Why a Standard Trip to the Gun Range Isn’t Enough
Stationary shooting is only going to get you so far
While going to the gun range and testing out your new rifle or pistol is great, it may not be enough to prepare you for various situations. Standard trips to the gun range are awesome for getting familiar with your weapon, for example if you have a new conceal carry weapon you can familiarize yourself with how it functions and shoots. But when it comes to being tactically aware and knowing how to maneuver through different survival situations, just standing and shooting at a target won’t leave you very prepared.
That being said there are a variety of aspects to really become fluent in tactical movements and prepare yourself for just about anything that life may throw at you.
Let’s take a look at why more advanced tactical training will outweigh a standard trip to the gun range.
Range Training Overview
Don’t get us wrong, it is absolutely crucial to go to the gun range and test out some of your weaponry. Standing in a lane and sending some lead down range is fun no matter what, whether you have an AR platform, or a 7.62 variant, or you want to try out your standard pistol rounds, it is a thrill to test those out. Going to the gun range also provides a load of benefits, such as familiarizing yourself with different weapons and how they function, as well as how you react to the recoil.
Range training also gives you the option to sight in your rifles and pistols, making sure they are on target whether you are using an LPVO or other type of optic. That being said, do not completely ignore going to the gun range and putting some rounds through your guns.
The downside to your typical gun range is that you cannot move around and shoot, you have to stand in one spot. A lot of times a gun range will not let you practice drawing from the hip or rapid firing unless you enroll in a specific course of theirs, and those courses may not always be the best for training yourself to become fluent in tactical movements and swiftness. The reason this is a downside is because your accuracy will be completely different when your heart rate is elevated, and it is a whole different ball game when you are pulling the trigger at a higher rate of fire than you would at your local gun range.
Let’s break down some other things to consider.
Being Tactically Fluent
Being tactically fluent does not mean you are running around in your plate carrier with your tactical helmet and some night vision goggles mounted on you 24/7, you may get some odd looks in your local grocery store if that’s how you walk around. However, being tactically fluent instead means that you know your way around different aspects of firearms, as well as other things such as medical training and close quarters combat.
Think about it, if you are in the middle of a home invasion and there are armed robbers in your house, are you just going to stand still and shoot? No, you need to know how to move around your house and take care of the threat, while minimizing the risk of harm to yourself and others in your household. The same goes for if you are out and about, there are plenty of random incidents that result in shootings across the country nowadays, so as someone who conceal carries, you should know how to maneuver in different settings and environments to take care of whatever pops up.
Aside from that, if you do find yourself in an active shooter situation, and the threat has been eliminated, it would be extremely beneficial to those around you if you knew how to use a first aid kit and treat various types of injuries.
Now, we do not wish anyone to be in a scenario like this, but are saying that it is better to be prepared for something like this to happen, as it can happen at any given time. In order to be prepared, a standard trip to the gun range won’t cut it, you have to be a Swiss Army Knife of tactical skills.
Where to Find Tactical Trainings
You can look right on Core Vision Training if you are interested in tactical training. As stressed throughout this entire article, being a well-rounded tactically trained individual is something that involves a little more than a basic trip to the gun range where you are stationary and shooting, or learning how to put a band-aid on someone when they get a paper cut.
Instead, being properly prepared means that you are fluent with your gear and how to use it, and that includes your helmets. Core Vision Training offers some great training programs to help you become the best you can be. From night vision courses and close quarters combat, to long range training, Core Vision offers it all and you get a chance to train in and get used to your gear, such as plate carriers and helmets.
That being said, throw on your tactical helmet and learn how to use it and get comfortable with it in different environments. It is better to be prepared.
Recommended Training Courses
We have a few courses that we recommend if you are looking to sharpen your tactical skills.
CQB ACTIVE DEFENSE
The CQB Active Defense course is a great way to be introduced to close quarters combat, showing the basics and what is needed to survive in a situation like that.
The Active Defense Course is a two-day CQC course that will cover the following:
1 & 2 person room clearing tactics, techniques, and procedures
CCW Pistol mechanics & manipulations
Link up procedures
Casualty assessment and treatment
Positive Threat Identification
Med kit components, set up and use
Hand off reporting procedures for EMS
RIFLE / PISTOL LEVEL 1 - MECHANICS
The Rifle/Pistol Level 1 Mechanics course teaches some great basics of learning your way around the different firearms.
Rifle mechanics
Pistol mechanics
Target Transitions
Rifle to Pistol Transitions
SCOPED CARBINE
Scoped Carbine is a great long range course that can help you hit targets at distance, and teach you the important aspects of how to do so.
The two-day, 16 hour scoped carbine course covers the following topics:
Rifle setup (sighting it in)
Philosophy of use (POU).
Basic understanding of external ballistics
Max effectiveness of each individual rifle
Range estimation skills
BDC / MRAD / MOA scopes
Positive Identification (PID) of targets (You do not want to hit the wrong target, that would be really bad)
Positional shooting
Ballistic calculator (Kestrel or applied ballistics app)
STOP THE BLEED
Stop the Bleed is a great medical course to enroll in, as it is far more informative than your standard first aid and CPR courses.
Stop the Bleed teaches things such as:
Assessing and treating massive hemorrhages (bleeding)
The MARCH-E algorithm for casualty assessment and treatment
Common medical equipment, when, why, and how to use them
Equipment storage configurations
DHS Stop the Bleed Curriculum & Certification
Intro to TCCC
