We recently had a chance to attend the Colt Experience at Range Ready in Robert, LA, and the program is quite impressive. As part of the Colt Experience program, participants received two full days of specialized instruction—and got to take the Colt Competition 1911 in 9 mm home with them at the end (okay, technically, all participants except those in-state had to get the pistol shipped to their respective FFLs, but you get the idea). Range Ready offered classroom instruction to get us started, beginning with some overview of the 1911, how to field strip the pistol and drawing from the holster before we started the live-fire portion.

Wait a minute, though. Back that up. Two days of instruction, a Colt Competition 1911 in 9 mm—complete with stainless steel finish, custom G10 grips, Novak fiber-optic front sight and ramp rear sight, Series 70 operation and upswept beavertail—and gear? Galco provided a holster and double magazine pouch, while Range Ready supplied a range bag and safety gear. And two days of instruction? What’s the catch? Think the price is ridiculously inflated? Nope. It’s less than $200 more than the price of the pistol alone. Well, the instructor’s gotta be someone you’ve never heard of, right? Well, if you haven’t heard of Chris Cerino, we can’t help you there…

Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? This was an absolute top-shelf experience all around. The firing line ran the gamut from relatively new shooters to, well, folks who definitely have been around the block once or twice. Didn’t matter how good a shot you thought you might be, though: Cerino and his support staff (including Colt-sponsored pro shooter Mark Redl!) could help you get better. The range of experience on the line, combined with the intensive-yet-enjoyable teaching style of Cerino and Redl, made for a pair of days where everyone learned, and everyone got better. There’s very little you can ask for that’s better than that.

Article by JAY GRAZIO

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