Ashton
Founding Instructor

“If you’re going to have Instructor beside your name, you probably ought to know something” were the words that started a journey for me.  My first mentor in firearms training, David Morford, had a knack of cutting to heart of the matter, and he willingly shared his hard earned wisdom.  He instilled the attitude in me that I was “always a student and sometimes an instructor.”  These insights have been the roadmap of my journey as a firearms trainer.

I started out as a volunteer coach, helping new shooters in a local club’s NRA Basic Pistol program.  I became an NRA pistol instructor, but the more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew.  Some years later, Todd Green showed me that with glowing clarity.  I was out of my depth in the inaugural Aim Fast, Hit Fast, and I knew it.  I told Todd that I didn’t belong in his class due to my lack of skill, but he convinced me to stay and work through it, and it was another watershed moment for me.  I now had a new goal, I wanted to score advanced on the F.A.S.T. and in April of 2010 I did.

Since then I have trained with some of the best instructors in the business, folks with military, law enforcement, and competition backgrounds, and gathered a number of different instructor certifications along the way.  That’s where the name of my company, 360 Performance Shooting comes from.  I have drawn lessons from many different shooting disciplines and distilled those learnings into what I believe to be some of the most effective training available.  

I continue to learn and work hard to constantly improve, and I am fortunate to have the honor of apprenticing under Tom Givens of Rangemaster.

Training Experience

As part of my commitment to continuing education, I have sought out and continue to train with some of the best instructors in the industry, including:

Tim Chandler, FPF Training
Jay Cunningham, Protective Shooting Concepts
Benjamin DeWalt, Onsight Firearms Training
Todd Louis Green
Tom Givens, Rangemaster
Pat Goodale, Practical Firearms Training
Ken Hackathorn
Dave “Superdave” Harrington, Combatspeed LLC
Rob Haught
Jack Leuba, Failure 2 Stop Consulting
Patrick McNamara TMACS, Inc
Rob Tackett, Critical Carry Firearms Training
Robert G Vogel Vogel Dynamics
Larry Vickers, Vickers Tactical, Inc
Elias Frangoulis, Shooting for Glory
Caleb Causey, Lone Star Medics

Experience as an Instructor

Over a decade of experience as a firearms instructor:

  • Certified NRA Law Enforcement Handgun/Shotgun Instructor/Patrol Rifle Instructor
  • Certified NRA Range Safety Officer
  • Certified NRA Pistol and Protection Inside the Home Instructor
  • Certified Rangemaster Master Firearms Instructor
  • Graduate of TMACS TAPS/Law Enforcement Pistol Instructor Course
  • State of Pennsylvania Certified Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor
  • Smith & Wesson M&P Armorer
  • Beretta 1301 Factory Armorer
  • Certified Lubrication Specialist
  • FAST Wall of Fame member

I have co-developed and performed the following with secure installation security forces:

  • FOF scenario development
  • FOF scenario controller
  • Curriculum/lesson plan development
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Target Set development
  • Instructor evaluations
  • Range operations and oversight