Groundhog’s Day, SHOT, and More . . .  SHOT Show is behind us.  No SHOT Show crud for the Gunsite Crew attending (Buz, Ken, Shari C., Lindy, and Shari L. and multiple instructors).  It is all the clean living, hand sanitizer, never touching the escalator handrails, bourbon, and cigars. SHOT was well attended judging by the challenges of navigating the aisles.  We saw many, many Gunsite Family.  Thank you so much for coming up to us and commenting about Gunsite.  It is a wonderful time when Family comes to see us. As always, many striker fired pistols, black rifles, and flashlights.  … [Read more...]

Christmas 2024 Like so many of the Gunsite Family, it is hard to believe we are near the conclusion of another year. Weren’t we just preparing for the coming of the new Millennium? We finish the last 250 Pistol Class of 2024 this week alongside the final 223 Carbine Class. Pistol Range Day is Saturday December 7 (Not too late to enroll!) followed by a few private classes, the last AZ CCW Class of the year, a media event and the Gunsite Chapter of Armed Women of America monthly meeting. What a year it has been with additional work on the facility itself with more to come and another … [Read more...]

Friday, November 1, 2024 “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times ...” Trying to be polite and discuss election day . . . The decisions are upon us on November 5. Once again, so much rides on who leads the Republic from the White House and who sits in the Senate and House of Representatives. Please note I did not say they were our leaders. Rather, remember that we put them in office, and they are our employees. Make sure you have studied all the issues locally, state-wide, and nationally. Make sure you are making an educated decision based upon the facts and your … [Read more...]

MONDAY POST GAS! GAS 2024 is in the books!  What a wonderful weekend, starting Friday evening in the Gunsite Campground for the Annual Steak Dinner.  (Side bar: The steak dinner began 24 years ago when the late Gunsite Rangemaster Mike Hughes and I instructed the inaugural “Knuckleheads” Class.  At the conclusion, about 12-15 of us decided to throw some steaks on the grill Friday night in the campground and 24 years later we served near 300 steaks as a fund raiser for the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation.)  A highlight of the dinner was the recognition of Buz and Sonja Mills and their … [Read more...]

Labor Day Gunsite staff labors on this traditional holiday, marking the end of summer. We do so as it allows the students to attend taking one less vacation day.  The staff enjoy their Labor Day as a holiday of their choice (Well, not during GAS week!), many taking it during one of the hunting seasons.  We welcomed about 70 students on campus today for 250 Pistol, 223 Carbine and Tactical Concealed Carry Pistol. Fall and Spring are our strongest months as the weather in the high desert is beautiful with cool mornings and warm days with impossibly blue skies and marshmallow clouds.  (Along … [Read more...]

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER! It is upon us, but we hope the majority of the heat has passed as we celebrate the Summer Monsoons. Coming from the Midwest, I’m still not acclimated to the pop-up thunderstorms as opposed to the large storm front moving through. The storms in the Southwest are far different than those of the Midwest. When I saw all the horizontal and dry lightning in the old Western movies, I thought it was special effects.  Not so. The lightning is spectacular, yet dangerous for the threat of starting wildfires. Business at Gunsite continues to be like the wildfires.  We appear … [Read more...]

INDEPENDENCE DAY!   “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” — Peter Marshall   Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. Celebrating our Republic’s Independence many years ago. Like Memorial Day, I also like to reflect on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, so we are free to celebrate . . . “Find a moment, just a simple moment, to close your eyes and think of the men and women who protect the freedoms you enjoy. It’s a privilege, not a right.”- Matthew Lillard Gunsite is quiet the week of … [Read more...]

Spring is Near Gone and Summer is Upon Us! I recall my parents talking as I was growing up about how fast time goes and how it goes faster as we get a few more years under our belt. That certainly describes the last few months at the Gunsite Ranch. Night shoots are getting later and later as we near the Summer Solstice. We plan carefully as we do not shoot beyond 10:00 PM to be respectful neighbors. (Nor shoot prior to 7:00 AM.)  As a neighbor of Gunsite, my wife Shari and I love “the sound of Liberty” on the various ranges. When the wind is right, we can even hear some of the range … [Read more...]

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All Fools Day has passed and as a result, I’ll pass on the political jokes that come to mind.  So much news on the March Madness, Final Four, and the April 8th Total Eclipse! So much time was spent at home and in workplaces in preparation of “The Big Dance”, Office Pools, Potluck Dinners, and more.  And same for the eclipse, the thousands and thousands of tax dollars spent by communities in preparation for crowds to see the eclipse. How much time have you spent in preparation for a critical event in your life? How much monies have your local units of government allocated to your public … [Read more...]

Beware the Ides of March!  At Gunsite, we don’t follow that old story. Instead, we are ramping up what may very well be another record student year. While the weather may fool us a few times, it often is 30’s in the morning and 60’s in the afternoon with impossibly blue skies and marshmallow clouds. There is much to celebrate in March. For those of you that change your clocks on March 10, at Gunsite, we celebrate that we do not! Of course, all are Irish on March 17 for St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of Spring on March 19. The Monday following Palm Sunday on March 24th is National … [Read more...]

Ground Hog Day and SHOT Show Review and More! The Gunsite crew is back safe, sound and no SHOT Show crud. We were worn out upon returning to the Gunsite Ranch, but healthy. Over 55,000 industry professionals attended with a record number of exhibitors. (2,600 companies displaying products and services,821,000 net square feet.)  I know my Fit-Bit said I walked a little over 43 miles. (Bourbon is really a pharmaceutical) It was grand seeing so many Gunsite Family members, many wearing the Gunsite shirts, hats, and pins. And if you did not have a pin on, you probably did before you got out … [Read more...]

Ring in the New Year! "Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney As the world changes, so does what we do and what we offer at Gunsite... The Modern Technique as developed by Jeff Cooper over 48 years ago continues to be the basis of our teaching but evolved as needed. Despite what those who have never attended Gunsite comment on social media, we teach much more than just 1911 pistols and the Weaver stance. We were blessed to close the … [Read more...]

It seems we just had the Gunsite Alumni Shoot (GAS Match) about two weeks ago and now we are through Thanksgiving and on the home stretch to Christmas. We hope your Thanksgiving celebrations were grand, full of family and friendships and good food. Construction Update - Earthwork to the west increasing the student parking and preparation for another classroom between the new bathrooms and the road to the Ranges. (Harm’s Way) The mandatory neighborhood meeting prior to a Zoning Meeting with a request to update Gunsite zoning was last Saturday. Neighbors did not remonstrate, had good … [Read more...]

Whew . . . Seems like we were preparing for the GAS Match just a week ago and now we are well into November. Fall in the high desert is a wonderful time of year.  Cool, crisp mornings with warm afternoons and the sound of liberty ringing on the Gunsite ranges. We are nearing your last opportunity to enroll in the Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Round-Up on November 18-20, 2023. (https://www.gunsite.com/classes/pat-rogers-memorial-revolver-round-up/) This is three (3) full days of symposium-style training opportunities with Gunsite Rangemasters and many other outstanding instructors. It can … [Read more...]

Wow . . .  Mid-October. Where did the first two weeks go? Well, we hosted about 90 guests from the Arizona Sheriff’s Association here to start things off for what we hope to be an annual event. Thanks to our friends with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for all their excellent planning and work.  It was a fun time for me to visit with so many Sheriffs. GAS MMXXLL – What can I say?  After a tremendous effort by the great Gunsite Staff in planning and wonderful work by the Gunsite Instructors supplemented by the help of many volunteers, GAS was outstanding.  We had more participants … [Read more...]

Gunsite celebrated Labor Day as we do annually – Hosting classes!  Our staff takes the holiday on another day of their choice (OK, many of them during Hunting Season) and our students don’t take an extra vacation day to visit Gunsite. GAS Match planning is hot and heavy with the support of our industry partners such as True Shot, HAWG Holsters, Mossberg, Colt, and many more. Meals have been “tested” by staff and approved . . .We have 281 registered as of today and we must stop at 300.  If you haven’t registered, better get on it! Believe it or not, we are already planning for the 50th … [Read more...]

The Dog Days of Summer! Whew . . . It’s been a hot July.  But the Gunsite Family stood strong despite the record temperatures.  I don’t know how much Gatorade we went through, but it had to be a record. During all this, the staff also moved into the new Gunsite Executive Offices.  The AC in the old office was failing and the last two weeks in there, the temperature was in excess of 90 degrees.  But, just as the students in the heat, the staff stood strong! When you drive through the gate, you will see the old Gatehouse is gone (It was re-purposed by the demolition company) and the … [Read more...]

Independence Day has come and gone.  We hope the family celebrated long and loud as the Republic celebrated year 247.  (Just think – Gunsite’s 50th and America’s 250th will be celebrated in 2026!) Life at Gunsite is fast apace.   Really, much faster than that.  The construction is a long-time dream here and very exciting.  The new Instructor Bunkhouse is open.  The old bunkhouse is scheduled for demolition beginning July 17.  The new Pro Shop and Office may be occupied by mid-August followed by the new bathroom and shower. We will have a new first at Gunsite Saturday July 15 from … [Read more...]

Another month has flown by here at Gunsite.   The busier we are, the faster the weeks go by.  We continue to have record months of student attendance.  We cannot get the new facilities completed quick enough. The new larger bathroom and shower passed another inspection this week and the roof should go on in the next few days.  The bunkhouse is getting fine-tuned and should receive certificate of occupancy yet this month and then the first big move happens.  Once we occupy the new Office and new Pro Shop, there is some talk of the Great Gunsite Garage Sale.  (Well, OK, parking lot sale.)  … [Read more...]

New Year 2023  Didn’t we just prepare for the millennium, awaiting the failure of all our computer systems and the near end of the world?  Shari and I recall spending New Year’s Eve 2000 with great friends in celebration.  It is hard to believe we are a near quarter century into the 21st Century. Gunsite is excited for 2023.  Our new Instructor Bunkhouse is under roof, the new Pro Shop and Office buildings have stem walls poured, and the new bigger bathroom is beginning to get approved.   So much going on, but as the commercial says: “But wait, there’s more!” Please watch our social … [Read more...]

April showers bring May flowers … We didn’t really get the April showers this year and the fire danger is high in our area. We offer our prayers for the several hundred wildland firefighters battling blazes in the Flagstaff area and just south of Prescott.  (As well as other areas of the country.)  If you are in our area, and especially at Gunsite, please be safe with smoking (only in your car), loose chains that might cause sparks, and fires/BBQ in the campground. We just celebrated a long-time champion of our way of life during a special class at Gunsite.  Wiley Clapp has served the … [Read more...]

“The willingness of some to give their lives so that others might live,” President Ronald Reagan said, “never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery. . . . let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation.” General Patton offered: “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” Gunsite offers our somber thanks and utmost respect to those who served and offered the supreme sacrifice so that we may continue to live in the greatest … [Read more...]