Rangemaster Instructor Development Course, Culpeper, VA, 26-28 May

This weekend, May 26-28, I attended the Rangemaster 3-day Instructor Course, in Culpeper, Virginia. I live in Northern Virginia and we’re fortunate to have trainers like John Murphy, FPF Training, (www.fpftraining.com) who also regularly host other big name trainers at his facility.

Tom Givens is the owner of Rangemaster and one of the first high-level, tactical trainers to offer courses to the public. Tom has been working in firearms instruction for nearly forty years and completed a 25-year career in law enforcement. He is a Law Enforcement trainer, author, former I.P.S.C. Section Champion, I.D.P.A. Master Class, State Champion and a former Member IDPA Board of Directors. http://rangemaster.com/about/tom-givens/

A little about my training background:
I spent some time in the military and was a Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat (SFAUC) Course Instructor tasked with teaching Advanced Military Marksmanship and CQB/CQC. I currently run my own training company, Green-Ops (www.Green-Ops.com) and have been to over 40 different firearms related courses. A few Instructor Courses that I have previously attended:

-FLETC, Firearms Instructor Training Program (FITP)
-Blackwater Training Center, Bushmaster Carbine Instructor Course
-NRA, Personal Protection, Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun Instructor
-NRA LE Division, Law Enforcement Tactical Shooting Instructor
-US Army, Instructor Training Course
-Anti-Terrorism Instructor Qualification Course (AIQC)
-SureFire Institute, Low Light Instructor course
-Universal Shooting Academy, 5-Day Instructor Practical Pistol Course I

I took this course last year and when I found out Tom was coming back, I jumped at the opportunity to train with him again. I did a detailed review last year: (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....r-VA-27-29-May). Why take the same course again? I grew up reading Tom’s articles in SWAT magazine, Combat Handguns Magazine, Concealed Carry Magazine, and others. I consider him an icon in this industry. It’s a 3-day course, but every bit of the information presented would take up at least 5 days or more. With that much information, it’s always a good idea to get a second look and this time around none of the information felt redundant. Additionally, Tom continually updates his material and I consider it professional development on my part. Bottom line is, if you’re serious about teaching firearms for self-defense then you need to take this course. I would take this course again!

Each day we spent about half in the classroom and half on the range. Looking at my notes, typically I’ll write down questions that I ask during a class but noticed I didn’t have any. Matter of fact, I don’t recall other students asking many questions at all. Why? Because during class, Tom pretty much answered any possible question with his lectures. You can tell he’s done this a few times.

Tom is a practically a living encyclopedia and full of useful historical information. He admitted that he has over 300 firearms related books in his personal library. Tom can probably tell you where a technique came from, why it was used back then and why it’s used today. He has a reason for everything he does and he tells you (and shows you). Every drill we shot had a rationale behind it, a real life example and a statistic to go along with it.

Tom runs a tight range and is great at herding cats ;) Make sure you hydrate when you can, that your gear is squared away, and bring plenty of magazines. The course description, states “For this course, students will need: ...-At least three magazines”. The “minimum” should be at least six magazines. When you’re not shooting you’re coaching or loading mags. There is no downtime or wasted time throughout the course.

There are shooting schools and there are defense shootings schools. Tom trains you for both. His shooting standards are high and so is the written test. If you don’t pass, you don’t get a certificate. If you are a budding instructor or a seasoned professional, you will learn something. Even if you’re not an instructor, but are serious about self-defense, then I’d recommend the course.

On Day 1, you receive a 200-page manual with plenty of reference materials for an instructor. A few topics worth mentioning were his Use of Force class, Criminal Mindset, your Attitude and his references to facts and government statistics.

I used a Glock 17 Gen 3, from concealment, with a Surefire X300 in a Raven IWB. I shot CCI Blazer Aluminum 9mm 115 gr FMJ and had zero malfunctions.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psxrvnl7vg.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...pslzoczh3h.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCbH...ature=youtu.be

Great AAR, brother.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the kind words, Mike. This was a very good group. We had two attorneys, a couple of LE trainers, some .mil and committed citizens. It's always a pleasure working with dedicated students, who put in the work.

I was in the above class and I agree with the terrific synopsis above. I have nothing but great things to say about it.

I realized last year that I was not getting any younger and if I wanted to get serious about training, I needed to get with it. There is a short list of instructors I wanted to invest my time and money with, and Tom Givens is at the top of that list. I had taken training in the past from the NRA, Insights, and Gunsite but this class was, pardon the pun, of a completely different caliber and flavor.

One thing that differentiated this course from others I have taken in the past was the student body. This was not a beginner’s course and I was in company that was much better than I am as demonstrated by my fellow students shooting skill and attitude. To get better you have to train with people better than you are. I wanted to be challenged in a course and I certainly was.

As Tom said this class has been referred to as a ”fire hose” course and to some extent it is. Shooting drills and instructions are repeated but little of the academics are stated more than once. You need to pay attention. Tom does not pass people for attendance and a cleared check. You have to keep up.

Tom was filled with stories gathered from a lifetime of law enforcement and shooting instruction. He was able to paint very vivid pictures and ideas in our heads about the seriousness of the “Armed Lifestyle”.

This was a great class and I would take it again. My advice to anyone thinking of attending would be to come with an open mind, a good notebook, and a pen. Oh yeah, practice with your EDC gear hitting an 8 inch circle at 25 yards BEFORE you come to class.

I used a Gen 4 Glock 19 in a Blade Tech Signature OWB with a cover garment. I shot Remington UMC 9mm 115 gr FMJ and had zero malfunctions.

Yeah, a tough, great class. In terms of value, just getting the opportunity to train with and be coached by fellow students of Mr. Pink's caliber is worth the price of admission. Last year I practiced the crap out of that hard COF and was happy with my scores until I saw the class averages. :)

Tom rocks.

Also, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/advance...ts-29341120080

This class sets the bar for such training. Mr. Givens has been a few places and seen a few things; and it shows. He teaches not only the what, but the how and the why, of the core fundamental skills CCW instructors should know. He has distilled a lifetime of learning into a very tight curriculum of what people who carry pistols to defend themselves need to know. He runs an equally tight range, with round counts and schedule as accurate as any, another indication of his experience level.

I took the class to expand my abilities as an instructor and to glean anything I can to improve the program for which I am responsible. I got my money's worth by the end of day one.

The class was populated by capable and quality people, who were all supportive and challenging of each other. It was a safe and excellent learning environment.

I shot a SIG P320, and had numerous fail to extract issues with locally purchased Blazer Brass ammo. This ammo also failed to extract in a borrowed P320 (Thank you Brian). Magtech ammo (Thank you Gary) functioned flawlessly and allowed me to pass the qualification courses.

This is not an easy class. If you can't easily pass the FBI qualification course (e.g. close to 100%), you may not be able to pass the Rangemaster Instructor Qualification course at 90%, which is arguably harder due to the smaller scoring rings. As mentioned above, be able to hit at 25 yards, as well. The written test also required study and was not easy, as Mr. Givens requires as much precision with words as with a pistol.

I would say Thank You to Mr. Givens for continuing to give of himself to this craft. He has clearly done his share, and much more.