
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:
- Caleb Causey, Lone Star Medics
- Tim Chandler, FPF Training
- Jay Cunningham, Protective Shooting Concepts
- Benjamin DeWalt, Onsight Firearms Training
- Elias Frangoulis, Shooting for Glory
- Todd Louis Green
- Tom Givens, Rangemaster
- Pat Goodale, Practical Firearms Training
- Ken Hackathorn
- Dave “Superdave” Harrington, Combatspeed LLC
- Rob Haught
- Tim Herron, Tim Herron Shooting
- 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
Experience as an Instructor
Over fifteen years 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, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers
- FAST Wall of Fame member
- Teaching faculty at Beaver County Community College
- Instructor certified by Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
- Vang Comp Remington 870 Armorer
- Vang Comp Mossberg 500/590 Armorer
- Repeat Rangemaster Tactical Conference presenter
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