u/WhatInDaWorldDog110

Whoa… look what I found while doing some cleaning. Dang. This brought back some memories.

Say what you will about Front Sight, Pizza-man & Ackman, the whole business model, the memberships, the marketing, and whether the curriculum was outdated or not - there were still a lot of positives there.

For many of us in SoCal, it was a quick and relatively cost-effective training trip. A nice escape from Los Angeles, either solo or with the family. They even had programs for teens and kids, which made it easier to turn it into a family trip instead of just “dad disappearing for a gun class.”

Was it Gunsite? No. Was it Thunder Ranch? No. But it was also closer, cheaper, and a lot more accessible for many people. And honestly, some of the courses were solid. There were also some excellent shooters and instructors there. For those who like to completely trash the place, I’d say go shoot the Basic Handgun test and the Advanced Handgun test cold, and clean both with a perfect score. Then we can talk. LOL.

Plus, the whole trip had its own vibe. Training for 2 or 4 days, hanging out with pro-2A staff, instructors, and classmates, then staying at that winery with the warm cottages and good food afterward. Whatever Front Sight became, there were definitely some good memories made there.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!Before heading out for BBQ and fireworks, I went ahead and took my online Technician exam - and I passed. Looking forward to enjoying the hobby, learning more, and getting into amateur radio.

During a short family road trip farther south, we took a one-hour introductory compound bow experience class.

My youngest, who is 15, turned out to be a natural. He was getting consistent hits in the yellow at 10 yards. As a father, I feel like one of the best things I can invest in for my kids is learning, experiences, and exposure to new things. So I asked him if he wanted to continue and see where it goes, and he said yes.

I’m now looking at getting him a basic-to-intermediate setup and would appreciate any recommendations from this group for good, friendly shops, as well as places/classes where he can learn, train, and practice.

Preferably around the Los Angeles/SGV area, near the 210, 60, 605, or 10 corridors.

Thanks in advance.

PS: This is not a recurve vs. compound question. We’re starting with compound.

Hell so easy and quick! I guess I was stupid for not getting it earlier and could've saved me a couple hundred $$$ a year on ammo.

Got some hotel credits to spare... Taking the wife for some nice hotel/dinner nearby. Have my Android phone, Swiss Army knife, POM spray, an OLight, and a Dango wallet.

Whoa!?! I was doing a bit of housekeeping and inventory, and look what I found - my old H&K USP Expert in .45 ACP.

Hhhmmm… I don’t think I’ve shot this thing in at least five years, probably since I decided to move to the Glock 21SF for home defense, mostly to keep consistency across my tactical, EDC, and competition setups.

Yeah, I actually forgot I had this beauty sitting around. Finding this now feels less like inventory and more like discovering buried California treasure.

Was going through my feed and stumbled onto what looks like some bad blood between Ben Stoeger and Scott Jedlinski of Modern Samurai Project. Posting this here because I know quite a few folks in this sub have actually taken Scott’s classes. Personally, I haven’t trained with him, but I was interested and had been looking for availability.

Now? Hhhmmm… definitely having second thoughts. At the very least, based purely on his YouTube videos, I never really bought into the whole “front sight proud” presentation with the dot dropping in from 12 o’clock. Maybe it works for some folks, but it never quite clicked for me.

Anyway, I’m attaching a few screenshots and links. If you enjoy a little performance-shooting drama, or you’re curious whether Scott is legit or full of crap, check them out.

https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/review-modern-samurai-project-scott-jedlinski-2-day-red-dot-fundamentals-course.293515/ https://rumble.com/v1nato5-xray-alpha-redneck-live-9272022-feat-matt-pranka-ben-stoeger-and-scott-jedl.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHbqKv5DO9I

Ugh. This is what happens when dry practice doesn’t get backed up with enough live fire.

Last night’s 100-round range session made it pretty obvious that not having live fire practice for about a month had an effect. Due to other commitments, I haven’t been able to complement the dry practice, and at speed, it showed. Definitely pulling shots and started falling apart at 20 yards.

Looks like I need a few more live fire sessions to get back to form, with my Glock 17 Gen 3 + green dot OSight X.

Ugh. This is what happens when dry practice doesn’t get backed up with enough live fire.

Last night’s 100-round range session made it pretty obvious that not having live fire practice for about a month had an effect. Due to other commitments, I haven’t been able to complement the dry practice, and at speed, it showed. Definitely pulling shots and started falling apart at 20 yards.

Looks like I need a few more live fire sessions to get back to form, with my Glock 17 Gen 3 + green dot OSight X.

Got invited out to a charity match for the Placentia Police K9 Foundation. It was a nice change of pace - good people, a drive out to Lake Mathews, and my kid donated $100 for K9s Enzo and Zero. Bonus was a chance at a mini match.

I ran my home defense/nightstand Glock 21SF Gen 3 with an old-school Trijicon RMR and SureFire X300. The frame was from my other 21SF with the Timney trigger, using good ol’ Kaliforniastan 10-rounders with Fiocchi 230gr.

Aside from the first stage, which I completely bombed - that 5th target was barely visible, I think I did okay. Definitely could have been better overall, but I’ll take 21st out of 73.

Lastly - AWESOME KUDOS to the Corona Sportsmen's Club for running this match!

My kid started taking defensive handgun classes this year, and by the third level they’ll be getting into low-light shooting. So I decided to upgrade his holster setup for his Glock 34 Gen 3 with a Holosun HS507Comp, and me adding a Streamlight TLR-1 HL as well.

I ended up going with a Dara Level 2 duty holster and also ordered their bridge adapter so we could keep using our existing QLS setup.

So far, I’m really impressed. The material feels solid, the build quality is clean, and their Level 2 retention kit seems well thought out. The bridge adapter is also a nice piece of kit - solid and exactly what I was hoping for.

After several dry draws, I think this setup will work really well for his ITTS Handgun 3 through 5 classes and beyond. Looking forward to seeing how it does on the range.

I was invited to the Placentia Police K9 Foundation charity shoot and brought my teen along to get his feet wet with competition. He’s been through a couple of defensive handgun classes with ITTS/Scott Reitz, plus some home-grown training with me, so I figured this would be a good next step.

For a first-timer, I’d say he did pretty well. He’s normally pretty shy and reserved, but it was cool seeing a little competitive spirit come out once the timer beeped.

He said he had fun, so now the real question is whether he’s going to want to keep doing this. Dang. If so, I may need to add match fees and ammo to the family budget. LOL. Proud dad moment either way.

(*) Glock 34 Gen 3 + California magazines + Holosun HS507Comp & CCI Blazer Brass 124gr

Was reading a Gun Digest book on armed self-defense while having my morning ramen on the side, and this paragraph jumped right off the page: CCW instructors likened to virgins discussing sex. Dang. That is harsh... Flame suit on!!

Top one is my backup/range gun, setup with Tru-Glo irons, a Timney with the the red spring, and a Glock dot connector. Bottom one is the bedside home-defense gun, and also one of the pistols on my LASD carry. Other than the Talon Grips Pro Granulate, AmeriGlo Tritium BUIS, and the RMR Type 2, it is basically OEM stock.

As the saying goes: one is none, two is one.