USCCA Protector Academy Training

Firearm Training
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What are the requirements to pass the Range Requirements for each level?

Do I have to complete the children’s safety course, even though we don’t have any children?

If I can’t get past Level 1, I don’t really see any value in paying for Elite membership, since we only purchased it for the insurance, and now all levels have the same cover, I’m rethinking our membership.

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Qualification Level 1:

Take a two-hour in-person class of your choice with a certified firearms instructor. Simply return to this section of your Protector Academy training to add your course into your account after completion.

Course of Fire: You will now complete a series of basic handgun marksmanship challenges meant to test your accuracy at different ranges. There will be NO time limits . This is purely a test of your accuracy with your self-defense handgun.

  • Stage 1: Put your target 3 yards away from you on the range. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.
  • Stage 2: Move your target until it is 5 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.
  • Stage 3: Move your target until it is 7 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.
  • Stage 4: Move your target until it is 10 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.
  • Stage 5: Move your target until it is 15 yards away from you. Fire 10 rounds at the 9-inch center circle.
    Assessment: If you successfully placed 70% of your shots (35 or more) inside the 9-inch center target, you have completed your Level 01 USCCA Qualification. ( “Inside” does not include breaking the ring; shots must fully be inside the ring to count .)

Qualification Level 2

Take a 4-hour in-person course with a certified firearms instructor. Add your course into your protector academy account after completion.

Part 1: Load & Shoot Drill

You must complete this drill in under 6 seconds with 100% hits inside the 9-inch center of your target.

  1. Place your target 4 yards away from you on the range.

  2. Load three rounds into one magazine. Place it on the table. Do not load your firearm.

  3. Lock the slide of your UNLOADED handgun to the rear. Place it on the shooting table with the ejection port skyward and the barrel facing your target downrange.

  4. While facing your target downrange:

  • Start drill & timer (Required time = 6 seconds or less):
  • Pick up your firearm and secure a proper grip with the barrel pointing downrange at your target while in the high compressed ready position.
  • Insert your loaded magazine with the barrel still pointing downrange, chamber a round, extend and fire all three rounds at the 9-inch center.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.

If allowed by the range, start by facing away from your targe t , turning after starting the timer.

  1. Repeat three times. The first time is an untimed warmup. The second and third repetitions are timed and count toward qualification requirements.

Part 2: Reloading Drill

You must complete this drill in under 12 seconds with 100% hits inside the 9-inch center of your target.

  1. Keep your target 4 yards away from you on the range.

  2. Load three rounds each into two magazines. Place them both on the table. (Or you may keep one on the table and one in a pocket or magazine pouch). Do not load your firearm yet.

  3. Ensure your firearm is completely unloaded with no rounds in the chamber. Place it on the shooting table with the barrel facing your target downrange.

  4. Leave your firearm on the table, barrel facing downrange. If under the supervision of a certified firearms instructor and it is allowable at your range, face away from your target (If not, face your target directly downrange):

  • Start timer & drill (Required time = 12 seconds or less):
  • If starting turned away from your target, turn your whole body until it is facing the target (If not, continue to face your target directly downrange).
  • Pick up your firearm and secure a proper grip with the barrel pointing downrange at your target while in the high compressed ready position.
  • Insert your three-round magazine with the barrel still pointing downrange, chamber a round, extend and fire at the 9-inch center until the slide locks on empty.
  • Drop the empty magazine from the firearm while returning to high compressed ready.
  • Reload using your second magazine with three rounds, chamber a round, extend and fire at the 9-inch center until the slide locks on empty.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. Repeat three times. The first time is an untimed warmup. The second and third repetitions are timed and count toward qualification requirements.

Part 3: Correct Malfunction & Reload Drill

You must complete this drill in under 15 seconds with 100% hits inside the 9-inch center of your target.

Note: You will be using two snap caps to simulate malfunctions (one in each magazine). You will have to clear the simulated malfunctions when they occur by using the tap/rack method and then finish firing your remaining rounds to complete the drill.

  1. The target remains at 4 yards away from you on the range.

  2. Load two magazines with three rounds and one randomly loaded snap cap in each magazine. Place them both on the table (or you may keep one on the table and one in a pocket or mag pouch). Do not load your firearm yet.

  3. Ensure your firearm is completely unloaded with no rounds in the chamber. Place it on the shooting table with the barrel facing your target downrange.

  4. Leave your firearm on the table, barrel facing downrange. If under the supervision of a certified firearms instructor and it is allowable at your range, face away from your target. ( If not, face your target directly downrange. ):

  • Start drill & timer (Required time = 15 seconds or less):
  • If under the supervision of a certified firearms instructor and it is allowable at your range, turn your whole body until it is facing the target. (If not, continue to face your target directly downrange).
  • Pick up your firearm and secure a proper grip with the barrel pointing downrange at your target while in the high compressed ready position.
  • Insert your three-round-plus-one-snap-cap magazine with the barrel still pointing downrange. Chamber a round, extend and fire at the 9-inch center. Clear any malfunctions as needed and continue firing until the slide locks on empty.
  • Drop the empty magazine from the firearm while returning to high compressed ready.
  • Reload using your second loaded magazine. Chamber a round, extend and fire at the 9-inch center, clear any malfunctions as needed and continue firing until the slide locks on empty.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. Repeat three times. The first time is an untimed warmup and the second and third repetitions are timed and count toward qualification requirements.

Assessment:

If you successfully placed 100% of your shots (30) inside the 9-inch center target in under the required times, you have completed your Level 02 USCCA Qualification.

Required Times

  • Load & Shooting Drill Time: 6 seconds x 2 repetitions (3 rounds/rep)
  • Reloading Drill Time: 12 seconds x 2 repetitions (6 rounds/rep)
  • Malfunction Drill Time: 15 seconds x 2 repetitions (6 rounds/rep)

Qualification Level 3

Take a live-fire, six-hour firearms course with a certified firearms instructor. Add your course into your protector academy account after completion.

Drill Set 1: Speed Focused

You must complete these 3 speed drills with 100% hits inside the 8’’ center chest square of your target. Load each magazine with 5 rounds each.

You will complete this course of fire twice, with the first attempt serving as a warmup.

  1. 3-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 2 seconds
  • Place your target 3 yards away from you on the range.
  • While facing your target, assume the high compressed ready position with the barrel of your firearm pointing downrange at your target.
  • Insert one magazine of 5 rounds and chamber a round.
  • Start Drill & Timer:
    • Engage your target by firing all 5 rounds at the center chest square.
    • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. 5-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 3 seconds
  • Place your target 5 yards away from you on the range. Repeat steps executed from 3 yards.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. 7-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 5 seconds
  • Place your target 7 yards away from you on the range. Repeat steps executed from 5 yards.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. First time through = Warmup
  2. Second time through = Qualification

Drill Set 2: Precision Focused

There is no time limit. You must hit each numbered circle in numerical order before you can move to the next numbered circle, and you must successfully complete this task at the 3-yard line before you move to the 5-yard line.

  1. 3-Yard Drill: Load one magazine with 6 rounds.
  • Place your target 3 yards away from you on the range.
  • While facing your target, assume the high compressed ready position with the barrel of your firearm pointing downrange at your target.
  • Insert your magazine and chamber a round.
  • Start Drill:
    • Fire one round into each numbered circle in numerical order.
      1. Come back to the high compressed ready position between each shot.
      2. Only proceed to the next number after you have hit the one before it. Any miss ends the drill at that point. You do not pass that qualification attempt and must start over from the beginning.
    • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.
  1. 5-Yard Drill: Load one magazine with 6 rounds.
  • Repeat the previous drill with your target placed at 5 yards.
  • Clear the firearm and return it to the table.

Assessment:

If you successfully demonstrated that you can place 100% of your shots from Drill Set 1 into the center chest square at both distances in the allotted times and you also demonstrated your precision skill in Drill Set 2 by hitting all 6 numbered circles at both distances without a miss, then you have completed your Level 03 USCCA Qualification.

Required Times for Drill Set 1:

  • 3-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 2 seconds
  • 5-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 3 seconds
  • 7-Yard Speed Drill = 100% hits in 5 seconds
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Thank you for the information.

It looks like, if I want to keep my Elite membership, I will have to pay a USCCA instructor for the range part of the course.

Much cheaper to downgrade my membership then, since there is a qualified instructor in the family, so there’s no point in paying extra just to access the USCCA courses.

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I finished Levels 1 and 2, but level 3 is a no-go, at least for now. I have the Elite, but just for the insurance. The on-line training is more of an afterthought. Level 3 qualification is way to much to ask of anyone (IMHO) after finishing up on-line training. A six hour, live-fire course with a Certified Firearms Instructor (does not have to be USCCA), can be pretty expensive.

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To meet the Protector Academy Level 03 live training requirement, I recommend a one- or two-day class from a USCCA DSF Instructor, I.C.E. Instructor, NRA PPITH Instructor or a Rangemaster certified instructor. That will easily meet the 6 hours of training, and will be spot on what you need to pass the qual. Contact them in advance to ask if they will administer the USCCA Qualification Drill to you after the class. Be sure to send them the full qualification description when you ask.
Some of hose advanced classes will include holster draw instruction, but you do not need to do holster draw for the LEvel 03 drills.

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I don’t know. Seems like to me this certification process for anything is a racket. Are there things out there that need a cert to do, absolutely. I only feel like it has gone to an extreme. I wish HR was more about taking care of the employees than CYA for the company. My biases must be shining through.

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I can’t speak to the USCCA certifications. I am just a lowly Silver member. But I do know there are some folks out there who get more motivated to do things if they have something they can show afterwards for their efforts.

So if the certifications motivate some more people to get additional training when they otherwise wouldn’t have I think that is a good thing.

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Absolutely a good thing if it motivates people to get more training. To me, it strikes me as a money grab. I don’t need the certs for proof for whatever reason some get them. I’m confident in my abilities and take them for knowledge or updating skills.

To each his/her own.

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There are technical and professional certifications that are jokes, and others that are quite meaningful. I would not lump all certifications into a single category of bogusosity. I recommended those four instructor types for specific reasons. USCCA and I.C.E are the same curriculum (Rob Pincus’s program) and teach valid self-defense skills in a planned structure; NRA Personal Protection in the Home (PPITH) is a very specific SD course without holster draw ( just became a PPITH instructor). As for Rangemaster instructors, they have all completed a comprehensive what and how to teach SD skill from one of the most respected instructors in the country (Tom Givens).

The way USCCA qualification levels use streaming video to prepare the student for hands on live instruction is a good idea. The required amount of live in-person training (2, 3, 6, hours in sequence for the three levels) is a good way to develop skilled self defenders over time.

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As I said; some certs are absolutely necessary. Others in my opinion are money grabs. If you think you need a class and the cert go for it.

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