Aegis Academy

Just recently completed the Advanced Concealed Carry course — had a great time and learned a lot! Really enjoyed the night session part of the class, since there aren’t many places that you can shoot at night and especially while going through possibly «real-​life» tactical situations for self-​defense. I definitely recommend Aegis Academy to anyone looking to learn or advance their knowledge and skills with firearms.

Have known about Aegis for a couple years, but, even though one of my friends is an instructor, I had not been involved in any of the training until this weekend, when Aegis hosted a shooting event for a local Carlsbad establishment, Señor Grubby’s.
Everyone had a great time and learned a lot in the process, no matter their level of competence prior to the event. I have shot rifles and shotguns most of my life and didn’t anticipate I would learn much that would really apply to my casual enjoyment of those types of firearms, but I was wrong. A simple suggestion on improving my stance was an eye-​opener, in terms of how something so basic could have such a positive effect.
Thank you Chris, Josh and Eric for a fun and educational day on the range and I look forward to seeing everyone out there again!

My recent course at Aegis was literally one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done for myself. Though, while I may have had a lot of fun, I’d like my review to reflect a more serious tone. Especially given the things going on in this country at this time.
I’m a 32 year old mother of 2 little ones. I had never handled a firearm before taking a course at Aegis Academy. Everything changed for me after the birth of my first son and I felt a strong urge to protect him no matter what. My husband bought a couple of firearms to keep in the house, but he was a novice shooter himself and I was very apprehensive about touching them without having proper training first.
I found Aegis and decided to take the familiarization course. Josh was my instructor. I was so impressed with Josh’s professionalism and patience. The course was so organized and well thought out from start to finish. I felt comfortable to ask any question I had and Josh always gave a very thorough response. I got to try shooting a wide variety of handguns, rifles, and shotguns. I loved every minute of it! I left feeling confident when the course was over that if I ever have to face an intruder that I will at the very least feel comfortable operating a firearm. I feel empowered to protect myself and my family in a defensive situation.
All of the guys here are extensively trained and are the best of the best! Rest assured you’ll be in excellent hands. I plan on taking all of the courses that Aegis offers!

What a great experience! We went for a team building for work and everyone left extremely comfortable with the guns and we learned so much about safety. Thanks for a great day and I’m sure we’ll be back for some more training!

Initially I had different firearms training facilities vetted by a friend who is retired military. Without hesitation he selected AEGIS as they employed a guy that my friend had known for over 30 years. Both are ex SEALS, so with his direction I began with AEGIS. I am not new to firearms, but I quickly found out that I didn’t know near what i thought i did. Under their instruction my depth of understanding ballistics and firearms has grown tremendously. Added to that my operation skill set is far beyond what i thought I could attain in such a short period of time. Once you really think about who you are being trained by, this is a rare opportunity. This isnt a bunch of retired mall cops teaching you, these are special operations guys with enormous amounts of real time behind a firearm. I almost still cant believe that the public has such an opportunity at their finger tips. I;m taking every course at every given chance, you ought to too!

My wife and I took the weapons familiarization course, our instructors were Chris & Jason. We lucked out and had a small class. The course was well designed and addressed most of my questions before I asked them. Once on the range, we felt very comfortable with the safety of the setting. Safety was taught, reminded, reviewed and the cornerstone of the class (IMHO). The fun part was the shooting. They helped me overcome a vision issue to have me hitting the target every time. I’ve never fired a shotgun before and they took the «scare» out of it. The highlight came with my last shot of a 12 gauge slug, wow!
Both instructors took care to meet the needs of each shooter and their comfort level, allowing some to opt out as requested.
I would highly recommend this course to anyone who hasn’t shot before or hasn’t shot in a while. Great refresher and great instruction.

What an experience!!! I had no idea I could shoot a Glock, learn what a Carbine was, let alone shoot one, and LOVE the entire process. Last week I was lucky enough to attend a Firearms Familiarization course at Aegis Academy. We started in a classroom environment learning the history of several different firearms then proceeded to the range, 1 short mile away, and put into practice what we learned. I have never been to a gun range, or even shopped around looking for «just the right» one, but I guarantee this is the place. I was checking this «exhilarating experience» out for my clients. Small corporate groups, CEO retreats, board of director escapes, this is what’s NEW and DIFFERENT outside of the board room. I’m recommending it to everyone. — Lee Ann, National Sales Director, San Diego Tourism Authority

I have now taken three courses from Aegis, Firearm Familiarization, Shotgun 1 and Carbine 1. The constant attention to safety is one of the things that has impressed me the most. Jimmy (Shotgun and Carbine) did a great job of molding the course to teach us what we didn’t know and improve what we already did. The depth of real world experience really shows through in the training. I would highly recommend these folks if you actually want to learn safe and effective firearms handling and techniques.

I’m not saying that our instructor hit a target in the «head» at 200 yards with a carbine he never fired before… but I’m not prepared to say he didn’t.
This place is the real deal. I went from apprehensive to comfortable in a few short hours. I highly recommend the Firearms Familiarization course for everyone, whether or not you are planning to have a firearm in your home.
I’m pretty sure the petite, 72 year old woman in my class (that had never held a gun in her life) would say the same.
I will be going back for Pistol One, and Shot Gun One.

After 2 weeks of researching firearm safety training facilities I decided to move forward with Aegis Academy in Pala after reading multiple reviews from other women. I am a mommy of 2 kids. With that said, I feel a responsibility to my family to have the necessary tools in my home should anyone try and harm or enter forcefully. In addition, safety of having a firearm with small children is a must!
Nervously I went to my 1^st day of training at Aegis. I was kind of expecting a bunch of intimidating retired military men with no personality. It’s funny how completely wrong I was! When I first arrived I was happy to see that there were several other women in the class-​relief #1 for me. We started the day with introductions of each other and the instructors. It was cool hearing the different reasons why people were there. The instructors immediately became real people to me by telling us who they were and where they came from. I enjoyed hearing stories throughout my training of experiences they had during their service. They were all professional, witty and made me feel like this place was more of a family business, which won me over.
After two days of training from 9 – 5, I went from feeling completely clueless to operating and shooting a pistol, to wanting to get my own and not only having it just to protect my family, but also making it a hobby! I had originally planned just the one day, but after that I signed up to be a member and also added on the second day! I look forward to taking Pistol 3 & 4 in the next month or so and continuing on from there!

I just finished up the first day of Tactical Shotgun training last weekend, and like the three days of pistol that I’ve completed thus far, was fantastic. I learned a lot that not only gives me a solid baseline knowledge, but will help me improve in the future. Both the instructors (Jimmy and Chris) were top notch. Experienced, knowledgeable, and perhaps most importantly down to earth genuinely nice guys that walk the talk, but not with a huge chip on their shoulders. I’m looking forward to Tactical Shotgun 2 next weekend!

Ok… After shopping gun ranges and instructors for 6 months, I was pleased to
read their ratings… and boy am I glad I did my homework!
Today, I had my shotgun 1 training with Jimmy. 6 stars I I could give them.
They know their stuff, learn your goals and over-​deliver!
I learned history, safety and proper firing– even under certain scenarios. I even leaned how to clean my gun. Although he was the expert, I was extremely comfortable in asking questions.
Trust the 5 star ratings. I will be back!
Hint– Go before you buy! I might have bought a different gun. But– I know what I will get next.
Thanks, Jimmy!
–Aaron

If I could give more than 5-​stars, I would so without hesitation. As everyone before me has said, Aegis Academy is top-​notch, amazing in everything they do, true professionals, dedicated to providing an exceptional experience, and truly passionate about what they do. As Jimmy said through the course, «just one more». That’s what I would give it for stars, just one more! (However he was actually talking about front sight focus… I’m talking about ratings!)
I recently completed the 3-​day course, Basic Pistol, which was held Sept. 24^th — 26^th. As a more seasoned shooter, this was my first, formal shooting instruction. I am a self-​taught shooter. I wanted to test myself and find out how bad/​good of a shooter I was and to also learn how to better train. In my class there were only 4 of us total. We had a gentleman who had only fired 100 rounds in his entire life but who wanted to have a better understanding, familiarity, and confidence before he made his first firearm purchase. We had another gentleman who had owned and shot before, but who like myself, wanted to further his skills. And our final attendee was actually Jimmy’s nephew; here as a college graduation present! Needless to say he was confident with a firearm but still truly appreciated the guidance and the direction. He, unfortunately for him, was the butt of many jokes throughout the 3-​days; however he was a good sport and it allowed for a comfortable, comical, and light environment.
I cannot say enough about Jimmy & Chris; our instructors for the course. These guys are 110% class-​acts. They where patient when needed, they pushed us ever so much to better ourselves, but kept the class as I said light and energetic. The messages they conveyed were real. Every evolution we went through was not only explained to us in terms of technical skills but also in terms of real life applications. They also would walk us through the evolution, shoot the evolution to allow us to see how it was done, then coached us through our progression. If we need extra time, we took it. If we felt we got it, we moved on. The speed of progression through the course was right on! It flowed very well between the classroom material and the range portion. All the time throughout they were asking for any comments, questions, concerns in an effort to better the course for others. At times, we even «rewrote» the curriculum so that each evolution had a natural progression; i.e. working on tactical/​emergency reloads prior to working on pivots/​turns. You are going to encounter a reloading opportunity while working through pivots/​turns so why not master that skill and build upon it.
I am truly looking forward to taking the Intermediate Course next year and looking forward to the continued education provided through emails and tips of the week that get emailed to all Aegis Academy «alumni». They want to ensure you continuing training properly; not just pat you on the shoulder, say «job well done» and push you through the door. I am now part of a community. If/​when I need assistance, they will be there for me! Plus, I can also piggy back with them on range days to have further instruction from any of their premier instructors.
Thank you all so very much! It was truly an amazing experience and I cannot wait for the next one! Keep up the exceptional work!

Kathy and I just went through the Basic Familiarization class of pistols, carbines and shotguns. What a great time we had. The instructors were all extremely knowledgable with years of experience and communicated extremely well. It was a small group setting with personal hands on training. They all took a very personal interest in our comfort, safety and training. I would recommend them to anyone just starting out with guns to advanced levels of training.

I had never shot a gun in my life, but feel like it’s something I should know how to do. Do I just go to a range and ask for help? Do I just go with someone that I know has gone at some point? I figured I might as well do this right and signed up for Aegis’ firearm familiarization course.
Oh wow, it was perfect. First, let me say that these guys are the most professional, friendly and safe guys I could have ever imagined. There was more than a century of military and DoD experience among the instructors there that day, and they were all very helpful the whole afternoon. I was able to fire a number of weapons ranging from shotguns to pistols to carbines and they were there the whole time to answer questions and ensure safety. There was no politics involved, just facts and information tailored, for this class, to home protection.
If I were to ever buy a gun, I would definitely do their three day basic pistol course first. Given how good I thought their famiiarization class was, I bet their full multi-​day courses are even better. If you’re already an experienced shooter, I guarantee you’ll learn a LOT from these guys from any of their courses.

I completed the 3 Day basic handgun course and it was the most fulfilling training I have ever received. I am new to guns and I wanted an immersive experience that would build my confidence in handling guns. I was grateful to have found Aegis in my backyard. I live in San Diego and was surprised to find a complete offering of instruction in Pala.
The instructors: Pat, Harold and Jimmy were so pro but also extremely approachable. The instructors took the time to watch and assess our capabilities. Their experience in and enjoyment for teaching shines through in each interaction.
The actual training material was outstanding, both in class and on range. The information helped me strengthen my understanding of guns and ownership. The progressive build up of drills helped me to understand not just how to shoot, but how to become an accurate and precise shot. Additionally, the training and support doesn’t stop in the the 3 days. Their commitment to building the student’s skills is apparent in the info they provide after the course and their availability online via in person and online meetups. I look forward to building my skills and coming back for the other training sessions offered by these folks.
It is rare to find professional, compassionate, realistic, practical, approachable, studious, respectful, humble and character building training in any field. I am ever so thankful that in my first gun training experience I received a high level of all of the above from Aegis, Pat, Harold and Jimmy.

If I could give Aegis 1000 stars, I would.
A little background on me-​I am an absolute novice shooter. I’ve handled guns once before and it was 15 years ago. I don’t aspire to own a gun, but I think it’s incredibly important to be able to handle one.
The thing about Aegis that impressed me the most is how intelligent the course is. Everything is well thought out, very informative and above all, safe. This is not the school that will send you on your way as a certified gun handler via a one day, 2 hour class. The standards are high here, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Pat, Jimmy, Steve, Steve and Howard were absolutely wonderful instructors. They all have extensive experience, are incredibly friendly, and very patient. VERY PATIENT. They did an amazing job at making everyone feel comfortable. Any question you have at all, they had an answer or would find it for you.
If you are looking for a course on any kind of gun, Aegis is the place to go. Professional, experienced and thorough education is what you will get here.

I first found Aegis Academy when searching for handgun instruction courses in the San Diego Area. The website is very informative and I was very impressed with the instructors’ backgrounds. When I called in, I spoke with Pat. I explained to him that I am an experienced shooter, have taken several courses at competing schools, and even entered a few recent competitions.
I asked if I could skip the beginners course and go straight into the intermediate. Pat recommended I start in the beginners course for several reasons, but mainly because you can never work on the fundamentals enough to really become proficient. He was absolutely correct. Jumping into the intermediate course would have been a huge mistake, I would have only cheated myself of a ton of classroom knowledge, not learned the tricks Chris taught me to tighten my groups, and been totally lost running the Aegis Drills at the higher level.
The course was for three consecutive days, which for me is ideal. We always started with classroom instruction and then went to the range to apply what we learned, practice trigger pull and sights over, over, and over, and debrief. This course easily taught me more than all the other courses I have taken combined. Both Pat and Chris are extremely knowledgeable and very articulate in communicating their knowledge. Not all great shooters are able to explain what makes them great.
I will be a a permanent student of theirs, so to speak. Next is Handgun Intermediate, and eventually the Advanced and Carbine courses. Aegis has an amazing Members Only section where Alumni can post drill targets, participate in online coaching events, etc. We are truly lucky to have such a great Academy in SoCal.

These instructors are extremely well trained, over a century over experienced combined. They range from Recon Marines to Navy Seals. They are very friendly and patient! Good for beginners and advanced shooters. The fundamental course in very informative and helpful for those who are beginning and those who are curious in what gun to buy. I would recommend this academy to everyone!

I have meet Pat and Chris of Aegis Academy and they were super helpful in getting all aspects of my shooting and firearms ability above what I could have ever done on my own. They have a huge depth of experience and the personality and teaching skills to help you be a great student in the learning process.
If you are just curious about guns and want to get familiar and be safe or if you are serious and have been at it for years they have something for you!
As with almost anything, the best upgrade dollars you can spend is on yourself. Aegis Academy offers that for you! I totally recommend them with total confidence.