I love detective novels and hardboiled PI stories, so when I was lucky enough to stumble across the New Mexico PI course, I knew I had to shoot it. This course of fire was produced by the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department for PIs seeking to carry a piece. PIs are not cops, so this is aimed at civilians concealed carrying a firearm, so it translates well to the base-level concealed carrier.
Necessary Gear
The course isn’t too intensive and doesn’t require a ton of gear. Ammo-wise, we only need 50 rounds, which isn’t too bad. We also need a handgun (duh), two magazines, a holster, and a mag pouch. I’m using my Sig P365 topped with a Holosun EPS in a Galco Miami Classic 2 shoulder rig. I figured the shoulder holster is very detective-esque. Plus, it has a built-in mag pouch, so why not?
You’ll need an FBI Q Target to get things moving. Don’t forget a shot timer and your eyes and ears.
Scoring
Scoring the PI Course is simple. Every shot in the gray of your Q target counts as two points. That’s it. Any misses are zero, and so are any shots fired over the allotted time for each drill. You need a minimum score of 80%, which means 40 hits for my fellow Marines.
Blasting Away With the PI Course
This course of fire calls for lots of movement, so be limbered up, and with a holster you can easily and safely draw from. The move is primarily moving between positions. A kneeling position is pretty self-explanatory, and the course allows you to choose which way to take a knee.
A roll-over prone position is called for. This is a prone position in which you are lying essentially on your side and firing your weapon. Pictures will demonstrate better than I can explain.
The first step in nearly every phase is to draw, so you’ll get lots of practice doing that.
The PI course also uses a failure drill. To save you some time, a failure drill is a three-shot drill. The shooter fires two rounds to the chest of the target and a headshot.
The qual also has several reloads, and you can choose between a speed reload and a tac reload. A speed reload is when you drop the magazine to the deck and reload. A tactical reload has you retain the magazine while you reload. With that in mind, let’s get to shooting.
Oh, and set your par time to ten seconds. Don’t worry. That’s the time we use for every drill!
Stage One: Seven Yards – Six Rounds
Phase One: On the beep, draw and fire a failure drill. You have ten seconds to do so.
Phase Three: On the beep draw and fire a failure drill. You have ten seconds to do so.
Stage Two: 25 Yards – Six Rounds
Phase One: On the beep, draw, move to a roll-over prone position, and fire two rounds. You have ten seconds.
Phase Two: Draw, move to a kneeling position, and fire two rounds in ten seconds.
Phase Three: When the timer tells you to draw, move to a kneeling position, and fire two rounds in ten seconds.
Stage Three: 15 Yards – Six Rounds
Phase One: Draw and shoot two rounds in ten seconds.
Phase Two: Draw, move to a kneeling position, and fire two rounds in ten seconds.
Phase Three: Draw, move to a kneeling position, and fire two rounds in ten seconds.
Stage Four: Seven Yards – 18 Rounds
Phase One: Draw, assume a low ready, and then transition the weapon to the support hand only and fire two rounds in ten seconds.
Phase Two: Start with the support hand only in the low ready. Aim and fire two rounds in ten seconds. Reholster your firearm.
Phase Three: Ensure your weapon has two rounds loaded and you have a spare with at least two rounds loaded. At the beep, draw and shoot the target twice. With your empty gun conduct a speed or tactical reload and fire two more shots. You have 10 seconds total. (They really love 10 seconds.)
Phase Four: We are doing another reload drill. Ensure your weapon has two rounds loaded and you have a spare with at least two rounds loaded. At the beep, draw and shoot the target twice. With your gun empty, conduct a speed or tactical reload and fire two more shots. You have 10 seconds total.
Phase Five: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds (This repeats for Phase Six and Seven.)
Phase Six: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
Phase Seven: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds (Told ya so.)
Stage Five: Five Yards – 10 Rounds
I hope you’re not sick of drawing and firing two rounds! Guess what’s next!
Phase One: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
Phase Two: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
Phase Three: Draw and Shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
Phase Four: Ensure your weapon has two rounds loaded and you have a spare with at least two rounds loaded. At the beep draw, shoot the target twice. With your empty gun conduct a speed or tactical reload and fire two more shots in 10 seconds.
Stage Six: One-Yard Line – Four Rounds
We’re close enough to kiss, but we can’t engage in forbidden man-on-target love. We have to shoot it out.
Phase One: Draw to a close retention position with your support hand on the neck or behind the back and shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
Phase Two: Draw to a close retention position with your support hand on the neck or behind the back and shoot two rounds in 10 seconds.
My Thoughts
Repetition does improve your capabilities, and by the time you’re done with the New Mexico PI course, you’ll be great at firing two rounds in 10 seconds. I’m torn on this course. It has some good stuff. Lots of positional shooting, lots of drawing, and reloads on top of close retention.
For every different thing you do, you seem to serve penance by just drawing and shooting two. This qual feels like a group project where one person really tried hard, and the others slacked off. The 10-second times for every drill are nonsensical. They are too generous for everything but maybe the drill, you have to move from standing to prone after drawing.
I did enjoy shooting it, and the times were generous enough to easily use my Galco shoulder rig. It’s likely great for new shooters who need to master the basics without getting too stressed by a timer. I think it could be improved upon but it has a good base built into it.
What do you think? Let us know below.
