Last weekend I attended Rangemaster’s highest level instructor certification class (course AAR coming soon). The Professional Pistolcraft Instructor class is a three day program only open to those who have completed Rangemaster’s Master Pistol Instructor certification.
As a part of the class, Tom Givens gave students a chance to attempt to pass the challenging “Pistol Master” qualification course. The qualification consisted of two courses of fire, one on a B-8 bullseye target and one on a more traditional silhouette target. The bullseye portion seemed like it was the more difficult of the two. I decided to practice the course a few times before taking the test at Tom’s class.
Both courses of fire are explained in the December 2023 edition of the Rangemaster monthly newsletter. Here are the specifics of the bullseye course:
PISTOL MASTER TEST, Part 1
Fired on FBI-IP1 or B8-C, scored as printed. Must be shot from concealed carry
5 yards Draw and fire 5 rds in 5 seconds, freestyle
5 yards Start at Ready, fire 4 rds in 4 seconds, dominant hand only
5 yards Start at Ready, fire 3 rds in 3 seconds, non-dominant hand only.
5 yards Start at Ready. Fire 1 rd in 1 second. 3X
7 yards Draw and fire 4 rds in 5 seconds, freestyle
7 yards Start at Ready, 3 rds only in gun. Fire 3 rds, conduct an empty gun reload, and fire 3 more rds, all in 10 seconds
10 yards Draw and fire 5 rounds in 9 seconds
30 rounds total 300 points possible 285 or above to pass.
About two weeks before the class, I shot the drill for the first time using my stock Glock 19 with iron sights. I went over time on two stages, but I shot a pretty decent score.
296 for the first attempt
A couple days before class, I tried the course again with the same G19 and my old duty gun (G17) that I was taking as a backup to the class. This time I made the time limits on both attempts. I shot a 295 with the 19 and a 294 with the 17.
2nd run with the Glock 19
I felt pretty good about passing the test.
In class last weekend, I barely squeaked by with a 287. The pressure of shooting for a documented score in front of 24 of your peers and an instructor you respect adds some pressure that you don’t experience when shooting alone on the range.
I really like this drill and am planning on opening each of my 2025 shooting sessions up with it as a warm up.
I’d encourage you all to give it a try.
