I'd like to convey my sincere thanks to Tom, Lynn, the Rangemaster staff and my fellow students for making this class a success. It was great seeing AJZ again, and finally meeting Chuck Haggard and John Hearne.


On 31 May – 1 June 2014 I attended the Rangemaster Advanced Instructor Development Course at their headquarters and range facility in Memphis, TN. This was an intensive two day course designed to hone the teaching skills of established instructors and to pick up where the three day instructor course left off.

For this course, I used a Glock 17 Gen 4 w/ Heinie Slant-Pro steel sights, JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster & single magazine pouch, Wilderness Instructor Belt, OEM magazines and PPU 115 grain FMJ ammunition. Around 550 rounds were fired, and no stoppages of any kind occurred. I also had my 1000 round case of ammunition shipped to Rangemaster (with prior approval) to simplify logistics.

Day 1 began at 0845 in the Classroom. There were 20 students in attendance, and most, if not all, were firearms trainers for law enforcement agencies or private training firms, hailing from VA, AZ, SC, IN, KS and OK. All of those in attendance were very solid and established shooters, so I knew the bar would be set very high in this course. After introductions were made and paperwork completed, we were broken down into two relays, coupled with a training partner, and sent to our designated firing point on the range.

Upon arrival at our firing points, we were greeted with the NRA 25 yard bullseye target at the 25 yard line, and instructed to fire five rounds, at our own pace. This was done so that Tom and the other Rangemaster instructor cadre could get a pulse on individual skill levels. Those not on the firing line were actively coaching their partners, noting and correcting errors in grip, trigger press or follow through. Additional marksmanship exercises were conducted, to include shooting practice BATFE and FBI qualifications.

After lunch, we spent time in the classroom, where Tom instructed the class on the evolution of law enforcement targets over the years. Also, proper target selection was covered in great depth, including Tom’s thoughts on why the B27 target was a poor choice for qualification, as it was not to the scale of a normal human and the scoring zones are not anatomically correct. Scoring methods, such as the excellent Comstock Method, was explained as a means to measure the speed and accuracy of individual students and to grade them accordingly. Day 1 culminated with a fantastic video lecture by Dr.Paul Whitesell on the Warrior Mindset.

Day 2 began at 0900 in the classroom, and after a quick overview on the day’s events, it was back to the range. The first course of fire, again, was a bullseye target at 25 yards to get warmed up and dialed in for the day. Shooting the FBI Firearms Instructor Qualification was next, and the BATFE qualification, and a Comstock style Rangemaster qualification. Day 2’s range portion was definitely fast paced, and my shooting partner, Reid Hendricks, was on point in terms of coaching.

The afternoon was spent in the classroom, where we received some excellent instruction from Rangemaster staff on medical immediate action, and their thoughts on individual trauma kits. John Hearne’s lecture Hard Won Lessons- Good Guys, Bad Guys & what happens when they meet. This lecture will dispel many myths and erroneous notions held by the layperson about violent encounters, and delves into why violent criminal actors do what they do.

This class is a bargain at twice the price, and anyone who has the chance to train with Tom Givens shouldn’t hesitate to do so. Tom is approachable and has decades of teaching experience. Anyone, from novice to expert, can benefit greatly under his tutelage.

I’ll definitely be back for the annual Tactical Conference!

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