I stood with my hands by my sides, fingers tingling, staring straight ahead.
Gunsite Academy teaches you how to fight, not just punch holes in paper.
So much of my life, Ive had the fundamentals of marksmanship hammered into me.
Gunsite Academy is considered to be the premier shooting school by many people in the firearms industry. The author had the opportunity to take the 250 Defensive Pistol course.
It was Rangemaster Lew Gosnell who really put it into perspective for me.
The enemy of good is perfect, he said.
You just need good enough.
The instructors spend a significant amount of time one-on-one with students in training classes at Gunsite. Image: Gunsite Academy
In the first hour of Gunsites 250 course, students understand they are preparing for the worst-case scenario.
The Journey
Traditionally, the people who make the biggest promises are the worst at keeping them.
I walk into nearly everything with very high expectations, and very rarely are those met or exceeded.
Gunsite teaches a robust skill set in the 250 Defensive Pistol class. Image: Gunsite Academy
Gunsite is an exception.
They guarantee a life-changing experience, and they deliver.
CEO Ken Campbell stressed that Gunsite is not a club or membership driven.
The author participated in defensive training in a simulated building. If you have to defend your home, it will have different dynamics than what is on a typical shooting range. Image: Gunsite Academy
Surveying the room of strangers around me, I was initially skeptical of the family aspect.
Unique bonds form on the shooting range.
You learn about one another while learning about yourself, your abilities, and your gear.
Blazer Ammunition provided the author with 1,000 rounds of ammo to complete the Gunsite training course.
Everyone had a different reason for attending the class.
Some had been saving for years, meticulously planning every detail.
Others came on scholarships through the Jeff Cooper Foundation.
Each person celebrated classmates victories, and supported one another through their struggle points.
Instead of a class, it was a team pulling together.
More weight falls on the support leg with your hips and shoulders square to the threat.
For the arms, we had two choices, a Weaver or modified Isosceles stance.
Nearly everyone was most comfortable with the latter.
Where It Counts
Range drills began from the balanced fighting stance with guns holstered.
We were first introduced to this through demonstrations and dry-fire, then live-fire drills.
While accuracy is important, speed is my limiting factor.
It will take me more than just several days of practice to perfect my presentation.
This begs the question, how much time do you have in a gunfight?
The answer: The rest of your life.
There is no need to holster quickly.
In fact, its counterintuitive.
By day three, drills were in full swing.
Last but not least, Cooper defined a heavy-duty pistol as the final element of the Modern Technique.
Heavy-duty means reliable, accurate, and powerful enough to hold up in a demanding environment.
In other words, it must be able to quickly and reliably stop a fight.
Though there are dozens of handguns that fulfill these requirements, the 1911 is the most iconic.
This made theSpringfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigya natural choice a combination of proven features and double-stack capacity.
I entered the class with my 5 test model equipped with aHEX Dragonfly red dot.
CCI generously provided 1,000 rounds of Blazer 115-gr.
9mm FMJ ammunition for the course, and this is the ammunition I would recommend others bring as well.
Conclusion
Taking a course at Gunsite is more than an education, its an experience.
Much of what you get out of it is up to you.
Even with a few hiccups, I was very happy with the feel and performance of the Prodigy.
