The annual Rangemaster Tactical Conference (“Tac-Con”) is the premier self-defense training event in the nation. With over twenty years of history, Tac-Con has continued to grow and improve every year. Nowhere else can you learn from so many nationally-renowned defensive trainers in one place over a single weekend at such an affordable price. With as many as seven separate tracks running simultaneously, all attendees are free to customize their itineraries to fit their own unique needs and interests. To learn more, please check out our FAQ page.
The Tactical Conference originally began as a major mid-winter indoor pistol match. It started as a major IDPA event in 1998, but within a couple of years the format was changed to use more realistic, mannequin-type targets and actual carry gear.
It soon became obvious that the attendees were more self-defense oriented than purely competitive shooting oriented. Also, a number of self defense trainers were in attendance. It occurred to us that if we could have those trainers present blocks of instruction during the match, the attendees who were not busy shooting could be learning useful skills. At the same time, the trainers could showcase their teaching skills to an interested group of potential students. The Tactical Conference was born!
The Conference started out at Tom’s former pistol range in Memphis, TN. The event has moved a few times since then, with recent conferences taking place in Tulsa, OK; Little Rock, AR; New Orleans, LA; and Dallas, TX. We reached an important milestone in 2018 with the historic 20th Anniversary of the Tactical Conference, and we are still going strong. Rangemaster is grateful to everyone who has helped make the Conference a success every year, and we look forward to seeing it continue to grow for many years to come.
One thing that sets Tac-Con apart from many other national training conferences is that we are 100% focused on defensive contexts for private citizens who carry concealed. We know that competition, sport shooting, and hunting all have tremendous value; but at Tac-Con, our only focus is personal defense. Every training block is built for average people whose primary goal is to avoid danger whenever possible and protect themselves and their families if danger ever finds them. The training is all very practical, designed for modern, real-life contexts (so, no flaming helicopters or fancy acrobatics). We run hot ranges and expect everyone in attendance to be armed exactly as they would be in their everyday lives.
Another difference is that Tac-Con has no sponsors whatsoever. You won’t see corporate logos on our t-shirts or manufacturers’ banners hanging on our ranges. That helps to keep things simple and avoid any awkward conflicts. We keep our staff small and our overhead low, and we pass those savings on to attendees without any large donations from the industry.
We teach avoidance first, then protective skills, tools, and techniques as a last resort.
Tac-Con is comprehensive - not just shooting, but medical, mindset, legal, and lots more.
No fantasy land here. We only train for situations you could actually face in the real world.