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View Full Version : Vickers/Hackathorn Centennial 1911 Class AAR II


C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:21
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/va_dinger/vickers-tactical-logo.jpg

Vickers Tactical
www.vickerstactical.com

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/va_dinger/logo.jpg

Grey Group Training:
www.greygrouptraining.com



Another great 1911 centennial class has come and went. In the first class I was a student and in this one I got to help out. As a student, you don't always get to see what is going on with the other students and their guns. In this role, I got to see a lot more things! :D

The class learned early on that you cannot get away with not lubing your gun. You also cannot over insert your mag without causing one hell of a user induced malfunction, use cheap mags or neglect PM's on your 1911.

We saw a lot of feedway stoppages in this class. Some of it was due to match chambers, lack of lube or worn out recoil springs.

The class was full of great folks that appreciate the 1911. I had a good time and learned some more 1911 trivia.

Thanks to GGT, LAV and Hackthorn for putting on such a great class!

I would also like to thank the guys on my team for being great shooters and stomping a giant mud hole in the competition!



C4



TD1 Pics

http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD1_Class.jpg

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C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:22
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http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD1_Hackthorn.jpg

LAV Showing a student how to LUBE a 1911
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD1_LAV_LUBE.jpg

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LAV doing El Pres
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C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:22
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C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:22
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C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:32
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/SH12.jpg

http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/SH_Hackathorn.jpg

KEN showing the students how far they missed the target by :D
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/SH_Hackathorn1.jpg

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C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:39
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http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/SH1.jpg
DJK
10-25-11, 18:42
Good pictures Grant!! But why does Ken have his hands cupped in the TD1 2nd & 4th photos with the left-handed shooter?
C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:50
Good pictures Grant!! But why does Ken have his hands cupped in the TD1 2nd & 4th photos with the left-handed shooter?

To catch the empy casing incase it fell off (saves you time from picking it up off the ground all the time).



C4
C4IGrant
10-25-11, 18:56
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD3i.jpg

http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD3h.jpg

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http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/TD3.jpg

Ken Checking the chamber
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/Hackathorn_Checking_Chamber.jpg

Ken Reaming a barrel
http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/Hackathorn_Reaming.jpg

http://www.gandrtactical.com/images/archive/M4C/1911_Centennial_2/LAV_GS.jpg
Army Chief
10-25-11, 19:23
To catch the empy casing incase it fell off (saves you time from picking it up off the ground all the time).



C4

It's because Larry had lubed my pistol, and it was leaking oil all over the place. ;)

... or because we were demonstrating the dime/spent-casing trigger control drill.

AC
DJK
10-25-11, 20:00
It's because Larry had lubed my pistol, and it was leaking oil all over the place. ;)

... or because we were demonstrating the dime/spent-casing trigger control drill.

AC

Thanks, I understand now!! I had a BSA motorcycle that leaked like that too!! :D
SeriousStudent
10-25-11, 20:28
For Grant, AC, or any of the other attendees:

Was there a preference for any particular manufacturer(s) in regard to the 1911?

I am not trying to turn this into a "Pick me a 1911" thread. But as the hosts were walking the class through the pluses/minuses/tuning/repairs, did you get a feel for likes and dislikes?

Thanks very much, and it looks like an excellent experience.
C4IGrant
10-25-11, 20:40
For Grant, AC, or any of the other attendees:

Was there a preference for any particular manufacturer(s) in regard to the 1911?

I am not trying to turn this into a "Pick me a 1911" thread. But as the hosts were walking the class through the pluses/minuses/tuning/repairs, did you get a feel for likes and dislikes?

Thanks very much, and it looks like an excellent experience.

On the entry side (around $1k), both Ken and LAV recommend Colt. On the higher end side, WC is king.



C4
Army Chief
10-25-11, 21:34
Agreed.

My class notes on this topic tracked along these lines:

Base gun candidates:
1. Colt.
2. Springfield Armory.

Special mention: Caspian (for excellent slides and frames, even though Caspian doesn't actually build complete guns).

Built guns:
1. Wilson Combat.
2. Springfield Armory Custom Shop.

Favored smiths (alphabetical order):
Jason Burton, Jim Garthwaite and John Harrison.

Other (unrelated) observations:
1. Vickers has earned his place atop the heap on the training circuit. Not just because of where he's been, and what he's done, but because of his training philosophy and methods.
2. Hackathorn is a national treasure.

AC
SeriousStudent
10-25-11, 21:42
Grant and AC, thank you both for your responses. I have a nice old Colt for a base gun, I will go ahead and use that.

I'd love for someone to just set up a video camera and a jug of someone's favorite tasty beverage, and tape those two gentlemen chatting about firearms.

Oh wait, it's called TacTV! :D
ARETE
10-26-11, 09:40
What a fun class this was. It was great meeting everyone and enjoying not only the platform but it's history from such experts in the field. There were some great shooters who were very low key and fun to hang with. Somehow we had all of them on Team Buzz! (it was a beat down). The Wilson's seem to run great and came highly recommended. There were some problems with a few Kimber's and a STI, the ones that had been messed with or not maintained also had issues. (Lube is not an option!) I can't recommend Ken and Larry enough, go if at all possible to learn from them. Nice meeting you as well Grant and thanks again for the shirt.:cool:
Army Chief
10-26-11, 11:45
The lone STI that had problems on the morning of TD1 was a new (zero round count) custom build that was actually only about 80% complete by the time we hit the class. The bodywork and internals were done, but it was such an 11th-hour project that we didn't have time to put any break-in rounds through it prior to the class. We had a couple of initial feed problems related to a tight -- though correctly-set -- extractor, but things settled-in nicely after 3-4 tests mags at lunch. Half of the parts on the gun weren't STI by that point, anyway, and to be honest, the problem we encountered was wholly predictable. We rolled the dice and hit a quick snag, but the story had a happy ending. The gun (though not necessarily the shooter) proved to be lights-out accurate and 100% reliable for the rest of the weekend.

If you know the lineage of the STI single stacks, and who else in the industry is using their components, then there is little to fear from employing their slides, frames and barrels in a base gun. It's just a good idea to commission the project more than two weeks out from a major class. ;) Our own Mr. Smith worked a miracle to even get the gun into my hands on Friday afternoon, and the finishing work is underway now. We'll showcase the results in due time, but I just wanted to set the record straight on what was/was not going on with the gun for those who watched me transition to a 4" Wilson gun for the balance of the morning on TD1.

AC
ARETE
10-26-11, 12:20
Glad you got it back running well for you, didn't want to call out your blaster (you got enough of that there ;)). I was in a similar spot having my CQB redone by WC just prior to class. I surely gained a new respect for the platform and what it takes to keep it running correctly after this class.
flyfishr
10-26-11, 14:44
The class was terrific. Having trained with both Ken and Larry before, this one being billed as "entertrainment" lived up to that. A great mix of training, fun, getting to see some terrific 1911s, and then hearing the stories was the cream on top.

Confirmed that I'm sort of OK shooting standing still, and not worth a flip while moving. Something to work on.

Enjoyed it immensely - - - the Alvin York, General what's-his-name (also confirmed that full auto is, at least in my hands, good for wasting ammo), and particularly the light-hearted team challenges.

Nice to meet such a fine group, and thanks to Ken and Larry.

Buzz
Army Chief
10-26-11, 15:23
General what's-his-name ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Dozier

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_pistol_shooting#The_Dozier_Drill

=]

AC
flyfishr
10-26-11, 18:03
Senior moment. Thanks.
Gary1911A1
10-27-11, 11:43
I had a great time, learned a lot more about the 1911 than I thought I would, enjoyed the shoot house, and the emphasis on accuracy and would attend another one just to meet other fans of the 1911.