1911 CENTENNIAL COURSE WITH LARRY VICKERS & KEN HACKATHORN

[Jolyn Esquerre]

I had started out as a “GLOCK” Firing Platform Student initially! I evolved into a 1911 Platform Student so I could expand my skill-sets and knowledge base about the 1911. My goal was to be able to offer different firing platform options to our Students. Using my Wilson Ms. Sentinel as my primary 1911 gun and my Nighthawk Lady Hawk as my backup 1911 gun at this Training Program, I have achieved a higher level of understanding and appreciation about the 1911 Platform. We had 41 students from the 1911 community attend with only 2 women, myself and Joyce Wilson [former IDPA Champion]. These are the highlights the 1911 Centennial Program experience in Marietta, Ohio with Larry Vickers, Ken Hackathorn, John Miller & Bill Wilson:

 

DAY #1:

FUNDAMENTALS!!!! Trigger management, sight management, grip management, safety management and recoil management were the building blocks that were being mastered on Day #1 for the 1911 Firing Platform.

 

DAY #2:

Day #2/Part #1: Based on the review of each Student's Skill Sets on Day #1, Ken and Larry, with their outstanding support team, focused on fine-tuning the Fundamentals that we all needed to successfully manage the 1911 Platform. OUTSTANDING!!!! We had to put it all together in the ballistically-safe, live fire Shoot House at the Fort Harmar Rifle Club.

 

Day #2/Part #2: Ken Hackathorn, Larry Vickers, John Miller and Bill Wilson led the 1911 Symposium for the attendees. OMG.....they had each displayed the "unique stars" from their individual 1911 collections. They also reviewed why specific design changes were both needed and made to John Browning’s original design. MAGNIFICENT!! A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!!!

 

DAY #3:

Our 1911 Armorers Course was led by the best-of-the-best: Larry Vickers, Ken Hackathorn, John Miller [who had trained Larry Vickers as an Armorer] and Bill Wilson, himself with his Wilson Combat Firearms Team Members! What more can you hope for! We all know what we didn't know about the ins and outs of the 1911 firing platform; now we know what we have to learn in order to keep our individual 1911 platforms operationally efficient, regardless on the manufacturer!  "ANOTHER-ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME-EXPERIENCE"!