In tossing all the different school around, and often knocking Gunsite, folks seem to forget how many of the tier one trainers got their start as instructors there in some way, shape, or form: Clint Smith, Louis Awerbuck, Gabe Suarez, Jeff Gonzalez, Pat Rogers, etc.
Firearms training is much more like MA training in one sense that no one cares to admit...I train blah blah blah, and my sensei can kick your sensei's *** blah blah blah.
There is a lot of good material out there, and a number of good trainers, some well known, some less known. Pretty much any good course that gets beyond the basic familiarization/fire 50 rounds level is going to cost between $150 and $250 a day, plus travel, plus ammo. Quality firearms training, like any other quality training, is seldom cheap. If you can find a quality instructor close to home and can at least pare down the costs for travel, food, and lodging, you are more likely to invest in the trip, plain and simple.
