1ST IN

About 1ST IN

Practical hard skill training for on-demand performance in pistol and carbine

Pistol and carbine training rooted in core shooting principles focuses on essential current concepts to help you build the hard skills you need to run your gun with speed and accuracy. Using a process-oriented approach, you’ll apply these concepts to increasingly challenging courses of fire, incorporating time constraints, varying distances, movement and transitions. You’ll develop repeatable skills for on-demand performance that you can apply in any context. Classes are delivered in a one-day format and geared to all levels, from new to higher skilled shooters. Capped at five students, you’ll get maximum reps, individualized feedback and coaching. We train outdoors for a distinctive, motivating firearms training experience in a natural environment for maximum benefit. 
Gino Giliotti, Owner & Instructor

As a dedicated instructor and student, I practice, train and compete to ensure continual improvement in my performance, maximizing my efforts and putting my skills to the test. Then I pass along learnings to my students, sharing the most relevant, current and effective shooting techniques available.

My firearms training includes Rangemaster Certified Advanced Pistol Instructor and Rangemaster Certified Pistol Instructor under Tom Givens; NRA Certified Instructor in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun, and a Range Safety Officer. I’m an active competitor in USPSA (Carry Optics division) and PCSL (Practical division).

Over the past 12+ years I’ve also completed various levels of combative and performance based courses in Carbine, Pistol, Shotgun, Concealed Carry, Small Unit Tactics, CQB Tactics, Force on Force and USPSA/PCSL, under some of the top instructors in the industry.

Get in touch to discuss training. And check out On The Range for demo and competition videos.

Explore classes and book training today!

Open Enrollment

• Pistol Foundation
• Pistol Proficiency
• Carbine Foundation
• Carbine Proficiency
• Concealed Performance Pistol

Private Training

• We’ll work together through a high-paced logical progression of drills designed specifically for you and your objectives, to help you build a solid foundation of hard skills. Higher rep count, individualized attention and feedback received will develop your on-demand skills and build repeatable performance.

Certifications

• Rangemaster Certified Advanced Pistol Instructor
• Rangemaster Certified Pistol Instructor
• NRA Certified Instructor in Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun
• NRA Certified Range Safety Officer

Policies

Cancellation Policy

Classes may be postponed or rescheduled due to extreme weather or unforeseen events. Students will be notified as soon as possible and given the opportunity to reschedule.

Reschedule Policy

Refund Policy

Other Policy

Students will be briefed at the start of each class day on safety policies and procedures. Failing to follow these policies and procedures may result in the student being removed from class with no refund.

Students should always bring food, drinks, and medications that will be needed for the duration of the training classes.

Training classes are conducted outdoors. All training classes will be held regardless of weather unless there is a risk of lightning, which may require a pause in training.

Students should bring weather appropriate clothing and are encouraged to bring extra clothing and footwear.

Anyone who repeatedly displays improper gun handling skills or behaves in an unsafe manner will be asked to leave the premises without a refund.

Any student suspected of being under the influence of any intoxicating substance will not be allowed to participate in any training and will be asked to leave the premises without a refund.

Waiver

Please review 1ST IN's Waiver, Release and Declaration. You can download, print and sign and bring to class with you. Or you can simply review and sign a copy of the waiver upon arrival for class. 

You can download waiver here: 1ST IN Waiver

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviews

Videos

• Bill Drill

  One of my go-to drills for practicing pistol hard skills that also has realistic crossover defensive utility. For a full breakdown of hard skill components and the defensive utility, check out the description attached to the video.

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• USPSA Carry Optics Division

  Double Eagle Weekly Match

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• Action Shooting

  Double Eagle Weekly Match

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• 30 yd Doubles - Carbine

  Skills focus was on: - Maintaining hard target focus/aggressive vision - Consistent connection Skill development for on demand performance under stress in whatever context is needed. This is the way.

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• Flowing through transitions

  The focus here was working on flowing through transitions with some vision barriers for an added challenge to the vision component. The addition of the head box at the end was to force a change in aiming scheme after more aggressive shooting with movement. I'm working on disconnecting what my lower body is doing from the upper body and just shooting my vision.

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• MXAD drill - Pistol

  Holding myself to a more accountable and higher standard with the "unforgiving" PCSL K Zone targets.

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• AK Doubles - 30 yds

  Putting in work before students arrive with some AK doubles at 30 yds.

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• Carbine throttle control drill – 10, 25, 50 yds

  Practice with purpose. This drill has performance value and defensive utility. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Allow yourself to fail and make mistakes in order to learn and get to a higher level of skill. Aggressive shooting with accountability. Consistency and repeatability. Your skill set must be accessible on demand and under stress, or it is not a skill set you own.

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• Bar Hop with a 12 yd partial

  For me, the focus was on aggressive vision and indexing as precisely as possible during transitions. Added the partial at 12 for a layer of complexity to force me to change aiming schemes on the fly.

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• In N Out drill - Pistol

  Drill is extended slightly by 3 extra rounds using paper instead of steel for the farther target.

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• Aggressive and accountable

  Personal practice day. First day out live with the new comp rig. Spent the day focused on aggressive vision and transitions with some movement aspects that I was trying to polish up. PCSL targets @ 5 yds Steel @ 15 yds Distance between PCSL targets @ 10 yds

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• In N Out drill - Carbine

  There's a multitude of hard skills being worked in this low round count aggressive drill. Skills that can then be used in any application you need.

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• Chaos Run

  Key components for this drill are: - Physical stress. How fatigue affects your ability to implement and maintain hard skills. - Rebuilding of proper grip structure and pressure due to disconnecting from the gun so often. Does accountability suffer? - Picking up focal point and getting gun up early as you're entering into position to be able to shoot sooner. Knowing what aiming scheme you'll use and what level of confirmation you need for your skill set at each distance with movement.

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• MXAD Drill - Carbine

  Working on consistency with the MXAD drill for carbine. Distances are 10 yds and 30 yds. It is one of my favorite drills because of the multitude of hard skills it works and it shines a light on areas that need attention.

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• Retreating Bill Drill

  Follow up to my standard Bill drill video a couple of posts back. Like the standard drill, this is a great addition to hard skill development as well as having defensive utility. Adding layers of complexity like movement, 90°/180° turns, reloads, and malfunctions to tried, and true drills are a great way to improve your overall skill set and keep challenging yourself. Give these a try!

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• Pistol Cold Drill - Shooting on the move

  What are your on demand capabilities cold? What does your on demand pistol skill set really look like? Are you basing your answers on actual data and consistent performance from the range? Or is it just theory on what you've convinced yourself you can do? If you're carrying concealed every day, this is something you want to be able to answer with confidence. Challenge yourself.

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• USPSA Match

  Ran this USPSA match (Carry Optics Division) from concealment. One of my better stages for the day. Keep learning. Keep getting back up. Get uncomfortable and put yourself out there.

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• Carbine Cold Drill #10

  Carbine cold drills are run completely cold, with no dry runs, no warmups. These are not scenario based or tactics. They are strictly for combining hard skills to test yourself cold. The idea is to push yourself and push the speed and accuracy to see what you're capable of. If you're spending a boatload of time trying to stack rounds and concern yourself only with accuracy, you're missing the point of these drills. These are meant to be run aggressively with urgency.

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• Pistol - 25 yd aggressive shooting

  Working at 25 with my EDC is a staple because distance doesn't lie. I use USPSA targets but adding in a B8 periodically keeps me honest. Adding in some complexity to draws with 90°/180° turns, movement, use of a timer etc. is a great way to enhance your skill set. This will help push your visual processing speed to a higher level, improve efficiency of movement, refine gun handling and increase your speed so that you start getting rounds on target sooner.

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• Carbine Cold Drill #6

  Cold drills are not tactics. They are a cold pressure test of combined hard skills. They are meant to be run aggressively to mirror real-world urgency. Cold drills should be hit factor scored to push you out of your comfort zone. Don't turn this drill into a slow fire accuracy drill.

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• MXAD Drill - Pistol

  Working on a drill I've come to really appreciate: the MXAD drill from Matt Pranka @xray.alpha.llc. It is aggressive and very challenging. It really tests your visual processing, draw, grip, recoil management, and speed. Build consistency and repeatability. I always ask, "Can I do it again, on demand?"

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• USPSA Match

  6th place overall. 3rd place in Carry Optics. Train. Practice. Dry fire. Repeat. This model works.

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• EDC Assessment

  My intent with creating the EDC Assessment is to give you a guide and to show you how important it is to understand what your true capabilities are through actual data of your performance. And to highlight, in my opinion, a MINIMAL critical skills baseline needed for EDC.

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