Modern Shooter: Training In Split-Second Decision Making

We sharpen our aim at the range. We study the law to understand our obligations. But do we really practice what matters most when it comes to going armed — decision making? After all, the choices we make in those few split seconds a gun is drawn can have ramifications for years to come.

Double Eagle Tactical Training aims to make certain shooters are armed with this vital skill, providing some of the most rigorous situational training available today. Armed citizens won't confront anything more true to life outside of an actual self-defense scenario.

Modern Shooter travels to the heart of New York's Catskill Mountains to get a first-hand look at the Double Eagle system. And as the above clip shows, the trainers absolutely put their students through the wringer — both mentally and physically.

The simulated backyard disturbance Gun Digest author and custom ammunition manufacturer Phil Massaro confronts is filled with ambiguity and danger, forcing him to make split-second decisions that are a matter of life, death and potential legal tumult. When it's all over and he and the trainers break down his judgment, it's easy to see how taxing these scant few seconds were, even on a shooter as seasoned as Massaro. The guns and ammo might have been fake, but the adrenaline was real.

Catch the rest of the action of this heart-pounding episode of Modern Shooter 10:00 p.m. EST Friday on the Pursuit Channel. The episode rebroadcasts Monday at 12 p.m. EST and Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. EST.