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AAR: Myakka City, FL Feb. 26-27

Started by ItsanSKS, February 28, 2011, 12:28:57 PM

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ItsanSKS

Another wonderful event is in the books here in Sunny Florida.

Sixteen folks arrived in the early morning hours of February 26th, intent on learning the fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship.  With a staff of volunteer instructors, comprised of Martin, Ed, Roy and Eric (me), they were in capable hands.  The first "Redcoat" target of the weekend proved what we instructors already knew- these fine Americans were in desperate need of coaching; many folks were learning to shoot for the first time in their lives, while only a few had 'been there, done that', and had the scores to prove it. 

Freshly educated in what they were capable of with their rifles, our students took to the instruction immediately.  We let loose the fire hose of marksmanship knowledge, and much to our surprise, the students seemed to soak it up, and thirsted for more!  Having covered the steady hold factors for the prone position, educated them on the nuances of Natural Point of Aim (NPOA) and how to execute the "6 Steps", group sizes start to shrink immediately.  With one on one coaching provided to those still struggling, after only 3 courses of fire, the average group size shrank from 'minute of target backer' to 6-8 minutes.  A dramatic improvement, in less than the course of two hours!

As we took a break from the firing line, our students gathered 'round to hear the second part of the "Three Strikes of the Match", and basked in the history and heritage of our founding generation.  The actions of men like John Parker and Isaac Davis still running through their minds, each student gathered their gear and prepared to learn even more, starting with the "Seated/Kneeling" position, and moving on through transitions, and then finishing with the "Standing/Off-hand" position. 

With their minds reeling from information overload, they were then tested on their retention of this knowledge, with our Final Exam: THE AQT!

Scores were impressive, especially from first time shooters; many scores were in the high 150's and 160's.  One man showed that he knew well what he was about, scoring a 212 with his AR-15.  Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

The final "Redcoat" on Saturday showed dramatic improvement, with many folks now qualifying at 100, 200, or even 300 yards, when just a few hours previous, they had barely been able to hit the paper at all.  THAT is what we instructors live for- improvement in ability, and our students willingness to step outside of their comfort zone, and improving themselves in the process.

With the events of Saturday wrapped up, everyone was thanked for their participation, and advised to partake of some over-the-counter pain medication, as they were sure to be sore in the morning! 

Sunday morning saw all but two of our students return, intent on mastering these skill in but a scant weekend.  After a speedy recap of the previous days' instruction, the line was put into the capable hands of Roy, and he drove them like rented mules, pushing them hard through the "AQT Grind".  With barely enough time to frantically prepare magazines, drink water, and mentally prepare for the next course of fire, our students pushed on, showing the same dedication and perseverance of their forebears. 

5 AQT's later, firmly exhausted, and the firing line awash in spent casings, it was determined that they had entered the point of diminishing returns; physical and mental exhaustion was taking its toll.  With rifles in hand, our students took one last crack at those dreaded "Redcoat" targets.  Not only did our class show dramatic improvement over their initial scores on Saturday AM, more than half of our students qualified at distances greater than 200!  Saturday's Rifleman proved that his 212 wasn't just a fluke, putting down multiple scores, finishing with a high score of 227, and clearing the Redcoat target- an Orange Hat is in your future, Sir; just say the word, and it is yours for the taking. 

A bit of special recognition is due to our junior shooters, with Lydia, Cale, Jake and Chris pushing on through two days of instruction with nary a disparaging word to be heard.  Young Lydia surprised everyone with her tenacity, and ended Sunday with a high score in the 150's, a score many on the line envied. 

I'd like to thank my fellow instructors for coming out this weekend, and helping to save our country, one Rifleman at a time- Ed, Roy and Martin, I couldn't have done it without you, and your dedication to our mission is greatly appreciated.  Stick with it, and we'll reap the rewards; a Nation committed to preserving the American Rifleman tradition. 

Finally, thank you to the Manatee Gun and Archery Club of Myakka City, for providing the range; were it not for the generosity of your facility, this weekend would not have happened.

Shooters!  If you really want that Rifleman badge, you know what you have to do- DRY FIRE PRACTICE.  It makes all the difference in the world.  Practice your transitions.  Practice your magazine changes.  Practice acquiring and shifting your NPOA.  With time, and practice, you will become masters of your rifles, and worthy of carrying on the traditions of the Founding Generation, may they look upon your actions with approving smiles! 

In Liberty,

Eric "ItsanSKS" McCabe

PS: Please take a moment to tell us about your experience this weekend- good, bad, or indifferent.  We'd love to hear from you, and if you took any pictures, post 'em up! 
"Those who would trade an ounce of liberty for an ounce of safety deserve neither."

"To save us both time in the future... how about you give me the combo to your safe and I'll give you the pin number to my bank account..."

ItsanSKS

A few pictures, kindly provided by Jack B:







"Those who would trade an ounce of liberty for an ounce of safety deserve neither."

"To save us both time in the future... how about you give me the combo to your safe and I'll give you the pin number to my bank account..."

Earl

As I look at your pictures, I wonder at the connection to the snow flurries and white stuff on the ground here, I would bet the Three strikes and Six steps are just like they are in Idaho. Good job, and dry fire is a key. O0
... to catch the fire in another American for sharing the skills and our heritage to our posterity. Maybe my perfect shots will be made by those I met along the trials and trails of Appleseed. I know that America is a nation of Riflemen.

.PPTRanger

Another outstanding event run by ItsanSKS and his cadre! I can't say enough good things about the group of volunteers that put on these events here in this part of Florida: they're true professionals, and the caliber of instruction is awe-inspiring!

Congratulations as well to the newly discovered Rifleman: I had the pleasure of shooting next to him, and as ItsanSKS alluded to, he knew well what he was about. His skill was truely motivating!

Below are some photographs, some taken by other shooters with my camera.

Outstanding promotional material!


Ed reviews the latest POIs before the event kicked off on Saturday.


Though it is still February, temperatures breached the 80s and humidity was high: without shade like this, the event would have been far less enjoyable, and possibly less safe! Props to ItsanSKS for taking steps to ensure ALL Florida Appleseeds have this type of shelter in the future!


Our Shoot Boss, LSOs and.... Get that leg up!


Congratulations to our newly forged Rifleman!


On Sunday morning, the shooters circled up to review the massive amount of information.


ItsanSKS walks our youngest shooter through the Ball and Dummy drills: her improvement was incredible over the two days!



The primary suggestion I would offer up to the Appleseed community as a whole is this: I started off the spread of photos with those promotional materials for a reason: They're more than just great. They're outstanding. If you can produce a template, with a design of THAT caliber, that SavageShooter (or whoever else is making the date-and-location-specific flyers) can use/edit (read: Microsoft Word/Open Office), you'll have a much more effective product. I'd also recommend you do the same for the State/Area level flyers with a few months of events on it, again, make it or at least the text editable with a word processor.


Again, a big thank you to ItsanSKS, Ed, Martin and Roy for a great Appleseed!

airplanejoe

Outstanding way to spend an weekend!!! It's not often that I get to spend time with folks that share an interest and appreciation of our heritage. Also a very humbling experience. Would I do it again? You bet, I'm hooked.

ItsanSKS: At the end you mentioned an upcoming RBS to be held at Rocky Creek Ranch this Oct. I can't find it on the rwva.org page. Do you have firm dates?

jec

ItsanSKS

airplanejoe-

Glad to have ya out there!  This was another outstanding event, in a long train of really good events.  Things are looking bright in the Sunshine State!

The dates for our Rifleman Boot Camp (RBC) are firm: October 9th through the 16th.  Will have the event(s) posted up just as soon as I hear back from the range owner/manager regarding the info contained in the Event Information Page;  I want to ensure that I only have to post it once...


-ItsanSKS
"Those who would trade an ounce of liberty for an ounce of safety deserve neither."

"To save us both time in the future... how about you give me the combo to your safe and I'll give you the pin number to my bank account..."

JeffW

All Appleseeders from Myakka,

My son and I had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves at the event.  Never a better place to find good people just enjoying themselves.

I saw a good bit of improvement in him and even a good bit of improvement in myself.  Didn't quite make a "rifleman" score but my two best were a 188 and a 194 so with a bit of dry fire practice and work perhaps next time will be my time.

Eric, Roy, Martin, and Ed were very helpful and spent a good amount of time working with my son (which is what I was hoping for him as it's always better to get other help than from dad) and as always, I am very impressed with the program and even more impressed with the dedication of the instructors.

I placed the brochures and information at the indoor pistol range I compete at every Wed night there this past week and put in my views of the Appleseed experience to the folks that were there Wed night so hopefully we'll get a number of them to come out for upcoming events.

Thanks again for all your hard work and dedication to the program.  You guys are all super

Historicalreenactor

Hey all,

I know it's a little late in coming, but since i'm on spring break I can do a little catching up.  Here is a list of a few history books that I've found to be great resources.  Some are on the colonial period, others, Revolutionary war, others still from a Native American perspective.  Some are easier reads, more like a novel, whereas others have primary sources and can be more challenging (plus the spelling is different - 'back in the day' "s" were spelled as an "f", as one example).

1.  Major Problems in the Era of the American Revolution 1760-1791 by Richard D. Brown ISBN#0-395-90344-0

2.  Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier by Alfred F. Young ISBN# 0-679-76185-3

3.  Becoming America by Jon Butler ISBN #0-674-00091-9

4.  Saints and Strangers: New England in British North America by Joseph Conforti ISBN# 0-8018-8253-2

5.  Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma by Camilla Townsend ISBN# 0-8090-9530-0

Happy Reading!
Joanna

PHenry

JeffW,
Kudos to you sir! That is what we need the most. Myakka is our first regular venue and the club has been very good to us, but we rarely git more than a dozen or so. As you can see - this line can hold a lot more - 40 easily. Any Appleseed shoot boss will confirm that it's near as much work to serve 12 as it is to serve 30, so many thanks for getting the word out. Eric's work for this event began well before the actual event and is not likely finished yet (paperwork, clean up, etc.). The only pay he or any of the other instructors gits is in the satisfaction of passing on the tradition to his fellow Americans - so he more people that come out and learn - the more "pay" they receive.

Keep up the good work sir and I hope to see u on the trail.  O0

PHenry (the guy that suckered Eric into this long ago)
Para ser Libre, un Hombre debe tener tres cosas. La Tierra, una Educacion, y un Fusil. Siempre, un Fusil!  Emiliano Zapata

Sly223

Congrats Kevin, :bow:
The one Myakka event I miss and you slip in an sneak a patch! Well done Sir, Bring your Dad back and let him have another go. Challenge everyone you know, to get a cute lil' patch like yours. Now, you can tell 'em it's easy! ^:)^
see ya''ll back on the trail. O0
"Smoakin'2" IBC11/12
"Plattka 3-12"(IBC)FL
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