I know that there are lots of training schools out there, and this is not an endorsement of Front Sight, but I just completed a 4 day Defensive Hand gun course there and was/am pleased with the training and the time that I was there.  The instructors were very good, the training was good and the other students were all good to get to know.  While that weather was OK, it was too hot for me, but living in Alaska that was to be expected.  I wish that I would have been able to use my own hand guns, but having to drive through Canada that was not possible.  While I have shot a fair amount, this training showed me areas that I can and did improve.
I will be back to take other courses as I can!

Thanks for sharing you experience at Front Sight Nevada. Very similar to every person I meet out there on my training runs. IM me if you want info on Front Sight since we are friends now...

I took the 2-day handgun course there last year, and will be heading that way again this winter.  I thought the 2-day course was pretty basic, and did not have enough shooting.  But then I'm told days 3 and 4 of the 4-day course really take off from where the 2-day course leaves off.  It's something like 200 rounds in the first 2 days, and another 400 rounds in the second 2 days.

My experience reflects your thoughts.  The 2 day course was a great starter.  The 4 day course was chock full of shooting and opportunities to learn some good techniques.  I understand that they've changed the courses a bit to reduce the number of rounds fired because of high ammo prices.  I'm looking forward to the chance to go back again.

Yes, the 4-day is much better. I've done it once and will be on the lookout for another deal to do it again. No way I can pay the $2000 they ask, but I think they limit the certificates to first-timers.

But yes, very good outfit and good training. They get my unreserved recommendation.

Hello read IM

Far too many students have had their blood spilled there for me to consider it regardless of the number of positive reviews.

Whaa???

They ADMIT that at least 21 of their students have been shot on their ranges. You decide how many is too many....for me....that's too many.

How many students shot themselves out of that 21?  With the number of students they get, that still has to be a really low percentage.  

It's a free country.  I guess Will just leaves more room for people that want really good training at one of the top places.

I am NOT saying they are perfect, but id love to know what the injury per training day average is for the industry vs. FS.  They train a ridiculous number of students.

In over 3o years in existence Gunsite has had under 5. One of those was at a hotel off site but involved students attending a course. Twenty one shot is NOT acceptable, no way, no how.

I would submit that with that kind of "safety record" it's not "one of the top places". Louis Awerbuck taught all over this country for over 30 years. He NEVER had a single student shoot themselves during one of his courses.... Not ONE.....figure it out.

Louis was my go to guy for training. Perhaps FS has a higher dumbass attendee quotient than these other places.

Louis and Leigh were/are friends of mine.

I'm guessing yes, due to where they are located (near California and a tourist trap city) FS has a high Dumb Ass quotient. How do you deal with that as an instructor? Knowing that up front, what is YOUR PLAN? You damn sure better have one- or you end up with little girls shooting themselves in the head with an Uzi....... You weed the fuck out of them...... I've seen more than one instructor- Clint Smith, Tom Givens etc...say to a student "Get the fuck off my range, NOW, and don't let the gate hit you in the ass". There was no question that they MEANT IT- and the students hauled ass. I was at Thunder Ranch about the time Clint Smith found out that Lon Horiuchi was attending a class under an alias....wanna guess how THAT conversation went?

You crawl, walk, run with them.....If at any stage they are non hackers- you re mediate or get them gone. They are a danger not only to themselves BUT TO OTHER STUDENTS. It's the INSTRUCTORS JOB TO KEEP A SAFE LINE- that is JOB ONE. If they are not doing it....I'm sorry, they aren't worth it and I don't care how cheap they are, what special Ninja Death Touch tactics they are teaching etc....If I am training to not get shot by criminals- I don't LIKE getting shot....Why would I show up on a range with people I'm PAYING to keep me safe and train me- Who have a track record of NOT DOING THEIR JOB? It's not like there aren't dozens of really good instructors and schools these days.

I'd like to know the number of students trained over the two schools histories AND the number of "incidents" before making such a bold statement,  

If FS has trained 250,000 over their history (just throwing out numbers) and had 21 incidents = 8.4/100,000 students trained.

If Gunsite has trained 75,000 over their history (again, just making up a number) and had 5 incidents = 6.7/100,000.  Not a big difference.  

I've attended FS multiple times.  Never felt unsafe.  Never had any issues.  FS definitely cranks out the students, especially in the last 5-10 yrs.  I've never been to Gunsite (would love to) - do they do the same/similar volume?

fwiw, front sight has a detailed after action report of every injury that resulted from a shooting on their site.

When I went they were very big on preventing NDs. I've got to think that's in response to all these issues. It was huge...like...the nearly the biggest thing they talked about. I never felt unsafe.

My wife and I did the 4 day handgun last May- four days of shooting and camping in the desert. It was great.

We both fired over 500 rounds in the 4 days by actual count.

Good basic instruction- they teach Weaver stance. I have a fair amount of experience, and just went with what they taught. I had a great time, learned a lot. I had no trouble scoring high in their test at the end, as a "distinguished graduate". There were maybe 30% of the class of about 30 folks who had taken this course more than once.

Before I went I read every single after action on the accidental shooting that happened there. Every single one involved someone shooting themselves, mostly on the draw. Nobody got shot by someone else, FWIW.  I've been a trainer, participant, and competitor for decades. I felt pretty safe there.

We're going back. My wife wants to do it again. I'm going with a revolver this time.

I've been to 8 separate gun classes at FS (shotgun, handgun and uzi combined) and while I've seen a round go into the dirt in front of people on the draw, I've never seen anyone get shot.  I'd also venture to say that FS has had more people roll through their classes than all the other gun training facilities combined.



To the OP, AKBearcat, in the future, consider shipping your firearm to yourself via UPS or Fed Ex, to your hotel.  That is allowed by law and then you can train with your weapon.

Front Sight has trained 122,000 students just since 2013, I couldn't find any numbers prior to that but they've been open since 1996, so needless to say they've trained a lot of people. I've spent 22 training days there over the past 3 years and so has my wife. We've taken several handgun and rifle courses. I grew up with guns, spent over 20 years in the Army, still shoot competitively (as does my wife) so I know a thing or two about weapons, weapon safety, and training. In my opinion Front Sight offers a very good curriculum, trains safely and efficiently. Some of their techniques may not be the latest and greatest but they work, are safe, and build a very solid foundation for a person to become effective with their weapons of choice. They instruct pistol, rifle, precision rifle, shotgun, select fire Uzi and M16. They also instruct non-firearms methods too, like empty hand (Martial Arts)  and edged weapons. From my observation I do think they tend to cater to novice shooters as they run more of the basic courses than the rest, but it may be driven by demand. It was totally amazing to me to watch the metamorphous of some of the students who probably had never held a pistol in their hands before, who couldn't tell you the difference between a slide and a magazine, transform in 4 days to hitting every controlled pair (double taps) and transitioning to head shots after drawing from a concealed holster in less than 1.5 seconds and clearing a type three malfunction. Granted, not every student shows this type of improvement but it's not uncommon at all, which does speak volumes about their methods. I have NEVER once felt that safety was compromised and I keep my head on a swivel when I'm around people I don't know with firearms...period! My wife and I are going again in March, we fly there from Georgia and we could go just about anywhere for training but always go back to FS because of the quality of instruction and that we always have a tremendous amount of fun. We get quantifiable results from our times there as evident in our competition scores. I highly recommend FS for the "average" person but if you're a Tier 1 operator (OAF) or the like, it wouldn't be for you...probably. I know that many people get turned off by the marketing blitz they dish out, and I'm not a fan, but I can overlook that for what I receive. Oh, and it's inexpensive too, we paid $200 each for a lifetime membership good for any course they offer now or in the future. People come from all corners of the country to attend their courses, there's a reason for that.