Welcome to Rifle & Pistol Defense Training – (RPDT), the premier firearms and tactical training company in Ohio, providing detailed rifle and pistol training and instruction for law enforcers, military, and civilian shooters. Founded and led by Detective Ryan Patete, a career law enforcement officer, SWAT sniper, K-9 handler, and professional firearms instructor with over 20 years of field experience, RPDT operates on the principle of “Training with Purpose.”
We offer a diverse catalog of courses designed to enhance real-world performance under stress, including Pragmatic Pistol, Patrol Rifle, Red Dot Instructor, Vehicle Engagements, Active Threat Response, and Precision Long-Range programs. We conduct our training sessions in a state-of-the-art facility, such as the Proving Grounds Law Enforcement Training Center, with a focus on practical application, accountability, and skill progression.

Training Impact
We take pride in having earned a reputation for professionalism, realism, and instructor excellence. Our deep background in law enforcement, tactical operations, and field application ensures that each one of our students receives training grounded in experience — not theory.
Our emphasis is on safety, efficiency, and performance under pressure, while empowering students to confidently and competently handle real-world threats. Additionally, we consistently strive to bridge the gap between qualification and survivability, with challenging, fast-paced courses designed to push shooters beyond their comfort zone while maintaining a supportive, team-driven culture.
Our Courses

Pragmatic Pistol Course
This eight-hour intensive course pushes shooters beyond the fundamentals, focusing on performance, speed, accuracy, and control under pressure. Our students work on timed drills, reaction-based shooting exercises, and real-world scenario exercises that test both their mindset and mechanics. It’s about learning to drive the gun at speed — not just hit paper. The course is ideal for law enforcers, experienced civilians, and concealed carriers seeking to develop high-performance handgun skills.

Patrol Rifle / Pragmatic Rifle Course
A fast-paced course designed to develop modern rifle handling, movement, and precision at close to mid-range distances. The curriculum emphasizes the application of real-world law enforcement and defensive rifle use, including weapon transitions and the use of cover, combining speed, accuracy, and tactics. It is the ideal training program for patrol officers, tactical units, and serious civilian shooters with AR-platform rifles.

Active Threat Response Course
This one-day course equips participants to prepare, recognize, respond to, protect, and mitigate active threat incidents in public venues, workplaces, or places of worship. Learning focuses on threat assessment, de-escalation techniques, security positioning, and coordinated response under pressure. Churches, schools, private security groups, and community safety teams should find this course helpful.

Choose Us for Training
We provide the following:
Real-World, Law-Enforcement-Driven Training
Each of our courses is based on real operational experience — not theory. Unlike many “range-based” schools, our training programs reflect the realities of modern-day encounters — decision-making under stress, threat recognition, and performance when it matters most.
Performance-Based Curriculum — Not Just Qualifications
We don’t train shooters to pass our tests; we train them to survive and perform under actual pressure. Each class pushes a student’s limits, builds speed, and instills confidence. We encourage our students to fail fast, learn quickly, and grow rapidly through timed drills and scenario-based evolutions. The focus is on reaction over repetition, where students learn to master the art of efficient gunfighting.
Small-Class Focus and Instructor Engagement
Where other training schools focus on packing in numbers, we keep our class sizes intentionally small to maximize one-on-one instruction. Every shooter receives individualized feedback and guided correction from the training cadre to create a higher return on investment and measurable skill development after every course completion.
Year-Round Access with the RPDT Membership
Our membership program is unmatched in value, as it provides members with access to 12 courses and 12 guided open-range days per year, all led by professional instructors. Members also enjoy private one-on-one coaching, early course registration, and discounted training access for friends or family. It’s a complete training ecosystem, not just a standard class schedule.
Professionalism, Integrity, and Community
We have built our name on professionalism, safety, and community impact. Every activity, from tactical law enforcement courses to community active-threat training, reinforces our mission to create capable, confident defenders who train with purpose. By bridging the gap between civilian training and professional law enforcement standards, we help make the company one of the most trusted names in the Midwest.
Membership
When our students become members, they receive year-round access to 12 complete courses and 12 guided open-range days annually, creating an immersive environment for continued skill development. We also offer our members exclusive and private one-on-one instruction, force-on-force training, and customized agency programs.
Our Target Customers
We cater to the needs of the following, whether they are from the state of Ohio or anywhere in the US:
Law Enforcement Professionals
Active-duty police officers, deputies, corrections officers, and federal agents seeking advanced firearms, tactical, and decision-making training beyond what’s provided by their departments. These individuals often invite their colleagues and entire teams after experiencing our brand of training. Additionally, they value professional instruction, accountability, and credibility — all of which we emphasize in our courses, where every drill, standard, and skill set is directly applicable to real-world duty use.
Responsible Armed Citizens
Legally armed citizens, CCW holders, and prepared individuals who take personal defense seriously and want to train like professionals. They want structured, high-quality instruction — not just a concealed carry certificate and seek to develop confidence in handling, shooting under stress, and a defensive mindset. These people are also willing to invest in consistent, ongoing training through memberships and open-range programs, going beyond the basics as they train with purpose to confidently defend themselves and others.
Tactical and Competitive Shooters
These are individuals who aim to compete, train regularly, or already possess intermediate to advanced skill levels and seek further to refine their speed, transitions, and decision-making abilities. They thrive on measurable standards, shot timers, and coaching that pushes them past their comfort zones. Our “pragmatic” training curriculum should directly appeal to their performance-driven mindset even when under pressure.
Security Professionals and Safety Teams
Private security groups, executive protection agents, and church or community safety team members are tasked with protecting people in real environments. As their focus is on threat assessment, de-escalation techniques, and defensive tactics that directly support their responsibilities, our Active Threat Response and Force-on-Force training should appeal to them, as this corresponds to real-world defensive applications.
Corporate and Private Groups
Businesses, shooting clubs, or private groups seeking custom event security arrangements, firearms safety workshops, or private tactical training. These clients value exclusivity, professionalism, and an immersive training experience. The flexibility of our training courses enables us to design custom sessions tailored to private events.

Partner with Us
In addition to firearms training, we help our students gain the confidence to face and handle evolving world threats like human trafficking. The Sentinel Foundation is committed to ending this growing societal menace, and we fully support its mission. Contact us if you would like to support the foundation or are interested in our training programs.

