ESSENTIAL PISTOL

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💥 Essential Pistol: Defensive Pistol Mastery 💥 

Essential Pistol is where everyday gun owners become confident, capable gunfighters: trained for real-world defense. 

This class is right for you if:

✅ You own a pistol but aren’t confident you could use it effectively under pressure.
✅ You want to go beyond static range drills and develop real-world defensive skills.
✅ You’re ready to break bad habits and replace them with fight-ready techniques.
✅ You’ve trained before but want to close the gap between knowing how to shoot and winning in a confrontation.
✅ You want a course that blends legal context, technical skill, and decision-making.
✅ You are a civilian, military, or law enforcement professional seeking purposeful, high-quality training. 

NO PREREQUISITES

 Calendar

📅 November 15–16, 2025

 🕗 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM Both days
📍 Mountain Top Gun & Archery Range, 11564 Harrison Ferry Rd, McMinnville, TN

👉 Completion of Essential Pistol fulfills the requirements for the Tennessee Concealed Carry Permit.
👉 Seats are limited — lock in your spot today!

CLICK HERE FOR 2026 CLASS PRESALE! 

Essential Pistol is more than a typical shooting class: it’s a structured program for developing practical, fight-ready pistol skills. Students will learn proper grip, stance, sight alignment, and recoil management, then apply those fundamentals to dynamic shooting drills. The course also integrates legal considerations and defensive force decision-making, helping participants understand not just how to shoot, but when and why to act under pressure.

The class covers drawing from concealment, shooting from multiple positions, movement, retention, and close-quarters tactics, all in realistic, high-stress scenarios. Essential Pistol is suitable for new shooters, experienced civilians, and current or former military and law enforcement personnel. By the end of the course, participants walk away with the confidence, technical skill, and mindset needed to survive and prevail in real-world defensive situations.

TOPICS COVERED

• All Patriot Training live fire classes have a thorough safety briefing and medical plan. 
• Proper sight picture
• Sight alignment
• Proper grip on the gun
• Good fighting stance
• Recoil control
• Legalities of defensive force 
• Pistol marksmanship
• Safety
• Drawing & presenting the pistol
• Shooting positions and variations,
• Pistol muzzle positions and applications
• Stoppages
• Multiple shots
• Multiple targets
• Shooting & moving, 
• Retention shooting, 
• One and two handed shooting,
• Advanced CQB concepts 

FAQ

• All Registrants will receive a FREE Patriot Training t-shirt with their order of a 2025 class. Sizes in adult men's: Small - Medium - Large - XL - 2XL - 3XL 
• 1-Day option
• FAMILY DISCOUNTS 
• CURRENT / FORMER MILITARY: Come learn the pistol stuff the military didn't teach you!
• CURRENT / FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT: This class contains the material you wish you had been taught!
• All PATRIOT TRAINING Class pricing includes any applicable range access charges - no surprise "gotcha" fees! 

GUNS & GEAR

• Your carry handgun (9 mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Sig suggested.)  
• Quality holster (kydex or stiff leather - stays open for reholstering)
  • OWB (outside waistband) is OK!
  • IWB (Inside the Waistband) is OK! 
  • AIWB (appendix inside the waistband) is OK!
• No nylon holsters / no SERPA Holsters. 
• The Sig P320 is banned from all Patriot Training classes. 
• 3+ magazines
• 5 Snap caps - ONLY IF YOU ARE NOT USING 9 mm
  • IF you are bringing .45 ACP, bring snap caps. 
  • IF you are bringing .40 S&W, bring snap caps. 
  • IF you are bringing .380, bring snap caps. 
  • etc.
  • We provide loaner 9 mm snap caps. 
• Sturdy Carry belt
• 500 rounds of factory loaded brass cased ammo 
• notepad & pen 
• eye protection & ear protection. 
• Range appropriate clothing
• Food & Water
• Notepad and Pen
• Sunscreen & bug spray
• Hand warmers in cold weather months
• Medical kit / IFAK optional
• Lawn Chairs (optional)
• Shemagh (optional) 
• If you wear prescription lenses / glasses - BRING THEM!  

Patriot Training suggests holsters from:

Vedder Holsters

Blade Tech

We The People

DO NOT  BRING TO CLASS:

• Steel cased ammo for pistols 
• Hand loaded or remanufactured ammunition. Bring factory ammo only. 
• Mixed brands/types of ammo - bring a single brand and type
• Avoid bringing .22 LR Pistols, .25 ACP pistols, .32 ACP pistols (they jam too much - and the only ones that ever jam in class are the ones that "never had a problem before")
• SERPA holsters or any holster requiring the trigger finger to disengage retention are forbidden. 
• Nylon holsters forbidden. 
• Revolvers forbidden for Essential Pistol
• The Sig P320 is banned from all Patriot Training classes. 

ONE DAY CLASS OPTION

Finances a bit tight?

Still not 100% convinced?

Time constraints?

Essential Pistol has a 1-Day option.

When registering for class, use the drop down to select 1-Day option. 

FAMILY DISCOUNT OPTION

Add a son / daughter / spouse / father / mother / sibling for a reduced price. 

The family that shoots together... scoots together?

When registering, use the drop down to select family add. 

Why does Patriot Training not allow revolvers in Essential Pistol?

A - Because revolvers are not as reliable as modern semi autos. Check out the schools that do offer revolver classes - they all reduce round counts. And all of them talk about how many revolvers go down in each class. ALSO - revolvers tend to have a shorter sight radius, and a longer, harder trigger pull - making them extremely difficult to shoot well. If you'd like to train with your revolver - Check out our "ESSENTIAL REVOLVER" Class!

Why does Patriot Training not allow Serpa Holsters?

Because they fail, and they get people shot. Please see our FAQ page for details and links!

LOCATION

This class will be held at Mountain Top Gun & Archery.

11564 Harrison Ferry Rd., McMinnville, TN 37110

STANDBY

Most Patriot Training classes sell out quickly. However, we frequently have participants who have schedule changes, and cannot make the class they bought for whatever reason. Therefore, we offer a "STANDBY" list. Of course, this does not guarantee you a spot. However, most classes get one or two reschedules - usually the last week right before class. 

IF this class sells out, email us and we will put you on standby for the class at no charge. Of course, if a spot opens up, then you will need to act quickly to buy that spot! 

REFUND / RESCHEDULE / TRANSFER POLICY

REFUNDS

Patriot Training does NOT offer Refunds. 

* Tuition sale is final and is a commitment to train with Patriot Training at the date and time scheduled.

* Tuition paid guarantees your spot in class. Patriot Training does not overbook. 

* Your payment secures a spot in a specific class, and nothing more. Patriot Training cannot and does not guarantee individual performance or results. Therefore, failure to pass a course (such as a carry permit evaluation) does not qualify for a refund.  

* Patriot Training does not offer refunds, reschedules, or transfers to students who fail to show up for class. If you decide not to attend, that’s your decision. 

* This policy is firm and there will be no exceptions.

*  Due to safety concerns, all Sig P320 variants are banned from use in class. No refunds will be issued based on this policy. 

Why? 

- Because if you decide the day before class that you don't like the weather forecast (or insert whatever excuse here), we will not have time to sell that spot to a serious participant that has been turned away. 

RESCHEDULE

Cannot make a class and need to reschedule to a future class? You may reschedule for the same class (i.e. Urban Rifleman for Urban Rifleman) in the future for a reasonable processing fee. You must reschedule no later than Thursday at 6:00 pm prior to the start of the class you cannot make. Naturally, there must be a future offering on the schedule, and once you select the date, that date will be locked in. Future reschedules will also require an additional processing fee. CLICK HERE TO RESCHEDULE. 

LIMITED TRANSFERS

Can't make the class and want to transfer (give/sell) your spot to someone else?

If you want to transfer, sell, or give your seat to someone else, that’s entirely up to you and is fine by us. 

You must notify us no later than Thursday, 6:00 pm, prior.  

If that person cannot make it, the same no refund policy applies. 

CANCELLATIONS

In the unlikely event Patriot Training is forced to cancel a class, refunds and reschedules will be offered.