Iron Sight Defense Academy - London, Kentucky

Peter Varvais

I don't always write reviews, but this school deserves a special mention. I spend a few thousand dollars a year, on average, taking firearms training courses. It's imperative to me that I be competent with a firearm for my safety and for the safety of others.

That said, most firearm classes are thematically similar regardless of instructors. A defensive rifle class teaches the same drills, the same safety instruction, and basically the same tactics. What you get is a different instructors feelings or experiences that shape the major differences.

This is not so with Iron Sight Defense.

3 days, 200 rounds of ammo for my M4, not all of which I shot. We rucked our gear to our camp and rucked it back out again each day. We learned to evade, defend and survive, which is 100% of what I hoped for but didn't expect to actually get.

Nov 2016 I took a course called "Tactical Survival". It was a tactical rifle class. It was a survival class. It was a defensive class. But it was so much more, laid out with a very military feel, while being far less harsh on the students than real military training would be. We learned patrol tactics, we learned setting up for recon in groups. We did live fire drills with teams staggered in different shooting positions, with people moving from position to position. From leading a combat patrol, to setting up a camp perimeter, crossing hazard zones, we did it all. Couple that with time invested in understanding strategy and tactics from trainers who have done this stuff in real life for many years, while constantly under their watchful eyes to ensure safety for the group, this was a phenomenal experience and filled so many holes in my advancing skill set.

The instructors were warm and personable, but serious and skilled. Safety was a #1 concern, and not once did I feel that was overlooked. It was one of the most efficiently run courses I've experienced, and the knowledge I gained from three hard days of work is mind-blowing. It was so impactful that it will be a recurring yearly training for me, and I will continue to take more courses as they are offered. This team is flat out wonderful if you want to advance beyond the shooting range and into serious shooter stuff.

The class partnered with Nature Reliance School for the survival portion, and when we weren't doing team drills or live fire, we were learning how to evade detection, how to create secure camps and set up security patrols. We were taught fire making, concealment, water purification, the setting of traps for small game and rope knot tying. I can't believe how much instruction got packed in to the 2 1/2 days of training.

Best group of guys ever. I can't say enough about either school, or Rodney or Craig, the lead instructors. What I CAN say though is that I will be back for more training, as often as I can be, for as long as I have the ability to. This was the highlight of my year thus far. A+ all around.

Craig Caudill

I cannot say enough good things about training with Iron Sight Defense. This past weekend I took CQB for the second time. I have also taken Fighting Rifle, Team Rifle Tactics, Carbine 1, Carbine 2, Fighting Pistol and Tactical Survival. Every class I have taken has been educational, incredibly safe, and challenging (in a good way). The instructors know how to run a class so that you are serious when you need to be serious and have fun when you can. The class and round counts are such that it is incredibly affordable compared to other schools with much less the quality of instruction.

HAMMER HEAD

Just finished Carbine 1 class with Iron Sight Defense and let me tell you, their training is top notch. I have been to numerous training classes over the years and this was some of the best instruction that I have ever received. During this particular Carbine Class, there were students that had never handled an AR-15 rifle and by the end, they were hitting steel silhouettes out at 300 yards. The instructors were very knowledgeable and were more concerned about teaching than flexing their egos. The environment was very pleasant and non-intimidating. If you are looking to further your firearms training, you definitely need to check these guys out.

Andrew Flowers

On April 23rd, 2016, I had the privilege of training with Rodney Van Zant and his incredible crew of instructors at Iron Sight Defense. The class I took was Carbine Rifle I, and I can say without a doubt I will be back to train at ISD in the future.
During this course, I was slightly nervous starting off the morning. I’ve never taken a firearms training course before, rarely shot anything other than bench shooting, and have zero experience with anything I would consider tactical. Also, being a high school senior in a group of grown men, many of whom were police officers, added some to the intimidation of it all. This feeling quickly wore off as the class began on that beautiful Saturday morning. Not only were the instructors extremely helpful, welcoming, and funny, but the entire atmosphere was encouraging. If you made a mistake, they helped you learn from it to become better.
The class began by splitting into two groups, one group working through rifle mechanics and manipulation, the other group (my group) worked on rifle zeroing. How hard/important could a proper rifle zero be? Rodney instructed the class as how (due to the arch of a bullet flight caused by gravity) a rifle zeroed at 50yards would also be zeroed at 200yards. Since a real world target is rarely at the distance you sight your rifle for, having the knowledge of how your bullet travels and drops and being able to accommodate for that is priceless. After zeroing our rifles, we shot at various ranges from 100-270yards. At ISD, learning comes through instruction and experience. Through instruction, I was able to hit a man sized target at 270 yards, but found out through experience that the chest rig I was using made laying on top of your magazines in the prone position uncomfortable.
The gear I brought to the class was a condor molle chest rig with a triple magazine pouch and IFAK. This was in use with a century arms RAS47 that had a vortex sparc II red dot sight. After getting used to wearing a chest rig and shooting a tactical rifle, this gear worked great for me for the day.
After various range work, we moved on to rifle manipulation and malfunction clearing. This was completely brand new to me, but the instructors helped me understand and accomplish the drills in a way that was comprehensive. Everything from stovepipes, mechanical offset, magazine changing under stress, and secondary weapon transition was covered in this portion of class.
The last part of the class was by far the most fun. Everything we had spent time learning that day was put together into one drill, where students runned-and-gunned from station to station on a steel target, real world range. Starting off the day, I had only fired the guns I had brought to class one other time. After honing my skills with about 400 rounds, being able to shoot steel targets from different positions at different stages with both my carbine and pistol in a safe, fun training environment was an incredible experience. I can’t say enough good things about the instructors and other students that made this day such a great learning experience. If you are wanting to learn to use your first rifle or pistol, or a veteran shooter looking for new tools for your toolbox, train with ISD. I look forward to training with them in the future.

Zachary Bakker

I recently attended the Tactical Survival class offered jointly by Iron Sight Defense and Nature Reliance School. This 3 day class blended instruction in team tactics and team survival. After a thorough safety briefing instruction started immediately with the class moving out in patrol formation, receiving instruction along the way to our camp. Once at camp we learned lessons in setting up camp and establishing a perimeter for protection. Throughout the next two days we continued learning more about team tactics for movement and engagement, including live fire drills. We also receiving instruction in survival basics, including hydration, fire making, sleep setup, and camouflage. The instruction was outstanding ! All instructors were extremely knowledgeable and engaged, but were very open to any and all questions. They cultivated a true learning atmosphere and encouraged the class to share their own experiences and insights.
Over all, it was a great learning experience. I will add that if you are just looking for an opportunity to run 'n gun, this is probably not the right class for you. However, if you are looking to expand your learning beyond a static flat range to how work with a team combined with the basics of survival, I highly recommend this class. You may have trouble signing up though, because as soon as I know when it is being offered next, you can bet that I'll be signed up!

brent mershon

the IDS Basic handgun class is a must for anyone who purchases a handgun. If a shooter has a limited budget; buy a simple handgun, buy 200-300 rounds of ammunition and spend the rest of your gun budget on attending the IDS basic handgun course. It's one of the best investments a shooter can make.

The course is taught at the IDS private range easily accessed outside Mt. Vernon. Instructors are extremely competent shooters with the ability to impart their knowledge to students through demonstrations, classroom exhibits and discussions and, more importantly, they are able to diagnose students' problems on the range. The class is taught with a 'leave nobody behind' attitude that works with the least skilled student in the class, but also offers challenges for more advanced students.
All of this is accomplished in an environment where safety is the first consideration. In my day's experience: Rule One for IDS is safety.

The course is presented in blocks of instruction with good - but not excessive breaks - and instructors were happy to help with gear discussions, equipment choices, etc, one-on-one during the breaks.

From novice shooter to veteran CCW gun owner or law enforcement officer, even the basic class provides plenty of learning opportunities. The class may be called a 'basic' course - students come away with a lot more than basic knowledge.

James Ball “Opey”

I spent Saturday (4.23.2016) taking the I.S.D. Carbine 1 Class. This was my first training class. It was a full 10 hour class with a 45 min lunch and a few breaks throughout the day. The I.S.D. range was one of the nicest ranges I have been to and is ideal for training. During this class we used a medium range with great platforms for shooting from the prone and an excellent gravel flat range. We also used a very interactive variable range for our moving and shooting drills. All of the ranges were well built offering 180 degrees shooting.

The lead instructor, Rodney Van Zant, was very knowledgeable. He was always giving some type of tip or instruction even in our down time. I felt like he never wasted a moment, he was always trying to improve my skill. I never felt rushed or hurried to complete a drill. All of the I.S.D. instructors were extremely helpful and did a great job of taking my mistake and making them teachable moments. I was very pleased with the entire atmosphere of the instructors. They were very safety minded and patient. I never felt any negative pressure.

Throughout the day I used a chest ring, AR-15 with 6 PMAGS. I shot about 450 rounds. For the pistol portion I used a Glock 17 with 3 Mags and used 100 rounds. All of my gear worked great all day.

My group started prone position shooting and how to properly get into the prone and keep your rifle stable. Rodney did a great job of going over bullet trajectory and hold overs while we were zeroing our rifles. It was stressed that you need the knowledge of how your bullet travels and drops: “Know your preferred weapon mechanically, ballistically, and operationally.” With Rodney’s teaching he had the whole group making 270 yard shoots with red dots and some AKs with Iron sight easy. As my group moved to the flat range with Jason he went over a lot of material quickly but not in a hurry. We did not move on until the whole group had a good understanding of the drill and had completed it. Jason did a great job of going over muzzle awareness, trigger and safety discipline. We moved on to some basic rifle fundamentals, manipulation, and all aspects reloading. Secondary weapon transition was covered with great detail on keeping your primary rifle muzzle awareness while moving safely to your secondary weapon. We went over the full range of shooting positions from all kneeling (Knee Pads saved the day here), prone and squatting positions. We also did some moving and shooting drills while on the flat range. Mechanical offset was something that was stressed all day. One of my biggest takeaways was reloading in an emergency or tactical need.

The last hour of the class we took everything we covered throughout the day and put it into a great shooting and moving drill with a teammate. We moved from station to station putting shots on steel targets at different distances while reloading and using commands to move as a team. It was a great drill to top off an amazing first training experience for me. I could not recommend Iron Sight Defense enough. I enjoyed the whole experience from the teaching with Rodney Van Zant and his incredible crew of instructors, to the very welcoming ego free environment, to the relaxed and student centered atmosphere. I learned an incredible amount about my mindset, tactics, skills, and gear and I feel more confident in manipulating my rifle. I will for sure be back to Iron Sight Defense and look forward to training with them again.

Mike Klyczek

I just completed the Carbine 1 class at Iron Sight Defense. First of all, the facility is unbelievable. They have both a long range and a flat range that were used in the course. The setting was very relaxed and there was not any negative pressure invoked. All of the instructors were great at teaching the content and played close attention to detail to make everyone better shooters. Everyone was there to better themselves and it was great to be around like minded people. I learned an incredible amount about what I need to practice on my own time. By the end of the day, I was able to hit targets out to nearly 300 yards. I feel completely confident in manipulating my rifle and handgun if I ever had to defend myself or my family (I hope I never have to). If you are even thinking about making the trip to ISD for a course, DO IT! I will definitely be back to take more courses in the future!