2025 UPDATE
We have scheduled most of the classes and matches we plan to offer through August 2025, with a few dates left open so we can respond to student requests. Weekday private lessons are available with Karl at the A-Zone, by appointment on any gun, at any level on any topic we offer. Some classes on our calendar have already sold out and aren’t listed below.
Upcoming classes and events with space available:
MAY 2025
- ***Defensive Pistol Skills 1 (Holster Skills) – May 10 morning
- Stop the Bleed – May 10 afternoon
- A Zone Summer Fun Match – May 14 evening
- ***Handgun Skill Builder – May 17 morning
- A Zone Summer Fun Match – May 21 evening
- ***Defensive Pistol Small Gun (off body carry) – May 24 morning
- A Zone Summer Fun Match – May 28 evening
- ***Basic Pistol (LTC Completion) – May 31 morning
- ***Handgun Beyond Basics – May 31 afternoon
DEFENSIVE PISTOL 1 & SMALL GUN CLASSES
Our Defensive Pistol 1 and Small Gun Courses are intended to help people get comfortable with carrying a gun with them outside the home. DPS-1 focuses on learning how to draw safety and quickly from a belt holster (inside or outside waistband). We have loaner holsters and discuss holster selection during the course. Students do NOT need to go buy a holster for class.
The level of shooting skill required to pass the Texas License to Carry shooting test is not the level of skill a well prepared armed citizen should have. The DPS-1 and DPS Small Gun courses teach students how to shoot faster and hit a smaller, anatomically correct target zone (the B-27 used for the LTC test has many, many flaws), which are essential skills for survival in an actual defensive shooting incident. Even if you think you will never carry outside the home, you should take a class to learn how to select and use an appropriate holster. I discuss why holster skills are relevant for car carry in this recent article on the NRA Shooting Illustrated site.
The Small Gun class focuses on pocket carry, purse carry, fanny pack carry, and other non-holster methods. We have loaner packs and purses and even loaner “small guns” that students can use for class. A small gun in your pocket is much more useful than a big gun carried in your car or at home.
If you’ve taken the regular DPS-1 course – the “Small Gun” class is different material. Different skills, different drills. Not just a repeat of DPS-1 shot with a smaller gun.
Here’s a video showing me shooting a small gun (SIG 365 .380) from pocket, sneaky pete, day timer, fanny pack, and Enigma deep carry, with draws from open and concealed carry for comparison. With training and practice you can have a “fast enough” draw without a traditional belt holster.
JUNE-JULY 2025
- A Zone Summer Fun Match – June 4 evening
- A Zone Summer Fun Match – June 11 evening
- Armed Citizen Defensive Carbine Essentials – June 14
- Pistol Shooting Solutions (Gabe White) – June 21-22
- Lee County GOP Fun Shoot & LTC West speech – June 28
- ***Basic Pistol (LTC Completion) – July 5 morning
- ***Home Defense Tactics and Shooting Skills – July 5 afternoon
- Pistol Skill Development (Greybeard Actual) – July 11-12
- ***Double Action Revolver Skills – July 19
- ***Close Quarter Shooting 1 – July 26
A ZONE SUMMER FUN MATCHES
This year’s matches have expanded to include .22 pistol and rifle divisions, and a carry gun division, in addition to open carry/gamer gun divisions. The match fee has been reduced to $20 since we are no longer submitting classifier results to USPSA. Matches will include falling and stationary steel stages, a shoot house stage, and a variety of standards, drills and stand and shoot courses. Matches start at 6 pm but shooters can arrive later and we will work you in. They are open to shooters of all skill levels. They run on Wednesday evenings. We still start shooting at 6 but if you show up as late as 7 you can still shoot the stages. Bring 150-200 rounds, most matches will be 100-125 rounds, 4-5 stages. Centerfire pistols will need holsters (open carry or concealed), .22 pistols can start from a low ready position.
Here’s a video of Matt Little (Greybeard Actual) shooting some Steel Challenge style stages.
GABE WHITE PISTOL SHOOTING SOLUTIONS
Gabe White returns to the A-Zone June 21-22 for a session of his Pistol Shooting Solutions class. It focuses on draw speed and getting fast, accurate hits at 7 yards. Day 2 includes work on shooting on the move and other more advanced skills. If you have completed any class or match where drawing from a holster under time pressure was performed, you have the pre-reqs to attend Gabe’s course. He’s famous for his Skills Tests (Dark, Light and Turbo Pins).
Courses marked with *** are classes that count toward the Defensive Pistol Skills Program challenge coin.
Prices and registration links are at www.krtraining.com
Click HERE to register for any class.
STAFF & ALUMNI NEWS
Two students completed their 40 hour Defensive Pistol Skills program, earning their challenge coins in March and April. We will offer all the coin courses against this year except for DPS-3, mostly in September and October.
Tracy Thronburg, Chuck Baxter and Ken Carden attended the Massad Ayoob Group Revolver class in March.
Karl presented two sessions at the 2025 Rangemaster Tactical Conference, and Dave Reichek worked as a range officer, finishing 13th overall in the main match. Dozens of KR Training alumni and instructors attended this event. Registration for Tac Con 2026 opens May 5th. It typically sells out within a few hours of registration opening.
In April, Tracy assisted Massad Ayoob in teaching the MAG-80 course hosted at KR Training.
Karl was a student, shooting two perfect 300 scores on the double-speed MAG qualification course.
Tracy also attended the Intensive Pistol course taught by Aqil Qadir of Rangemaster at the Dallas Pistol Club.
Tracy and Karl were also mentioned multiple times in this episode of the “That Weems Guy” podcast about the 2025 Rangemaster Tactical Conference.
Doug and Zack Greig were featured in an article in the Texas State Rifle Association’s monthly magazine.
DISCOUNT CODES
I have collected up all the discount codes we have set up with vendors we recommend. Alumni of KR Training classes will find them in the monthly e-news email. You’ll have to open the email and scroll to the bottom to find them. It’s a reward for actually opening and reading the email!
REFRESHER DEALS
Re-take any class you’ve taken before for half price! Contact me to get the alumni discount code. Firearms skills deteriorate without practice. Most ranges don’t allow drawing from a holster, shooting quickly, moving or shooting from cover. If you don’t practice the skills you learned in class, they won’t be there when you need them.
BLOG O RAMA
All the articles you missed if you don’t follow the KR Training Facebook page and Instagram feed. John Daub and Paul Martin have both stepped back from blogging, so at the moment Uncle Zo and I are the only KR Training staff actively writing. Some of my writing is being published on the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated website (one article linked below). Greg Ellfritz has been writing a lot recently, in addition to his Weekend Knowledge Dump, and I have included some of his recent articles here.
- Carrying Concealed While Driving – NRA Shooting Illustrated (written by Karl)
- TacCon2025 – Notes from KR
- Austin’s Zilker Park Pistol Range – Notes from KR
- Stand and Deliver Still Not a Good Idea – Sensible Self Defense
- The Whippoorwill That Wasn’t – Paul Martin
- Go To Failure – Paul Martin
- The Staccato XL’s Road to 500 Rounds – Uncle Zo
- Ray Ban Meta AI Glasses – Uncle Zo
- POM Pepper Spray MK3 – Uncle Zo
- Shooters Global SG Timer GO – Uncle Zo
- NRA Basic Pistol Qualification – Uncle Zo
- Ace Virtual Shooting, 50,000 Rounds Later – Uncle Zo
- Rangemaster Tactical Conference 2025 – Uncle Zo
- Tactical Training Scenario – They’re Putting on Ski Masks – Active Response Training
- Tactical Training Scenario – Teen Knife Defense – Active Response Training
- Another Active Killer Gun Malfunction – Active Response Training
- 11 Defensive Gun Use Cases in March – Amy Swearer (Daily Signal)
- Rangemaster May newsletter – Rangemaster
- Rangemaster April newsletter – Rangemaster
MUSIC VIDEOS OF THE MONTH
Since there was no April newsletter, the May newsletter gets two music videos. The first is the Black Cat Choir covering The Who’s “Squeezebox”, with me playing accordion parts on my keyboard.
The second is Midnight Express covering Supertramp’s “Bloody Well Right” at a big show at the Palace Theatre in Bryan, Texas.
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We look forward to training you!
Karl, Penny and the KR Training team
