New Guy Intro ...

Hey Everyone ... this is a great forum and informational site; I'm very glad to have located it.

I've never OC'd ... always concealed. Normally, I carry a 5 round hammerless S&W .357 that I bought about 18 years ago but I just purchased an S&W M&P 9 and 9c for Christmas. The 9 is for me and the 9c is for my 16 year old daughter (though I'll keep her's locked up unless we are using it or I'm carrying it). My daughter and I are going to Gunsite this summer to take their 250 Pistol course ... anybody ever taken it and have any advice at Gunsite?

Look forward to gaining further info from you all.

CatnPhx said:

My daughter and I are going to Gunsite this summer to take their 250 Pistol course ... anybody ever taken it and have any advice at Gunsite?

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That's awesome that she's going to Gunsite! My personal preference is Front Sight (I have a membership there and train yearly) but the fundamentals covered at both places are all based on Cooper's "Modern Technique."

She'll learn a lot. If you need tips on gear to wear and take, please contact me offline at treasurer@azcdl.org.

Fred
PS - I took the 250 class back in 1999.

Thanks, Fred.

We live about 1.5 miles from Ben Avery and I've set-up some private training there to get us started with our new pistols. Since I live in far North Phoenix, Gunsite is only 1 1/2 hours away at most. And Vegas is only 4 hours from my house so I'll look into Front Sight too ... thanks for the tip.

I'll probably contact you for tips on what to bring. Thanks for the offer.

CatnPhx said:

And Vegas is only 4 hours from my house so I'll look into Front Sight too ... thanks for the tip.

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don't let the sticker price for Front sight scare you. You can pick up a discount certificate on eBay (and other places) for $200-300 for a 4-day class. Front Sight runs about 30,000 students a year through their facility. They have both weekend and weekday classes.

For what it's worth, AzCDL is pulling together a group to attend a 4 day class that runs from 4/15-18/11 (Friday through Monday).

CatnPhx said:

I'll probably contact you for tips on what to bring. Thanks for the offer.

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Glad to help.

Fred
PS - Regarding training to get ready for the class. I'd recommend scapping that idea. You might ingrain the WRONG skills and you'll have to unlearn everything in class. The best student is the one who is a newbie. Especially men, since most of us learned how to shoot from watching bad television.

Don't Forget Local Trainers

azcdlfred said:

PS - Regarding training to get ready for the class. I'd recommend scapping that idea. You might ingrain the WRONG skills and you'll have to unlearn everything in class. The best student is the one who is a newbie. Especially men, since most of us learned how to shoot from watching bad television.

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The local trainers shouldn't be counted out just because they aren't part of a big school. I think every shooter owes it to themselves to get a broad variety of training. If he and his daughter were to skip all the local trainers and just do Gunsite and/or Front Sight, they would not be exposed to different methods and ways of doing things.

Getting involved in the local shooting scene will open up a lot more opportunities for further skill development without all the travel costs. I'd recommend getting some local NRA courses in along with the big schools, starting with Basic Pistol, then going for Personal Protection In The Home and Personal Protection Outside The Home.

As an instructor, I send my own students to other instructors to get more training that I can't provide. There is no school or instructor so awesome that their students would not benefit from also training elsewhere. This industry thrives when students become all they can be. If we get too busy worrying about our individual pocketbooks, the students suffer because we aren't doing our jobs, and the pocketbooks get messed up anyway in the long run.

That's my .02, do with it what you will