Although I work with Front Sight, I rarely have time to take a course. I took my first two-day defensive handgun course around 2002. Then I took my wife out for a two-day defensive handgun course in 2008. I finally made it back in 2010; this time for a (mid-week) four-day defensive handgun course!
Unfortunately, almost none of my friends made it. The only one who made it go right to come to the class with me was Emily, a friend of a friend who I hadn’t actually met in person before. It could have been much more awkward than it actually was; but turned out great. The only real awkwardness was that everyone in the class assumed we were dating or married.
We got to Front Sight ridiculously early in the morning, and stood in a surprisingly fast “sign-in” line. We got our firearms checked out and went into for our introduction speech.
Then we went off to our Ranges. We started on Range #14; which is part of the semi-new ranges at Front Sight.
Of course, the Front Sight Staff demonstrated the things we would be learning before we learned them (which they did amazingly perfect).
We shot a couple hundred rounds the first couple days, including some simulated bad guy posters:
We had wonderful weather and some fabulous sunsets at range 14.
Even though it was a mid week course (Monday-Thursday), there were around 350 students there. The parking area seemed to extend forever.
For the speed tests, we used targets that would turn away from you after the allotted time. Here’s Emily getting a round off at the last possible second (as the signs turned away):
We also learned some basic movement tactics for going through a doorway. (Side Note: If you every go to a shooting class like Front Sight don’t bring scratched glasses for eye protection. The extra blurriness is not helpful.)
At the very end of the four-day defensive handgun there is a “skills test” that tests the speed you perform all of the things you learned at Front Sight. It was much harder than I expected it would be for me. I did manage to sneak in a “Graduate Certificate” which about 5-7 of the 40 students got. We had one “Distinguished Graduate” in the class.
Here’s me getting my cert and with the Front Sight Instructors:
I have pages I’d love to write about my experience at Front Sight. The course was fun, entertaining, yet very disciplined. Lunch was taken in a room with 300 other “armed-to-the-teeth” students, and it felt like any normal lunch. The Instructors were really amazing. The drills were very repetitive, but the instructors remained enthusiastic, funny and alert.
Probably the most impressive part of the weekend was the Q&A session during one of the lunch breaks. Students were asking all sorts of questions, and Wes answered them all simply and plainly. There was no dodging of questions or any games.
I can’t wait to go back (with Anna this time)!
Ashton
