The Standard Keeps Moving | A Conversation with Ernest Langdon

After decades spent shooting, competing, teaching, and developing firearms, experience has a way of changing how you look at things.

For Ernest Langdon, that means continuing to question what works, what doesn’t, and what actually makes a measurable difference. Because experience isn’t just about knowing more, it’s also about being willing to challenge what you thought you knew.

For this edition of the Langdon Ledger, we sat down with Ernest for a different kind of conversation. Instead of looking back at the story you may already know, we wanted to know what he thinks today.

What has he changed his mind about? What does the firearms industry overcomplicate? How does he know when an improvement has gone far enough? And after a lifetime behind the gun, what is he still trying to learn?

From product development and training to industry trends and his own evolution as a shooter and instructor, Ernest shares the perspective that can only come from years of testing ideas, challenging assumptions, and never being completely satisfied with “good enough.”

Experience & Changing Perspectives

After this many years of shooting, teaching, and developing products, what have you changed your mind about?

That is a very long list. I have changed my mind about likely thousands of things over the years. That would be a very long list!

Is there something you were absolutely convinced was true 20 years ago that you look at differently today?

I would have to say optics on duty/carry pistols. 20 years ago, I was 100% convinced it was not only unnecessary, but also not a wise decision. I still don’t think it is for everyone; you have to be a real professional if you're going to carry a gun every day with an optic. Cleaning, anti-fog, battery changes, and brightness levels are just a few of things that you have to stay on top of. But, at this point, it is such a game changer in performance that I think it is worth the effort. Especially if your eyes are starting to go. The first time I tried a slide-mounted optic was almost exactly 20 years ago.

What has becoming a better shooter taught you that becoming a better instructor didn't, and vice versa?

Well, I think that is a very interesting question. Just because you are a very good shooter does not mean you can teach people to shoot. I have met some very talented shooters who cannot really explain what they do or why they shoot as well as they do. Teaching people to do anything is a skill in and of itself. But I do think really good shooters have the potential to be better instructors and trainers. When you shoot at a high level, you develop an understanding that makes you a better teacher of that skill.

Competition has also been key to my improvement in both teaching and instruction. Training to win matches or do well in them forces you to spend much more time practicing than you otherwise would.

At this point in your career, what are you still trying to learn?

Absolutely, I am always trying to learn and improve. I still love going to the range to practice and attending classes. And that is just the shooting part of things. I learn so much daily just trying to do what we do at Langdon Tactical; it is a constant learning curve when you are developing new products and running a business.  

What do you pay attention to on the range today that you probably wouldn't have noticed earlier in your career?

That is a tough question, and I cannot think of anything that I don’t pay attention to. At one point, I was taught to pin the trigger to the rear and ride the reset, and I spent a lot of time focusing on it.

Eventually, I realized it was actually detrimental to shooting well at speed and wasn’t helping me become a better shooter. So it’s something I don’t do anymore. If I catch myself falling back into that habit, I make a point to work on correcting it.

The Standard Behind LTT

You've spent your career making good firearms perform better. How do you know when you've gone far enough?

Well, is it far enough or too far? I would say reliability is the limiting factor. The gun has to be fully reliable with anything we do. Our testing is extensive, and we normally push to find the failure points; then we know we have gone too far. We then have to go back to where things are 100% reliable.

When it comes to trigger weight, and given that most of our customers use the guns we build for personal protection, I also think there is such a thing as too light, and we stay away from that.

When you first get your hands on a new platform, do you usually know what you want to change, or does that evolve once you start shooting and working on it?

First, I'd dry-fire the gun and feel the trigger. I will know right away if the trigger needs improvement. Grip feel and comfort are on the list, along with the ergonomics of all the controls, like the Mag button, slide stop, safety, or de-cocker if there is one. But live fire is an absolute must. If the gun is not shootable and reliable, it is a non-starter. Then we move into more long-term testing to see if it holds up over time for the intended use.

Many very popular guns have failed in the last part of the evaluation. If the gun is not reliable or breaks quickly, within a few thousand rounds, it is not worth continuing the project.  Once that's done, we can start looking at how to improve the firearm in a reliable and repeatable way.  At that point, the testing starts again as we have to know the changes we have made hold up over time and round count. Another part of the process for me and some of the team is that we set the guns up and carry them. It is amazing what you can learn about a gun when you carry it every day for 10 or 12 hours. 

What does a firearm have to prove to you before you’re willing to put LTT’s name behind it?

It’s just that, does it still work correctly, reliably and safely after thousands of rounds. There could be a long list of things that make something not work over time. I often joke, I can make one of anything work. But can you make them all that way. Can you make them all durable and reliable after thousands of rounds. The testing is the key there.

When you take a new firearm apart for the first time, what tells you the manufacturer gave you a strong foundation to build on?

There are a lot of things. Manufacturing quality is at the top of the list. If we are evaluating a potential new firearm from a manufacturer, we are going to get inside the gun and see the quality of work that went into the manufacturing process.

LTT gets asked to work on a lot of popular firearms. What have you learned about knowing when to say no to a platform, regardless of how much demand there is for it?

This ties into the previous questions. Reliability and durability. We have been begged to work on certain popular models of guns, but I have turn them away for those two reasons. One of the major ones we found would break at as low as two thousand rounds. Most of the people that carry these guns don’t know because they very seldom shoot the gun. They carry it a lot and shoot it every now and then, so they have no idea that the clock is ticking on their carry gun.

What's one small detail in firearm development that customers rarely notice but you obsess over?

The quality of the magazine. The magazine is the heart of the gun. If it does not function properly, you do not have a good gun no matter how well it is built.

How much of product development is finding improvements versus knowing what not to change?

I personally don’t think it is that hard. If it does not make the gun shoot better, improve gun handling, or something tangible like that, I am not interested. Everyone, including me, likes a gun that looks good. So finishing work, different colors, and things like that are worth doing. No one wants an ugly gun. But I am not interested in making mechanical changes that don't improve function or shootability.

Experience vs. Industry Trends

You've watched the firearms industry cycle through a lot of trends. What do you think shooters are getting right today?

I think more and more shooters are going back to hammer fired guns, specifically DA/SA guns. I think the information is out there that they are shootable and it many cases more shootable than people used to think.

What do you think we're overcomplicating?

As an industry, I think we are and have overcomplicated optic footprints. There are too many of them and no standard at all. Not just the footprints, but the tolerance for them as well. One footprint will not work across the board for all handguns because the guns are different. Internals in the slide with the way the gun functions prevent everything from having screws coming down in the same location. I don’t know what the answer is, but I have had this conversation with several people in the industry, and everyone agrees that there needs to be some standardization for this. The optic manufactures just come up with footprints and do things differently than what has been done before, often. It is a little bit of the tail wagging the dog so to speak. So yes, that is way overcomplicated and needs to be simplified. 

Are shooters today more knowledgeable about equipment, or has having access to so much information made it harder to separate good information from noise?

I think on the surface they are more knowledgeable. They have a good understanding of the different types of guns on the market. That said, I don’t think the masses really understand how guns work or what makes them work. I think many lose interest too quickly before they truly understand what they own.

What's a commonly repeated piece of shooting or equipment advice that you think deserves to be challenged?

“Surprise break trigger control”. It should never be a surprise that your gun fired. It is complete BS from a shooting at any kind of practical speed standpoint. You have to be able to pull the trigger quickly and make the gun go off at an exact point in time, there is no such thing as a slow steady pull with a surprise break in practical real life shooting.

Has social media changed what shooters think they need compared with what you actually see them needing on the range?

Absolutely, but I also think social media is a cancer on our society and, at this point, has very little, if any, redeeming value. Constant scrolling and comparing yourself to other people and what they have isn't healthy for anyone. I know I am guilty of it as well, so I am not judging.

Training

After teaching thousands of shooters, what separates someone who practices a lot from someone who actually trains effectively?

 Shooting a lot does not make you a better shooter; it could just be making your bad habits more permanent. Practicing and training correctly, and getting quality reps, matters more than volume.

What's something you can recognize almost immediately when watching an experienced shooter that newer shooters probably wouldn't notice?

 I think I can almost always look at the gun and see if they are making quality shots. How consistently the gun returns and often that the muzzle does not go below where the gun was previously aimed. Grip is a huge part of that, but I have seen some “old style” shooters that still can run the gun well.

What skill becomes more important as a shooter gets better—not less?

Shot calling! You have to know where the bullets are going from what you see, not from the target. If you have a miss or poor shot, you should know before you check the target. If it is low left, you should have seen the sights go down there when the shot broke.

Do you think shooters spend enough time learning how to diagnose their own performance?

Likely not, and they are often misled about the problems they are having. Many shooters do not understand that the mistakes they are making in shooting are happening in the last millisecond before the gun fires. Shooting slower will not always make you shoot better because the mistake is made very quickly right as or before the gun fires.

If you couldn't tell a student what they did wrong and could only ask them questions, what would you ask after a bad string of fire?

What did you see? What did you feel? Shooting is about seeing and feeling. If you did not see the sights/dot at the point the gun fired, how can you know if you are shooting well? Did you have control of the gun, or did it have control of you?

What's something your students have taught you?

Every student is different. The way you explain something to one person may not work for another. I cannot take for granted that someone has a level of understanding about any aspect of shooting without confirming somehow. I learned from my wife, Aimee, that a lot of people do not understand much of the military jargon that I use. It has been part of me for so long; I assume a level of understanding that is just not there.  

Ernest Today

What part of shooting is still genuinely fun for you after doing it professionally for so long?

I think I genuinely enjoy all of it. Pistols, revolvers, long range rifles, .22 rifles, shotguns. I like shooting everything.

Do you ever go to the range anymore with absolutely no testing, training, teaching, or work objective—just to shoot?

Very seldom these days, but every once in a while. I always try to squeeze in some fun stuff and personal practice, but it is often just not possible.

What's more satisfying today: shooting something exceptionally well yourself or watching someone you've taught finally figure it out?

Watching people make improvements is very satisfying for me. I really enjoy watching people who were scared of guns develop a level of comfort and empowerment from their newfound understanding.

Is there a firearm, project, or idea you've wanted to tackle for years but the timing has never been right?

I mean, yeah, but I cannot talk about that here ?

What do you want to spend more time doing over the next few years?

Quality time with my family, not working. Since Aimee is the cornerstone of Langdon Tactical, work often creeps into our time together no matter how hard we try to keep it out. Also, going to the range just to shoot for fun and playing golf. I have become obsessed with golf over the last year. It is a nice break for me from work and has nothing to do with the gun business.

What do you want to spend less time doing?

Paperwork and CFO stuff. Managing that part of the business is very time-consuming.

What question do you wish people would ask Ernest Langdon—but almost nobody does?

I have no idea, I would have to spend a lot of time thinking about that. Not sure I have the bandwidth to come up with a good answer