Apache Solutions Firearms Training

10/11/2026

Week 41! Right before such wonderful weather. Hopefully everyone is staying dry and warm.

Stay safe. Train hard. Train smart.

10/07/2026

Cecil Burch will be coming out to Apache next month. November 6-8, 2026. This is a great class you won't want to pass up. No experience, gear, or ammo required. This is an excellent class! Let's go!

Salt Lake City IAC Coursework January 29-31, 2027.

I know it is early to post this, but I am not doing as many seminars anymore so they will not be as easy to get to if people wait too long, so I think it makes sense to get early word out. I only have 5 in 2026, and it will most likely be the same in '27.

I will teaching my essential core Grappling in a Weapons Based Environment coursework in SLC next January. Soon I will post sign up links, but if you are in the area, pencil it in now!

10/04/2026

WEEK 40! Look who decided to join us!! Zach Cox came to punch cards with the Apache crew! An injured finger didn’t stop him from burning it down!!

Who else punched their cards this week?

10/03/2026

Take a guess: ported or non-ported?

10/02/2026

Metrics are a fundamental component of Apache’s training program. With that in mind, we conducted some ballistics gel tests closely mirroring FBI ballistic protocol. The test featured the Pew Pew CNC ported Heckler & Koch CC9 slide and barrel vs non ported setup.

No spoilers just yet—but based on the performance, you won’t be disappointed.

10/02/2026

Another congratulations is due for our man, Bill!

Congratulations, Bill on completing Phase One of RACC. Bill came out swinging with a 97% on his Level 1 B-8 and another high score on his written exam.

In our conversation afterwards, I was explaining to him the process of evaluating student performance throughout the program. Watching our people meet their goals and seeing them show up to each test as a different person is so rewarding. The growth that I get to witness is truly inspiring.

On to Phase Two where Derek will be continuing to help Bill grow in refining his marksmanship, recoil control and more!

Well done, Bill. We can’t wait to see how you do in Phase Two.

If you’re curious about RACC and have questions, please feel free to reach out to us! We have an unbeatable end-of-the-year Sale happening right now so, be sure to visit our website and don’t miss out!

10/01/2026

Push/pull sh***un technique: Coaching my son

Managing recoil has been an important part of Kyplee’s introduction to the sh***un. I realize that push/pull isn’t usually a technique used by bird hunters, but I wanted him to know that he could control the gun better with a stable platform and proper technique.

If you’re not familiar with this technique, I’ve tagged a few folks who have put some great info out about it over the years.

Aside from how the technique actually works—let me tell you what it did for him. He immediately saw results and now he steps into it without having to be reminded. He is more accurate and less likely to flinch before he fires his first shot. And he is quicker on his follow-up shots because the gun isn’t shoving him backwards. Most importantly, he is having more fun!

I have probably written an entire chapter on my lessons learned as a father in this new experience so, I would say a second edition of my book: Your World Is Not a Gun Free Zone, is getting closer.

Aridus Industries Zach Cox Gunset Training Group, LLC That Sh***un Blog
(I couldn’t tag Rangemaster, Symtac,360 Performance Shooting and a few others, but be sure to look them up)

09/28/2026

A look inside Phase One of RACC & how to use a B-8 target.

The Level 1 B-8 evaluation is shot on an NRA B-8 repair center. A lot of people have seen that target. Fewer know what it actually is.

The B-8 is the NRA’s 25-yard timed and rapid-fire pistol target. The B-8 has been used for decades to measure shooting performance, and a lot of qualifications borrowed it because the rings are honest and easy to score.

The numbers that matter on the repair center:
• X-ring: 1.695”
• 10-ring: 3.36”
• 9-ring: 5.54” (the black bull)
• 8-ring: 8.00”

How to score it: each hit is worth the ring it touches. X and 10 both count as 10 points (X is only a tie-breaker). A 9 is 9, an 8 is 8. Outside the 8-ring is whatever that qualification says it is. A standard B-8 target still has a 7, 6, and 5 ring. The repair center only has the 7, 8, 9, 10 and X rings. For our purposes, outside the 8-ring is a miss.

Possible score is simple math:
• 10 rounds = 100 points possible
• 20 rounds = 200 points possible
• 30 rounds = 300 points possible
• 50 rounds = 500 points possible
To get a percentage, divide your score by the points possible and multiply by 100. A 180 points on a 20-round string is 180/200 = 90%. Same math on 10, 30, or 50 rounds.

In Phase One, hits outside the 8-ring are misses because that 8-inch circle is not a random line. It is the same size as the 8-inch thoracic circle on the target we use later in the program. Phase One is teaching you to keep every round inside an 8-inch circle while you are still learning the gun. Later evaluations ask for that same 8-inch accountability zone on a different target. The marksmanship standard does not change. The target changes.

How to use a B-8 if you are practicing on your own: use a true-scale repair center (I’ll leave a link in the comments where you can print them off for free). Print it. Shoot your drill. Score it. Document your progress.

Our Level 1 course of fire is a fade-back from 3 yards to 15 yards, 20 rounds total. While the student is shooting, I am also watching the gun handling that has to evolve with them into the next phase: loading and unloading, manipulations, muzzle, and overall awareness.