Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun Course Review [2026]

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to assist with a Defensive Shotgun course from Rangemaster. This is a single day class, designed to familiarize students with the social shotgun, taught by Rangemaster’s lead instructor, Tom Givens.

Location

Xenia Police Range, Xenia, Ohio

Weather

Overall the weather was good for a day on the range. Never too hot, nor cold, with cloud coverage for most of the class. Rain began just as quickly as it stopped, giving me just enough time to needlessly don my raincoat.

Equipment for the Rangemaster Advanced Shotgun Instructor Course

While I wasn’t attending class as a student, I still brought a fair bit of gear along with me. For demos, I brought two shotguns to the range. The first was a Remington 870 Police Magnum, outfitted with a Vang Comp barrel and side saddle, Magpul SGA stock, and a Surefire 618 forend. The other was a Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol, which features an Esstac side saddle, along with prototype Imperium handguard and charging handle from Aridus Industries, as well as an Aridus bolt release, and CROM optic mount which is topped with a Trijicon RCR. Ammunition was Federal Top Flite birdshot, and NSI 00 buckshot.

Student’s guns and gear wasn’t terribly diverse, and generally of good quality. Regarding shotguns, we had nine pump-actions, and three semiautos. This was a bit of a change from Tom’s instructor courses, which lean more heavily into the auto side of things. Two Beretta 1301 and a single A300 rounded out autoloaders, with two 870’s, six Mossberg 500/590 series, and a single Winchester SXP for pump guns. Sights were evenly divided between beads, ghost rings, and optics, with four each. Optics included two Aimpoint T-series, along with the 509T and 508T from Holosun. Guns were configured with quality accessories, and no significant issues appeared during class.

Personnel

Class was comprised of twelve students, two of which were female, with several being alumni of Rangemaster courses. Ages range from mid-20’s to mid-60’s, which is about par for the course in my experience in Tom’s classes. Backgrounds include law enforcement, fire and EMS, and more. Overall, students were typically confident and competent, with solid shotgun skills.

Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun Course

I arrive on the range two hours before class is scheduled to begin. This is my first time at this particular location, so I allow myself extra time to find the facility, get my bearings, and prep my gear, having flown in the evening prior. While awaiting student’s arrival I take some time to clean debris from the backstop and range floor, along with reattaching backers to target stands. This helps to avoid ricochets, tripping hazards, and lost time for students.

Classroom Time

We begin in the classroom with a lecture from Tom. Immediately students are given context and goals for class; the focus will be on home defense, with considerations made for inside and outside the structure. As a realist, Tom tells students that they will not become masters of the shotgun during the next eight hours, but that this class should give them the tools they need to effectively train and practice on their own time to become competent.

From here, we dive into safety protocol, the history of shotguns, nomenclature, and modifications. Prior to class, Tom sends students a list of suggestions on setting up their gun for class; a handful fail to take his advice, and will soon see the error of their ways. Next, we discuss ammunition selection for our context, with a focus on high quality buckshot, shotgun maintenance, and how to effectively pattern the gun. The classroom portion ends with Tom demonstrating a handful of loading techniques, along with properly handling and cycling of the pump-action shotgun.

From here we break for lunch, then head to the range.

Range Time during the Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun Course

To start our range time, students perform several dry manipulations, knocking the rust off before recoil becomes a factor. Live fire starts slow with up drills, gradually adding follow-up shots and incorporating loading on demand to keep the gun fed. To connect our lecture on patterning to the real world, Tom has me pick up a random student’s 870, firing a few rounds of cheap buckshot, along with Federal Flite Control to show the difference that quality ammunition can make.

From here, students go onto to run a few reps of Louis Awerbuck’s Rolling Thunder in an informal competition between the two halves of class. The battle rages on, with each side taking a victory before one group is finally able to come out on top. Immediately afterwards, students get the opportunity to run the individual version of the drill, Static Thunder, on the timer. Times range from just over 25 seconds with a Remington 870, to around 54 seconds with a Mossberg 500.

As range time winds down, Tom has the students pattern their guns at various distances with their buckshot. Ideally students have brought along their chosen home defense load for this, giving them the chance to see how their gun pairs with their ammunition. Once shooting concludes, we clean up the range and make our way back to the classroom.

Back to the Classroom

To close things out, Tom shows a handful of videos to help students gain a little more context and appreciation for the defensive shotgun. Students are able to ask questions, then receive their certificates for the course. Afterwards we pack our things, and students begin to head home.

Closing Out the Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun Course Review [2026]

Despite being a graduate of Tom’s Advanced Shotgun Instructor course, this was my first time seeing the user-level Defensive Shotgun curriculum. It was great to compare and contrast the two focuses, along with the students and gear. I was particularly surprised by how in-depth the lecture was, which is a bit of an outlier for a single-day course.

The Rangemaster Defensive Shotgun course is an excellent option for those looking to sharpen their skills with the scattergun. Whether you’re a newcomer or a Tom Knapp wannabe, there’s something here for most anyone. If you’re interested in taking a class with Tom or any of the other Rangemaster staff, you can check out their courses >>HERE<< (Home – Rangemaster).

Special Thanks

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a big thank you to Tom Givens. Working this side of the line is a stellar opportunity to develop as an instructor and assistant. It’s always great to share the range with Tom, I’m grateful for the chance to do so once again.