Shows / Making Shooters Better
Making Shooters Better
Making Shooters Better is where real shooter stories turn into smarter training and preparation for everyone. Each episode dives into the journeys, wins, and lessons of competitors, instructors, and innovators from across the firearms world.
Hosted by Terry Vaughan—former British Royal Marine Commando, Top Shot competitor, and firearms instructor—this show delivers more than talk. You’ll get the mindset, methods, and motivation to train sharper and perform better, on and off the range!
Episodes
- Making Shooters Better
The Dangerous Gap Between Shooting Skill and Real-World Readiness
Summary: Are you training to become a better shooter, or preparing for what might actually happen when everything goes wrong? Former law enforcement officer…
- Making Shooters Better
Are You Training to Get Better, or Just Getting Comfortable?
Summary: Are you genuinely improving your skills, or simply getting better at practicing what you already know? In this episode of Making Shooters Better…
- Making Shooters Better
Your Training May Be Lying to You: What Happens When the Fight Isn't Scripted
Summary: What if the training that makes you feel prepared is actually giving you a false sense of confidence? In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host…
- Making Shooters Better
From TOP SHOT to 1,100 Articles: What Frank Melloni Learned That Can Make You a Better Shooter
What actually makes someone a better shooter? Frank Melloni has spent more than a decade answering that question from nearly every angle in the firearms world…
- Making Shooters Better
The Dangerous Difference Between Confidence and Competence
You can shoot regularly and still not be training. Kyle Johnston learned that firsthand. After serving in the Marine Corps, Kyle spent nearly a decade building…
- Making Shooters Better
Before You Carry a Gun, Make These Decisions
EPISODE SUMMARY After decades of teaching defensive firearms and tactics, John and Vicki Farnam argue that becoming harder to kill has far less to do with…
- Making Shooters Better
Your Gear Isn’t the Problem: The Skills That Actually Matter in a Gunfight
Summary Wayne Dobbs has spent nearly five decades teaching people how to shoot, but his message is not really about shooting. It is about the gap between…
- Making Shooters Better
Proficiency Is Not Preparedness: Training for the Life You Actually Live
What happens when everything you've practiced works perfectly on the range, but the real world changes the rules? Tatiana Whitlock, National Director of…
- Making Shooters Better
The First 30 Seconds: Why Active Shooter Response Must Change
What actually happens in the first 30 seconds of an active shooter attack? According to Ed Monk, that question should sit at the center of every active shooter…
- Making Shooters Better
Stop Trying to Pull the Trigger Faster: How Elite Shooters Improve Their Speed
What happens when two elite competitive shooters reach the top through completely different paths? Randi Rogers began shooting at just 11 years old alongside…
- Making Shooters Better
The Armed but Unprepared: Why Shooting Skill Isn’t Enough
What if the biggest weakness in your personal protection plan has nothing to do with your shooting? Lou Ann Hamblin has trained thousands of shooters during a…
- Making Shooters Better
Lethal Force: You Had Seconds. The Prosecution & the Jury Have All the Time in the World
What happens when a decision made in a fraction of a second is later examined for months, or even years, by attorneys, experts, judges, investigators, and…
- Making Shooters Better
You Don’t Have to Be the Best to Belong: Army Veteran Viviana Morales Kolb
What happens when the uniform comes off, but the need for mission, community, and purpose remains? Viviana Morales Kolb served twelve years in the Army…
- Making Shooters Better
When Good Cops Hesitate, Bad People Win
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Terry Vaughan sits down with Dr. Travis Yates for a frank and deeply important conversation about what is happening…
- Making Shooters Better
The Mind Behind the Threat: Psychopaths, Stalkers, Violence, and the Myths That Keep Us Vulnerable
What do dangerous people teach us about human behavior? Dr. Mary Beth Wilkas Janke returns to Making Shooters Better for a deep, fascinating, and at times…
- Making Shooters Better
Your Vision, Brain, and Memory Will Betray You. Here’s How to Prepare Anyway.
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Terry sits down with Brian Baxter, combat infantry veteran, retired Texas State Trooper, and CEO of Force Science…
- Making Shooters Better
In a Gunfight, Your Greatest Weapon Isn't Skill. It's Cognition.
Can you trust your training when everything goes wrong? In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Terry Vaughan sits down with Erick Gelhaus, retired law…
- Making Shooters Better
The Bad Guy Decides When. You Decide How Soon You Notice.
Most people think situational awareness is about constantly scanning for danger. The reality is far more interesting and far more important: it's about…
- Making Shooters Better
Marine. Attorney. Instructor - Brian Taylor's Journey Post 9.11
Brian Taylor has spent his life studying firearms from three very different perspectives: as a Marine infantryman, an executive protection professional, and an…
- Making Shooters Better
Why You're Your Own First Responder | Dianna Muller
Dianna Muller has spent her life around firearms, but her path from police officer to professional shooter to one of the most influential voices in the Second…
- Making Shooters Better
Tim Herron–IPSC World Shoot Gold Medalist: Why Most Shooters Never Reach Their Potential
Multi-division USPSA Grand Master and IPSC World Shoot Gold Medalist Tim Herron joins former Royal Marine Commando Terry Vaughan for a deep dive into the…
- Making Shooters Better
After Being Threatened by a Criminal, She Refused to Stay Vulnerable
After reporting a crime and being threatened by the suspect afterward, Dakota realized something uncomfortable: owning a firearm without truly knowing how to…
- Making Shooters Better
Most Armed Citizens Prepare for the Range… Not the Fight
In this episode, firearms instructor Karl Rehn joins former Royal Marines Commando Terry Vaughan for a brutally honest conversation about the dangerous gap…
- Making Shooters Better
Part 2 Captured: One Marine's Fight to Survive the Iranian Revolution
What happens after hope starts to slip? In Part 2, Ken Kraus takes us deeper inside one of the most feared prisons of the Iranian Revolution—a place where time…
- Making Shooters Better
Part 1 Captured: One Marine's Fight to Survive the Iranian Revolution
What happens when the post you’re sworn to protect becomes the place you’re taken from? In this first part of a two-part episode, former U.S. Marine Ken Kraus…
- Making Shooters Better
She Had a Bounty on Her Head in One of the World’s Most Dangerous Cities—What Kept Her Alive Isn’t What You Think
This episode isn’t about the Secret Service. It’s not about psychology. It’s about who you become when pressure shows up uninvited. Dr. Mary Beth Wilkas Janke…
- Making Shooters Better
She Was Afraid of Guns… Now She’s Leading a Movement Changing Who Shoots—and Why
She didn’t grow up around guns. Didn’t want one in her home. And for years… she fought against the idea entirely. Then one moment changed everything. What…
- Making Shooters Better
How Behavioral Threat Experts See What Others Miss (And How to Start Seeing It Yourself)
Most people rely on instinct when something feels off—but instinct without clarity doesn’t lead to action. And if you’re carrying a gun but don’t see the…
- Making Shooters Better
You Don’t Have a Shooting Problem—You Have a Movement Problem | Kita Busse
Most shooters spend years chasing better accuracy… faster splits… cleaner gear. Kita Busse took one look at the sport and asked a different question: What if…
- Making Shooters Better
He Endured Three Hell Weeks! Why This Navy SEAL Refused to Quit
He didn’t grow up around guns. He didn’t look like the obvious candidate. And twice… his body literally shut down on him. But Perry Yee didn’t quit. In this…
- Making Shooters Better
A Knife Attack Changed His Life—and Practical Shooting: Grandmaster Steve Anderson
In this engaging interview, Terry Vaughan chats with Steve Anderson, USPSA Grandmaster and mental management expert, and shares his journey from rock band to…
- Making Shooters Better
USPSA Champion Maggie Reese: Mastery Starts Where Ego Ends
In this episode, Maggie Reese, a national and international competitive shooter, shares her journey into the world of firearms and competition. She discusses…
- Making Shooters Better
From 5th Special Forces to the White House: Before Delta, There Were Rare Men Like John Allen
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host Terry Vaughan interviews John Allen, a seasoned expert in threat assessment and personal safety. They discuss…
- Making Shooters Better
17 Years Old. World Record Holder. Here’s How She Trains.
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host Terry Vaughan interviews Olivia Albertson, a 17-year-old collegiate shooter who has made significant strides in…
- Making Shooters Better
Before Chaos Unfolds: Inside the Mind of a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Terry Vaughan sits down with Jay Graves, former U.S. Army HUMINT and SIGINT Intelligence Officer, to unpack what…
- Making Shooters Better
Breaking the Fear Barrier: Helping Women Take Their First Shot
In this episode, Terry Vaughan speaks with Michelle Camp, the head of Armed Women of America, about her journey from a casual shooter to a leader in the…
- Making Shooters Better
Why Self-Defense Tools Won’t Save You—and What Actually Will
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host Terry Vaughan speaks with Brian Martin, a former paratrooper and 30-year law enforcement officer, about the…
- Making Shooters Better
What TOP SHOT Didn’t Show You: Pressure, Personality, and the Breaking Point of Shooters
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host Terry Vaughan is joined by Colin Gallagher, a fellow TOP SHOT competitor. They discuss their early experiences…
- Making Shooters Better
He Didn’t Hesitate: Inside a Life-Saving Moment at the ALERRT Conference
In this episode, Terry Vaughan sits down with D. Austin-Johnson, a patrol officer he personally witnessed taking decisive action to help save a life during a…
- Making Shooters Better
Accuracy Under Fire: What Policing, Trauma, and Real Stress Reveal About Survival
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, Terry Vaughan sits down with Tim Pearce, a former law enforcement officer whose career in South Central Los Angeles…
- Making Shooters Better
From Flat Range to Real Life: Training Shooters for Chaos
In this conversation, Terry Vaughan and Mike Willis delve into the critical aspects of instinctive response training for shooters, particularly in…
- Making Shooters Better
The US Pilot Who Bought a Russian Jet... And Reinvented Firearms Training
In this engaging conversation, Terry Vaughan speaks with Mike Farrell, an airline pilot and firearms training innovator. They discuss Mike's late start in…
- Making Shooters Better
Conquering Self-Doubt in Competition
When pressure hits, even champions get shaky. Olympic shooter Gabby Franco opens up about battling nerves, self-doubt, and the moment that changed how she…
- Making Shooters Better
Empowering Women in Firearms Training
In this engaging conversation, Candy Pedicord shares her journey into the world of firearms training, emphasizing the importance of empowering new shooters…
- Making Shooters Better
Always Forward: Strategies for Resiliency & Personal Growth
In this episode, Terry Vaughan, Kristen Wilson Day, and Michael DeGraeve discuss Michael's journey from military service to overcoming addiction and finding…
- Making Shooters Better
The Importance of Dry Fire Training for Shooters
In this episode of Making Shooters Better, host Terry Vaughan, co-host Kristen Wilson-Day, and guest Matt Hickman discuss a range of topics, including Matt's…
- Making Shooters Better
Honoring the Fallen – Eric Torres' Mission
In this second episode, Terry Vaughan and Kristen Wilson Day welcome Eric Torres, a retired Green Beret and co-founder of the Memorial Valor Foundation. They…
- Making Shooters Better
How to Develop Your Shooting Skills with Kristen Wilson Day
In this debut episode of Making Shooters Better, former Royal Marines Commando and TOP SHOT Season 4 competitor Terry Vaughan sits down with Kristen Wilson Day…