Taking my son to Massad Ayoob's Mag-40 class this year!

[Concerned Citizen]

Well, my son is 18 and graduating HS this year. I know he will eventually get his LTCH, but I told him I didn't want him to, until he had some formal training. Of course he has been shooting with me for years, so he is semi-proficient with weapons (along with being a black belt in karate). I have been planning on taking this class for some time, and finally get to fit it in. Here's the link to the course description: MAG 40 | Massad Ayoob Group. It is being held at the Sand Burr Gun Ranch in Rochester, at the end of May.

Has anybody on here taken this class? Any reviews? Any tips for us before we go?

Thanks,

Allen

 

[indygunguy]

Good for you, what a great Dad. I hear nothing but excellent things about that class, and hope to take it someday myself.

 

[cedartop]

Have you been to Sand Burr before? Some of us on the board teach there. It isn't fancy, but it is a great place to train. You can't go wrong with a Mag 40 class. Ayoob is one of the most experienced teachers out there and has a lot of fans. You guys are taking it together? That is awesome. Have a great time!

 

[Randy Harris]

I took the MAG 20 class (classroom portion of Mag 40) and my advice is to bring a cushion to sit on...2 solid days of taking notes is a lot harder than it sounds....Seriously, it is good stuff and you will learn a lot. This will be a trip to remember.

 

[Concerned Citizen]

Thanks for the tip, Randy.
No Michael, i haven't been there. I'm not looking for fancy, I'm looking for good quality training. This will be a pretty cool thing for us to do together!

 

[shawnba67]

I took MAG 40 up there 5 years ago In July, man it was hot. Dennis and his family were absolutely awesome. At least twice in the 5 days Dennis's wife would hollar at the stragglers who stayed to help clean up that we were staying for dinner. Its a wonderful time to sit around the fire pit and have dinner with Ayoob. But yes its not a fancy place was a barn full of plywood tables with no ac.
Here's the one thing I wish I had done different your going to pass Mexico Indiana stop and take a picture with the sign. Post it on FB to mess with everyone. There is also some public access to a river close to the ranch take your ploe.

 

[Maddog1]

the class sounds awesome. this is something that I would like to do myself. it is great that you get to do it with your son.

 

[BJones]

I took the the Mag 40 class last year and it is fantastic. Make sure you have plenty and paper and extra pens, because there is a ton of info and lots of notes to take. I consider this the best personal training money I have ever spent. You will not regret taking this course. Massod Ayoob knows his stuff and peresents it in a very entertaining and effective manner.

 

[shootinghoosier]

I took the course 2 summers ago, and as everyone says, it's a great course. Sand Burr is a good place to take the course too. Just don't expect any luxuries and you'll be fine. Ayoob has many segments of the course that are pre-recorded and shown on a large TV, but he'll explain why he does it at the very beginning. The videos kind of get old, but they keep things focused by offering few opportunities to get off topic...and there are many topics to cover. You will have plenty of time to talk with Massad, as well as Denny Reichard (owner of Sand Burr) and others who have an incredible wealth of knowledge about firearms/shooting. If you plan to shoot a S&W revolver, look no further than Denny for your gunsmithing needs. He's excellent.
Plan to take pages and pages and pages of notes. Some brought laptops, but most used pens and paper. This course will make you think about self-defense differently. In fact, I have talked with a couple others who have taken the course and purposely decided not to carry after taking the course. Everyone walks away from this course understanding the emotional/psychological and legal issues of self-defense shootings, but it will likely make you pause and do some self analysis.
Time on the range is sprinkled throughout the course. I do not consider the shooting part to be much more than a basic shooting course, but you will learn some of Massad's techniques and training drills that will likely improve your shooting.

You will have a great time. Kudos to you for taking your son.