OK Guys...here's the straight skinny.
Just back from a 4 day Defensive Handgun Course at Front Sight. I attended with 4 other guys with varying degrees of experience and one guy had zero experience. It was actually easier for the guy with no experience as he had no bad habits to unlearn or teachings from other disciplines to forget and go exactly as the instruction demands at Front Sight.
In a nutshell, it was intense to say the least. The training was outstanding. All of us walked away with a renewed sense of confidence and abilities.
The days were grueling in the extreme heat of the desert. We started at 8 AM and finished at 6 PM all but the first day. On the first day we began at 7 AM. Lunch breaks were the only escape into air conditioning but even then, we were in a lecture. The first two days of the course are continuous repetition of learning to present the gun to the ready and on target, on the Front Sight. There were dry practice drills and live fire drills. Shooters are broken into teams of two, swapping positions as shooter/coach. Always Line coaches and Range Officers around for personalized assistance and instruction. No drill sergeant mentally. All instructors were friendly, encouraging and eager to teach/help.
The second two days were a combination of everything learned in the first two days but with scenarios built into the shooting. We learned how to clear a house, rescuing one's family from the clutches of armed bad guys.
Back on the range, we shot against each other and against the clock. Amazing at the end of four days how speed and accuracy came together. Safety was always paramount. Our class of 42 did not have one ND. During shooting skills training one learned how to clear Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 malfunctions while still racing the clock.
My recommendation, should you decide to attend is make sure you have BDU pants or Cargo pants during the range training. You will need to fill those pockets with lots of loose ammo. Bring not less than 5 magazines for your gun. You gun should be full size no matter what make and model you choose to train with. For example, if you train with a Glock, use a full size model such as the Glock 17. If you choose the 1911 like I did, use the government full size model. It is best to have a SAO gun as a DA/SA with deter from your speed and most likely your accuracy during the first round out of the chamber. And the last recommendation I could make is to have a "duty" holster instead of a concealment holster. In other words, a holster that will move your gun away from your body instead of keeping tight to your body. You will spend a lot of time presenting the gun from the holster in a 5 step method and a gun close to your body is going to teach you where every sharp edge of your gun resides and it will eat the skin off your thumb and web between the thumb and forefinger. And for those magazines, have some where the springs are at least slightly broken in as there is no time for reloading aids. Magazines should be worn in a holder(s) that will contain 4 loaded magazines while another resides in your pocket.
In summation, great course, great instruction. Tough environment in the desert heat so one must stay hydrated by drinking lots of water that is supplied at each range. You will enjoy the course if you are anywhere near serious about improving or learning shooting skills. Please feel free to ask any and all questions. I will do my best to answer each and every one of them.