Costa Ludus Revolver Course Review [2026]

If you were on the internet in the early 2010’s, you probably remember seeing clips of the old Magpul Dynamics DVDs. Those are how I first learned of Chris Costa, who now offers classes through his own brand, Costa Ludus. Fast forward to the ancient history of the early 2020’s; Chris Costa and co-instructor Morgan Drew begin releasing a series of videos covering revolver operation on YouTube. Finally, we arrive in early 2026, and I sign up for a one-day revolver course with Chris and Morgan at Chris’s ranch in Lucile, Idaho.

I’d never trained with either instructor, and while I was familiar with Costa’s work, I had zero knowledge of Morgan outside of those few videos. Despite this, I was eager to see what they had to offer, and how it compared to the variety of other revolver training I’d taken previously. Here is my review of Costa Ludus revolver course.

Location of Revolver with Costa Ludus

Costa Ludus, Lucile, Idaho

Weather

“Wait ten minutes and the weather will change”, that was the experience during this class. We experienced some sprinkles, snow, overcast skies, wind, and clear weather throughout the day. Temperatures ranged from the mid-30s to the mid-40s for the most part. While it was certainly chilly, it never seemed too cold, nor overly wet or windy. A decent day for class.

Equipment for Costa Ludus Revolver

For class I brought out the Manuhrin MR73 that I had on loan for review purposes. This was carried in a JM Custom Kydex AIWB holster designed for a Smith & Wesson K-Frame. Speed loaders were primarily HKS, with Safariland Comp2 and Jetloader rounding things out. These were carried in an old JOX pouch, a Speed Beez pouch worn IWB, along with a prototype IWB pouch I was also evaluating. Additional ammunition came from a Galco 2x2x2, as well as a Rev Industries RI Loader.

My fellow students had a fairly wide variety of guns and gear. Most seemed to be carrying outside the waistband in a mix of leather and kydex holsters. Guns ranged from a S&W TRR8, to an old Kit Gun, to Chris Costa’s Korth. At least two shooters were using 45ACP revolvers feeding from moonclips, which I believe were 625’s. Our primary instructor, Morgan, used a S&W Model 14 paired with Safariland Comp3 loaders.

Personnel

These courses are kept smaller and more intimate. There were five students, in addition to myself. Chris Costa also spent a fair bit of time on the line with us as Morgan oversaw the range, and Chris’s son spent the morning on the range as well. This class was a family affair; in addition to Chris’ son, we had another father/son pair, and a father/daughter pair. Ages ranged from elementary age to roughly their 60s-70s. Everyone but myself was somewhat local, and seemed to be repeat students.

In the Classroom with Costa Ludus

As it turns out, this range sits in Pacific Time, while my hotel which was less than 20 minutes South, was in Mountain Time. Due to this, I arrived about an hour earlier than expected. Chris came out to meet me and open the classroom early, where we chatted with Morgan until students arrived.

Once class begins, Chris gives some overarching concepts for class from his whiteboard. These cover mindset, broad focus for the day, safety, and more. He then transfers control of the class to Morgan Drew, who will be our primary instructor for the rest of the day. Morgan gets into the nitty gritty about revolvers.

We cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time; maintenance, common issues, loading devices, fundamentals, and more. While this may sound plain, it was worth the cost of admission alone. Morgan covered some topics, and gave some explanations that I had never seen before, which was very refreshing. I also appreciated some of the nuance and open mindedness regarding various techniques, giving us room to experiment in class.

Range Time with Costa Ludus

On the range, Morgan and Chris cover safety and range administration once again to bring it to the forefront of our minds. We quickly get into action, starting with slow fire on bullseyes at five yards, working both DA and SA shots to get a baseline of performance. Immediately afterwards we jump into the HiTS Super Revolver Test, where I drop three rounds at 15 yards for a 177/180.

From here we move into experimentation with a handful of reloading techniques, allowing us to see what suits each shooter best. To enable this we use a drill credited to Caleb Giddings, paired with vertical transitions on our targets. Morgan shows a few ways to help support our revolvers during reloads, which I hadn’t seen previously, and instantly appreciated. To close out the morning we do some untimed work on our targets at 15 yards for accuracy, then break for lunch.

Afternoon on the Range

The afternoon kicks off with a modified Hackathorn Combat Classic Evaluation. After this we each make a few attempts at El Presidente shot on C-Zone steel. I bring in a 13.92 with a miss, and a 15.92 with a fouled reload. Chris Costa makes a solid 13.09 and a 14.48 with a single miss using his Korth. Using a Model 14 and Comp3 loaders, Morgan shows us why he’s taking the lead, landing a 12.91 and 12.51, clean.

We return to paper with the Hackathorn Wizard Drill, first from low ready then again from the holster. During this drill one student experiences stuck brass under their extractor star. Morgan uses this as a teaching moment, showing students how to clear the stoppage, and how to avoid them in the first place. Finally we run through a modified PPC course, before moving into the next section of class.

Effective Use of Cover

Chris Costa takes the lead for our final section of class. The topic here is the effective use of cover to improve our odds in a gunfight, beginning with a lecture on the range. Chris discusses some common failings of training surrounding the use of cover, available versus anatomically significant targets, our stance, and more.

Morgan follows up with a brief discussion on the use of single action versus double action in our context, giving a different perspective than what I typically see, and one that gave me pause to think more deeply on the subject. Following this he also covers the partial reload, mentioning the Newhall Massacre, and pitfalls to keep an eye out for during reloads.

Barricades and Proactive Holstering

There are several barricades on hand, each providing us a unique angle or height to adapt ourselves to. This leads to a free form exercise, giving us the chance to try each position without time pressure, under the watchful eyes of our instructors. Targets are a mix of steel and paper at various distances, and we work from standing, kneeling, and squatting to take full advantage of our available cover.

Before our final drill, we discuss the merits of holstering under pressure prior to moving between positions. This provides another unique perspective, and again, one that makes a lot of sense, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen mentioned previously. Once comfortable, Chris lays on the stress with a sort of chaos drill to help reinforce the techniques just shown.

Feedback and Cleanup

Once we wrap our final drill, Morgan and Chris solicit feedback from the class. Part of this leads to words from them about why they offer this class, and the validity of training, revolver or otherwise, as a whole. When questions and comments finish, we clean up the range, say our goodbyes, and head our separate ways.

Closing Thoughts on Costa Ludus Revolver

While I had watched their series of videos on the subject a handful of times over the years, I wasn’t sure what to expect when signing up for a revolver class with Costa Ludus. I’m happy to say that it was well worth the price of admission and travel. The trip up to Idaho was a blast, the range is gorgeous, and the material is stellar. I greatly appreciate some of the unique perspectives provided by the instructors. The regular citing of sources was also appreciated, which I wish more folks cared about.

Morgan and Chris are an interesting and effective combination on the range. Morgan is deeply knowledgeable and skilled with the revolver, and it’s a shame that his name isn’t well known in the spaces I frequent. Chris’s energy and broad knowledge of tactics and techniques provide a perspective that is often totally absent from wheelgun circles. Together they make for an exceptionally unique, and high quality, revolver course.

If you’re looking to learn how to run your wheelgun, consider Costa Ludus. I know I’ll be among the first to return when the next dates drop.

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