Most police training is geared towards meeting policy, not survival in the real world. When officers are offered training that truly helps win the fight, they are all over it. Yet more often than not, training is just a different delivery of the same old stuff. Square range training is valuable, and learning the proper use of your tools is critical. But gunfights are neither square nor linear. They are fluid, unpredictable, two-way events. When no one is firing back, you’re not in a fight—you’re on the shooting range. Enter force-on-force carbine training from Orion Applications.
Force-on-force training is as close as we get to gunfighting without risking serious injury. Though increasingly more common, it often remains a small portion of many departments’ overall training regimen—and more testing than fighting. Sometimes you just need to find yourself in a fight and figure out how to win it. A recent trip to Daniel Defense to attend training with Orion Applications instructor (and Orion Design Group CEO) Brian Bishop provided just such a test.

Bishop’s Geometry
Daniel Defense has always been focused on the operator. They strive to provide top-tier gear to LE and military operators (as well as legally qualified citizens). In fact, the company offers dedicated patrol rifle packages exclusively for LE officers, and also helps provide third-party financing so they can purchase them. So it was no surprise that the company would host a training event focused on the operator’s preeminent concern—winning the fight.

Brian Bishop was an infantry NCO in the Marine Corps. After serving his country, he spent several years working as a defense contractor supporting DEA and USASOC counter-narcotics operations. With several combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, his gunfighting credentials are solid. His Orion Applications training modules are focused on real-world practicality. A trip to Swainsboro, Georgia’s Cool Acres Shooting Academy provided me a taste of Orion’s Geometric Threat Assessment Course (GTAC).