Continued From Part 1
The Way Forward Defensive Performance Handgun
Gear For Defensive Performance Handgun
The pistol and gear requirements for Defensive Performance Handgun aren’t too strict. Since the course focuses on performance shooting in the context of civilian self-defense, shooting from concealment is a requirement. Students are welcome to shoot from any of the primary concealed carry positions as long as they’re safe in their firearms handling.
This class and its exercises are built around medium to full-size modern service pistols, and students who shoot micro-compacts ought to make sure that their pistol has a capacity of over 10 rounds. Otherwise, keeping up with the course can be challenging and counterproductive.
As long as I’ve been training with McGuire, whether independently or with Green Ops, I’ve known him to shoot a full-size Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 5-inch Performance Center model with a Trijicon SRO and an Apex Tactical FSS “Flattie” aftermarket trigger—probably the best related performance trigger upgrade currently on the market.
Glock 34 x Arise Mfg. Aegis Red-Dot Shroud
The timing between The Way Forward’s Defensive Performance Handgun class and my last class, Gabe White’s Pistol Shooting Solutions, was roughly a month apart between February 2025 and early March 2025.
Even though the Walther PDP Pro-X PMM was still very “fresh” in my recent muscle memory after just having put it through the ringer in Gabe White’s class, and it would have been the sensible choice to bring to McGuire’s class, I opted to primarily shoot my Gen5 Glock 34 in Defensive Performance Handgun.
Running the Glock 34
Admittedly, I don’t shoot my Glock 34s all too much. The impetus for taking it to this course was not only to remedy this, but also because I wanted to continue shooting the Arise Mfg. Aegis Optics Shroud on this pistol; this specific Glock 34 wears the Trijicon SRO-compatible Aegis shroud, which I originally mounted back in December of 2024. I’ll have a write-up on the shroud system in the near future.
I’m glad I switched pistols up between both of these intensive classes because I was able to see firsthand that while it is inconvenient to “switch platforms” it’s also not the end of the world. Nor, does it take too long to acclimate to another dot and model (at least for me, anyway).
In short, while the more neutral grip angle of the Walther PDP presents better with a dot, worrying about the Glock’s more acute angle for target presentation is much ado about nothing, especially when shooting with deliberateness. As expected, I had no issues with my Glock 34 from a reliability standpoint, and nothing on the Arise Mfg. Aegis shroud shifted either.
Given that I was shooting from concealment and carrying this Glock 34 as my actual CCW before and after the class, I did notice that the extra room that the shroud takes up can affect the user experience when carrying concealed, but this is a minor gripe. These shrouds seem best at home on guns that live on open belt holsters, but it isn’t the end of the world either.
The SIG-Sauer P365 FUSE
Since I had an upcoming review due on the SIG-Sauer P365 FUSE at the time, I folded it into Defensive Performance Handgun and shot it for the first half of the second training day.
This afforded me the chance to shoot the gun and keep breaking it in (I found that my FUSE worked more smoothly after the first 200 rounds). Likewise, it also gave me the chance to work with the SIG-Sauer P365 FUSE and its Romeo-X red-dot from concealment in the context of a defensive pistolcraft course—this was certainly helpful in cultivating the insights that went into my review.
We even captured some footage of me shooting the “retreating” Bill Drill with the pistol that morning. I am duly pleased with this particular pistol.
Matt McGuire’s Training Background
In addition to being a veteran of the US Marine Corps, McGuire is a fixture in the Central Texas training scene, especially given his past involvement as the Green Ops Texas Director of Training. Anyone who has followed my training-related articles (especially those that pertain to training with Green Ops) here on GATDaily.com will recognize his name. He’s been present as an instructor in some capacity at every Green Ops course I’ve attended.
Both he and I are well-acquainted at this point, and I’ve had numerous opportunities to observe him in his element as an instructor. I’ve cultivated lots of great information from his teaching on the Kalashnikov, AR carbines, handguns, and accurized gas guns. Suffice it to say that McGuire carries a great deal of knowledge and understanding vis-à-vis the small arms and defensive firearms that are the most relevant to defense-minded citizens in the United States.
Training-wise, Matt McGuire has spent a great deal of time training with notable firearms instructors and trainers around the country throughout his adult life. Besides McGuire’s involvement with Green Ops since 2020, he’s a Scott Jedlinski Modern Samurai Project-endorsed shooting instructor (and Black Belt Patch holder) and a Tom Givens Rangemaster-certified instructor.
All in, he possesses well over 1300 hours of private training instruction. As part of his services under the new The Way Forward banner, McGuire offers personalized 1-on-1 coaching in the San Antonio area in addition to online coaching for shooting and or getting the most from the ACE VR virtual shooting training aid.
The Takeaway
The meat and potatoes of Defensive Performance Handgun, and in my opinion, its greatest value, lies in the opportunity for students to physically put in work by drilling and repping under McGuire’s watchful eye. Throughout both days, but especially on Training Day 2, the entire group had ample opportunities to participate in drills and exercises that involved drawing, moving, and shooting.
Besides shooting and moving, students also shot at varying distances and navigated around obstacles and barriers. I’ve said this previously in other articles about defensive pistol courses, but more of these courses need more shooting and moving. So, I’m glad to see McGuire developing his curriculum towards the “correct” and useful trend.
Ultimately, the prospective student who signs up for this course needs to be ready to lock in and commit to both days of training intensely and diligently. Like many things in life, one gets out what they put in, and the same is true for taking Defensive Performance Handgun.
Defensive Performance Handgun Extra Picture Gallery
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