Amazing owners, staff, and curriculum. I gave it a try to be 'gun safe.' Now it's my new favorite…read morehobby. Keep up the great work Artemis team!

Artemis Defense Institute in Lake Forest offers a wide array of self defense training including CCW…read moreinitial and renewal courses and virtual strategic defense skills in their modern high tech and well run facility. Their website goes into detail relative to courses and they also offer memberships with ongoing training opportunities inclusive of live fire range skills and shooting. I took my initial CCW 16 hour two day course with Artemis Defense Institute and it was comprehensive, rewarding and even fun. Steven and Sandy Lieberman have this coursework mastered. Steven led the class and has vast knowledge in concealed carry and constitutional law. It was refreshing listening to the legal parameters as it relates to 1st, 2nd and 14th amendment issues and recent changes affecting concealed carry and future insights and possibilities. The class is enlightening and held in a comfortable and well designed conference classroom. Steven outlines the doctrine of necessity, Cooper's colors, the importance of mastering at skill at arms and the preservation of human life as core essentials. Professionalism at arms and the preservation of existence was a true focal point during the coursework. I so enjoyed Steven's style of teaching with real world scenarios, application and of course humor. This class is a must for anyone looking at a first time CCW, renewal or refresher, it's fantastic. Steven covers all aspects of SB2 (AB1078), philosophical doctrine, constitutional law, threat cycle, strategic and tactical environment characteristics and so much more. Sarah who manages the front end, provides training, handles all documentation inclusive of applications for additional CCW states such at AZ and UT and so much more. Sarah is phenomenal and another key player and pleasure to have in your corner. The team at Artemis is highly skilled, knowledgable, professional, helpful and caring. Kavon was our live fire qualification instructor and what an amazing professional and quality individual. Kavon is skilled in all aspects of firearms safety and operation and is another key staff member to compliment this amazing defense institute. Sandy was not present during our training due to a family emergency but Steven provided a summary of her background and skill traits as co-owner of the facility and her skills are quite impressive as well. I also purchased Steven's book which is available on Amazon titled Sword and Quill co-authored by Steve Tarani another self defense professional. I highly recommend this coursework through Artemis Defense Institute as this was rewarding and I plan to take additional training throughout the year when my wife and I are not traveling. 5 stars plus

Staff: The team here is nice. I did the online course to…read moreallow shooting of rifles the night before. It was $20 and took about 30 mins. When I checked in they asked for my proof of completion which I provided and was given a lane with my buddy. I passed my qualifier and spent about one hour shooting. Quality: This spot is huge with about 16 lanes along with another area that is I believe for law enforcement use only. They have tons of rentals, related stuff, and used firearms. Everything is very organized, clean, and they have great communication. The bathrooms are spotless too. Overall: Come here several times over the years and will definitely come back again. Value: My brother has a membership so it was only $5.00 for me to join him on a lane. The cost comes from ammo. We brought our own so it was less expensive.

My last time I stepped into this facility was decades ago pre-remodel. I walked in and turned…read morearound and walked out. I never felt as unsafe as I did in a shooting range. Fast forward to today, 12 August 2026. I was invited to a "class" ultimately I was handed a loaded firearm to shot. Regardless of it being a "controlled environment" nonetheless I was handed a loaded firearm. Once again I did not feel safe in this facility. It seems that safety gets tossed out the window. Sad real sad.

Had a great experience with Reza and his shop. My buddy was looking for a gun and I went with…read more Very easy and 1:1 service. 10 out of 10 experience. I use to do sells and he doesn't try to hard sell you on anything. My buddy hasn't been around guns much and doesn't know basic gun safety. Reza didn't trip on him or give him a big ego trip. I've been to a lot of gun stores in the past and they aren't very welcoming. I love the fact that we took our time. Was able to take the test without interruption.

Ray is an amazing trainer. One thing to know about him is he genuinely cares about people, his…read morestudents and the quality of the content he provides. I would highly recommend and trust him for training, supplies and equipment.

Hands down the best gun shop I have been to. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The guys…read moreat the shop were able to help me get one of my dream rifles at an unbeatable price. Although the drive for myself is more than an hour away, I would gladly come back time and time again, not just for the prices but because the staff is so great and do an outstanding job at making you feel welcome, which in itself makes it all worth it. Most shops nowadays aren't very friendly, but this place is the real deal!

Employees and owner are the pawn stars of guns. They wont even give you simple advice if they feel…read more"its being given for free" I came by wanting to see if there were any damages on my firearm only to hear "im not gunna say outright if its damaged or fine" only to go to bolsa gunsmithing to find out nothing was wrong meaning they 100% wouldve taken my gun , did probably nothing to it then turn around and say they fixed this and that and charge me for it. Plus not to mention my firearm just sitting in the shop for weeks. Yeah if your asking for a simple repair or cleaning they are not gunna take your order seriously since its "not important " to them so expect your firearm to sit in the shop for at least a couple weeks for a 30 minute job or possibly become lost if they end up not caring enough If you have the money ,time and dont care and dont live driving far then maybe this would be an ok shop for you Don't necessarily think they are shady or a scam they just aren't a customer friendly shop. They would make a perfect walking dead universe gun shop though

Greg is an amazing instructor. You learn so much in a short period of time and he's always willing…read moreto help. Seriously the best place to do your CCW training as the class if fun and not dry like in others. Bonus: The course is reasonably priced! I've recommended this location to family and friend and they all ask stated it was worth the money. One of my friends previously took another firearms course and his comparison was that Greg surpassed all expectations. I look forward to doing my renewal qualifications here again.

Greg Jurek was a great instructor. He was concise, elaborated as needed, and kept my classmates as…read morewell as myself engaged in the process. I really appreciate that after every Deadly Force scenario he went into detail on what we could have done better and what we did effectively. This was a great training aid on situations you may encounter as a CCW holder. I look forward to training with Greg again.

Cerakote. Well if you don't know what that is, you probably may not have a whole lot of interest in…read morethis review. If you do, however, read onnnnn...... So the new thing with firearms is custom finishing. Of course you have steel, stainless, aluminum, all sorts of plastic composites, etc., etc., which means that you're pretty hard pressed to find some way to color all of the firearm components equally and consistently. Enter the amazing Cerakote process. This is an ultra thin but also ultra durable ceramic based finish that is baked on, similar to powder coating. I've had a number of items refinished with this process, and I have to say that it is quite amazing. I certainly won't go for some of the crazy colors that they have available (i.e. pink, purple, Tiffany Blue, etc.), but rest assured that pretty much any color under the sun can be had for your little pets. The Cerakote process isn't limited to firearms either. It's just as well suited for any hardware that sees extreme weather or usage, and finishes well on metals and many plastics and composites. Applications are limited only by your imagination! Bring your parts already disassembled, or have Richard do it for you for a small fee, it's up to you. Of course you have OC Armory next door too, so you have the best of both worlds here! Purchase some eclectic hardware and have it customized, all in one stop! Oh yeah, 2A is also an 07 FFL so they can do any transfers or registrations that you may need as well, including out of state or custom stuff. Hours are by appointment only, enter from the entrance in the back!

I met Richard at a booth at the last couple of Costa Mesa Gunshows. Talked to him and seem like a…read moregood guy. The examples he brought to the show were beautiful. So this last time I brought a Rock Island .45 Tactical I had.....the previous owner had coated it (duracoat?) and it just looked ...........not right. Like it was on too thick or something......so I had Richard do it like a Sig Sauer Scorpion. Desert tan and black accents. It turned out GREAT. Looks beautiful.....and the work appears to be perfect. Turn was quick....it was only a little over a week....faster than he quoted. I'll look forward to bringing some more stuff in for him. Thanks Richard!

Dealing with the person who answers the phone was an absolute nightmare. The level of…read moreunprofessionalism and incompetence was astonishing. If their front-line customer service is this bad, I can only imagine how poorly run their classes must be. Save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere--this company clearly doesn't value their customers.

I had a bad experience that comes down to poor personal ethics and bad business practices. I signed…read moreup for a training class and then suffered a work injury that put me on work comp status. I notified the Elite training team that I had an unforeseen event take place and I am unable to attend class that was a week away. I requested a refund (475.00) and it was denied because of their "refund policy". The business practice of putting policy before people is bad news. So beware that this is another business owner that puts profit before people. No ethics, integrity or customer service. There are plenty of class act people and other companies that offer the same service.

I was visiting from out of town (Oakland, CA) and stopped in to shoot. It was a weekend afternoon,…read moreso there was a bit of a wait. All in all, it was worth the wait. The staff were welcoming and friendly. It sounded like they made special accommodations for myself and some other shooters, by opening up the "tactical" range, since there were no members shooting at that time. That was awesome, because it got me on the range sooner. I also brought with me a new firearm - Canik Mete MC9LS with a new optic. I forgot my regular range bag with my tools; however, the range staff allowed me to use one of their tools to adjust my new optic. I don't know how the targets move on the regular range, but on the tactical range, you can push buttons to automatically set the targets at a specified distance, move the targets manually back and forth, and automatically have the target return. Best of all, the prices were very reasonable. $20 per lane and $0.50 targets - WAAAAAY better than prices in the Bay Area. If I were a resident of the area, I'd definitely become a member. (I overheard one of the staff members informing another customer of the benefits and price.). Top Notch outfit in my opinion.

I was interested in learning proper firearms etiquette, and had an opportunity to do so at Evan's…read moreGun World. I attended their intro to handguns class, covering the basics of safety and proper form, and getting in some introductory shooting experience. John, our instructor, was very engaging and great at commanding attention when needed and building up the class's confidence. Afterward, I took them up on their 'newbie' offer of free range time and rental after class. Kevin signed me up for a lane, let me rent a couple of handgun models I researched previously, and critiqued my targets, giving some general feedback and advice. He also pointed me toward a couple other models that are known to be more friendly to left-handed shooters that I can test out in the future. Great place; a little on the older and smaller sides, but staff was extremely friendly, helpful, and attentive. I get the feeling that as I 'shop around' for my go-to range there's a strong chance I will gravitate back here, since these guys are passionate about what they do, and seem to want to inspire that passion in others. Definitely will make it a point to stop by again.

I recently took a training and qualification course with Firearms Academy and had a great…read moreexperience overall. The instructor was solid, knowledgeable, patient, and did a really good job breaking everything down without overcomplicating it. The class itself was well run, and I felt like I actually learned something useful rather than just checking a box. They also sell guns, accessories, ammo and offer additional classes and trainings, plus they provide FFL services. I'd definitely recommend them! -Michael

I went in to get a background check for a job . The service…read morewas fast and courteous . I will continue to do my background checks here .