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On Saturday, March 21st, I taught NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home to two students. Four were signed up but two had medical issues pop up causing them to post pone until the next one. Both students and I used Smith and Wesson 9mm pistols. An M&P Compact and a M&P Shield. Neither experienced any issues. My demonstration pistol, my department issue M&P 2.0 Metal with Holosun 509T and Streamlight TLR-1HL, worked fine as it typically does. For those of you that are w

Revolver Fest was a training event that Bruce McCarthy and I attended in Clinton, SC from October 11th through the 13 th , 2025. It was a revolver centric training event planned and well executed by American Fighting Revolver that allowed all in attendance to try out a wide variety of revolver manufacturers revolvers, but also some of the best revolver instructors in the industry. For those of you who do not know what American Fighting Revolver is, it is a website with tons

On January 31, 2026, at Darke County Fish and Game, Jack and Kyle taught two indoor half-day classes. All the students in attendance trained with us before. The first class, AR Technician, was taught to one student who brought and cleaned his Colt SP-1 that he purchased in the 70’s. The gun was very dirty as the student did not know how to completely field strip his rifle to clean it prior to taking our class. Four and a half hours, a Breakthrough cleaning kit, and a Real

Disclaimer: I do not recommend a 2011 style pistol for everyone’s choice for every day carry. 2011’s are what I would consider an experts carry pistol. It is an expert’s pistol because one must always know the status of the safety. Carrying a pistol without manual safeties gives people one less thing to worry about as they are experiencing duress during the literal fight for their life. That is where simple striker fired polymer pistols that lack active safeties shine.

Club 5120 After-Action Class Reports capture key lessons and observations from each completed training session that Surprise Break Staff take as students themselves. Proving that the best instructors are continuing students of our art. The goal is simple: reflect, improve, and reinforce responsible training habits moving forward. It's a great way to see who else you need to train with.

Club 5120 Monthly Training Recaps highlight which classes we taught that month. These short summaries feature lessons learned, students and instructors gear of choice, and class photos. It’s a simple way to stay informed when you miss a training class that you should have been at yourself.

Club 5120 Firearm Gear Reviews is a trusted place for clear, no-nonsense looks at weapons and training related equipment. Each review focuses on quality, reliability, and real-world performance, with an emphasis on the proper and responsible use of the item being reviewed.