Gunsite Training Center

Gunsite is a privately-run firearms training facility based in in Yavapai County, Arizona, just north of Paulden. It offers tuition-funded instruction in pistol, carbine, rifle and shotgun shooting, as well as other specialty firearms. Located on a convert|2000|acre|km2|sing=on facility, Gunsite has classroom, indoor and outdoor firing simulators, and various pistol and long-barrel ranges. There's also an on-site pro shop and gunsmithy.

History of the center

The American Pistol Institute (1976-1992)

Gunsite was founded by Jeff Cooper as the "American Pistol Institute" ("A.P.I.") in 1976 in order to teach the Modern Technique. The Modern Technique of the Pistol is a method of use of the pistol for self-defense. The Modern Technique uses a two-handed grip of the pistol, which brings the pistol to eye-level, so that the sights may be used to aim the pistol at one's assailant. Prior to the founding of API, Jeff Cooper had traveled the world providing training in the Modern Technique to security teams such as those protecting heads of state, prominent politicians and wealthy individuals. The facilities at Gunsite allowed Jeff Cooper to teach the Modern Technique to a much wider audience. At that time the firearms training school industry did not exist.

Gunsite Training Center (1992-1999)

Jeff Cooper developed similar doctrines in the use of the rifle and shotgun and these courses were also taught at Gunsite. These included the basic rifle course as well as courses designed for those hunting dangerous game, Jeff Cooper being a keen hunter himself.

After the introduction of the rifle and shotgun courses, the name "American Pistol Institute" was changed to "Gunsite Training Center" to reflect the broadening of the training spectrum.

During this time Jeff Cooper and this staff trained many shooters. Many prominent shooters and self-defense practitioners visited Gunsite to receive training or to involve themselves in the development of doctrine and train others.Notable among these were

* Michael Harries, who invented the "Harries Technique" of flashlight manipulation for use with a pistol, as well as becoming an instructor at Gunsite.
* King Abdullah of Jordan, who himself was trained at Gunsite, along with members of his staff, while Crown Prince.
* Dennis Tueller, inventor of the Tueller Drill, became an instructor at Gunsite.
* John Satterwhite, the team captain of the Olympic skeet shooting squad and holder of several world records for shotgun shooting as well as being an instructor in survival shooting while serving in the military, worked on the doctrine of the use of the shotgun and became an instructor at Gunsite.

In 1992 Jeff Cooper sold the American Pistol Institute. Under the new owner the instruction shifted away from Modern Technique as taught by Jeff Cooper, both in content and quality and the school was not well regarded. [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff11_8.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 11, No. 8 July 2003 paragraph 14] [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff7_11.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol 7 No 11 October 1999 paragraph 19] [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff2_5.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 2, No. 85 May 1994 paragraph 21] [cite web |url=http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/target_081005/ |title=Spaulding, Dave 2006. "Fast Target Access At Gunsite". Handguns Magazine: Paragraph 10] [cite web |url=http://www.frfrogspad.com/cooper.htm |title=Jeff Cooper, paragraph 5] Jeff Cooper dissociated himself from the school. During this time Jeff Cooper held classes occasionally at the National Rifle Association Whittington Center in New Mexico and other locations. [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff2_5.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol 2 No5 May 1994 paragraph 6]

To distinguish between the two schools, graduates of the American Pistol Institute as it was owned by Jeff Cooper refer to this institution as "Orange Gunsite" and to the subsequent operation as "Grey Gunsite". This because when the school was sold, the color scheme was changed from the original color of orange to grey. [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff2_5.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 2 No. 85 May 1994 paragraph 21]

Gunsite Academy (1999-present)

On December 10th, 1999, the school was sold to a new owner, Colonel Buzz Mills, himself a graduate of Orange Gunsite, whereupon it was renamed "Gunsite Academy". [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff7_11.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 7 No. 11 October 1999 paragraph 5] The instruction at the school returned to that of the Modern Technique as taught by Jeff Cooper [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff11_11.html |title=Mason, Ed (September 2000). "The New Gunsite". S.W.A.T. Magazine] . Jeff Cooper once more associated himself with the school and took part in the instruction of the classes until his retirement from instruction at the end of 2003. Furthermore, a number of instructors who had been instructors under Jeff Cooper at Orange Gunsite returned to instruct at the school.

In addition to the Modern Technique being taught at Gunsite Academy, a number of former staff of Orange Gunsite offered instruction in the Modern Technique from other facilities, namely:

* Louis Awerbuck, former chief rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* John Bowman, former instructor, Orange Gunsite
* Randy Cain, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Eric Ching
* Jack Furr, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Erick Gelhaus
* Ken Hackathorn, former instructor, Orange Gunsite
* Dave Harris, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Ed Head, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Bill Jeans, former head of operations, Orange Gunsite
* Jerry McCown, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Greg Morrison, former instructor and operations manager, Orange Gunsite (and co-author of "The Modern Technique of the Pistol")
* Robert Reed, former adjunct instructor, Orange Gunsite
* Clint Smith, former operations manager, Orange Gunsite
* Ed Stock, former rangemaster, Orange Gunsite
* Giles Stock, former adjunct instructor, Orange Gunsite
* Chuck Taylor, former instructor and operations manager, Orange Gunsite
* Cory Trapp, former instructor, Orange Gunsite
* Dennis Tueller, former instructor, Orange Gunsite, and inventor of the Tueller Drill

The Shooting Masters

Jeff Cooper stated that there were a number of individuals who had achieved such proficiency in the Modern Technique and in the use of rifle and shotgun that they be termed "Shooting Masters". [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff11_11.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 11 No. 11 September 2003 paragraph 2] He listed them as: [cite web |url=http://www.dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff13_6.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 13 No. 6 June 2005 paragraph 10]

* John Gannaway
* Louis Awerbuck
* John Pepper
* Pat Rogers, former Marine and NYPD
* Clint Smith, a former Marine with two tours of Vietnam and LEO (head of firearms training, SWAT team member).
* Giles Stock, former LEO and LEO firearms instructor to SWAT teams.
* Ed Stock
* Larry Mudgett
* Tom Russell
* Marc Heim
* Michel Röthlisberger

Of these Shooting Masters, the following continued to offer instruction in the Modern Technique:

* Louis Awerbuck
* Larry Mudgett
* Michel Röthlisberger
* Pat Rogers
* Tom Russell
* Clint Smith
* Ed Stock
* Giles Stock

See also

*Combat pistol shooting
*Firing range
*Gun politics
*Modern Technique of the Pistol
*National Rifle Association
*Shooting ranges in the United States
*Shooting sports

External links

* [http://www.gunsite.com Gunsite Academy website]
* [http://www.molonlabe.net Website and email list for Gunsite Alumni www.molonlabe.net] ::The email list was originally for graduates of Orange Gunsite and the Gunsite Academy but will now admit graduates of Grey Gunsite and a limited number of other categories of alumni. [cite web |url=http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff11_8.html |title=Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Vol. 11, No. 8 July 2003 paragraph 14]

Footnotes