Not sure if this is the right place to post this so mods please relocate if necessary.
I haven’t taken a training class this year and have a hankering to attend a course specific to the 1911. I have a Springfield MC Operator but have not spent a great deal of time with it. I have attended multiple defensive pistol courses over the past 2-3 years (mostly with Pat Goodale from PFT) but used Glocks or XDs in those classes. I would like to become more familiar and proficient with the 1911. A 1911 specific course seems like an effective way to learn right the first time before I develop bad habits to unlearn later.
Gunsite is offering a 1911 anniversary course this year which is advertised as a 5-day 1911 only intensive course. They did one back in the spring and (based on their website) look to be offering it again in September.
Can anyone provide me with some feedback on Gunsite or, more specifically, on this 1911 course? Or other 1911 training suggestions? Thanks for the assist.
Are you are referring to the 1911 Centennial course they are offering in September? For a fan of the 1911, this is a no-brainer. If you can afford it and can spare a week of vacation time, by all means GO!!!.
A buddy of mine signed up for that course. If I had the money I’d be right there along side him, even though I’ve already been through the Vets 250 course.
Be sure to post an AAR here so that those of us who couldn’t make it can live vicariously through you.
Another option is to take one of LAV’s 1911 Operators courses. I plan on attending one next year.
First off, I have never been to Gunsite, but from what I understand from some who have, it is not the institution it once was. Having said that I also understand their 1911 specific course is OK. Remember you get what you pay for and this is free advise.
I went to Gunsite for a week in Sept 1992 when the Old Man was actually the instructor in the classroom and out on the range. I even got the Top Gun award for my class that week which was a nice way to end things. It was a great course back then, but not sure what it’s like today.
I attended a Veterans 250 pistol class at Gunsite in 2004. Gunsite is the grandaddy of all civilian shooting schools. I think it is fair to say that if Gunsite had never existed, defensive shooting as we know it today would look different. As far as I am aware, they have always had top notch instructors and range facilities. Added to that, there is nothing like travelling to a far-off place and immersing yourself for 5 days in nothing but shooting and hanging out with like minded people. I have run into Gunsite grads from the mid-80’s and we instantly have this sort of fraternal bond between us from having shared that experience. I think anyone who regularly attends training classes owes it to themselves to enroll in at least one Gunsite class at some point in their training career. They probably won’t offer the 1911 Centennial class again, so if money is not an issue I would jump on it before it fills.
That said, I am definitely taking a LAV’s 1911 Operators course in the near future. I run a 1911 exclusively and to take a 1911 specific course from Vickers that covers both range drills and an armorer’s class is too great an opportunity pass up, in my opinion.