Firearm Training Schools

Has anyone been to been to any of the classes given by Smith & Wesson, Sig, etc or been to Gun Site or any other training courses. I would be interested to find out if their classes are worth the expense and the travel to get there. Thanks.

I've been to gunsite several times. It's a great way to spend a week of your life. If you can afford it by all means go. It's more of an experience to train away from home where there won't be any distractions.

And there is definitely much to be said for a five day class vs. just three days. Those two extra days to program skills is significant.

I took the General Defensive Handgun course that Insights Training Center held at West Shore Sportsman's Association in Harrisburg. It was a great class. They teach a ton of material, you do a ton of shooting with great instructors who are really good at picking up on what you are doing wrong and helping you to correct it, and great at reinforcing what you are doing right. Insights teaches a "system" that involves stance, draw, grip, movement, etc. It is a little hard to tell when you only have had the GDH course that I took, but that "system" is actually a method of functioning that is integrated into all of the various courses that they teach, including the unarmed self defense, etc. In other words, you do not have one stance for firing a handgun, a seperate one for firing an AR-15, and a seperate one for unarmed self defense. Stance, and other apsects of your movement and finctioning, are all derived from that "system" so that the practitioner of self defense can seamlessly transition from gun to folding knife, to jand-to-hand combat, etc. And, they don't just say, "Do it this way," but instead they explain why each and everything they teach is a good way to function. They don't just say, "this is the better way to do it," they say WHY it is better. It was a great class. I strongly encourage people to sign up for the Insights courses.

I think it is amazing how much they taught me at the GDH course. It amazes me to no end that there are people out there on the streets carrying guns who have not had this level of training. I do not favor mandatory training, but I am amazed at how un-prepared some people are for the responsibility of carrying a gun in public. But without intensive training, many people would never realize how un-prepared they actually are. Not cutting on anyone. Just saying that these kind of courses really help people to learn and to know what they need to know to function.

I will say that the two day course was fast-paced. I need time to practice each of the steps that they go over in the course, and could have taken an hour to practice each and every little detail, but they do not give you that much time before moving on the next thing. They give appropriate amounts of time, but I needed and wanted more. It just means I will practice a lot on my own, particularly with dry fire practice, and at the range, but I also might want to hire a tutor for a few sessions at the range to help me refine my techniques. I also intend to take the GDH class over again in the fall of this year or maybe next spring.

I've watched a lot of Lenny Magill videos that teach various aspects of concealed carry / handgun combat / self-defense shooting. You definitely can learn from those videos, but the live class that I took with Insights was even more valuable. Like I said, they teach a system, and it is based on the idea that all of their methods of seld defense can flow from that system, and that's good, particularly if you go on to take their other courses. But I did find that things like grip and stance were a little too dogmatic for what can work well for me. Remember that most gunfights occur within something like 10 feet and you realize that having to fumble to assume a grip that does not just come naturally to you is going to be a major problem. As Ken Hackathorne says in one of the Lenny Magill / Bill Wilson videos, your grip on the gun has to be something that naturally occurs when you go for the gun. Same kind of applies to stance. But the Insights guys do insist on a certain format for grip and stance, and it was a little awkward for me. I understand why they do it that way. That was really my only criticism of their course. It was WELL WORTH the money, and having the course in Harrisburg means that almost anyone from PA can go to the course and not incur huge expenses for travel and lodging.

I've gone down to Blackwater 6 times over the last few years and always enjoyed myself and learned a lot. It is located just over the Va./ NC. border just south of Norfolk.
Blackwater

Thanks for the help. Now all I need is some time off from work.

I've worked with one of the instructors for Insights in another job that we had together. If his ability to conduct training is indicative of the caliber of the rest of the Insights Staff, I would think that they have a really solid program.

I was looking at their schedule, and I am planning to attend at least one of the Harrisburg courses during the Aug/Sept time frame. (my schedule permitting)

Yeah, the Insights instructors are a class act. They are very knowledgable, and very experienced. They're also approachable, helpful, and really interested in helping each student to accomplish his best.