimination, and engagement from concealment.
Close-Quarters
Edged-weapon defense, retention fighting, and confined-space engagement principles.
Precision Rifle
Long-range marksmanship — wind, range estimation, and stable position-building on a private range.
Force-on-Force
Live scenario work with simulated munitions to pressure-test technique against thinking opponents.
Prepared in private
Earned in reps. Scored on the timer.
Every track culminates on the range. No spectacle. No theatrics. Just measured reps until the work is automatic — and a tiered curriculum that holds you to shot-timer standards used by elite federal selection courses.
- Ratio
- 6:1 student-to-instructor on every live-fire line.
- Round count
- Level 1: 800 · Level 2: 1,800 · Level 3: 2,400 · Level 4: 3,200.
- Pass standard
- Shot-timer scorecard required to progress. Time on the clock, not time on the calendar.
- Recorded
- Every member's reps, scores, and instructor notes live in a private training file.
Curriculum01 02 03 04 05
A measurable path to capability.
Level 1 — Foundations
Three days. Safety doctrine, mechanical fundamentals, dry-fire programming, first 800 rounds on paper. No previous experience required.
Level 2 — Applied
Four days. Concealment work, movement, multi-target engagements, low-light, malfunction drills, 1,800 rounds, introduction to shot-timer standards.
Level 3 — Defensive
Five days. Force-on-force with marking cartridges, vehicle work, low-light into no-light, decision drills, legal and medical integration.
Level 4 — Operator
Seven days. Carbine integration, two-man drills, structure clearing principles, precision-rifle introduction, live scenario qualification.
Continuing Standards
Quarterly re-qualification on shot-timer pistol standards (FAST, Bill Drill, 1R1, 2x2x2). Membership-tracked scorecards.
Day on the line
What a training day actually looks like.
Twelve hours, structured around the rhythm of fatigue and focus. The afternoon is harder than the morning — by design.
- 06:30
Dry-fire & Range Brief
Mobility, draw drills with timer, weapon function check, medical and safety brief. The line opens cold.
- 07:30
Block 1 — Fundamentals
Mechanical reset on grip, stance, presentation, sight picture. Every rep observed and corrected on the spot.
- 10:00
Block 2 — Applied Work
Drawing from concealment, multi-target engagements, transitions, malfunction drills. Live-fire only after dry standard.
- 12:30
Break — Hot Wash
Nutrition, decompression, video review of the morning. Top three error patterns identified for the afternoon.
- 13:30
Block 3 — Pressure
Shot-timer standards. Pass/fail drills. Force-on-force scenarios with marking cartridges for upper levels.
- 16:30
Block 4 — Low-Light
Hand-held and weapon-mounted light fundamentals, target ID under duress, no-light into civilian-twilight transitions.
- 18:00
Cold-Down & Debrief
Round count log, scorecard entry into the member file, individual instructor notes, kit reset for tomorrow.
Pass standards
Numbers on the clock.
Each drill is scored on a shot-timer, recorded into your member file, and revisited at every quarterly requalification.
- FAST Drill
- ≤ 7.0 sec clean — concealed draw to two body, slide-lock reload, two head, at seven yards. Pannone standard.
- Bill Drill
- ≤ 2.0 sec clean — six shots, A-zone, at seven yards from a low-ready. Recoil discipline.
- 1R1
- ≤ 1.5 sec — one shot, reload, one shot. Diagnoses fumbled reloads and grip recovery.
- 2x2x2
- ≤ 3.5 sec — three positions, two rounds each, from concealment at five yards. Movement under load.
- Carbine Up Drill
- ≤ 1.5 sec — sling-loaded carbine, low-ready, one A-zone at fifty yards.
- Low-Light Pair
- ≤ 3.0 sec — hand-held white light, target ID, two A-zone at seven yards.
Operational Pedigree
Instructors drawn from special-mission units, federal protective details, and competitive shooting podiums — vetted by lineage, not by Instagram following.
Teach-First Discipline
Capability does not equal coachability. Every lead instructor has completed an internal teach-back gauntlet before training a single member.
Small Ratios
Maximum 6:1 student-to-instructor on the line. Every rep observed. Every error corrected the same day it appears.
Documented Progression
Each member has a private training file — round counts, scored drills, recorded reps, instructor notes. The standard is measurable.
Posture — do
How a serious shooter shows up.
- Treat every weapon as loaded — always.
- Run the diagnostic before you run the drill.
- Score the rep. Log the round. Track the trend.
- Default to the lowest force level the situation allows.
- Carry a tourniquet wherever you carry a pistol.
Posture — don't
What we leave at the gate.
- Romanticize gear over fundamentals.
- Train without a timer once you are past Level 1.
- Skip the dry-fire because you 'know it.'
- Confuse range performance with fight performance.
- Talk about training more than you do training.
Kit
What we run.
No sponsorships, no ambassador kit. The list reflects what survives the curriculum, not what writes a check.
- Pistol
- Glock 17/19/45 Gen 5 MOS, SIG P320, or Staccato P/CS — all with mounted optic preferred.
- Optic
- Trijicon RMR/SRO, Holosun 507/508, or Leupold Delta Point Pro — battery-checked monthly.
- Holster
- Kydex, in-/appendix-/outside-the-waistband. No nylon, no leather for live-fire blocks.
- Carbine
- AR-15 / AR-10 platforms, sub-MOA. LPVO 1-6× or 1-8× preferred for the applied curriculum.
- Ammunition
- Quality factory FMJ for practice (Federal AE, Speer Lawman). Member duty-loads tested separately.
- Medical
- Member-carried IFAK — CAT tourniquet, chest seal, gauze, gloves. Inspected every range day.
Ranges01 02 03 04
Where the line is run.
Hill Country, TX
Private 200-acre facility — 100-yard pistol bays, 600-yard rifle, indoor shoot-house, on-site medical.
Western North Carolina
Mountain-side range — 300-yard precision lanes, woodland scenario course, low-light bay.
Arizona High Desert
Long-range capability to 1,200 yards, open-air shoot-house, scenario village for force-on-force.
Northern Idaho
Cold-weather training, alpine carbine work, vehicle CQB lanes, partner medical relationship.
Safety doctrine01 02 03 04
Non-negotiables on every range.
Four Rules, Always
Cooper's four rules govern every line, every drill, every dry-fire rep. Violations end your day.
Medical On-Site
TCCC-trained medical staff and a stocked trauma kit on every range, every day. Nearest Level-1 trauma center pre-briefed.
Vetted Membership
Background-checked, instructor-referred, and progression-tested. We do not sell access to the line.
Live-Fire Earned
No live round goes downrange until dry standards are met. Every member, every course.
Questions01 02 03
What members ask first.
Do I need to own a pistol to start?
No. Loaner pistols and full kit are provided through Level 2. Most members purchase a primary platform after Level 1, once they know what works for their hand and use case.
What is the legal posture?
Every course integrates a legal block taught by a practicing attorney with a defensive-shooting practice. We do not give legal advice — we make sure you have someone good to call before you ever need to.
How are instructors vetted?
Operational pedigree, teach-back gauntlet, two-year apprentice on our line before lead status. We turn down significantly more applicants than we accept.
Reps. Honest reps. Until the work disappears into instinct.