Great Lakes area handgun training sites

[Fun2Shoot]

I got my CCW this year and also recieved my NRA Expert Pistol certificate. Now I want to take those skills to a training center and get practical hands-on instruction on how to best employ these gun skills for personal defense. I live up along the Great Lakes.

Training centers like Thunder Ranch in Oregon are too far away and too expensive for me. Gunsite in Arizona is a possibility because I have family in that state (lodging free ) but still the travel costs would wipe out my funds for any training.

So I am looking for any training schools in the general Lake Erie areas of Michigan, Pennsylvania or Ohio. Places that I can drive to in a day and stay in a hotel near by. I did a Google search of these areas for schools and it was slim pickin's so far.

Anybody had a good training experience in the areas in question? Thanks

 

[RnR]

You might want to keep your eyes open for an LFI class. I was able to take my LFI-1 at a location in Indiana about 10 years ago at a pretty decent range without having to make that dreaded cross-country sojourn.

Check in with Lethal Force Institute to see if they will be offering anything in the region in 2006.

 

[agtman]

How about Tactical Defense Institute?

Here's a school that offers safe and affordable firearms training. The instructors are experienced and personable people. And there's a wide range of courses offered for developing one's defensive and tactical skills with a handgun, rifle or shotgun.

Check out: www.tdiohio.com

 

[Rupestris]

This will require joining another board but...
Go to http://www.migunowners.org/ and register.
You'll need to register and log in to see all forums.
In the "Endorsed Firearm Training" forum, do a search for posts by the user deputy. If I'm not mistaken, he's a member here as well. He does handgun, rifle, shotgun and carbine training. His classes are usually in southeast Michigan/Detroit area.
He knows his stuff.

 

[FireBreather01]

In Wiskonsin - http://www.firearmstrng.com/index.html.

Their calendar is not up for 2006 yet but you can contact them directly for more information.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

. . .Training centers like Thunder Ranch in Oregon are too far away and too expensive for me. Gunsite in Arizona is a possibility because I have family in that state (lodging free ) but still the travel costs would wipe out my funds for any training.

So I am looking for any training schools in the general Lake Erie areas of Michigan, Pennsylvania or Ohio. Places that I can drive to in a day and stay in a hotel near by. I did a Google search of these areas for schools and it was slim pickin's so far.

Anybody had a good training experience in the areas in question? Thanks

I live in upstate NY, and I have the same problem.

Finances limit my training to what I can take within a reasonable driving distance of my home.

Fortunately, some of the best trainers travel around the country rather than maintain a single "school" at a fixed location.

Chuck Taylor, for instance, comes in to CT regularly and I've dones a few courses with his ASAA.

http://www.chucktaylorasaa.com/

John Farnam is one of the best trainers around, and he's usually doing a few classes in Pittsburgh every year around Memorial Day.

http://www.defense-training.com/index.html

Louis Awerbuck still teaches part time at Gunsite, and spends the rest of his time on the road. He's usually in Indiana every year. Jeff Cooper has called him a master trainer.

http://www.yfainc.com/

I've done some training with all of the above and they were all great courses.

I've read good things about James Yeager and his Tactical Response crew, and I see they're going to be doing some classes in PA next year. I'm thinking about signing up for his Force-on-Force classes.

http://www.tacticalresponse.com/

Finally, if Illinois is doable for you, take a look at Mid-West Training Group. They bring a number of fine instructors - Mas Ayoob, John Farnam, Jim Cirillo, Ken Hackathorn, and others in every year to offer courses there.

http://www.midwesttraininggroup.net/

Personally, in my never particularly humble opinion , Ayoob's LFI 1 is the FIRST class everyone who carries a gun for self-defense ought to take.

 

[B36]

I believe both Farnam and Ayoob will be doing classes at Sand Burr Gun Ranch, located in Rochester, Indiana in 2006.

Check their web sites or call SBGR at 574 223 3316 for information.