GUNSITE ACADEMY

BatteryOaksBilly

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The traveling group for Gunsite will be putting on classes in S.C. SOON!!!!!! Go to Gunsite Academy website for details....This will be the best money you spend on training this year.....short of having The Gunsite experience in Pauldin Arizona, this will give you access to world class training.....Billy

April...25-27.......Pistol...Carbine....Shotgun......Revolver................................
 
Thanks Billy!
Did you talk them to have the class at your place :)

The 3 day pistol is $1,200, currently out of my budget 😢20220213_104647.jpg
 
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I feel like I've looked everywhere on the website... Did anyone see where the S.C. Pistol class is being held?
 
I feel like I've looked everywhere on the website... Did anyone see where the S.C. Pistol class is being held?
 
Years back I was lucky enough to take their 5 day class in AZ. While it was great and I learned a lot … after 5 days (plus travel days) I needed 5 more days to recover and I was young and in decent shape. That 3 day course probably is a good length for a regular person. Even better you really don’t lose a full travel day there and one back like to their fairly remote AZ home range. As to cost … every so often treat yourself to something special!
 
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Years back I was lucky enough to take their 5 day class in AZ. While it was great and I learned a lot … after 5 days (plus travel days) I needed 5 more days to recover and I was young and in decent shape. That 3 day course probably is a good length for a regular person. Even better you really don’t lose a full travel day there and one back like to their fairly remote AZ home range. As to cost … every so often treat yourself to something special!
1200 is quite a treat.
 
Columbia is the only place where I seen a headliner melt off the inside of a car.

I raced motorcycles in Columbia for years. Put on a leather suit, full face helmet, get on a motorcycle that's just slightly cooler than a nuclear strike, and race on asphalt that hovered around 130 degrees.
Q; Is there ever a breeze?
A; No
Oh yeah. You might crash and burn as a bonus.
If you wanna cull the herd this is how you do it. 😐
 
Columbia is the only place where I seen a headliner melt off the inside of a car.

I raced motorcycles in Columbia for years. Put on a leather suit, full face helmet, get on a motorcycle that's just slightly cooler than a nuclear strike, and race on asphalt that hovered around 130 degrees.
Q; Is there ever a breeze?
A; No
Oh yeah. You might crash and burn as a bonus.
If you wanna cull the herd this is how you do it. 😐
Two words.

river basin - very hot in summer

but when I traveled there back in the early 80’s in my mid twenties the girls didn’t wear much in summer, and Lake Murray wasn’t far away.
 
This post is not meant as a criticism of Gunsite, so I hope it doesn't sound snarky. If Gunsite is filling its 3 day classes at $1200 a head, I guess there's sufficient demand at that price and that explains Gunsite's charging that much on the supply side. What I wonder about is the demand side. Why would someone pay $1200 for a 3 day class taught by Gunsite, instead of, say, paying $650 for a 3 day class taught by Ernest Langdon? Or, I can't remember for sure, but I think I paid $550 for Craig Douglas's ECQC, which was about 21 hours of class time over 2 1/2 days. What makes Gunsite worth all that extra money? What's their secret sauce?

I mean, the weakness at Langdon's class was student/teacher ratio. A lot of traveling trainers have 1:20 or something, and that does cut down on their ability to coach. I think there were only 14 students at Ernest's class last year, but that still meant 1:14. Does Gunsite have a bunch of AI's? Craig Douglas had two AI's, so it was 3:20, which was very good (and the AI's were amazing). But he managed to have three instructors there for a pretty low cost to the participants. Does Gunsite have a super low ratio? What's the money for? Serious question, not a crack.
 
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Columbia is the only place where I seen a headliner melt off the inside of a car.

I raced motorcycles in Columbia for years. Put on a leather suit, full face helmet, get on a motorcycle that's just slightly cooler than a nuclear strike, and race on asphalt that hovered around 130 degrees.
Q; Is there ever a breeze?
A; No
Oh yeah. You might crash and burn as a bonus.
If you wanna cull the herd this is how you do it. 😐
The Army doesn’t pick a picnic area for ANY of its Posts. Jus sayin…
 
This post is not meant as a criticism of Gunsite, so I hope it doesn't sound snarky. If Gunsite is filling its 3 day classes at $1200 a head, I guess there's sufficient demand at that price and that explains Gunsite's charging that much on the supply side. What I wonder about is the demand side. Why would someone pay $1200 for a 3 day class taught by Gunsite, instead of, say, paying $650 for a 3 day class taught by Ernest Langdon? Or, I can't remember for sure, but I think I paid $550 for Craig Douglas's ECQC, which was about 21 hours of class time over 2 1/2 days. What makes Gunsite worth all that extra money? What's their secret sauce?

I mean, the weakness at Langdon's class was student/teacher ratio. A lot of traveling trainers have 1:20 or something, and that does cut down on their ability to coach. I think there were only 14 students at Ernest's class last year, but that still meant 1:14. Does Gunsite have a bunch of AI's? Craig Douglas had two AI's, so it was 3:20, which was very good (and the AI's were amazing). But he managed to have three instructors there for a pretty low cost to the participants. Does Gunsite have a super low ratio? What's the money for? Serious question, not a crack.
You know the history, right? Jeff Cooper? The origins of the Modern Technique of pistol craft and all that? Basically, the foundation of other other classes being taught today? They charge that much because they can. They're still perceived by many as the Mecca of pistolcraft. So, yeah, a lot of it is simply the image. The real deal. Now are others teaching good stuff? Of course they are. But, it's like the old Xerox commercial, do you want just as good or the real thing, from the guys that started it all?
Fortune has allowed me to have had training with some now former Gunsite instructors and I was an all in 1911 Modern Technique fanboy. But, since you bring up Craig, I studied with him when he was still shielding his identity as SouthNarc. We were not allowed to disclose his real name. Craig is one of what I consider to be the next generation of defensive methods, referred to as combatives. It focuses more on a practical, real world approach. Craig lived it as an undercover narcotics officer. Some of the old Gunsite guys have moved on to this blend of body movement, hand to hand and gun craft. It is the next evolution.

IMHO
 
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You know the history, right? Jeff Cooper? The origins of the Modern Technique of pistol craft and all that? Basically, the foundation of other other classes being taught today? They charge that much because they can. They're still perceived by many as the Mecca of pistolcraft. So, yeah, a lot of it is simply the image. The real deal. Now are others teaching good stuff? Of course they are. But, it's like the old Xerox commercial, do you want just as good or the real thing, from the guys that started it all?
Fortune has allowed me to have had training with some now former Gunsite instructors and I was an all in 1911 Modern Technique fanboy. But, since you bring up Craig, I studied with him when he was still shielding his identity as SouthNarc. We were not allowed to disclose his real name. Craig is one of what I consider to be the next generation of defensive methods, referred to as combatives. It focuses more on a practical, real world approach. Craig lived it as an undercover narcotics officer. Some of the old Gunsite guys have moved on to this blend of body movement, hand to hand and gun craft. It is the next evolution.

IMHO
This is more or less my point, though. Yes, I know the history and I have read many of LTC Cooper's books and hold him in reverence. I also know that when Leatham and Enos were burning the world up with the modern isosceles, Cooper gave up on pistolcraft and stuck with his dogma. I have no idea where Gunsite is now, but I do know that the people pushing things forward are not clinging on to reputations built in the 60's and 70's, but on what they're doing now. And as much of a traditionalist as I am, I am just not interested in learning the best of what was taught 50 years ago when it comes to something like pistolcraft.

Gunsite may be doing great stuff nowadays, too, and that's why ask. But my impression is that they trade on name recognition, which makes me think of them in the same category as Front Sight, rather than in the same category as Shivworks, or competitive instructors like Tim Herron or Robert Vogel, or special operations guys like Mike Pannone, or whatever. I just don't see spending double to get reputation rather than substance. No disrespect to Cooper intended.
 
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Columbia is the only place where I seen a headliner melt off the inside of a car.

I raced motorcycles in Columbia for years. Put on a leather suit, full face helmet, get on a motorcycle that's just slightly cooler than a nuclear strike, and race on asphalt that hovered around 130 degrees.
Q; Is there ever a breeze?
A; No
Oh yeah. You might crash and burn as a bonus.
If you wanna cull the herd this is how you do it. 😐

I noticed doing some very hot track days that as insufferable as leathers are, when it's impossibly hot it actually COOLER with leathers on!

105 inside leathers, and 115 outside of them!
 
This is more or less my point, though. Yes, I know the history and I have read many of LTC Cooper's books and hold him in reverence. I also know that when Leatham and Enos were burning the world up with the modern isosceles, Cooper gave up on pistolcraft and stuck with his dogma. I have no idea where Gunsite is now, but I do know that the people pushing things forward are not clinging on to reputations built in the 60's and 70's, but on what they're doing now. And as much of a traditionalist as I am, I am just not interested in learning the best of what was taught 50 years ago when it comes to something like pistolcraft.

Gunsite may be doing great stuff nowadays, too, and that's why ask. But my impression is that they trade on name recognition, which makes me think of them in the same category as Front Sight, rather than in the same category as Shivworks, or competitive instructors like Tim Herron or Robert Vogel, or special operations guys like Mike Pannone, or whatever. I just don't see spending double to get reputation rather than substance. No disrespect to Cooper intended.

When I see multiday events like this I think two things:

1. how much info will the average person actually retain?
2. How many private lessons can a couple grand get me with the incredible teacher and world champion right down the street. A guy I can maintain a relationship with and actually shoot matches with and get extra free content and pointers all the time. A one hour lesson is enough to work on for weeks or more.
 
When I see multiday events like this I think two things:

1. how much info will the average person actually retain?
2. How many private lessons can a couple grand get me with the incredible teacher and world champion right down the street. A guy I can maintain a relationship with and actually shoot matches with and get extra free content and pointers all the time. A one hour lesson is enough to work on for weeks or more.
Chris Tilley?

I'll admit that I like taking classes and enjoy the time on the range with cool people who know stuff. But what's the value of even a good class? Sometimes hard to say.

At present, I have an extremely strong preference in favor of well-designed force-on-force classes. They're hard to beat for real learning. Unfortunately, they're also relatively rare, since evidently not all that many people like taking them.
 
Chris Tilley?

I'll admit that I like taking classes and enjoy the time on the range with cool people who know stuff. But what's the value of even a good class? Sometimes hard to say.

At present, I have an extremely strong preference in favor of well-designed force-on-force classes. They're hard to beat for real learning. Unfortunately, they're also relatively rare, since evidently not all that many people like taking them.

Whomever. There's a ton of options around here. Same applies to your force on force. Although not sure about your geological location.

The value of a good class depends entirely on who the student is. I'd say if you see no value in it, then there is no value in it.
There's a lot of value in it for me because I want to get better at shooting guns.
 
Whomever. There's a ton of options around here. Same applies to your force on force. Although not sure about your geological location.

The value of a good class depends entirely on who the student is. I'd say if you see no value in it, then there is no value in it.
There's a lot of value in it for me because I want to get better at shooting guns.

Attitude is vital. My favorite class was with one other forum buddy taught by a forum member. I went in a blank slate, and years later I still remember lessons from that day.


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