Private Rifle Training With Kris Paronto: Why It Pays Off

The short version: An instructor writing for Athlon Outdoors explains why his team keeps going back to Kris Paronto's Battleline Tactical for private small-group rifle training, and why booking a private class can cost about the same per person as a regular one.

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Keith Finch and the instructors he works with take a few outside classes each year. After a two-day rifle course with Paronto, a former Army Ranger and one of the contractors who defended Americans in Benghazi in 2012, the group started booking private sessions with Battleline Tactical in Fort Scott, Kansas, every year with five or six shooters.

Finch lays out two common training paths. Sticking with one school builds depth but limits exposure to other ideas; hopping between schools broadens perspective but often means retaking intro courses, since many schools only accept their own prerequisites. He recommends doing both: sample widely, then keep returning to instructors whose approach works for you.

The money angle is what deal-minded shooters will notice. Finch says that once a private group reaches three to six people, the price per student is often close to a standard open class, and the group gets to choose the curriculum. This year's three-day session covered team communication and movement, rifle-to-pistol transitions, protecting role-player non-combatants, and a final day of drills under helmet-mounted PVS-14 night vision with PEQ lasers.

Key takeaways

• Continued training builds depth; diversified training builds perspective; combining them works best
• Private groups of three to six students can cost about the same per person as a regular class
• Private sessions let the group set the skills to focus on before the class
• Battleline Tactical sessions ran Friday to Sunday, ending with a full day of night-vision drills
• If you like an instructor, ask about their private-training policy

Summary by GunWinner based on reporting by Athlon Outdoors. Deal links are affiliate links; GunWinner may earn a commission. Prices change quickly, so confirm at checkout.