U.S.A. — I noticed on my social media that “Pistol Practice” was coming up more often in my feed. Then I get a text from a friend who says, “John Kolis wrote Pistol Practice. He’s in your area and just did Rob Beckman’s podcast. You should have him on your show.”. I tuned in to Beckman’s (RSWC #109) Firearm Trainer’s Podcast to check him out and knew he would be a good fit. We texted back and forth. Then before one of the “Gun Law Listening Tour” stops, John & I met up for a drink. Then we had a few drinks with some other friends afterward, too.
John & I met up at the Weston Shooters Club in Weston, MA, and we headed to On Target Firearms in Dracut, MA, to do some shooting. After a quick warm-up, John proved to me that his book, Pistol Practice, truly works! We shot one of the games from his book, and he way outshot me! He’s been working on getting his book across the country and in the hands of instructors. So if you’re an instructor, you should check out the link to become an affiliate instructor.
John’s dad grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and owned a .22 rifle. When they moved to upstate New York, his dad took him shooting outdoors and John really enjoyed it. He still has that rifle, which his father got as salesman of the month in the 1950’s.
John enlisted in the Air Force for a few years. However, he doesn’t use that as a focus in his firearms resume. As with many people, life changes and John found himself moving away from shooting to have a family and a career.
After years of IT work, during the lockdowns of 2020, his employer let him go. With kids in college and experience in writing courses and manuals, John applied these skills with his interest in getting back into firearms. Having taken several courses through the NRA, USCCA, SIG Academy, John got certified to teach a number of courses.
He turned all of this knowledge into “Pistol Practice, The Shooting Range Guidebook to teach you how to practice.” The book is a wonderful method for someone to have fun and enjoy practicing. You should have a solid knowledge of handgun shooting fundamentals. There are several different “games” that you can use with your friends when you are at your next range session.
Not only are there various ways to make practicing fun, there’s a chart for two handed, one handed, non-dominant two handed, and non-dominant one hand shooting charts. The book comes with a card that you can use to split, like on the cover of the book. There’s also a QR code that you use to download various other targets.
Pistol Practice has its own class as well. There are a number of ways to learn and take a lesson with John. He’s offered free shipping on his book purchases for RSWC followers who use the code “FreeShip23”.
As noted above, John wants to spread the Pistol Practice course around the country. If you’d like to offer his course, contact him at john@pistolpractice.com to become an affiliate instructor in your area. He does limit how many instructors he has in each area, so contact him today.
I had a great time shooting with John. I’m glad that he’s a local guy and also in the fight in Massachusetts. With people like him, we are getting more shooters educated, trained, and having a good time doing so.
Favorite quotes:
- “The firearms community, everyone is so supporting and helpful to one another”.
- “Marksmanship was an admired quality”.
- “I became acquainted with Massachusetts gun laws. I became confused with Massachusetts gun laws”.
- “That speaks to the pursuit of happiness…. As long as your pursuit doesn’t hurt others. That’s the Republic we created”.
About Riding Shotgun With Charlie
Riding Shotgun With Charlie isn’t about firearms. It is about having an intimate conversation with 2 people talking. You’re the fly on the rearview mirror. Many of the passengers are involved in the firearm community.
This is a more intimate conversation than a phone, radio, or Skype interview. You get to see the passengers. And you’ll see where the road and the conversation take you!