Elite competitive shooters do not agree on everything, but four Team Beretta pros kept returning to the same principles: master the fundamentals, dry fire consistently, train with intent and stop expecting equipment to compensate for weak technique.
Ben Hardt, Salvador Luna, JJ Racaza and Cameron Templin compete across USPSA, IPSC, IDPA and Steel Challenge. Their training schedules and preferred Beretta pistols differ, but their advice for becoming faster and more accurate is remarkably consistent.
Competitive shooters at the top of their game have lots of different companies wanting them to use their guns. Consequently, most choose which sponsor to go with based on the company’s record of making quality firearms and the support they will receive from that company. After all, they perform at their highest level when using the best equipment for their shooting discipline.
Enter the oldest continuously operating firearms manufacturer in the world—Beretta—which is celebrating its 500th anniversary as the United States marks its 250th.
The men and women who shoot for Team Beretta are the real deal. We recently touched base with four of the team’s top shooters to get their input on the guns they shoot, how they train and how amateur shooters can increase their shooting abilities.
What The Team Beretta Pros Agree On
- Master the fundamentals before trying to force speed.
- Make consistent dry-fire practice part of your training.
- Do not expect expensive equipment to compensate for poor technique.
- Track your performance and train with a specific purpose.
- Physical fitness, mobility and mental preparation all affect performance.
Safety note: Before beginning any dry-fire session, unload the firearm, remove live ammunition from the practice area, verify that the chamber and magazine well are empty and keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
Ben Hardt: Master the Fundamentals Before Buying More Gear
At 52, Ben Hardt is the senior member of the group, nearly two decades older than some of his Team Beretta counterparts. Among his honors are earning a Team USA Senior Production Optics Team Bronze Medal at the 2025 World Shoot and finishing second at the 2022 IDPA Nationals.
“I took a few defensive classes, was invited to a 3-gun competition class and absolutely loved the more competitive aspect,” he said. “I grew up playing baseball, basketball and golf, and have always been competitive, so the individual performance aspect of practical shooting just hooked me.”
Ben shoots the Beretta 92X Performance CO for USPSA and the CO and LO for IPSC PO and OP. For LO and OP, he adds a magazine well and single-action-only trigger. For IDPA, he shoots the 92X Performance Defensive in SAO with a magwell, although he is building a custom 92GTS Centurion with a compensator for IDPA, since the organization allows comps and ports in Carry Optics.
“The 92X Performance shoots like a high-dollar custom pistol,” he said. “It soaks up recoil with the steel frame, the unique action allows for tuning every aspect of the pistol and the locking block barrel increases feeding reliability. It’s an all-around performer that loves to go fast.”
To reach his level, Ben puts in plenty of time at the range and at home working on his technique.
The top shooters just execute the fundamentals faster than everyone else. You can do everything except follow-up shots in dry-fire.
“During the shooting season, which is typically late March through October, I like to get to the range for live-fire practice at least twice a week for a total of about 1,000 rounds per week,” he said. “Ramping up to majors, ideally I get in a third day per week, plus two to three local matches per month. I like to dry fire four to five days a week, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. As I get older, it’s even more important that I train my body, so I’m in the gym three days a week for strength and mobility work.”
Spending as much time at the range as he does, Ben is able to watch lots of amateur shooters. Two mistakes he often sees them make are using a bad grip and stance and spending too much money on gear before mastering the basics.
“There are a million resources out there for free from top-level shooters on both, or even better, enroll in a class with a legitimate instructor and learn the right way early,” he said. “A $5,000 setup won’t make you a better shooter if you can’t draw the gun reliably. Get the basics—gun, mags, holster—and dry fire.”
In fact, Ben’s top advice for amateur shooters is to get the fundamentals down and use dry fire to build their skills.
“The top shooters just execute the fundamentals faster than everyone else,” he said. “You can do everything except follow-up shots in dry fire. Movement, gun handling and manipulations, malfunction clearance, draws and reloads, transitions—everything in the sport except recoil can be practiced without spending a penny on ammunition or driving to the range.”
For his everyday carry gun, it should be no surprise that Ben also chooses Beretta.
“I alternate between two,” he said. “For summer or ultimate concealment, I carry the 80X Cheetah. It’s such a great sub-compact that is comfortable in practically any situation. When I want a 9mm and a slightly larger gun is easy to carry, I use the 92X Compact. I shoot it really well, and it’s a breeze to carry with jeans and a T-shirt.”
For Ben, being part of Team Beretta is an honor, but the people he has met through the sport are just as important.
“It’s been amazing to be part of a company with such a storied history, and this year, the 500th anniversary is going to be one for the books,” he said. “Being part of the shooting community has brought me lifelong friends and I feel an obligation to represent shooters and gun owners in a positive light so that others can continue to enjoy this hobby. At the end of the day, it’s all about great fun and great friends!”
Salvador Luna: Build Consistency And Track Your Progress
At 37, Salvador Luna is an IPSC, USPSA and SCSA Grand Master in multiple divisions. He is also a multiple-time World Speed Shooting Champion with the Beretta APX A1 Tactical and a current IPSC and USPSA U.S. Team member in the Production Division.
Salvador mainly took up the sport because of his father, who was also a competitive shooter.
“My dad was my primary shooting mentor,” he said. “Growing up, I used to go shoot for fun at my family’s shooting range almost every day. Seeing my parents compete and experience the thrill of the sport completely captivated me. I felt immediately drawn to it and knew it was a path I wanted to pursue.”
For IPSC and USPSA, his go-to is the 92X Performance because of its smooth recoil and accuracy. For Steel Challenge, he switches to the APX A1 Tactical because its lightweight polymer frame and ergonomics allow for fast transitions between targets.
Make dry fire a part of your daily routine. Consistency matters more than volume.
“When you compete at the world level, your equipment cannot be a question mark,” Salvador said. “Beretta offers an unmatched blend of absolute reliability, soft-shooting ergonomics and unmatched accuracy straight out of the box.”
Like Ben, Salvador keeps an extensive training schedule, splitting his time between fitness and shooting.
“I dry fire every morning at my CrossFit gym for 15 to 30 minutes before the Workout of the Day,” he said. “During a shooting season, I usually go to the range three to five times a week and do live-fire practice for an average of two hours per session, burning through roughly 600 rounds as I drill specific mechanical skills and stage execution.”
As for amateur shooters and their mistakes, Salvador believes many are looking for shortcuts when, in reality, that is not the way to reach the top levels.
“The common mistake is that they push too hard for results instead of focusing on the fundamentals and trusting the learning process,” he said. “There are no shortcuts to any discipline, just hard work and dedication.”
His advice for improving is simple: dry fire consistently, master the fundamentals before chasing speed and measure your progress.
“First, make dry fire a part of your daily routine,” he said. “Consistency matters more than volume. Second, get incredibly good at the fundamentals first before you try to force speed. Finally, track and analyze your progress; you can’t fix what you aren’t measuring.”
Salvador prefers his Beretta APX A1 Tactical for everyday carry and the APX Carry for activities such as running or spending time outdoors. For fast-flying birds such as doves, he opts for the Beretta A400.
For Salvador, shooting is more than a sport or profession. It is a lifelong pursuit of mastery.
“Being able to represent a brand like Beretta, which carries half a millennium of firearms history and engineering excellence, is an incredible honor,” he said. “Whether you are a competitive athlete, a defensive-minded citizen or a weekend hunter, the shooting sports build discipline, community and focus. I’m proud to pass that legacy on to the next generation of shooters.”
JJ Racaza: Fix Your Trigger Pull And Train Honestly
At 46, JJ Racaza has been there and done that in the competitive shooting world. Along the way, he has become a three-time World Speed Shooting Champion, broken and held world speed-shooting records and become a multiple-division U.S. National Champion and IPSC World Shooting Champion.
Like Salvador, JJ owes his shooting heritage and start in the sport to his father.
“It started out of necessity,” he said. “I watched my dad compete and was intrigued. So, I gave it a shot in 1988.”
The rest, as they say, is history. JJ’s competition guns are the Beretta 92X Performance Defensive, 92X Performance and 94X Performance.
“I’ve always loved the aesthetics of Beretta, except they didn’t put too much focus on pistol shooting competitions,” he said. “So, when they were ready to do so, I was happy to try to jump on board and represent a company that’s 500 years old, has a solid reputation for reliability and the will to win!”
JJ’s practice routine includes both the physical and mental aspects of competition, which are often overlooked but critical to high-level athletes of all kinds.
“For pistol shooting, I spend about two hours shooting a myriad of randomized sequences,” he said. “Physically, I work out like a maniac. Some days I do two workouts a day. Mentally, I have a coach who guides me.”
To JJ, the biggest mistake he sees amateur shooters make is in their trigger pull.
“Most of them are doing it incorrectly,” he said. “Once that finger is adjusted to move a certain way, the results immediately showcase themselves. Master fundamentals, learn to run and manipulate the gun really fast but most importantly safely. Everyone can shoot accurately, but not everyone can shoot fast and accurately. Dry fire and be honest with yourself.”
That honesty is an important part of productive training. Shooters have to identify what is actually going wrong instead of simply repeating the same drills or blaming their equipment.
JJ, who favors the 80X Cheetah for everyday carry, said his experience with Team Beretta has allowed him to help shape the guns he competes with.
“The company as a whole has been super supportive and has let me do whatever I want in terms of how to get ready,” he said. “They are very open-minded for a company that’s been doing it for so long. I expected more resistance to the changes I wanted to the new gun. The gun is pretty, and when I first put my hands on the pistol, I remember saying, ‘I can definitely win with this.’”
Cameron Templin: Train Outside Your Comfort Zone
At 35, Cameron Templin is the youngest of the four shooters. He is a four-time Grand Master in USPSA and Steel Challenge and most recently placed third in both Carry Optics and Limited Optics at the 2026 World Speed Shooting Championship.
Unlike the other shooters, Cameron did not grow up in a family with a strong interest in guns, so he came into shooting later in life.
“I’d always had an interest in firearms from movies and conversations with my dad, but I didn’t actually find competition until my late twenties,” he said. “I bought my first handgun in 2018, mainly for protection, and quickly realized I wasn’t very competent with it. So, I took a class and discovered I had some natural talent, but I knew there was a lot more to learn.”
Cameron noticed that the fastest and most accurate shooters had backgrounds in shooting sports, so he showed up to a local club match.
“I met some incredible people who walked me through the whole thing,” he said. “I was absolutely hooked from that moment on.”
For competition, Cameron shoots the Beretta 92X Performance in USPSA and IPSC. For Steel Challenge, PCSL and IDPA, he shoots the Beretta 92 Elite LTT.
“The pistol line is genuinely amazing, and the company has a rich history and legacy I’ve always admired,” he said. “I was shooting Berettas well before I ever joined the Beretta Shooting Team. And honestly, growing up watching movies like ‘Die Hard,’ I’ve always been drawn to the Beretta 92.”
During the off-season, Cameron focuses heavily on fundamentals and “hammering the hard skills like marksmanship and speed.”
“As match season gets closer, I start incorporating what I’m likely to see in competition and dial in on discipline-specific skills,” he said. “I also prioritize my overall physical fitness, doing speed and agility work along with weightlifting and mobility. I’ve noticed that makes a huge difference in my performance.”
For amateurs, Cameron says it is important to learn how to train and pay close attention to where that instruction is coming from.
“I see a lot of poor instruction being passed down to new shooters,” he said. “Just because someone learned a specific method years ago, or has a previous pedigree, doesn’t mean it’s still relevant. Look at the shooters and instructors who are actually winning today—there’s a reason they’re winning.”
Equipment matters, but skill wins every time.
From there, Cameron advises finding instructors who can explain the process simply and effectively.
“Training doesn’t need to be complicated,” he said. “A good instructor teaches you how to train and sets you up for real progress.”
His top three tips are to get out of your comfort zone, stop chasing equipment and dry fire consistently.
“Sign up for a match as a new shooter, train with people who are better than you, find every opportunity to learn, which inevitably takes a lot of failure,” he said. “Equipment matters, but skill wins every time.”
Cameron also believes shooters should use what happens during live fire to shape their dry-fire training.
“As for dry fire, if you do it correctly, this will be your single biggest source of improvement—and it’s free,” he said. “Take the data from your live-fire sessions, learn to understand it and bring it into your dry-fire program.”
Hailing from Texas, Cameron gets out hunting as often as he can despite his busy shooting schedule.
“I’m lucky to have friends who are serious hunters and bring me along when they can,” he said. “For waterfowl and upland birds, I’ve been loving the A300 line of shotguns. The BRX1 has been a great rifle for deer and hog hunting here in Texas.”
Cameron, whose everyday carry pistol is the Beretta PX4, said shooting for Beretta has been an incredible experience.
“I was shooting their firearms long before I joined the team, so this has been a dream come true,” he said. “It’s a huge honor to be part of a company with a 500-year legacy, working alongside such great people. The shooting sports have shaped my life in a big way, and I’ve loved every part of this journey. I hope to make a positive impact and help other shooters.”
The Real Secret To Better Competitive Shooting
Hardt, Luna, Racaza and Templin have different backgrounds, training schedules and approaches to competition. Yet the same lessons run through all four of their stories.
Top shooters do not replace the fundamentals with speed. They execute those fundamentals faster and more consistently. They use dry fire to improve the skills that do not require live ammunition, then use data from the range to decide what they need to practice next.
They also refuse to treat equipment as a shortcut. The right gun matters at the highest levels, but it cannot replace grip, stance, trigger control, movement, discipline or honest practice.
For amateur shooters looking to improve, that might be the most important Team Beretta secret of all: get the basics right, train them consistently and let speed follow.
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