Gunsite Turns 50

Gunsite Academy, arguably the premier firearms training facility and staff in the country—and likely the world—turns 50 this year.

The last time I visited Gunsite, owner Buz Mills reminded me that when Gunsite turns 50 it’s not entering its twilight years—it’s reaching the halfway point toward its centennial.

While many firearms training companies have come and gone over the past five decades, Gunsite has remained the gold standard, having defined the parameters and techniques of modern firearms training and defensive pistol use.

As Michael Bane puts it, “Gunsite is the Great Mother Church of what I think of as the firearms/self-defense renaissance in the United States. Today even small communities have firearms instructors available and concealed carry is common and thoroughly accepted, but that was hardly the case even 20 years ago, much less when Gunsite was founded.”

“Gunsite was a central element in that change. It provided a consistent and coherent training methodology and a corps of brilliant instructors who eventually went out on their own and, basically, spread the word. Through the gun media and the rise of the Internet and social media, Gunsite became—and remains—the standard against which all others are judged.”

Rich Grassi, editor of our sister publication The Tactical Wire and retired law enforcement officer, explained the impact Gunsite has had on law enforcement training.

“Gunsite moved training in law enforcement forward from the old ‘hip-shooting’ revolver days. Members of service, like Larry Mudgett (LAPD), took the lessons learned at Gunsite back to their agencies and incorporated them into agency training. Lots of the Gunsite influence is still there today, in agencies like Los Angeles PD, Bakersfield (CA) PD, and more.”

Beyond training, Gunsite has been a vital member of the industry, routinely partnering with companies that needed a facility for product evaluation and testing, hosting events, and training personnel.

“In my time at Smith & Wesson and Mossberg, Gunsite was integral for us and for the industry. Many, many companies use Gunsite for media events, product launches, and training of various types,” said Tom Taylor, now Chief Marketing Officer for CZ-USA.

“Gunsite’s impact goes well beyond what you expect,” says Dave Biggers, long-time industry insider and multi-time Gunsite alum. “Today, household names like Ken Hackathorn, Clint Smith and Robbie Barrkman, were all once Range Masters in the early days of Gunsite. Jeff Cooper is like the Nick Saban of firearms training with a ‘coaching tree’ that runs deep and wide in our industry.”

During the last 50 years—and especially over the last few—Gunsite has experienced incredible growth, building a loyal, and some might say devout, customer base along the way.

In fact, one does not simply take a single Gunsite class and call it good.

No, Gunsite alumni like Bane and many others return to the Paulden, Arizona campus on a regular basis to take—or retake—classes. And like any good school, Gunsite hosts an annual reunion: the Gunsite Alumni Shoot, or GAS.

This year’s GAS event will take place October 3, 2026, and not surprisingly, it’s expected to be packed. Organizers are anticipating roughly 400 shooters along with about 100 staff and volunteers.

Registration for GAS – 50th Anniversary – MMXXVI is now open, and those interested in attending the reunion are highly encouraged to sign up sooner rather than later. The same applies to securing lodging.

To Bane, Gunsite represents much more than a training facility.

“To me, Gunsite today represents three things. The first is as a repository of what we have learned about fighting with firearms. The second is that Gunsite is an active laboratory about what works, using the most impressive collection of instructors ever assembled under one roof, so to speak. And while technique and doctrine should—and do—change, competence remains a constant.”

“The third point is more nebulous…to me, Gunsite is home, Baseline Zero. The instructors at Gunsite, starting with Col. Jeff Cooper, didn’t just train me, but shaped my understanding of the world we live in and how we relate to that world. There are tons of variations among instructors about how to teach self-defense with firearms, but Gunsite is Baseline Zero.”

It’s not just the homecoming feel of the GAS event that will have Gunsite aficionados’ attention.

To further celebrate its 50th anniversary, Gunsite will be rolling out several commemorative firearms with the help of industry partners.

Working with Steyr, Gunsite will offer a 50th Anniversary Steyr Scout featuring the butter-knife bolt handle, Jeff Cooper logo, Gunsite’s 50th logo, and Cooper’s signature laser-engraved beneath the bipod.

Aero Precision teamed up with Gunsite for a 50th Anniversary fighting carbine outfitted with an Aimpoint Duty RDS, sling, and SureFire light.

Of course, Gunsite’s resident gunsmith, Dave Fink, is producing a 50th Anniversary Gunsite Service Pistol—a high-end single-stack 1911 that will no doubt become highly collectible. Though one assumes Col. Cooper would frown upon such a service pistol living out its life as a “safe queen.”

These firearms will be on display at SHOT Show during Gunsite’s press conference on Wednesday, January 21. The exact time and fourth-floor room number are still to be determined. If you’re attending SHOT, you may want to pencil this one into your schedule, because in addition to the firearms listed above, Gunsite will also unveil a limited-edition fighting pistol featuring the Aimpoint COA. The make and model remain under wraps until the press conference.

Throughout 2026, those taking a Gunsite class will receive a 50th Anniversary Certificate featuring the commemorative logo. Given how many students return year after year, it’s safe to say plenty will want to add a 50th Anniversary certificate to their collection.

One class in particular has already filled.

“In May, we do a Jeff Cooper Class in celebration of his birthday,” said Gunsite CEO Ken Campbell. “It is for pistols and equipment that Jeff Cooper would use.”

“Well, we will tolerate 9mm 1911 platforms,” Campbell joked.

“Some of our ‘seasoned staff’ will be teaching,” he added. “And there are still a few of us that trained with Jeff that he hired. The first class has filled and we have opened a concurrent second class.”

If you want to jump into the Jeff Cooper Anniversary ‘1911’ 250 Pistol Class, you’d better act fast—before you’re shut out.

For many, the 250 class is the essential Gunsite class. Maybe their marquee class. It certainly is for Michael Bane.

“The Gunsite 250 Pistol Class is the single most important class an armed person can take, because it carries the core teachings of running a gun under pressure—teachings that have held up in the real world again and again. If I may quote the great Bob Marley:”

If you know your history
Then you would know where you’re coming from…

There are a few anniversaries that will be celebrated in 2026, but Gunsite’s stands out as the celebration of a milestone of excellence. The only anniversary that could overshadow it is one not measured by half a century, but by centuries—five to be exact—and that’s Beretta’s 500 years…its first 500.

– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network