classes
Our standard curriculum has been developed from decades of experience instructing law enforcement officers. We’ve modified the information and techniques for civilians because we want you to know what we know.
Our classes are conducted in our classrooms at Talon Range or Talon Tactical Outfitters as well as on the range. We do not allow firearms, ammunition or other weapons in the classroom, although our students are welcome to bring their own firearms to use on the range.
We do offer custom courses and private instruction. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Prior to the attendance of any course all students will need to complete a class wavier and present the confirmation email to the instructors the day of the event.
Basic I/CCW
Basic I is an introduction to handgun shooting in a defensive context. This course exceeds Florida requirements for firearms safety class and a certificate obtained during this course can be used to apply for a CCW License. There will be at least two classes scheduled per month.
During this class students will enjoy:
- 4 hours of classroom material going over gun safety, tactics, Florida’s Laws and Statutes governing use of force.
- 2 hours of live fire on the range.
- 2 hours of scenario based training using a laser simulator.
- Optional 1 hour to test fire weapons from our selection of over 30 pistols.
Required Gear: - Pants that can accommodate a belt and a sturdy belt (we will be putting a holster on you)
- Closed toed shoes and a closed collar shirt.
- Appropriate clothing for seasonal conditions (this is an outdoor range)
Talon will be furnishing the firearms, ammunition, take home hearing/eye protection, swag and lunch for this class.
Cost: 190.00
BASIC II
Our Basic II course is an intermediate four hour course that is designed for people who have already taken a CCW class or just want to learn how to use their handgun. This class is taught from concealment and will require that the student brings their own weapon in their preferred method of carry. This course can be tailored to the needs of the student and due to the reduced class size can be done as a private function upon request. The course will cover-
- Handgun Shooting Fundamentals
- Handgun Draw Technique
- Shooting From Retention
- Handgun Malfunctions
- Emergency and Tactical Reloads
- Discussion on Gear Selection
Required Gear
- At least 100 rounds of Handgun ammunition
- At least one concealable handgun and method of carry
- At least two spare magazines or speed loaders
- Hearing and Eye Protection
Cost: $150.00
Talon Defender Series
The Talon Defender Series is the most comprehensive pistol specific course that Talon offers. Consisting of three separate three day courses that will give the student 72 hours of informative and challenging instruction. Each class will build on the class before it and will end with a proficiency test.
Talon Defender – Enhanced – $500.00
- Universal Laws of Self Defense
- Protector Mindset and Situational Awareness
- Extensive Work On Handgun Malfunction
- Extensive Work On Transitions
- Introduction to Movement
- Concealed Carry Threat Engagement
- Dealing with Aftermath
- Reality Based Training
Talon Defender – Advanced – $500.00
- Enhanced Course Review
- Refresher on malfunctions and transitions
- Intro to Trauma Care
- Extensive Moving and Shooting Drills
- Use of Cover and Concealment
- Low Light Threat Engagement
- Reality Based Training
Talon Defender – Professional – $500.00
- Advanced Review
- Refresher on Malfunctions and Transitions
- Threat Engagement with Team Concepts
- Additional work on movement drills including surreptitious movement
- Low Light Threat Engagement
- Trauma Care Proficiency
- Self Aid/ Buddy Aid
- Family Protection Techniques
- Reality Based Training (Force on Force)
Required Gear
- At least 800 rounds of handgun ammunition per class
- At least 3 magazines (4-5 mags/speed loaders if low capacity handgun.)
- At least one Concealable handgun with Concealable method of carry
- A Handheld Light
- Wet/Cold weather gear depending on the season
- Black Permanent Marker
- Note Taking Gear
- Hearing and Eye Protection
Talon Protector Series
The Talon Protector Series is the most comprehensive Tactical Carbine specific course that Talon offers. Consisting of three separate 3-day courses that will give the student 72 hours of informative and challenging instruction. Each class will build on the class before it and will end with a proficiency test.
Talon Protector – Enhanced – $500.00
- Basic Shooting Fundamentals
- Rifle Zero / Different Types
- Disassembly / Assembly / Trouble Shooting Common Issues
- Legal Presentation
- Target Anatomy
- Engagement Consideration
- State of Awareness / Situational Awareness
- Malfunctions
- Students will shoot a wide variety of drills from various positions and distances.
Talon Protector – Advanced- $500.00
- Enhanced Course Review
- Refresher on Malfunctions
- Transition from Rifle to Handgun Concepts
- Introduction to Trauma Care
- Extensive Moving and Shooting Drills
- Use of Cover and Concealment
- Low Light Threat Engagement
- Reality Based Training Scenarios
Talon Protector -Professional- $500.00
- Advanced Course Review
- Refresher on malfunctions and transitions
- Threat Engagement with Team Concepts
- Threat Engagement with Known and Unknown Distances
- Low Light Threat Engagements
- Trauma Care Proficiency
- Self Aid / Buddy Aid
- Reality Based Training Scenarios
Required Gear:
- 800 rounds Rifle Ammo / 200 rounds Handgun Ammo.
- Semi Auto Rifle with detachable Box Magazine
- x4 Spare Magazines
- Rifle Sling
- Method of carrying spare magazines
- Pistol and Holster
- Spare magazines for pistol
- Black permanent Marker
- Hearing and Eye Protection
Cover/Concealment
This is an advanced course that combines the Home Defense and the Cover/Concealment course. We are taking the act of clearing a house and add the process of effectively using cover and concealment in the house. We will cover the ballistic issues and bullets inside the home, searching/clearing the home with a flashlight and weapon, and the use of a shotgun for home defense.
Live fire with a shotgun and handgun will be included in drills centered on home defense skills, and Airsoft scenarios will be conducted in a building simulating a home. This course is approximately eight hours long.
Cost: $175.00
Students will need to bring
- Semi-automatic pistol
- 100 Rounds of Handgun Ammunition
- Two magazines with at least 10-round capacity or three magazines if less than 10-round capacity
- Magazine pouch
- Belt-worn holster
- Concealment garment (light jacket, etc.) that can be buttoned/zipped closed as well as worn open
- Hearing and eye protection
- Shotgun if disired
- 50 rounds of shotgun ammunition
- Flashlight
Vehicle survivability tactics (vst)
Our Vehicle Survivability Tactics course is one of our more advanced courses. During this
course, students will learn how to fight effectively with a handgun from inside a vehicle. We will cover the effects of bullets striking a vehicle, effects of bullets against tempered and laminated glass, the strong areas of a vehicle along with the weak areas of a vehicle. We will also cover the special considerations of vehicle interiors, specific draw techniques, and other specific items. Each student will engage targets from inside a vehicle while shooting through a windshield. This will be an eight hour course and lunch will be provided.
Cost: $250.00
Gear List:
- 185 rnds of FMJ
- 15 rnds of JHP
- Eye and Ear Protection
- Handgun
- Three Magazines
- Concealed Carry Holster
- Spare Mag Pouches
- Gloves
- Facial Covering (there will be a lot of powdered glass in the air)
- Note Taking Gear
This class will require a proficient level of gun handling in confined spaces. Understand that if you sign up for the course and then demonstrate a significant safety risk to not only to yourself but instructors and other students, you will be dropped from the course.
Intro to Tactical Carbine
The civilian Tactical Carbine Class involves basic operation of the tactical carbine, primarily the AR platform but any semiautomatic rifle with a detachable box magazine will work.
Students will Cover:
- Assembly and Disassembly of their Weapon
- Sight In
- Sling Techniques
- Various Shooting Positions
- Reloading (Tactical and Emergency)
- Moving and Shooting
- Use of Cover
- Time permitting, two man drills
Students will need:
- At least 300 rounds of ammunition
- Semi auto rifle with detachable box magazine
- At least 4 spare magazines
- A method to carry spare magazines
- A sling of their choice
- Hearing/Eye protection
This is an eight hour course, lunch will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own.
Cost: 175.00
competitive shooting
Talon Training Group Advanced Class: Introduction to USPSA Competitive Shooting
This course is designed to prepare competitors for a USPSA / IPSC match and is available to advanced shooters who want to improve gun handling capabilities.
Over the course of an entire day, Master Class USPSA competitor and Talon instructor John Rasmussen will cover the basics of combat shooting. Topics include drawing techniques, basic shooting skills, shooting on the move, strong-hand weak-hand shooting, stage props and reloading. We will also look at the game itself and discuss stage breakdown, rules, match preparation, training, practicing and equipment selection.
Required for the class:
- A safe and serviceable handgun, 9mm or larger, i.e. Glock, Sig, Beretta, H&K, 1911 etc.
- At least two magazines for your handgun
- A secure holster that covers the trigger guard
- A sturdy belt
- At least one magazine pouch
- Eye and hearing protection
- 400 rounds of ammunition
If you do not have all of the required equipment, contact us; some equipment can be loaned to students for the class. Ammunition is also available for purchase in the Pro Shop.
Much of the class will be held outdoors on the range, so dress appropriately. Lunch is included in the class fee. The class will be limited to no more than eight students; please contact us in advance to reserve your space.
In addition to the class on Saturday, John will include further instruction at the local USPSA match held at Talon Range on the Saturday following the class. All Talon students will be placed in squads together, and John will act as the Range Officer. The knowledge and information learned in the class will be put to use in the match, and each student will get one-on-one instruction through each course of fire. This portion is not mandatory, and the only cost associated with this portion is the match entry fee. This class is available upon request only.
tactical shotgun
Students will learn proper grip and stance, weapon manipulation, administrative loading and unloading, combat loading, malfunction clearing, load selection and associated gear selection.
Students will need:
- A safe, functioning pump or semi auto shotgun, preferably in 12ga
- Some way to carry extra ammo — a sidesaddle carrier, belt carriers, vest, dump pouch, etc.
- Eye and hearing protection
- 20 rounds of slug
- 10 rounds of buckshot
- 100 rounds of birdshot
- A sling would be helpful, but is not essential
Talon will have ammunition available for sale. Contact us to reserve a space in the next class.
This is an eight-hour course and is limited to 12 students. Lunch is provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own.
Cost: 175.00
reality-based training
This course is a follow-up for the scenario-based training classes we offer and is about the only class where we don’t actually fire live weapons.
In this course, students carry airsoft weapons and have to react to real circumstances our law enforcement instructors have developed. Observation of other students is encouraged and you will learn as a group to develop the correct mindset for the time when you need to be able to react to a threat. Many skills are tested in this class, including communication, posturing, conflict avoidance, legal justification of the use of deadly force, concealed carry methods and defensive tactics.
This is a four-hour course and is limited to eight students.
Red Dot Handgun
Join Talon Training Lead Instructors John Rasmussen and Avery Tubbs for a 1-day class introducing you to the handgun mounted red dot sight. In this class we’ll cover:
-Red dot sight components and equipment selection
-Proper zeroing
-Red dot sight theory and why it is (or can be) a superior sighting method
-How to properly train with and use a red dot sight for recreational, competitive and self
defense use, and much more
Class requirements:
While this is an introductory class on red dots, it is not a class for beginner
shooters. Shooters should already be proficient and safe with a handgun. This is an intermediate class designed to make you faster, more accurate and more proficient with a handgun.
This class will require a safe handgun with a red dot sight (9mm or larger is preferred, but a rimfire handgun is acceptable), 500 rounds of ammunition, 3 magazines, a holster that covers the trigger, a magazine pouch, eye and ear protection.
Cost: 250.00
low light tactics
This class is designed to teach tactical skills with little available light and incorporates the same tactics law enforcement uses for SWAT and other specialty teams. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of all methods of lighting, and we practice searching and clearing a building in low light with only a flashlight.
We cover the proper use of handheld and weapon-mounted lights with both handguns and long guns. Methods of shooting with both types of lights are emphasized, and we’ll discuss when and when not to use lights, as well as what types of lights to buy. Several types of lights will be available at the class to borrow or purchase.
Students will Require:
- Handgun
- Hand held light
- 200 rounds of ammunition
- At least 2 spare magazines
- Concealed weapon holster
- Method to carry spare magazines
This class is taught in the evening hours and often runs late.
Cost: 150.00
active shooter response
In our modern society, the incidents of active, on going violent encounters are growing. As armed citizens we need to be prepared to deal with these in a way we can protect those we love and still not suffer harm at the hands of responding officers.
This course is a 12 hour course, including a 4 hour session on a Friday night in the classroom and a full day on the range on a Saturday. We provide instruction on mindset, concealed carry techniques and legal issues related to defending ourselves and our community from this style of attack. Disarming techniques and some basic combat casualty care is taught as well as a full day of shooting drills. The emphasis is on accurate shooting with a concealed carry handgun from concealment. Learning how to keep a low profile and win, without being subject to being mistaken for the bad guy is a key learning point.
This course will require a concealed firearm, a holster and at least one spare magazine or speed loader. 200 rounds of ammunition is the minimum and all weapons must be concealed during the class.
Dinner Friday and Lunch on Saturday are provided. This is one of Talon’s most advanced courses and the only one with a practical exercise at the end that is required for completion. This course also requires that you meet training criteria to join. Call the Pro-Shop for more information.
in-home consultations
Do you ever worry about the security of your home or what you would do if someone broke in? We offer in-home consultations with a law enforcement instructor who will come evaluate your home and teach you how to safety protect, search and defend it from a break-in or assault.
These instructors are tactically trained and are either current or past members of a SWAT or Tactical Team. They are also passionate about your ability to protect yourself and your family. Items discussed will include home security issues, how to secure and defend family members and what to do if you wake up to an intruder, among other topics. You are welcome to include your entire family in the training.
These sessions can be upgraded to include scenario-based training.
We can customize this training to suit the needs of any homeowner, business owner or government entity. Pricing on customized training for other venues is available by request.
custom courses
We are happy to build a custom course for you, your business, your family or your friends; let us know what you want to cover and we’ll create something just for you. We can come to you or schedule time at the range. Pricing will vary based on time, instructors and the number of students. Contact us for more information.