The Kansas CPOST Police Qual – Shoot It Up
BY PGF
10 months, 2 weeks ago
This looks like interesting handgun training with only 50 rounds expended. But that’s no fun, you better have more and run it multiple times.
The only thing I know about Kansas is from the band Kansas, and it’s the songs “Dust in the Wind and “Carry on Wayward Son.” If I had to guess, I bet people from Kansas are fine, upstanding Americans who likely live in peace in a rather nice state. Seriously, look at some of the natural beauty in that state and tell me it’s not gorgeous. Well, today, we are talking about Kansas, and learning something beyond a few 1970s rock songs. Today we’re learning the handgun standards the Kansas police employ with the Kansas CPOST annual firearms qualification.
What We’ll Need
The Kansas CPOST Handgun qual is fairly simple and won’t cause you to go broke on ammo. All you’ll need is 50 rounds, which isn’t bad. In terms of magazines, that’s up to you. You could stop the qual to reload your mags or just bring four average 9mm magazines. I suggest at least two mags, but the qual doesn’t require a particular number.
Train like you fight or how you’ll most likely be carrying should a self-defense situation arise. Included is information about the rig he used, but for the average personal defense minded CCW, train just the way you EDC.
Obviously, we’ll need our handgun. It’s a police qual, so I went with a duty-sized handgun with the P320C that’s optically equipped with a ROMEO2. You’ll also need a holster. I used an L2C fit to a battle belt. While it’s not a police belt, it’s a close replication. The CPOST also requires a single target, and the target is either a standard FBI Q or an IALEFIQ. We aren’t Kansas police, so we can make it up as we go. I used a simple Sage Dynamics target, which is admittedly smaller and more challenging to hit.
The FBI “Q” target, or bottle target, is actually just the lighter-shaded “bowling pin” shape, but the above image better represents the purpose of using this target. If employing it, the object is to hit the Q at center mass:
The article continues…
We will also need a barricade of some form to train behind. You can improvise your own or employ something like the PTSB Lite. I’ve been using an old blue barrel, and it seems to work pretty well for what I need.
Scoring
Scoring is very simple. Shots have to hit the bowling pin of the Q target. There is no call for headshots or specific body portion shots. To pass, shooters have to score a 70% or higher, which means 35 shots have to hit a fairly big target. Any shots fired outside the time limits are misses.
Hitting the Range With the Kansas CPOST Qual
What you should know about this course is that there are no required or timed reloads. Ammo management and reloads are entirely on the shooter. If you are shooting a string and run empty, you have to reload and keep shooting. This can make things interesting and force you to either reload quickly or plan ahead.
Stage One: 1.5 Yards
Yep, we start up close and personal with your target. This likely simulates an interview position and situation that goes bad. At the beep, you have to step to the rear and then laterally. At the same time, you have to draw and fire three rounds into the target. You have a total of three seconds to get it done.
There are six stages, some of which are multi-phase; the longest is 25 yards. You can always tighten the training down with smaller targets and timed runs. If I were to do these drills, a different target would be in order; the plain white bottle isn’t great. See the rest at the link.
On June 26, 2023 at 7:45 pm, mrapp said:
…..totally agree with training …and lots of it….but here is my two bits on muscle memory…if you continue training repetitive drills and shot placement is always in the A zone or “center mass” ..you might end up disappointed in an actual gun fight. The reason I say this is EVERYONE is wearing body armor ( of some level) and these pistol rounds are not going to have the effect you want even some rifle rounds ..HIPS and HEADS will give you your monies worth in real life…under stress you will naturally revert to your training and again “muscle memory” and that will not serve you well. All training is good training but this is an issue I have harped on for years…some will disagree and I understand these are just my thoughts. thanks for the post.
On June 26, 2023 at 9:58 pm, PGF said:
@mrapp, there are two posts tonight about training and both of them add value for folks looking to break out of static shooting routines. The context of neither is combat or training for war. That, in my opinion, is a different degree of training. Max Velocity Tactical would be a good place for that training. The context of this post is geared more toward CCW self defense. Thanks for your comment.
On June 26, 2023 at 10:20 pm, mrapp said:
I probably didn’t word it well..but that is what I am talking about…I look at the many reports from both the inner city as well as the fly over country..car jackings and kidnappings…”they” wear vest and more….I just meant that learning to think in those terms gives you a step up in your preparation to defend one’s self…none of this is a criticism of the post I just like to participate….
On June 27, 2023 at 6:20 am, Nosmo said:
“Hips and Lips” is the current bumper sticker message. But….what Jeff Cooper termed “the Mozambique” is more correctly the “failure to stop drill” – 2 upper center mass, the 3rd in the Magic Triangle between bridge of nose and lip corners if the first 2 don’t work (“upper center mass” is the center of the horizontal line between the armpits).
A double tap of Major Caliber in upper center mass will get their attention, and by “major caliber” I mean .451″ and 230 grains at standard military velocity (860FPS), and if unarmored will have greater effect. Lesser calibers will have lesser effect.
That does not mean if one utilizes a Major Caliber one should not regularly and frequently practice multiple variations of failure to stop drills, nor does it obviate practice of good Situational Awareness. One can, and should, be aware of potential opponents before they become opponents and be observant regarding unknown bulk in certain places which may dictate alternate solutions to problems.
If one is observant one will probably notice the frequency with which armor is worn too low, eg., exposing 3+ inches between top of armor and the suprasternal notch. Engaging that space effectively at moderate social distances is a good brief, but high frequency, drill to keep the appropriate response near the top of one’s defensive repertoire.