Experienced
Recently I had the opportunity to attend an event called “The Colt 1911 Experience” at Range Ready Studios in Robert, Louisiana. Opened just over a year ago, Range Ready Studios is the brainchild of Gun Talk Media’s Ryan Gresham. Built from the shell of a defunct slaughterhouse, Range Ready Studios is a multipurpose facility; home to not just state-of-the-art media production studios, but a top-notch training facility as well.
Just look for the big white cow…
Although the project to create Range Ready Studios was launched only a couple of years ago, its roots really go back over 60 years. Range Ready is the creation of Ryan Gresham, son of Gun Talk Radio’s Tom Gresham, himself the son of legendary gunwriter and outdoors personality Grits Gresham. Grits Gresham, sporting his trademark cowboy hat, was a pioneer in shooting and outdoor media, most notably as the shooting editor for Sports Afield magazine, and as host of the ABC television show The American Sportsman. Built on three generations of family experience, Range Ready comes by its pedigree honestly…and does not disappoint.
This is because the Gresham clan has never been content to rest on past achievements, and Ryan is no exception. While the Range Ready training operation may never be as big as major players like Gunsite Academy, that is not Gresham’s goal. Instead, he and his team at Range Ready prefer to offer a training experience which not only provides value to seasoned shooters like myself, but is also appealing to shooters who are new to professional training.
This is right where the Colt 1911 Experience lands. Designed as a hybrid media/marketing and training event, our class of 16 students brought together shooters of varying experience levels. For this two-day class, Ryan and his crew teamed up with Colt Firearms, DoubleTap Ammo, and other industry partners to provide what was truly a comprehensive firearms training experience. Included in the course’s $1199 price tag was the use of a Colt Competition 1911 in 9mm, ammunition provided by DoubleTap, holsters and magazine pouches provided by Galco, and eye and ear protection courtesy of Walker’s. You literally could have walked in wearing nothing but your street clothes and a sturdy gun belt and shot the class. Range Ready even provided a nice little range bag to pack up all your gear (and some other cool swag) for easy carry.
A generous supply of range gear and other swag (and coffee) awaited students in the classroom.
I almost forgot to mention the best part…you get to keep it all, including the gun. That’s right…we got to pick our own Colt 1911 right off the wall in the Range Ready lobby, and keep it! (Of course, guns have to be shipped to an FFL for non-Louisiana residents.)
Pick a gun…it’s yours.
Once guns had been selected, the group settled in for some basic instruction in the classroom before heading to the range. Range Ready lead instructor Chris Cerino and Colt pro shooter and head of Research & Development Product Testing Mark Redl covered basic safety rules and requirements and proper assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of the 1911 pistol before moving into some fundamental gun handling and dry fire practice.
After lunch, it was time to head to the range and put it all into practice. After a quick review of safety procedures, students were broken down into two 8-person firing relays, and work began on basic “up” drills. On the command “up,” students were to draw and present the pistol, and fire one shot on their target. As the class progressed, the number of rounds fired increased to two, then three rounds on command. Students were also introduced to some pacing drills to begin picking up speed, and given instruction on proper reloading technique.
Day Two was all range time, with emphasis on increased precision…and on increased speed. A variety of drills were introduced to work towards these goals, as students were now required to go even faster but still keep hits on target. As is usually the case, when speed goes up, things tend to fall apart; imperfections which didn’t hurt too much while going slowly become all too apparent at speed. I’m no exception, and Chris Cerino quickly spotted a couple of problems with my grip and trigger technique that were getting away from me as I stepped on the gas.
This brings up what was one of my primary impressions of the training offered at this event. To me, the mark of top-notch instruction is the ability of the instructor to provide value to shooters of all levels, and this was what I observed from both Chris and Mark during this class. They were able to bring newer, less experienced shooters up to speed, while still being able to challenge the more advanced students and offer refinements to improve their shooting even more. I definitely have a couple of things to work on.
A constant reminder on the wall of the Range Ready classroom.
I think it is also important to mention the emphasis on safety, while still offering a welcoming environment to shooters of all levels. As Chris reminded us regularly, “I only yell because I care.” Range Ready is absolutely a first-rate training facility with a family atmosphere that I feel comfortable recommending without reservation. But if you want to be the first to find out about cool classes like the Colt 1911 Experience, head over to the Range Ready website and get on their email list. I’m on it, and I’ll be looking for an opportunity to go back as soon as I can. Maybe I’ll see you there…
It all started under this hat, over 60 years ago.
