Down Range Firearms Training

Down Range Firearms Training was founded in 2010 as a way to teach shooters the fundamentals and proper handling of firearms. Lead by Matt Devito DRFT classes teach students out of Massachusetts. Matt felt that with his knowledge, attitudes, and experience, he could change the way people trained, and produce more proficient and responsible shooters in the commonwealth.  

Matt and his instructors have trained all over the country with some of the top tier firearms and combative instructors and have brought this knowledge and experience back with them to Massachusetts. Last year (2011) Matt noticed that the demand for spots in his courses was growing. To meet this demand Matt began his search for a few more well experienced instructors. DRFT soon added the experience of competition shooters, veterans of the United States Army and Marine Corp, and law enforcement officers to their cadre of instructors.

Now with over a combined 75 years of real world firearms and shooting experience, DRFT continues to evolve and expand with the rapid advances in the firearms and shooting sports industry. Matt and his instructors have developed many great shooting programs designed to help the most basic to the most advanced gun enthusiasts. They have trained with some of the most advanced instructors in the industry in order to better server their students. Every year of experience that DRFT holds, provides students with a unique and rewarding experience that will set the foundation for their shooting careers.

DRFT currently has four full time instructors. They are all MA State Police certified instructors, and NRA Certified instructors in Basic Firearms Safety and Basic Pistol. Matt and John Jouvelis are also certified in Personal Protection Inside the Home, as well as Utah Bureau of Criminal Investigation certified CCW instructors. The two men are also Sig Sauer certified Armorers for the M4/M16/AR15 series of rifles.  John and Ian Strimbeck are both Glock certified Armorers, and Matt, John, and Jim Perrone are all Smith and Wesson certified Armorers as well.

DRFT Instructors:

Matt Devito

Matt Devito: For the past ten years he has been an active member of the shooting community in Massachusetts. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security he opened Down Range Firearms training to bring an advanced firearms training facility to Massachusetts. Always expanding his skillset, Matt trains at a numbers of courses throughout the year.

Ian Strimbeck

Ian Strimbeck: Ian was a Cpl. In the Marine Corp with  3/2 Marines. Ian has experiences two combat tours during his time with 3/2. Ian’s 1^st tour was spent in the northwestern part of Iraq and his  2^nd deployment was the Quick Reaction Force for the Mediterranean. Now an Instructor at Down Range Firearms Training, his goal is to bring real world experience to the table and to help you become more familiar with the world of firearms.

Jim Perrone

Jim Perrone: Jim began shooting at a very young age and quickly transitioned into competitive pistol matches soon after. After Enlisting in the US Army Jim served 8 years while deployed to the Balkan state of Kosovo in 06-08 and to Baghdad, Iraq in 09-10. With more than 20 years of experience using a wide variety of firearms, Jim has something to teach even the most advanced student. Now an Instructor at Down Range Firearms Training, it is his goal to teach and train you using a unique skill set and expose you to many different styles of shooting.

John Jouvelis

John Jouvelis:  John has over 10 years experience in Public Safety and Law Enforcement working as a Campus Police Sergeant, a Reserve Police Officer and Special Officer assigned to Boston Housing developments. He served as the departments Training officer and was responsible for all Firearms Training and qualifications. John has spent the last few years working in Retail Firearms sales. Currently the Training Director at Down Range Firearms Training, John is Certified to operate the State of the Art Milo Range 3000 Firearms Simulator.

The four instructors are certified Combat Focus Shooting instructors under the guidance of Rob Pincus and I.C.E. Training. (there are only around 50 certified instructors in the world). They
have all recently also become charter members of the Association of Defensive Shooting Instructors program (ADSI).

Down Range Fire Arms Training also often hosts guest instructors that help out part time that are police officers, competitive shooters, paramedics, and veterans of the Army specializing in PSD work. DRFT offers a diverse array of classes, from basic firearms safety classes for those looking to obtain their licenses, to private range time for those looking to expand their skill set.

2012 has been a big year for DRFT, the instructors became certified combat focus shooting instructors, charter members of the ADSI and have taken their training to new levels. DRFT will be
working with some of the biggest names in the industry this year including Rob Pincus, Craig Douglas, Claude Werner, and Kyle Lamb just to name a few. They have some exciting new television projects in the works as well. The instructors strive to continue to offer the best and most realistic training in MA, and will continue to combat the myths and misinformation and wealth of bad knowledge some other schools in the area are putting out.

As Front Site Post continues to bring you the very best information in regards to reviews and training, we recommend you visit the DRFT website by clicking here. I have been in contact with Matt Devito, and in order to bring you guys the very best information, I will be spending a few days on the range with Matt in late July, so as always stay glued to FSP!