Guardian Training's Josh Logan on trading $45K training systems for an $800 setup, and why dry fire and live fire should work together.
Josh Logan shares his experience moving from traditional firearms-training systems to Ace. His background includes Air Force service protecting nuclear-weapons convoys, street-crimes and homicide work with the Chandler Police Department in Arizona, and certification as an NRA and USCCA firearms instructor. He and his wife Karen, a former Chicago PD officer and Federal Air Marshal, founded Guardian Training and Consulting to address training gaps they saw, particularly after 2020.
The “Wow!” moment
“For law enforcement, speed and accuracy are the two shooting fundamentals that matter most. Seeing my reaction times and split times improve significantly on Ace was impressive. It helps you improve reaction times for shoot / no-shoot decision making, focus on eye tracking between targets, and transition skills.”
Josh Logan
A fraction of the cost
Josh previously used professional systems costing $45,000–$50,000. He notes that Ace, at roughly $800 for a Quest 3 and a handset, provides comparable training benefits at a fraction of the cost. At about $15 a month, he describes it as “like two Starbucks, and you can get your whole month of training.”
Why it works
Josh highlights quantifiable performance tracking, realistic weight and handling, community leaderboards, the ability to run drills impossible on a public range, and home training without ammunition expense. He and his instructors run shoot / no-shoot scenarios, Bill Drills, Double Bills, marksmanship drills out to 40 yards, and transition exercises, and he reports statistical improvement when comparing Ace results to live fire.
Bridging dry fire and live fire
“Does it replace live fire? Absolutely not. But they should work together. Now you have a system where you can work specific skill sets and quantify your progress.”
Josh Logan
His advice for new users: start with quality instructor-led training, practice drills daily without fixating on ranked runs at first, set aside dedicated practice time, and bring friends in for competitive engagement.