u/foundonthetracks

Saturday was Common Caliber’s second run of Girls Only, our basic pistol class designed for and focused on new women shooters.

We built this class for two reasons.

First, we have found that many women enjoy a training environment made up of other women. In our experience teaching brand new shooters in CCL classes and other basic pistol courses, men who have never shot before can suddenly become firearms experts the second a woman is in the class. Not only is that annoying, it can be distracting and can make new shooters hesitate to continue training in the future.

Second, this class is rooted in the entire reason we started Common Caliber.

While we enjoy training everyone, law enforcement and other professionals who carry as part of their job often have more opportunities to train. That training may be provided by an agency, paid for by an agency, done on agency time, or some combination of all three.

These five women did not have that luxury.

These five women are mothers and working regular jobs. In just one day, they went from having maybe shot a couple of times, or never having handled a firearm at all, to running advanced drills.

We felt it would be a disservice to beat them over the head all day with basic strings of fire at 5 and 7 yards. Once the basics were locked in, these ladies were ready to turn it up.

By the end of the course, they were engaging multiple targets, working through malfunctions, shooting from varying positions, shooting on the move, and more.

Every one of them was smiling and laughing, and it was truly a pleasure for us to teach them.

With or without roadblocks and barriers set in place by our state to restrict firearms ownership, we do our best to make sure quality training is available and accessible to everyday people living everyday lives.

Make sure you train. Make sure your mom trains. And let that training be with Common Caliber.

Looks like ol' uncle Mark has been sniffing snow again. The fine folks over at Cowboy Geissele have now debuted a new bolt gun based off their LT rifles that is 50 state legal. LaRue products are solid so this probably wouldnt be a bad move if you wanted a mag fed bolt gun in a common cartridge.

TL;DR: Cocaine Cowboy DS-15 dropped.

Sign up is now live for Common Caliber’s Advanced Pistol and Rifle course on July 5th, 2025 at the ISRA in Bonfield, IL.

This intermediate level course is designed to bring handgun and rifle skills together so students can effectively employ both systems in a defensive environment. Students will work on rifle to pistol and pistol to rifle transitions, shooting on the move, shooting from cover, engaging multiple targets, malfunction remediation, and operating under stress.

While there are no prerequisite courses required, this is NOT an entry level class. Students are expected to have a fundamental understanding of handgun manipulation, holster draws, rifle handling, and sling usage.

Required Equipment:

• Rifle

• 3 Rifle Magazines

• Sling

• Handgun

• Holster

• 3 Handgun Magazines

• Magazine Carriers

• 200 Rounds of Rifle Ammunition

• 200 Rounds of Pistol Ammunition

• Eye and Ear Protection

Loaner equipment and ammunition are available on a limited basis with advanced notice.

Registration is open now at www.commoncaliber.com.

I've had an RXM in my loaner rotation for a while now and I've been very happy with it. When Flux teased that they were coming out with a Raider for the RXM, I snagged a full size RXM in anticipation of the release. Unfortunately, I'm impatient, and the perpetual "soon" wasn't doing it for me anymore, so when JL Billet announced theirs, I picked one up to hold me over.

It's a bit pricey at $450, but the quality is nice. My only complaint so far is that it doesn't come with pins, a mag release, or springs, so you have to harvest them from the existing module. I think that's pretty wild at this price point considering Magpul includes them with their $40 modules.

Going to get some range time with it today and I'll report back.

Another opportunity to get your Concealed Carry License with Common Caliber is coming up. On Saturday, June 6th and Sunday, June 7th from 8am to 4pm, we will be conducting another CCL class. This class will cover firearms basics, state and federal firearms law, concealed carry law, self defense law, and will include a live fire exercise.

You can sign up now on www.commoncaliber.com

We still have spots available in our Intro to Red Dot class with Titan Tactical on May 31st.

Whether you are new to pistol optics or looking to improve your existing skill set, this class is for you.

We will cover the ins and outs of running red dots on pistols, along with live fire drills and exercises designed to help you apply those skills in practical scenarios.

This class requires a red dot equipped pistol, 200 rounds of ammunition, a holster, and eye and ear protection. Loaner pistols, gear, and ammunition will be available upon request.

Registration is open at www.commoncaliber.com and we look forward to seeing you on the 31st.