This 2 day class was held at the Burro Canyon Shooting Park near Los Angeles. Fires, Earthquakes, Sharknados and Mud Slides left us alone for the duration of the class and the weather was cool but nice. If any other class attendees read this and want to chime in, please feel free. (I was the shockingly handsome guy in the Wyoming sweatshirt) I also had the final stages of the flu so I faded in the afternoon each day and I’m writing this to the best of my memory.
Range rules prohibited shooting before 9 AM so each day class opened with informal discussion and Q&A.
Topics discussed in these pre-shooting yack fests (and breaks) included:
· The soaring popularity of 9mm 1911s
· Fitting grip safeties and their function
· Fitting extractors
· Lubrication (TLDR version – run them wet) Cleaning is optional, lube is not. The barrel hood is the most important spot to lube.
· Modifications that are iffy at best
· Only accurate hits on target count
· Spring rates & replacement intervals
· The 1911s origins as a cavalry weapon and how it has changed over time
· Millennials and “The Firearms Blog” – this was a damn funny rant
· Ramped vs. Std barrels > ramped for every caliber except 45
· Is the 1911 suited for duty in 2018? – short answer, no. There are too many other good guns nowadays. It is for enthusiasts only.
There were a couple guys from the LA County Sheriff’s Dept Firearms Training unit that were very good shooters. I believe there were at least 2 other LE members. This was a class where the attendees were familiar with the 1911. 24 students meant we shot in 2 relays. I believe the most common brand of 1911 in this class was Wilson. There was at least one SA Professional. I shot a modified Colt on both days and had zero malfunctions.
The class description called for a “classroom” on the second day where everyone would fully disassemble their pistol and Larry would lecture and inspect each 1911. Fortunately (to my thinking) the format changed and we spent 2 full days shooting. I missed any explanation of why the format changed but I was happy with it.
Emphasis was placed on:
· Trigger control - stressed over both days. Range drills began with dry fire trigger control exercises.
· Accuracy - we shot at B8 centers* from 2 to 20 yards – X ring being the goal up close, everything in the black at distance
· Efficient Reloading - Larry repeatedly pointed out that the 1911 carries half the ammo of every other popular service pistol and reloads need to be heavily practiced.
Drills included Bill Drills, “The Test”, “Super Test”, 666 Drills and others. Vickers would describe the drill and the reasoning behind it. He would discuss what kind of timing or scores were considered decent or “serious” and then he would demonstrate the drill. (Yes, he can shoot)
Many drills required reloads, and students who were reluctant to let their empty mags hit the deck got an earful on how they need to get over that real fast.
The drills began at fairly close range and without time constraints. As the class progressed the range increased and the use of the timer (and shorter par times) also increased. Several drills required the shooter to hold the pistol on small target (like a target paster) with the finger on the trigger while waiting for the beep to fire. The par times got as short as a half second and sometimes several shots were required between the beeps. A few shooters struggled with this and shot early or blew past the par time.
Scoring your targets and tracking your progress was repeatedly stressed.
When shooters had malfunctions (Mostly the Wilsons and maybe one SA if I remember correctly, maybe 6 or 7 malfunctions total for 2 days) Larry stopped the drills and had the class gather around to observe the diagnosis and recommended solutions. He certainly knows the 1911 and his ability to spot issues up and down the line was impressive. One malfunction a shooter had that was new to me was a guy who slammed his magazine into the magwell hard enough to wedge the front strap between the magazine tube and the plastic base plate. (Solution – don’t slam mags home on any weapon and avoid plastic base plates) This was particularly a problem with thin or beveled front straps.
Drawing and shooting and shooting while moving were incorporated into drills on the second day.
Reloading techniques were covered and Vickers is still a fan of using the support hand thumb with the 1911. Grasping the replacement magazine with the index finger on the leading edge is another point he stressed. The need to be real proficient at reloading was repeated several times per day.
Round count was approximately 300-350 rounds per day. I felt like that was all I wanted to shoot given the accuracy requirements (We weren’t hosing IPSC C zone steel targets) and my flu.
Competitions were held throughout both days and were fun. Plenty of verbal abuse was heaped on shooters who tried to sneak up closer to the targets or pull some other stunt. I always like people who make me laugh, and there were plenty of funny dudes (no female attendees) in this class.
Overall I had a great experience. It was good to go someplace fairly warm (even if Cali is antigun crazy) and shoot my favorite pistol in a bunch of drills. The other students were fun to hang with and Larry Vickers is the last guy still doing dedicated 1911 classes. He runs a good class and is super observant. He constantly asked if anyone had questions and answered everything directly (including plenty of non-1911 gun questions).
I think I picked up some solid information and some good drills I'll incorporate into my practice sessions with any pistol. If you are a fan of the 1911 and like the sound of a dedicated 1911 class I cannot imagine you'd come away disappointed.
*a B8 center was the largest target we used.
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Originally Posted by JAD
