Owning a firearm without the skill to employ it effectively is an incomplete equation. Equipment matters—it is covered extensively elsewhere in this wiki—but gear only reaches its potential when paired with deliberate, structured practice. The Training & Targets hub exists to bridge that gap. It covers the principles behind productive range time, platform-specific skill development for both handguns and rifles, the physical targets and tools that support measurable improvement, and the emergency medical training that every armed citizen should treat as non-negotiable. A prepared citizen is not simply someone who has purchased the right items; they are someone who has invested the hours to use those items under stress, and who continues refining their abilities over time.
Training is also where theory meets reality. A holster that felt comfortable at the store must be drawn from cleanly under a timer. A zero confirmed from a bench must hold when shooting from kneeling or prone. A tourniquet staged on a belt must be applied with one hand while the other is occupied. Each section of this hub addresses a different facet of that translation from concept to competence, and each is designed so that a reader can build or refine a personal training program regardless of experience level, budget, or available range facilities.
The foundation of all productive practice is a coherent philosophy about what range time should accomplish and how to structure it. The Range Philosophy section covers flat-range training methodology, the role of dry fire as a low-cost high-repetition skill builder, and frameworks for designing a training program oriented around real defensive skills rather than recreational shooting. It also addresses the often-neglected discipline of tracking performance over time—turning subjective feelings about improvement into objective data. Range Philosophy
For the handgun—the platform most citizens carry daily and therefore the one most likely to be needed—the Pistol Training section walks through the specific skills that make a concealed carrier effective. This includes developing a reliable drawstroke from concealment, building accuracy fundamentals that hold up under time pressure, running standardized drills and qualification standards that provide benchmarks, and managing the constant tension between speed and precision. It also covers force-on-force training, which introduces the decision-making and stress inoculation dimensions that flat-range work alone cannot replicate. Pistol Training
Rifle training demands its own section because the carbine operates at different distances, from different positions, and with different mechanical considerations than a handgun. The Rifle Training pages address zeroing procedures and their documentation, accuracy fundamentals extended to distance, positional shooting from prone, kneeling, and supported positions, and drills and qualification standards specific to the rifle platform. It also includes material on cold-weather reliability testing—an area where assumptions about equipment performance are frequently wrong and where training under realistic conditions reveals weaknesses that bench shooting never will. Rifle Training
Good training requires good targets, and good targets require intentional design. The T.Rex Training Products section covers the range of target systems available for structured practice: paper targets designed around specific drill formats, cardboard silhouettes for general training, steel targets that provide instant audible feedback, zeroing targets engineered for precise confirmation of point-of-impact, and the Chameleon variable threat target that introduces shoot/no-shoot decision-making into live fire. It also covers the Range Day Pro system as a shot-tracking and performance analysis tool, guidance on target setup and range organization, and recommended outside training instructors and courses for those seeking formal instruction beyond self-directed practice. T.Rex Training Products
Finally, training that ignores medical skills is dangerously incomplete. Firearms are designed to cause trauma, and anyone who carries or trains with them should be prepared to treat that trauma—whether self-inflicted by accident, sustained in a defensive encounter, or encountered as a bystander. The Tactical Medicine section covers Tactical Combat Casualty Care principles adapted for civilian context, the MARCH protocol for systematic casualty assessment, CAT tourniquet application drilled to a repeatable standard, and field sanitation and wilderness first aid for extended or austere environments. Medical training is arguably the most likely skillset from this entire hub to be used in real life, and it deserves commensurate investment. Tactical Medicine
Training ties directly into every other part of this wiki. The holsters and belt rigs discussed in Belt Setup Philosophy are validated or rejected during drawstroke development. The rifles configured in platform builds prove themselves during zeroing and positional shooting. The medical gear staged on carriers and belts per tourniquet staging guidance must be accessed under the stress conditions that only training creates. The broader principle articulated in Training as a Duty is not rhetoric—it is the operational reality that this hub exists to support.