Tactical on a budget

• Beau Doboszenski, Owner/Lead Instructor

• Originally published June 21st, 2018

You’ve seen them online: like the Kardashians of the gun world, the gun ninjas run around your screen like the prancing ponies of the tactical world. Away they blaze on closed ranges with the hottest gear you’ve ever seen. $2000-$4000 rifles, $300 trigger groups, $500-$700 optics for handgun AND rifle, and $400 battle belt kits. That’s up to $5000 in gear, before they even begin to jam those magazines with more ammo for one drill or competition run than you’ve probably shot in three months at the range.

You sometimes even see this in my videos, since I’ve had access to some really impressive and expensive gear, like for the Home Defense Rifle video series and the upcoming Art of Defense videos I’m making with Viridian.

You look at all of that and ask yourself, without a zillion dollar budget, how could I ever compete?

You can. Let me show you how.

First, recognize that the most important tool you can develop is YOU. The high speed gear does make a difference, but really it’s only lipstick on a pig. If your technique is poor, you’ll get slightly improved crap, but still just crap.

You need to develop neurological skill. Condition the brain to operate any equipment, good or bad, as effectively as you possibly can. The best way to develop the brain is deliberate, slow, small block training - essentially, little bits of focused work over a long period of time. This is the reasoning behind DMT’s regular training sessions. It’s neuroscience. It works.

Next, 99.9999% of a self-defense encounter or competition happens before and after the bang. The shot itself, and managing the recoil, is extremely important, but so are the draw, target transitions, movement, use of cover, immediate actions, retention, and low light. And guess what? You can practice ALL OF THAT in dry fire, without spending a dime on ammo.

If you don’t have a SIRT pistol yet, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.

Why does this simple dry fire laser tool make you effective? Because you can work those 99.9999% of skills and techniques without going to the range, using a single round of ammunition, and even in your battle space at home. And because the weight and trigger press of a SIRT feels like using a standard handgun, it’s virtually the same as practicing with your own firearm.

It isn’t uncommon for me to do a thousand trigger pulls a week, but only 50-200 of them with live ammo. The rest are all coming in dry fire. Because of all this dry fire, I have the neural pathways of someone who shoots a thousand correct shots, every single week. That’s four thousand a month or 48,000 pulls a year. Multiply that by 10 years, and well, you get the idea of the type of practice I’ve gotten for very little cost.

Get to nextleveltraining.com and use the promo code "defenders" for a killer discount on your SIRT pistol.

Finally, buy quality gear, and only start with what you really NEED.

You need proper training, so put resources there. It’s the best investment you can make.

You need a firearm. Get a high quality one that will make training and development simple. A single trigger press, simple sights, and a firearm with a solid track record of performance. And get a handgun that you’re actually going to shoot! I learned from a manufacturer rep that 80-90% of people who buy micro compact handguns shoot ONE magazine through the firearm and never shoot it again! Why? Micro compacts aren’t fun to shoot without proper training, and even then, they’re harder to manage than compacts or full sized. There’s no point in buying a firearm that you’re not going to use.

And a used firearm can be just as good as new. Most gun owners almost never shoot their handguns, so don’t overlook a good used firearm. Watch for deals at your local range or gun show.

You need a quality holster. How you plan to use the firearm should determine the holster. If you’re planning on carrying concealed, get a quality concealment holster. And remember that if you're going to practice, you need to be able to both draw the firearm AND reholster that firearm easily. If you’re planning on doing competitions, get a holster that fits the rules of your sport.

And seriously, the most important thing is your dedication. This will help you get started, and going a really long way down the path to being as effective as the gun ninja you see online.

Remember that practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Learn how to practice correctly, regardless of your tools and equipment, and everything else is open to you.