John Farnam/ DTI Defensive Shotgun

Your shotgun must have a stock, either fixed or folding.  "Stockless" shotguns are not acceptable. 

You will need one-hundred rounds of buckshot and twenty slugs. 

We recommend 00 buckshot in the standard, nine-pellet loading.  Federal, Remington, Winchester, and other reputable manufacturers produce this load in great abundance, as it is the standard used by most police departments.  Other sizes of buckshot are acceptable, and are acceptable, but 00 renders the best performance.  We do not recommend any of the "magnum" shotshell loadings, nor do we recommend any “reduced recoil” shotgun round.  Magnum loadings are uncomfortable to shoot and offer little benefit in return.  “Reduced recoil” shotshells fail to operate many autoloading shotguns.  We do not recommend birdshot for anything but sport and recreational shooting.  All shotguns must have slings.

You will also need hearing and eye protection and a baseball cap.  Shatterproof prescription eyeglasses, shooting glasses, or safety glasses will suffice for eye protection.  Hearing protection may take the form of ear plugs or covers.

All students will need to bring a defensive handgun and holster, as we will be doing transition drills.  You’ll need fifty rounds of handgun ammunition.

Instruction will be intense and fast-paced.  The course curriculum includes: safe gun handling and preventable firearms accidents, operation, handling, transportation, shotgun/pistol transition, and tactical employment. Also included are threat evaluation, risk identification and reduction, multiple targets, lethal threat containment and management, levels of influence, low-light shooting, cover and movement, safely holding suspects at gunpoint, performing under stress, weapon control, close encounters, long-distance encounters, and the defensive use of the shotgun in an urban setting.  Classroom subjects will include the latest information on the physio/psychological aspects of lethal encounters, courtroom savvy, post-shooting trauma, ammunition performance in actual shooting, weapon selection criterion, and retention.  Safety and correct gun handling will be stressed and expected of all students throughout the course.

This is your chance to get professional instruction from one of the world's best-known professional defensive lethal-force instructors.  Remember, "Willingness is a state of mind.  Readiness is a statement of fact!"