JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
65
Reactions
0
I'm looking at taking a defensive handgun class in the Puget Sound area. There are quite a few options I've found, briefly:

Dedicated Schools
Firearms Academy of Seattle
Insights

Ranges That Offer Instruction
Wade's
The Marksman
<broken link removed>
... and many more, I'm sure

Which ones would you guys recommend? Even better, has anyone been to more than one of these and care to compare/contrast?

thanks
 
Last Edited:
My vote is one of the top two! Hands Down. Nothing against the lower list but I can tell you from my expereince you'll be really glad you went to one or both of the first two choices. It is generally better to go with a dedicated school for a number of reasons. Mainly, this is what these folks do for a living so like any trade/craft they are constantly improving and getting better. This isn't some 'once in a while' hobby. If they are not at the top of their game - then they go out of business. These dedicated schools don't have ammo or gun sales to fall back onto...all they have is their teaching services. Both Insights and FAS have been in the biz for a long time and have earned their stripes! Go to them!

I've personally trained at Insights serveral times and although I haven't trained with Marty and Gila I know them and know of their services since their students train at OFA and OFA students go there. I know from their student's what they do and don't do.
 
I saw mention of FAS on the OFA site, tried to link there from OFA, and got nowhere. Anyone got a weblink for either of the two top ones in the starting post? I've been seriously interested in some serious training, find it rather difficult to get down to OFA's venue (I drove by it last Saturday for the first, and likely last, time in my life......) Seattle and Puget's sound area would be far preferable. Besides, I'm very likely to interest other friends/families I know in this area to join up for some training together.....
 
I have taken many many classes down at FAS and definitely can recommend them. Marty and Gila run a great, friendly and professional place. Their prices are not astronomical like some dedicated training locations, they are not that far from civilization and the quality of the training is great. I have only take pistol classes at FAS (all the way up through their handgun masters class), but hope to take some shotgun and rifle ones here soon.

Anyhow, I would definitely consider them. Insights is on my list of places to go to, just short on cash at the moment for training.
 
Thanks, synchro. I appreciate the input. Last night I googled FAS and toured their site, it is pretty impressive, and a LOT closer to OFA. I live about fifty miles away from their place in Napavine area, if its where I think it is.

One thing... a call for further info..... I also googled insights, tried the singular, and could not find them. Far too many other places using that name. First few pages had nothing to do with firearms. Maybe I'll try the combo, insights, firearms. Anyone with their URL would be helpful.

One amazing thing Ive noticed.. both FAS and OFA are booked WAY OUT... most common classes are well into June and July before there are any openings. And I can see that, on both schedules, many new class sessions have been added this year for the first time. In other words, there is an unprecedented demand for professional level training in firearms now... I'd wager at long odds it parallels precisely the mad increase in sales of new firearms and ammunition since, oh, about the first week if November....... amusing.
 
Actually OFA has been this busy since 9/11...we've seen a slight up-surge but it is about the same as the previous years. Historically our schedule is full three to five months generally. Part of it is we're getting more people flying in from out of State or driving from out of state (Canada, Montana, California, NV, NJ, NY, WA, ID, etc). We starting to get more International students as well. Yet those in the Pac NW still view us as just a "bunch of locals."

Those in the Pacific NW are really fortunate if you can drive in one day - we had one guy whining about "having to" get up at 3 am to drive down from WA and also "having to" spend a night in a hotel for a two day class while ironically in the same class with three guys from Georgia who flew in the day before to PDX, rented a car, drove down and are staying in the same hotel. This after they shipped all their ammo and some other gear to the Academy. They told the guy from WA he should count his blessings he only had to get up at 3 am!
 
Alright gang, went to Insights AR-15 maintenance class last night. Just me, 4 other guys and Greg the owner of Insights.

So for 75 bucks I got to shoot the **** with a guy whose done damn near everything with a gun AND learn the ins/outs/myths/truths about the AR-15. It was a blast! Greg clearly knows his stuff and he's an exceptionally nice guy and patient teacher as well, real laid back.


Some random things I remember learning and thoughts-

- Militec works. "Bake it on" in an oven and it'll make any gun run much smoother. Greg had a Secret Service friend of his who put it on his Sig, and it actually reduced friction so much that his trigger pull went too soft for gvmt. specs!

- your AR should be DRENCHED with Break Free(or whatever you use) for the first 1000 rounds. While the gun is being broken in during those first 1000 rounds the purpose of that extra lube is to carry away all the finish that's being worn off of contact areas.

- a flashlight should be your first accessory, and one that strobes is optimal. The effect it has on the bad guy is worth the second or so of visual information you lose during the dark portion of the strobe.

- Black Hills is building another factory and is looking to increase ammo production 3 times over. Magpul is also investing in new equipment to increase production dramatically

- It was pretty funny, Greg is friends with the CEO of Magpul- but then bagged on most of Magpul's products! Well, he didn't really "bag" on them- he just said he's not willing to be the guinea pig for something that hasn't been used in combat for decades. He did say however he doesn't like there anti-tilt followers at all

- Chrome bolt carriers look cool and they clean easier, but if you militec the bolt carrier your gun came with you'll get the same "easy to clean" effect.

- The AR-15 is probably the most analyzed gun in the world, it's been looked at time and time again since it appeared in the mid 1960's. There's a reason it STILL hasn't been replaced by something like a SCAR/XCR/etc. Even through all the SOPMOD's the gvmt. couldn't find a whole lot to improve on from the original design. It's still light, easy to make, simple to operate, very accurate, battle-tested, etc.

- .223 is a fine caliber for killing a man, plenty powerful.

- Dual magazine connectors aren't really that hot, at least not the traditional ones that connect one magazine to another. First you have to remember every time you release the mag not to drop it, or both will fall. Second, the extra weight from that loaded mag pulls down on the mag in the well and thus can mis-align it enough to interfere with the guns operation. Third, when getting into prone position you can bump the 2nd mag out of position. He had a metal holder that went around the mag well(didn't get the brand name, sorry) thus holding the second mag with the receiver and the bottom of it was slightly higher than the mag seated in the well.



That's about all I can remember right now.
 
Thanks for the report Contento

After looking into the class schedules for FAS and Insights, I think I'm going to take a class at Insights, mainly because it's available sooner

The weeklong handgun at FAS later this summer looks appealing though.. Or I may even head to OFA for a string of classes, to, you know, make better use of the travel time. Of course, who am I to complain .. I'm only 2 hours away from FAS :s0114:
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top