While I’ve shot drop turners, clamshell targets, swingers, bobbers, and all sorts of reactive targets, I’ve never done so one on one with just one target as the threat without shooting an activator steel target first, knowing the moving target was my next shot. On the final day of class, we got to shoot the MGM Drop Turner targets that are pressurized and activated to turn your target toward you with a click of a button. We had three instructors who each brought a different perspective to instructing, which was helpful on an individual level to know what each one of us needed to progress. Gunsite Academy instructors are the best in the world, and they did a great job of breaking down why each step in the drawing process is important and forcing us to intentionally make each shot count as if our life depended on it. I had to work on separating my competition and carry worlds to really work on gun manipulations and take time to make one hit count if that was the only shot I had at neutralizing my target. The biggest differences for me between competition training and self-defense were clearing my gun of concealment garments, practicing tactical reloads, and making my headshots count vs. If you’re going to take a group class, especially one that works on drawing from concealment, you should religiously respect the basic firearm safety rules, have practiced drawing from a holster, and be comfortable around gunfire. I was just fortunate that I’ve dedicated my life to shooting, practicing drawing from a holster, and have been around massive amounts of gunfire for years where that extra noise doesn’t affect me anymore. I don’t take my life for granted and what I get to do for a living. For many women in this class, it was their first time carrying a gun with a round in the chamber, their first time trying to draw with cover garments on, or shooting for several days in a row on a live fire range with more than a dozen others around them. I’m so grateful for the competitive shooting background that gave me a leg up in this class to really feel comfortable having a firearm on my body in different holsters and set up in different positions. What I Learned at Gunsite Academy Self-Defense Training is Different From Competition Training I want to personally thank Stacy at CrossBreed Holsters for the opportunity to represent CB at the event and all of the sponsors who donated to make this great event happen. I carry a gun every single day of my life, and while I have trained and practiced with it, I have never taken a dedicated self-defense class just for concealed carry. I was extremely lucky to be invited to attend the first annual Ruger Rendezvous put on by Girls with Guns Clothing, hosted at Gunsite Academy. The list of classes they offer is endless and includes basic pistol classes, youth pistol, advanced carbine night, battle rifle class, precision rifle, shotgun advanced tactical problems, tactical medicine, active shooter, foreign weapons training, edged weapons training, and so much more. Today, they train elite military personnel, law enforcement officers, and free citizens of the US. Gunsite is the oldest private firearms training academy and was founded by Lt. The history of Gunsite alone had me speechless when I arrived at the range in Arizona. Gunsite Academy is legendary in our world of firearms.
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