Frontsight is a firearms training facility.
Yet, every thread that I have ever read on-line tried to bring up something totally unrelated to firearms training in order to bash Frontsight. When I first heard about Frontsight, the internet gun commandos were bashing Frontsight because THEY said that Piazza was involved in Scientology (I am not sure what that is, or why I should care but..........). Then the internet gurus evolved into bashing Frontsight because they said that Piazza sued some internet gun forum. Now the latest thing for the internet crowd's latest thing to bash Frontsight about is this lawsuit.
In all the threads, and all the posts that I have read about Frontsight, I have only read ONE post that was somewhat critical of the TRAINING (by someone that actually took a class there). His complaint was that he didn't like the Weaver stance and when he took a class at Frontsight, they taught the Weaver stance and wanted him to shoot in the Weaver stance. I even believe that he said they told him to try it their way during the class and if he thought his way of doing things was still better after the class, then go back to what you were comfortable with. Bottom line: among the people who have actually trained there, almost everyone has been very pleased with the classes.
I, for one, am a shooter. My only interest in Frontsight is about the training. . Why would I care about the owners religion ? What does that have to do with me ? I don't care about who Frontsight is suing, or who is suing them. Why should I care ?
I can't figure out why so many people on-line that have no relationship to Frontsight at all want to spend so much time dragging it through the mud. What is in it for you ? Why do you care ?
Several years ago, I bought one of those cheap certificates from a member of this board and took a class at Frontsight. I took their four day practical rifle class. I was "into" AR15s and had previously taken Gunsite's, Basic Defensive Carbine (223) which is a five day class. I went to Frontsight as a total skeptic. First of all, I had read some of the negative stuff on-line (from people that had never been there). Second, I had already taken a class at one of the premier schools in the world (Gunsite).
I thought Frontsight was a wannabe type place with no-name instructors and a half assed facility.
I was wrong.
The first thing that that struck me about Frontsight is that there were HUNDREDS of students there. At Gunsite there were maybe 40 -50 the busiest time I was ever there. Right from the start, I was very impressed with Frontsight no matter how much I wanted to believe that they were not the real deal. I honestly didn't think it was quite as good as the class I took at Gunsite because the facilty itself didn't offer all the various targets and simulators that Gunsite had, but I was impressed enough to buy a first family membership. I figured, the training was good, and since it was close to home, I would probably use the membership. At the time, I wondered if the facility would be there a year from then. But, I realized that a class at any of the big shooting schools is around $1000. If I took a couple classes, my membership would have paid for itself even if the whole thing folded the day after.
By this time, I was a training junkie. As has been said many times before, you really don't know how much you don't know until you take one of these classes. So, I took Gunsite's Advanced Defensive Carbine (556) followed by Gunsite's basic handgun class (250). After those two I took Frontsight's basic handgun class. I can honestly say, that I felt that Frontsights handgun class was better than that of Gunsite. I thought the instructors were better, as was the class as a whole. I also took Gunsite's shotgun class (260) as well as Frontsight's shotgun class. Gunsite's shotgun class was better.
I didn't take a class anywhere for about a year until a couple months ago. I decided to sign up for Frontsight's Rifle Two Day Skill Builder. I used an AR with a TA31F ACOG. All my previous rifle classes had been with an AR and an Aimpoint ML2. In the time since my last Frontsight class, the facility had improved significantly. They were making good progress on the ranges and classrooms. The classes also had improved. I would have to say that this skill builder was one of the best ideas for a class I know about. It is nothing but shooting. It takes the skills you should have learned in the four day rifle class and spends two days drilling those skills all day with an instructor watching your every move to master those basic techniques. I enjoyed the class so much that I immediately signed up for the same class the next month which I took with an AR and my BUIS only.
This is one of the beautiful things about Frontsight that no other gun school in the country has (that I know of). This first family membership allows you to take the class over and over and over without having to pay over and over and over. Your skills drop off dramatically just a few weeks after a class. When you finish the class, you are a bad ass. You are at the top of your game. But, with time, these skills fall off without constant practice. So, every few months, you take the class again to keep those skills fine tuned. Since you can take the class over and over, it allows you to do things like use and ACOG this time, iron sights the next time, Aimpoint the next time, 20", SBR, whatever. If you get tired of that, take the FAL the next time, your M1 the following time, maybe your hunting rifle. Take the handgun class with a Glock, then a 1911, then a revolver.......................
If you want to make excuses why you don't train, then get involved in these internet bash sessions instead of training.
If you want a great training experience, I would recommed Frontsight without hesitation. I am no shooting expert and haven't been to every shooting school in the world. But I honestly believe that Frontsight can hold it's own with any of them. And, unlike 99% of the people posting on the internet: I have been there, AND have something else to compare it to. That doesn't make me right, but IMO makes me more credible than the stuff I read on-line. I can tell you from first hand experience that they have spent a TON of money on that facility and I would honestly say that the facility is better than Gunsite. I fully intend to continue training at Frontsight every chance I get, as well as anywhere else I can.
One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't buy a Frontsight GOLD membership the first time I was there. Even if I had to finance it. It would have been one of the best moves I ever made.
Now, that membership is far too expensive for me to afford. If I hit the Lottery and didn't have to work or worry about money, one of the main things I would do is shoot all the time. I would take gun classes with every instructor I could find. The only reason I don't do that now is money and time. If I had bought that Frontsight Gold membership back then, I could be doing all that now without hitting the Lottery.