This is an AAR a good friend of mine posted about the 4 day Practical Rifle course he took in 2002. Unless things have changed dramatically, I'd pass on anything Front Sight has to offer.

I recently took a four-day practical rifle course at Front Sight in
Pahrump, NV. What follows are my impressions of the course.

First, the good news: I did learn several things during the course
that I did not know before taking the course. I learned how to
properly get into and recover from the five shooting positions
(offhand, squatting, kneeling, sitting, and prone). I learned how to
properly clear Type 1, 2, and 3 malfunctions (although I have
modified what I have learned to fit my specific weapon system, the AR-
15). I also learned that my Aimpoint Comp-M is an excellent low-
light sight. I was able to see, identify, and engage my target
longer than any other shooter except the two guys with the ACOG's.
Offshoots of the above include learning that I can get shots off more
quickly and with equal practical accuracy at 200 yards from sitting
than from prone. I also learned that I'm flexible enough to get my
elbows on the *ground* in the sitting position, which makes for a
very stable shooting platform. I learned that Magpuls make it easier
to manipulate magazines, especially 20-round AR mags. I don't use
the little loop-thingy on the bottom, but the rubber around the mag
gives you a little better grip when you're ripping out the mag on a
Type 3 malfunction or when reloading. For the most part, the
instructors were friendly and knowledgeable, and we were even able to
get one of them into a running Monty Python quote-fest.

Now for the bad news: I feel that we didn't shoot enough during the
course to reinforce what is covered in the class. For example, we
would go to the 15-yard line and be told that we were going to do
head shots and that those of us with AR's would need to compensate by
aiming high, etc., etc. We would then proceed to shoot three strings
of a single shot each, after which we were told, "Now you know how to
do head shots." We did a total of 12 head shots on days 3 and 4
before being tested under time pressure for final score. The course
description also says that engaging multiple targets is included in
the course. It is, barely. We stood in front of four target stands
and were instructed to engage two targets with one round each, then
three targets, then four, and we were done with multiple targets. We
did a man vs. man shoot-off (which I won <g>) on the last day with
three pepper poppers set at 50, 75, and 100 yards. The poppers were
hard set so they wouldn't fall, and an instructor would call the hits
to determine who won. One instructor missed a lot of hits for his
shooters, actually costing two of them a chance to advance to the
next round. The tactics taught in the course were suspect, at best.
Their after action drills consist of a "quick check" during which you
keep the muzzle straight ahead at the ready while you very quickly
look 90 degrees left and right by turning your head. This is
supposedly to break your tunnel vision while scanning quickly for
threats (what's wrong with letting the muzzle go with your eyes?).
Then you do a "final check" during which you go back to your tunnel
vision by staring at your (hopefully down and out) adversary for a
full two seconds to make sure he's out of the fight. Then you
finally do a scan in the traditional sense, pivoting left and right
(360 degrees in a non-range setting) and looking for additional
threats. I have a problem with the quick check and final check. Why
not just scan normally and check the condition of your assailant
during that scan? Seems like a good plan to me. The Front Sight
method of clearing a house will get you killed. First of all, they
don't pie the whole room. They have you pie out to about 45 degrees
from the doorway, then you move very quickly through the "fatal
funnel", then resume your pieing on the other side. WTF??? When a
right-handed shooter clears a right-hand corner, they don't want you
to switch the gun to your weak hand. They want you to "just lean a
little more." All that does is put you off balance and exposes your
weak side foot and side before anything else. That's just plain
stupid. We practiced room clearing once.

I've saved the worst for last. Ignatius Piazza (or Ignoramus Pizza,
as we now like to call him) gives lectures (mandatory for first-time
students) on legal use of lethal force, criminal and civil
liabilities, etc. They are, in a word, rubbish. He uses slippery
slope situations that have little or no real world application. He
uses one example in his lecture on legal use of force during which
you have been involved in a car accident. You get out of your car to
exchange information with the other driver, and he starts yelling at
you and approaches your car. You start to back up and tell him to
stop. He doesn't. You draw your gun (anyone see a problem yet?) and
tell him to stop or you'll shoot. He takes another step and you
shoot him (see the problem now?). Ignoramus says that this is a good
shoot because the guy didn't stop when you told him to. Nevermind
that he has yet to produce a weapon or attempt to harm you and all
you have to do is walk to the other side of the car to preclude him
from being within striking distance. His lectures are full of such
examples when he says it's okay to shoot, but it's really not. A lot
of people taking his courses are new to firearms, and this kind of
advice can give people the idea that since they have a CCW, they are
invincible and infallible.

Throughout the entire course I had the feeling that I was at some
sort of cult meeting. There was this sense of reverance and awe that
people showed toward Piazza. They spoke about him as if he were some
great man. As far as I know, the only thing he's done is make plans
to build this great oasis in the desert for firearms enthusiasts. He
threw in sales pitches for his First Family memberships at every
opportunity (big turn off for me). As the course progressed, we
started seeing more and more people who tried to dress like the
instructors, black bdu's, black tactical boots, black Wilderness
belts, Blade-Tech holsters and mag pouches, grey button-down short
sleeved shirts, carabiner clipped onto the belt (ostensibly to hold
earmuffs, although I never saw anyone actually use one). Of course,
all of the above mentioned gear except the boots was available in the
pro shop.

I was under the impression that the four-day rifle course was going
to be something beyond basic. I guess that's my fault for not doing
more research. The course is priced at $1000. We paid $350 each for
course certificates. I feel like I got my $350 worth. If I had paid
$1000 for this course, I would have been p*ssed. There's just simply
not that much offered in the course. As soon as we got back to
Idaho, we were on the phone to Bill Jeans to see what it would take
to get him to Pocatello for a carbine course. His three day course
is $450 and requires a minimum of 900 rounds of rifle ammo and 100
rounds of pistol ammo (for transition training). That's less than
half the cost of the Front Sight course, with twice as many rounds
required and handgun transition included. I won't ever go to Front
Sight again and would not recommend it to anyone, especially someone
who has never had any other training.