Class Gear:
Basic & In Class Renewals: We provide everything; including the weapon & ammo
Enhanced & Combined:
• Pistol & Magazines (3 recommended)
• Ammunition – You will shoot at least 55 rounds & up to 155 rounds
(** We can rent you a 22lr pistol & ammo for $20 **)
• Eye and ear protection
• Range appropriate clothing
• Closed toe shoes, Our range is primarily dirt and rocks.
Recommended:
• Holster (belt mounted, strong side only)
• Extra magazines (the qualification is 50 rounds)
• Magazine pouches
• Sunscreen (seasonal)
• Bug spray (seasonal)
• Cold/Wet weather clothing (seasonal)
Mindset
Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper Great read and gift to improve your mindset
The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker Free Online Classes: https://giftoffear.com
Self Defense Law
The Law of Self Defense by Andrew Branca https://lawofselfdefense.com
You can get a free copy here:
lawofselfdefense.com/checkouts/freebook
Equipment
My daily carry pepper spray. It would not recommend doing any smaller than this. They are cheap, easy, and extra spicy.
Lights
- There are MANY options when it comes to lights. Every month a newer and brighter light is released. We will be releasing a video soon about lights.
Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA
350-Lumen Dual Fuel Professional Tactical Light.
This was my daily for years. It is brighter than the 350 lumen implies, due to it having a much higher (6,400) candela. It has a combination beam that has a hot spot for distance and peripheral light thrown to the sides. The huge draw to this light is its ability to run on CR123, AA, and with some tinkering a AAA. I have a couple of them. It is my go to emergency, in the car, & traveling flashlight. It is programable and has Streetlights TEN-TAP® Programming which allows for selection of three different operating programs: 1) high/strobe/low 2) high only 3) low/high. With this light I can store it with long shelf life CR123 batteries and have multiple options to power it with other common batteries. When I travel this is always with me.
250-Lumen / 1,150 Candela EDC Flashlight. One of the best AAA sized pocket lights that is rechargeable. I would not call this a “Tactical” light due to the interface, but it’s an excellent EDC light.
Streamlight MacroStream USB 500-Lumen / 2,000 Candela EDC Rechargeable Compact Flashlight
Good AA Sized light with a flood style beam pattern. Again, not a “Tactical” light due to the interface, but it’s an excellent EDC light.
Streamlight TLR-1 HL
1000-Lumen / 20,000 Candela Weapon Light
This is the light that I use on my multiple firearms, my duty pistol and shotgun. This light, or the standard TLR are a great choice to mount on almost any firearm. This runs on non-rechargeable CR123, so it has a great shelf life and perfect of the gun sitting in the safe waiting to be put into use. SureFire lights are also a great option, I have good experiences with almost all of their products. They are typically more expensive, but very good. Streamlight has been the go to for a more affordable option for Law Enforcement in this area for years and they have performed very well for less expense.
OLIGHT PL-3R Valkyrie Weapon light
1500 Lumens / 10,000 Candela Rechargeable
This is the light I use in class on my training gun. When not in class it is on my varmint and plinking 22 rifle I keep handy at the house. I use this light due to it getting used a lot and is easily recharged with the magnetic charging cable. Olight has a very handy magnetic charging system. I use their lights for non-tactical purposes (head lamps and around the house light) Remember, rechargeable batteries typically do not have a long shelf life. So if you put this on a bed side gun and never touch it for a year, it might be dead.
Firearms
This is not the guns you have to have, just some guidance for folks.
Smith & Wesson Shield
This is the 9mm I recommend most. The Smith & Wesson Shield really shook up the micro 9mm concealed carry market. It is small but still very shootable for most people. There are now many models and options. The original models that use 7 round magazines can often be found for under $400 and the new Plus model with a 10 round magazine for mid-$400.
Ruger LCR 22 – The “Toyota Camry” we should all own.
If you want a light, no recoil, highly reliable pistol, this is hard to beat. Yes, it’s a 22, but this isn’t a firearm to storm the beaches of Normandy. It is a faithful companion that can ride in your pocket or on your ankle everyday to be ready at a moment’s notice. The LCR is smooth and has no sharp edges. These is no slide to be obstructed and can be shot almost anyway and in/though clothing. Rhett with Demonstrated Concepts has put in lots of time on this platform showing what is can do in trained hands.
| Ruger LCR 8 shot 22lr Federal Punch Banta Boot Grip Price Range: ~ $579 |
Empty 14.4 oz |
Loaded 15.15 oz |
Ruger LCP – The Smallest, wallet sized gun
If you want the smallest gun, this is it. There are other pistols this small, I have not had good luck with most of them. This is still a very hard pistol to master, but it works. If you have to be absolutely concealed or need a tiny ankle pistol, this is it.
| LCP 6 shot 380 Hornady Price Range: ~ $300 |
Empty
9.6 oz |
Loaded
oz |
Ruger LCP Max – 10% bigger & 40% more bullets
This is a slightly larger version of the LCP, better sights, better trigger, 10 rounds in the magazine, and about 4-5 oz heavyier. This is an easy gun to carry about anywhere and is a much more capable 380 over the original LCP. To get a better idea, below is a picture of the old and new magazines:
| LCP Max (75th ed) 10 shot 380 Hornady Price Range: ~ $300 |
Empty 10.8 oz |
Loaded 14.3 oz |
S&W Bodyguard 2.0 – Coming Soon….
Smith & Wesson 43C – J Frame – The Underwear Gun
My snubbie revolver journey continued after the LCR to J Frames. This is one of the lightest J Frames at 11.8 ounces, loaded. The trigger is very heavy and I had to return it to S&W due to the action binding up. However, after they made some adjustments it has ran perfectly. I miss the LCR’s trigger, but the XS sights are much better than the LCR. You do have to pay a premium to get a 3.35 oz lighter gun (lighter than the LCR) but if you are going for the lightest underwear gun this might be it. Also, crimson trace still offers their compact laser grip for this snubbie, while they have discontinued it for the LCR. So if you need a compact laser grip, your decision is already made.
| S&W J Frame 43C 8 shot 22lr Federal Punch Crimson Trace Grip Price Range: ~ $739 |
Empty 11.5 oz |
Loaded 11.8 oz |
SIG SAUER P365
The next pistol that shook things up after the Shield was the P365. Other than a couple issues on the first run, these have proven to be very good pistols and are currently the #1 selling handgun in the US (according to SIG). This is a gun I carry regularly. For its size, I don’t think there is anything else that can carry 10-12 rounds of 9mm in these dimensions. It still has some weight to it, but it is very carriable. The smaller versions are a little snappy for some people, but completely manageable. The Wilson Combat grip modules are a great upgrade, BUT beware, the texture is serious and can be hard on the muffin tops.
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/ultimate-guide-every-9mm-glock/
At this point I am sure someone is yelling at their phone, he didn’t mention GLOCK ? I own them and have carried them. They are certainly a good choice. However, depending on the purpose there might be better (smaller, cheaper, more capacity) options. I think that other companies have innovated beyond GLOCK in many different areas. All that being said, if I was going to pick a full sized pistol to carry I would have no issues with it being a GLOCK. You will also find a lot of support with GLOCK, as far as parts, holsters, accessories.
| Pistol Details | Empty | Loaded |
| Glock 42 (380) Taren Tactical +1 Federal HST .380 Price Range: ~ $419 |
 14.15 oz |
 16.65 oz |
Ammunition
Here are the priorities with ammo selections, in order of importance:
-
- It has to work in your gun. It it doesn’t go bang or causes malfunctions, nothing else matters.
- It should shoot consistently to your sights (if the are not adjustable) – If you cannot hit anything with it or shoot is accurate, ballistics don’t matter.
- It should meet FBI standards – After that, we prefer a bullet that meets FBI’s standards for penetration, expansion, and weight retention.
An important note here, Penetration is first and foremost. There are many hollow points that expand in gel and make a pretty picture, we have to be sure it can get in there deep enough to have an effect first and foremost. A very good example of this is Speer FMJ 380. A well known police agency issues this for all its 380 pistols. It does not expand, but it runs reliably in all the 380’s they approve and meets penetrations standards. That is very telling. Many 380 rounds do not preform well out of tiny pistols.
More to come….