How do I know if I am ready to take Black Badge course (or not)?

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I think my friend and I are thinking about looking into this. He is a much experience shooter than me so I think he will have no problem. Basically I think this is split into 2 parts:

1) What equipment do I need? From what I read you need about 350 rds, holster + mag pouches. Is there anything in terms of equipment that is needed? I have a 9mm Glock 17 which I think should be ok. Is there any requirement like no red dot or no mod or anything or anything goes with the pistol?


2) The second part is rather the harder question... how exactly do I know if I am gonna do ok in the course and not waste the money? Will I fail easily if I my shooting skill is kinda meh sometimes? At which point will one know that he/she is ready to take the course? I am a pretty safety guy so in terms of anything safety related I think I am gonna do fine.
 
Try putting 10 rounds on a piece of 8.5" x 11" piece of paper at 15 yards...in say under 6-7 seconds.

If you can do that you'll probably be ok. Equipment wise you're good to go, just make sure you have enough mags (5-6)
 
Look at it this way.

1) Can you draw your pistol from your holster while keeping finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard till on target and ready to shoot?
2) Can you holster your pistol without having to look where it is on your side? No shame in looking the pistol into your holster while learning.
3) Can you holster or draw your pistol without pointing the muzzle towards yourself or others?

https://www.corneredcat.com/article/holsters/safety-matters-how-to-use-a-belt-holster/

Being on target when you shoot is great, but maintaining safety the entire time is the most important aspect.

VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR as you are shooting a GLOCK (As well as other pistols) Be aware of your clothing, there have been accident discharges from zipper pull strings going through trigger guards when holstering.

Test all of your clothing you intend on shooting with to check for potential hazards like a baggy shirt being mashed between your pistol while holstering or other factors.
 
Our black badge course starts with hitting 19 out of 20 shots at 20 yards. This is done on a 1 ft. sq. target. There is no time limit. Passing the course is mainly about safety, muzzle direction while drawing and changing mags, etc. Speed will follow with lots of practice. Take your time, listen well to instructions and you will do fine.
 
Glock 17 puts you into Production division, just don't do any modification to the gun before the course. Keep it simple for a while.
Good belt to hold your equipment is not on your list, but I assume you have it.
Many BB instructors believe that shooter must have at least some experience with the chosen gun before taking BB course, shooting 500 - 1000 rds with your ammo of choice would be a good start.
 
Grove said:
Look at it this way.

1) Can you draw your pistol from your holster while keeping finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard till on target and ready to shoot?
2) Can you holster your pistol without having to look where it is on your side? No shame in looking the pistol into your holster while learning.
3) Can you holster or draw your pistol without pointing the muzzle towards yourself or others?

https://www.corneredcat.com/article/holsters/safety-matters-how-to-use-a-belt-holster/

Being on target when you shoot is great, but maintaining safety the entire time is the most important aspect.

VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR as you are shooting a GLOCK (As well as other pistols) Be aware of your clothing, there have been accident discharges from zipper pull strings going through trigger guards when holstering.

Test all of your clothing you intend on shooting with to check for potential hazards like a baggy shirt being mashed between your pistol while holstering or other factors.
Click to expand...

I have to interject here. #2 you should always 100% look when reholstering. That should be one of the most deliberate motions you make with a loaded firearm.

Mostly cause there is no race until the buzzer goes beep, everything you do from make ready! to are you ready? Is entirely YOUR time. Go slow and safe when reholstering, now you DO want to unholster quickly. But reholstering and dropping the hammer on a live round should be the most deliberate motions you make in ipsc. Doing those things quickly will result in either damage ie shooting yourself or DQ (slipping on hammer and firing a round).

Same with unload and show clear, your time stopped at your last shot. Unload slowly and reholster slower.
 
bsand said:
I have to interject here. #2 you should always 100% look when reholstering. That should be one of the most deliberate motions you make with a loaded firearm.

Mostly cause there is no race until the buzzer goes beep, everything you do from make ready! to are you ready? Is entirely YOUR time. Go slow and safe when reholstering, now you DO want to unholster quickly. But reholstering and dropping the hammer on a live round should be the most deliberate motions you make in ipsc. Doing those things quickly will result in either damage ie shooting yourself or DQ (slipping on hammer and firing a round).

Same with unload and show clear, your time stopped at your last shot. Unload slowly and reholster slower.
Click to expand...
What he said^
 
Are you comfortable with your pistol? Can you load it and unload it while keeping the muzzle pointed down range? Hitting a 8.5" x 11" piece of paper at 15 yards 9 out of 10 times you are ready for the Black Bagde course.

A Glock 17 will put you in Production Division, a good place to start. If you add a red dot you would be bumped to Open Division.

I wouldn't put to much effort in practicing drawing and holstering your pistol in case you are developing bad habits such as having your finger on the trigger while drawing. You can google the IPSC rule book and see where you holster and mag pouches need to be positioned if you shoot Production. Your holster must cover the trigger guard and must have enough retention that you can hop up and down and squat without the pistol falling out.

As previously mentioned if you are using a Glock make sure there is no loose clothing that can get caught in the trigger guard while holstering.
 
The toughest part of the BB course for me was shooting with the left hand. Everything else, if you have a good instructor you will be taught. Focus on safety and whatever is instructed and you'll be fine.
 
Thanks guys, my Glock is a MOS version and I mounted a Vortex Venom and replaced with the Zev trigger on it so that will put me in open then? What's the difference before that vs production?

I am kinda comfy with the Glock17 and already put in well over 1000 rounds in it. I can ring all closest 2 row of steels at TMSA's public range... not sure how far the 2nd row of steels is located there at that public range. I mainly go to DVC in poco for pistol practice I don't think their range go as far as 20 yards (17 max I think) so if I can put in 20 rounds into a 8.5 x 11 paper at the max distance then I am ok with the shooting part then... I hope.

Right, someone mentioned a good belt... totally forgot about that... I don't have holster or belt yet. I might be looking for them in the near future. Any suggestion what to get for a starter (Basically everyone says either Bladetech or Safariland stuff)?

Thanks for the input ;)
 
I took my Black Badge as a new shooter, I didn't even have my own gun yet and had fired less than 500 rounds in my life. Was I accurate? Meh, probably not, but not having any preconceived notions of firearms handling meant I was focusing on the most important parts of the course, which were safety, long before there was a PAL course to get your FAC.

Learning good safety habits was better than trying to unlearn bad habits I may have developed on my own.

Nothing wrong with taking the course, learning safety, and then going out and learning accuracy after that.
 
Reading the above and having contacted instructors, it seems there's some inconsistencies with regards to minimum skill level for the BB course.

I too was looking into taking a BB course. A BB instructor friend of a good buddy was out shooting with my buddy and myself and giving us some coaching. He'd watched us shoot and said we could pass easily. Basically said if we could empty a mag and keep all rounds inside an 8 1/2x11 sheet of paper, we'd be good. Then another instructor sent me an info sheet that laid out the required skill level and failure to pass would result in failing the course and loss of money.

- Participant must be able to consistently place shots inside a dinner size paper plate at 12meters using both hands, 10meters using strong hand only and 8meters with the weak hand only.
- If using a DA/SA pistol, all required skill testing shots must be done in DA only ie pistol must be reset after each shot is taken.
- If using a striker fired or SA only pistol, no resetting is required.
 
Trinimon said:
- Participant must be able to consistently place shots inside a dinner size paper plate at 12meters using both hands, 10meters using strong hand only and 8meters with the weak hand only.
- If using a DA/SA pistol, all required skill testing shots must be done in DA only ie pistol must be reset after each shot is taken.
- If using a striker fired or SA only pistol, no resetting is required.
Click to expand...

I wonder where this standard comes from. I did some surfing and noticed IPSC Ontario has banned the use of button activated holsters (Blackhawk Serpa, Walther range kit, etc) for the Black Badge course.
 
Onagoth said:
Try putting 10 rounds on a piece of 8.5" x 11" piece of paper at 15 yards...in say under 6-7 seconds.
If you can do that you'll probably be ok. Equipment wise you're good to go, just make sure you have enough mags (5-6)
Click to expand...
This...

And don't sweat holstering and drawing, etc. That will be taught during the course. It's better if for this - you go without any ingrained bad habits to un-learn.
 
bsand said:
I have to interject here. #2 you should always 100% look when reholstering. That should be one of the most deliberate motions you make with a loaded firearm.

Mostly cause there is no race until the buzzer goes beep, everything you do from make ready! to are you ready? Is entirely YOUR time. Go slow and safe when reholstering, now you DO want to unholster quickly. But reholstering and dropping the hammer on a live round should be the most deliberate motions you make in ipsc. Doing those things quickly will result in either damage ie shooting yourself or DQ (slipping on hammer and firing a round).

Same with unload and show clear, your time stopped at your last shot. Unload slowly and reholster slower.
Click to expand...

Good advice.
 
If you can hit a target even kinda consistently and not wave the gun around while doing it, you shouldn't have any issues passing the black badge course. My wife and I were supposed to do ours together, but she ended up being sick and couldn't go. I'd shot handguns a fair bit before but had never had any instruction, while her only experiences were with me showing her how. After the first day of the black badge course, I told her to forget everything is ever showed her about how to shoot a handgun, because it was all wrong. I had to unlearn a bunch of bad habits when it came to stance and grip, while she was pretty much a blank slate and ready to learn the right way from almost the beginning. For equipment, you need a holster, mag pouch, and 2 or 3 mags at least. I started my course using just a regular leather belt, but the instructor had an extra DAA in my size for sale, so I bought it from him the first day after he let me try it out.
Kristian
 
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