Not how long you've owned it. Not how many rounds you've put downrange. A number.
Almost nobody has one, because nothing in civilian life ever asks. And if you have a CCW, you already passed a qualification, but be honest about what that proved. It proved you were safe. It didn't tell you a thing about how good you are.
On September 23, you find out.
Morning is training. You are not walked in cold and tested. Dave Reed spends the morning working the things that actually move a score: grip, presentation, trigger control, drawing from the holster, and reloads.
This isn't a beginner block. Dave isn't going to teach anybody how to hold a pistol and leave it there. He's going to find the specific thing costing you points, which for most experienced shooters turns out to be the draw and the first shot, not marksmanship. Fifteen students and one instructor, so nothing goes unnoticed for long.
Afternoon is measuring. Standardized courses of fire, timed, shot from concealment, scored, and run head to head with the rest of the class. There's a little competition to it, which is the point. It's a lot easier to find out where you stand when everybody on the line is finding out at the same time.
There are established courses of fire that instructors and agencies use to test pistol skill. Some are ten rounds. Some are fifty. All of them are timed, drawn from concealment, and scored, and that combination is what makes them useful. It's also what an ordinary range day never gives you.
Dave picks what fits the shooter. Somebody in their first year and somebody who has carried since the nineties don't learn anything from being measured against the same thing. For shooters who are ready for it, that includes the FBI's qualification course, fifty rounds from three yards out to twenty-five, scored the way the Bureau scores its own agents.
You're not getting certified, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. California doesn't care about any of it. What you get is a real course of fire, scored honestly, with nowhere to hide.
Everyone leaves with a number. That's the floor. Nobody drives home from this empty handed, and nobody has to be good to get something out of the day. A number you can't argue with is the only honest place to start.
Shoot the federal course well enough and you leave with documentation of that too. Not a license, not a certification. Just a fact about you that most gun owners will never be able to claim.
Dave Reed brings more than 30 years of real world training experience to personal defense education. He's a U.S. Navy Training Manager and a certified NRA instructor, and he teaches people how to assess threats quickly and make the right call when it matters.
His last class with us sold out and ran a waitlist.
One requirement: you can draw from a holster and put rounds on target safely, on your own. That's the whole bar. You don't need to be fast and you don't need to be good, but the day moves, and it moves from the holster.
If that isn't you yet, this isn't the class to start with, and we'd rather tell you now than take your money. Email us and we'll point you at the right place to begin. Come to this one next time with a number worth beating.
You don't need a CCW. Everything happens on a private range and a permit isn't required to be there.
However you carry is fine. Off body, purse, belly band, appendix, strong side. Tell us how you carry when you register so Dave can plan around it.
No pistol? No problem. Firearms are available for students who need one. Just make sure to let us know by September 9, 2026.
What: How Good Are You? A full day of pistol training and measuringWhen: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 · 9:00 AM to 4:00 PMWhere: A private range in Alpine. The address goes out by email once you register.Bring: Your pistol and holster, three magazines minimum, 350 rounds of quality factory ammunition, eye and ear protection, a cover garment, a hat, and sunscreen.
Also bring: Your own water, your own lunch, and a camp chair if you want one. This is a private range, not a facility. There are restrooms and that's about it, so pack for a full day outdoors in September.
Includes: A full day of instruction, your courses of fire, and your scores
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 - Full day, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PMIncludes a full day of instruction, your courses of fire, and your scores.Requirement: you can draw from a holster and put rounds on target safely, on your own. You don't need to be fast or good, but the day moves from the holster.Bring: pistol and holster, three magazines minimum, 350 rounds of quality factory ammunition, eye and ear protection, a cover garment, a hat, and sunscreen.Also bring: your own water, your own lunch, and a camp chair. This is a private range, not a facility. There are restrooms and that's about it.The range address is emailed to you after you register.
Includes Holster
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