Re: Firearms Academy of Seattle - final review.
Mon Jun 10, 2019 9:56 pm
Great updated write-up, and I would have been equally prickly about the same issues you raised.
Some may not care, but to me, comfort and enjoyment matter, and from the cheesy $5, to ambivalent instructors, I'd rather spend that cash taking the wife to a B & B, and hitting a local range for a couple of hours, followed by a nice dinner.
I'll reiterate from my earlier post, that they've been at this long enough to make this a better experience, and to not do so, is a choice.
Some may not care, but to me, comfort and enjoyment matter, and from the cheesy $5, to ambivalent instructors, I'd rather spend that cash taking the wife to a B & B, and hitting a local range for a couple of hours, followed by a nice dinner.
I'll reiterate from my earlier post, that they've been at this long enough to make this a better experience, and to not do so, is a choice.
Re: Firearms Academy of Seattle - final review.
Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:30 pm
Wpw! That’s a huge change from when I attended classes there. At that time, most of the instructors WERE retired military/LEOs. They had maybe 1 or 2 who weren’t. For the police interaction training, they even had off-duty officers in uniform perform the “stops” and question you. At that time, the classroom building was rustic, but it was “under construction” and every time I went there were some improvements.
I’m really sorry to hear all of this.
I’m really sorry to hear all of this.
Re: Firearms Academy of Seattle - final review.
Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:49 pm
Sounds like unless Mas is in town, might as well drive the extra few hours and take a class with Steve at Cerberus instead.
Re: Firearms Academy of Seattle - final review.
Sat Aug 27, 2022 4:10 pm
https://firearmsacademy.com/instructors
Looks like it was bought by their operations manager BELLE T. MCCORMACK.
As far as having military experience or being a special operator, I think it is relevant but often times being an outsider and having the ability to translate the material and teach it in an effective manner takes precedence. As far as my military experience, I've seen many bumbling idiots that can't shoot straight or don't care about marksmanship or safety. A person who carries and shoots the most probably has the most relevant experience, but many people lie and some just don't care. So being military or LEO may not matter IMO.
Bill Burris, was a LEO lead trainer for Pierce County, and even had his own school he ran on a shoestring budget, but there were issues that forced him to close his school. Great place too, but he had to spend thousands for range improvements on the Upper Nisqually range to support his training.
There was a lawyer guy who taught at FAS in the past who made some great points that I learned (e.g. you shoot to STOP not shoot to KILL like I was taught in the Army) who I thought was worthwhile and there was British guy with military experience who taught handgun that I thought was qualified. FRANK P. DEYOUNG was in the same MAG 40 by Masaad Ayoob class I was in, he seems ok.
FAS is a low budget operation compared to others like Front Site (started by a chiropractor who wanted a superior firearms school), Gunsight, Thunder Ranch, etc. But you're going to pay for a better range and facilities.
If you asked Marty, you could even camp out there if you wished.
https://firearmsacademy.com/accomodations
I think they just wanted the brass cleared so people weren't stepping all over it. Probably wasn't the best way to do it.
Looks like it was bought by their operations manager BELLE T. MCCORMACK.
As far as having military experience or being a special operator, I think it is relevant but often times being an outsider and having the ability to translate the material and teach it in an effective manner takes precedence. As far as my military experience, I've seen many bumbling idiots that can't shoot straight or don't care about marksmanship or safety. A person who carries and shoots the most probably has the most relevant experience, but many people lie and some just don't care. So being military or LEO may not matter IMO.
Bill Burris, was a LEO lead trainer for Pierce County, and even had his own school he ran on a shoestring budget, but there were issues that forced him to close his school. Great place too, but he had to spend thousands for range improvements on the Upper Nisqually range to support his training.
There was a lawyer guy who taught at FAS in the past who made some great points that I learned (e.g. you shoot to STOP not shoot to KILL like I was taught in the Army) who I thought was worthwhile and there was British guy with military experience who taught handgun that I thought was qualified. FRANK P. DEYOUNG was in the same MAG 40 by Masaad Ayoob class I was in, he seems ok.
FAS is a low budget operation compared to others like Front Site (started by a chiropractor who wanted a superior firearms school), Gunsight, Thunder Ranch, etc. But you're going to pay for a better range and facilities.
If you asked Marty, you could even camp out there if you wished.
https://firearmsacademy.com/accomodations
I think they just wanted the brass cleared so people weren't stepping all over it. Probably wasn't the best way to do it.
Re: Firearms Academy of Seattle - final review.
Thu Dec 08, 2022 9:10 pm
I have taken three classes at FAS in the last year, two with guest instructors and one with the FAS staff. There is a new owner, Belle McCormack. The facilities are basic but quite adequate. I was allowed to camp on site for no charge. This was a great cost saver and made early morning starts much more pleasant. If you require a flush toilet, you should go to an indoor range.
The ranges are safe with a lot of steel and some long shots. The class rooms are basic, but have climate control with a refrigerator and microwave.
They have a wide range of classes with a wide range of instructors. They are solid professionals and have a progression of training. The basic classes are basic. There is a vast group of people who take several classes a year at FAS and love it. Every class I took had numerous repeat students.
I highly recommend them.
The ranges are safe with a lot of steel and some long shots. The class rooms are basic, but have climate control with a refrigerator and microwave.
They have a wide range of classes with a wide range of instructors. They are solid professionals and have a progression of training. The basic classes are basic. There is a vast group of people who take several classes a year at FAS and love it. Every class I took had numerous repeat students.
I highly recommend them.