Loadout: Kyle Defoor Pistol Course

I recently attended a 2 day pistol course taught by Kyle Defoor of Defoor Proformance. When you initially sign up for the class you are provided with a basic gear list of what’s required for the course. The following is a break down of the loadout I took with me. There are a few things I would do differently next time which I will also discuss.

Here is the official packing list from the website.

• eye and ear pro
• med kit
• med kit trainer (optional)
• 800 rounds of ammo
• Serviceable pistol with at least 3 magazines per
• holster that covers trigger guard, NO SERPAS
• hand held light or weapon mounted light
• weapon cleaning/maintenance kit
• appropriate weather/seasonal items
• food/water as needed by individual

We’ll go in order of the above list to cover what I packed.

Eye and ear pro – The glasses I used for my eye protection were the Gatorz Magnum shades. These did an outstanding job at blocking the sun, giving me crisp clear sight picture and target acquisition, and providing the needed protection.

The ear pro used were the Impact sport electronic earmuffs. These worked as expected, no issues. I brought spare batteries, but after two days of constant use they were still going strong.

Med kit – I brought a very basic med kit with me which included a CAT tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, and other first aid items. As part of the course, Kyle covers medical kits, what to include in them, and how to use those items.

Med kit trainer – I did not bring a med kit trainer nor did I even have one to bring. After attending the course now I will be putting a training kit together to, if nothing else, give myself something to practice with every so often. These skills are perishable, so you need to have a way to practice and train without using your ‘go kit’ as Kyle calls it.

800 rounds of ammo – I brought a full 1000 rounds in a Blackhawk 50 cal ammo bag. The ammunition I used was 115 grain FMJ produced by Minuteman Munitions.

Serviceable pistol with at least 3 mags – I used my Glock 17, since that is the gun I run with most often. I brought 3 mags (1 in the gun and 2 on my belt). For my Glock, having the 3 mags worked out really well. If you run a 1911 or any other gun that is a single stack, then make sure you bring a shit ton of mags.

Holster that covers the trigger guard – I ran the course with an outside the waistband setup, since this wasn’t really advertised as a concealed carry course. Although we did have a few guys roll with their IWB setups. The holster I used was The Defender by LAG Tactical as were both magazine pouches. Both the holster and mag pouches by LAG Tactical worked flawlessly. Stay tuned for a separate review on them.

Hand held light – I brought the light that I carry on a daily basis and that is the Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA. We didn’t do any low light work in this course giving it was summer and the sun doesn’t go down until 9pm.

Weapon Cleaning Kit – I brought my basic cleaning kit contained in a surplus M16 cleaning pouch. I purposely did not clean my pistol for the duration of the course just to prove to myself how resilient the Glock platform is. Not once did I have any issues. Once I was back home from the course I field stripped the gun and gave it a quick cleaning.

Seasonal items – Although the forecast called for sunny at 90 both days I still packed a lightweight rain jacket from Frog Togs. It never rained so I didn’t have to break that out. The only other item I brought knowing that it was going to be hot and sunny was sun screen for the back of my neck.  Due to the heat I brought a 36oz water bottle made by Yeti which kept my water cold despite the heat. I ended up drinking all my water by early afternoon and there was no way to refill at the range. Next time I will have a case of water in my trunk for myself and any other guys that need it. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I also stopped at the local gas station to pick up a few Cliff bars for energy throughout the day.

Now that I had all my gear selected I needed to carry it in something. The bag I carry everyday ended up being the bag I took to the course and kept on the range with me. That bag was the GR-1 by GO Ruck.

– Scott Witner for LoadoutRoom.com