Front Sight Training School in Nevada.
- Thread starter Horkos
- Start date
I have two friends who are lifetime members and love it. I was impressed by the slick promotions and had planned on getting a membership until I spoke with a customer of mine who is a former Marine weapons instructor. He attended the school with the intent of becoming an instructor and said he was asked to leave after pointing out their range safety shortcomings. I've since heard others mention their lack of range safety - too many beginners on the range with not enough instructors. So...I'm glad I didn't drop the money. I've found an instructor near me who is reasonably priced. In retrospect, a lot of the claims made by front sight seem to be hype. If you just have to go, look around the internet for discounted course certificates - there seem to be a lot of them for sale.
saintjerome
New member
Greetings those who would like information about Front Sight! I first heard about Front Sight about 3 years ago on the Alex Jones show. I really wanted to get my CCW and thus was very intrigued. The more I heard and read the more I was interested. I went on all the CCW forums and ONLY found positive feedback from those who had gone. I decided to take up one of the offers and became a life member. I received a Kel tec 9mm and enjoyed a lifetime membership. Well,things came up and I couldn't physically get there for 2 years...Did I mention the fact that I live in Illinois.
This year my wife and I went. It was fantastic! The instructors are topnotch and believe it or not..they are very family friendly. The day we were there in June, there had to be over 300 people from every race, gender, and age. One older lady had her gun and magazine taped to her walker! Well, what about safety...No issue...everywhere I turned...Front sight breathed safety. You were not allowed...repeat...NOT allowed to point the muzzle of the gun in any direction that was not on a target. You were not allowed to have a hot chamber of course when you were not on the actual firing line with specific commands.
It was great and I learned a lot. I HIGHLY recommend front sight. It totally lived up to my three years of planning and the memberships that I purchased. I'll be happy to field any questions about front sight that you have. And no..I do not work for front sight. I had my Utah and Florida CCW permits before I ever went to front sight.
This year my wife and I went. It was fantastic! The instructors are topnotch and believe it or not..they are very family friendly. The day we were there in June, there had to be over 300 people from every race, gender, and age. One older lady had her gun and magazine taped to her walker! Well, what about safety...No issue...everywhere I turned...Front sight breathed safety. You were not allowed...repeat...NOT allowed to point the muzzle of the gun in any direction that was not on a target. You were not allowed to have a hot chamber of course when you were not on the actual firing line with specific commands.
It was great and I learned a lot. I HIGHLY recommend front sight. It totally lived up to my three years of planning and the memberships that I purchased. I'll be happy to field any questions about front sight that you have. And no..I do not work for front sight. I had my Utah and Florida CCW permits before I ever went to front sight.
I took my first class in May of this year. It was solid training, and I'd particularly recommend it for someone who has never taken a class, hasn't had any training in a while, or has never touched a firearm. I have mentioned before that if I were going to send my wife somewhere, Front Sight would be it. If you're a Seal, experienced SWAT team member, or someone else who has a ton of experience, I'd suggest going to see about their teaching techniques rather than hoping they'll shrink your 2" groups at 25 yards. They really have it down to an art.
I have NO idea what Piscator is talking about regarding safety and in doing all my research, never saw a similar complaint. The closest I ever discovered was one of their old instructors, who is running his own school, mentions that the method of chamber check he used to teach (and I believe Front Sight uses...hard to tell from his description) has some problems, but he didn't elaborate on what his new method was. They're also up front and all incidents are available on their site...and it's not bad considering the sheer number of students they go through. I saw that other schools have accidental shootings, but tend not to mention them, so comparing numbers is difficult.
The biggest thing about going is probably attitude. If you go in looking to dislike it (which a lot of people seem to do), you'll find things to pick on...whether its their stance, grip, or some other item...never mind that they're not jamming it down your throat as The Way, they just ask you to try it and a lot report that they end up liking it. If you have a good open attitude, you'll probably have a great time. One police instructor (who was amazing to watch shoot) in my class probably could have given the instructors pointers, but he still had a great time and great attitude in the class.
Other complaints seem to be that they'll try to indoctrinate you to Scientology, or repeatedly try to sell you memberships. The only mention of religion was a pair of Born Again Christians I happened to sit near during lunch, and the 'hard sell' is a video playing during a lunch which you're free to ignore, or not even be there (although it is the most comfortable air conditioned room around).
Recall that the 4 day handgun course they teach is most of what you'll ever see reviewed...sort of their bread and butter course, and it's very regimented to getting shooters up to speed safely...try to muck with that, and you'll probably not get a very warm welcome. They do offer more advanced courses, but I've seen very little about them as the number of classes and attendees is comparatively low. Personally, I learned a lot, but would have liked a little more attention...I think I was too 'good' compared to the beginners so didn't get the 1 on 1 help that would have sped up improvements to my grip and trigger control, but I DID learned what I needed to by the end of the class, just not in the first day or so that the individual attention would have accomplished.
As for cost, it's very easy to find certificates to go for MUCH less than the listed price...I don't think anyone ever pays list price. My grand total for the trip, not counting ammunition and gear, came to around $200 a day for the 4 day class...that includes gas to drive about 900+ miles each way, stay in hotels, eating out every night, ordering food to the school each day, certificate, and 'background check'...so combining with a friend would drop the per day cost quite a bit.
The course also did change in the past year, so older reviews may be a little off. No more night shoot (that was deemed too difficult to run safely given the increasing number of new shooters in the course), and no more turning targets (supposedly to make it less stressful, but I'm thinking the cost of building turners into all the new ranges they've build was getting expensive). There were a LOT of people in my class who chose not to even attempt the graduation test, so maybe there is something to the turning targets not being all that necessary or desired by an increasing number of their students.
I have NO idea what Piscator is talking about regarding safety and in doing all my research, never saw a similar complaint. The closest I ever discovered was one of their old instructors, who is running his own school, mentions that the method of chamber check he used to teach (and I believe Front Sight uses...hard to tell from his description) has some problems, but he didn't elaborate on what his new method was. They're also up front and all incidents are available on their site...and it's not bad considering the sheer number of students they go through. I saw that other schools have accidental shootings, but tend not to mention them, so comparing numbers is difficult.
The biggest thing about going is probably attitude. If you go in looking to dislike it (which a lot of people seem to do), you'll find things to pick on...whether its their stance, grip, or some other item...never mind that they're not jamming it down your throat as The Way, they just ask you to try it and a lot report that they end up liking it. If you have a good open attitude, you'll probably have a great time. One police instructor (who was amazing to watch shoot) in my class probably could have given the instructors pointers, but he still had a great time and great attitude in the class.
Other complaints seem to be that they'll try to indoctrinate you to Scientology, or repeatedly try to sell you memberships. The only mention of religion was a pair of Born Again Christians I happened to sit near during lunch, and the 'hard sell' is a video playing during a lunch which you're free to ignore, or not even be there (although it is the most comfortable air conditioned room around).
Recall that the 4 day handgun course they teach is most of what you'll ever see reviewed...sort of their bread and butter course, and it's very regimented to getting shooters up to speed safely...try to muck with that, and you'll probably not get a very warm welcome. They do offer more advanced courses, but I've seen very little about them as the number of classes and attendees is comparatively low. Personally, I learned a lot, but would have liked a little more attention...I think I was too 'good' compared to the beginners so didn't get the 1 on 1 help that would have sped up improvements to my grip and trigger control, but I DID learned what I needed to by the end of the class, just not in the first day or so that the individual attention would have accomplished.
As for cost, it's very easy to find certificates to go for MUCH less than the listed price...I don't think anyone ever pays list price. My grand total for the trip, not counting ammunition and gear, came to around $200 a day for the 4 day class...that includes gas to drive about 900+ miles each way, stay in hotels, eating out every night, ordering food to the school each day, certificate, and 'background check'...so combining with a friend would drop the per day cost quite a bit.
The course also did change in the past year, so older reviews may be a little off. No more night shoot (that was deemed too difficult to run safely given the increasing number of new shooters in the course), and no more turning targets (supposedly to make it less stressful, but I'm thinking the cost of building turners into all the new ranges they've build was getting expensive). There were a LOT of people in my class who chose not to even attempt the graduation test, so maybe there is something to the turning targets not being all that necessary or desired by an increasing number of their students.
I have been to Front Sight 5 or 6 times, they have always been safety consious. I haven't been to any other training facility so I can't compare it to others. I consider the training that I received to be top notch. The instructors are friendly and knowledgable. I am a life time member so I will definitly be going back. So far I have taken the handgun and shotgun courses.
saintjerome
New member
Well...I have a diamond membership...I studied Frontsight for about a year before I purchased it. Everyone I talked to that had gone, found it to be very good to excellent. I took the plunge. Then due to personal circumstances, I couldn't get away. Finally, this year my wife and I attend the June 2 day defensive handgun. What a great experience! I am so glad I had my memberships. It was well worth it. Great instructors and a great diversity of participants. Very very safe. The instructors and personnel did not let ANY unsafe behavior go on. I highly recommend frontsight and would be happy to answer any of your questions.
TXCHLInstructor
New member
I've attended Front Sight three times this past year. (I have a friend that lives in North Las Vegas, so I visit there.) the training has always been very, very good and I've been very impressed with all of the instructors. The school thrives on consistiency and that is preached to new instructors. What you learn from one instructor, you learn from all instructors. I'm also a recent life time member but attended these three times before joining ... now I get to use my membership to go back!
Bill
Bill
Hawthorne2k
New member
all I know is that if you get on their mailing/phone solicitation list, you may never get off
No kidding. I do internet marketing for a living, and FrontSight's marketing is endlessly fascinating. They break SO many "rules" about marketing in the internet age, yet they seem to be flourishing.
I'd be curious to hear opinions on FrontSight's training vs. other schools like Thunder Ranch or vs. cheaper options like an NRA Pers. Protection class.
amsgator
New member
Hah, I also work a lot in internet development and advertising, and agree that their web page design is about 10-15 years out of date, and their marketing person/dept (I imagine it's a single person making the decisions) must do double duty selling things on cable channels at 3a.m. Imagine how successful they could be if they had decent advertising and communications? I really think their 'success' is mostly word of mouth as the vast majority of people taking the 4 day defensive handgun course come away with a good impression.
As for comparisons to TR or local NRA classes...I found the NRA classes a bit lacking in what Front Sight teaches. They tend to focus on the whys and discussing the hows, without too much practice at implementation. Front Sight can take someone who's never touched a gun before, make them safe with it, and competent and confident enough to handle it. The NRA courses that try to do this in my area can go a little ways toward making someone safe, but seeing what a firing line of Front Sights students could do on command on the 3rd or 4th day of the class completely blows away what the NRA courses could do.
I haven't had an opportunity to attend Thunder Ranch or any of the other well-reputed schools, but I imagine their basic courses are fairly similar regarding what you have once you're done with the course, probably with some extra individual attention and more 'modern' techniques. Front Sight's method works well, but many complain that it's not the latest and greatest because this or that person doesn't use their techniques any more...but the techniques still work and are basic. All that said, my entire trip recently (including travel, lodging, food, class fees, etc.) cost about what the class fee was at the higher end schools, and I doubt the difference in my skills after leaving would have been THAT much different. And very few seem to pay the 'list' price of a Front Sight class...nearly everyone I talked to at my class was also there on a $69-$99 pass that they put out sometime last year, many of them lamenting that they wouldn't be able to afford to come back without a similar deal.
Took my wife (who had never fired a weapon of any kind) to FS a couple years ago. At the end of 4-days, she could draw and plant two to the thorasic cavity at 7 yds in 1.5 seconds. She could also clear malfunctions and is quite comfortable with her weapon (9 mm XD).
I am a lifetime diamond member. Every time I go there, I meet all kinds of military and law enforcement types who come to FS for training.
So...I'm a believer.
I am a lifetime diamond member. Every time I go there, I meet all kinds of military and law enforcement types who come to FS for training.
So...I'm a believer.
6shootercarry
New member
Thanks to this critter JJFlash, I am also a lifetime member... Took the 4 Day Defensive Handgun course this June and loved it... Dispelled many rumors and much misinformation from years of mixed training. Better control during fast draw thanks to the instructors. Got me faster and more consistent. Will be going back for the 2 Day Handgun and 2 Day Shotgun perhaps late this year if not next spring... They do it right and as indicated in a previous post, all the instructors use/teach the same methods.
Worth it... my 2 pennies..
Horkos
New member
So I have been researching as much as I can into the better known schools. I have come to believe that, in terms of substance, tactics, and philosophy, Thunder Ranch is going to be my best choice. Gunsite being my second best choice. Now to stow the dough. But good training is priceless, therefore worth the sacrafice. Will update upon completion(spelling?). Thanks for the input fellas.
tuts40
New member
I have a life membership at Front Sight, my wife and both my boys have joined me there. The last class I attended (4-day defensive handgun) had two border patrol guys, an LA cop and two more LEO's from some town in the southwest, I forget the town now. Anyway, listening to them talk amoungst themselves, they all agreed that they would like to have had "this level" of training in thier collective acadamies. ...Well, that's gotta be worth something to someone. My only complaint is that although the training in trigger control, SAFETY, draw stroke, malfunction clearance and being able (as the standard) to draw from concealed and place two rounds into a thoracic target at 7 yds in 1.5 seconds or less, would be that there is no training to "get off the X". You know, move to live kind of thing. That comes with the more advanced classes, but I'd like to see it practiced in the two and four day defensive courses...
Peace.
Peace.
averagejoe
New member
I attended front sights 4 day defensive handgun class in June and I can easily say I had no qualms about safety at all. I'm not saying people didn't do some unsafe moves but when they did the instructors were on top of it like white on rice.In my opinion if you are going to own a gun you would do well to get the right training. Front sSight is not the only good training facility but they are one of the best and I definately will go back:smile:
DarrellM5
New member
Front Sight Rocks!!!
So far I've attended 40 days of training at Front Sight. I live in Nevada so it's only 3 1/2 hours away. I have several family members and quite a few friends that train there regularly. The instruction is top notch and there is no compromising on safety. They offer a large variety of courses and have 24 or 25 ranges. They are a world class training facility.
I also believe that some of the other schools (Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, LFI, and Gabe Suarez's to name a few) offer top-notch instruction as well. However, I've only spent a fraction of the cost of those schools to train for 40 days at Front Sight and, with my Diamond Membership, I can continue to take any class they offer, as many times as I wish, for the rest of my life at no additional cost.
I wouldn't try to discourage anyone from attending one of the other schools. Some of them might be just as good as Front Sight,but I don't think any are better.
So far I've attended 40 days of training at Front Sight. I live in Nevada so it's only 3 1/2 hours away. I have several family members and quite a few friends that train there regularly. The instruction is top notch and there is no compromising on safety. They offer a large variety of courses and have 24 or 25 ranges. They are a world class training facility.
I also believe that some of the other schools (Thunder Ranch, Gunsite, LFI, and Gabe Suarez's to name a few) offer top-notch instruction as well. However, I've only spent a fraction of the cost of those schools to train for 40 days at Front Sight and, with my Diamond Membership, I can continue to take any class they offer, as many times as I wish, for the rest of my life at no additional cost.
I wouldn't try to discourage anyone from attending one of the other schools. Some of them might be just as good as Front Sight,but I don't think any are better.
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