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AAR: Hinckley - April 16-17, 2011

Started by AFTERMATH, April 19, 2011, 12:08:35 AM

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AFTERMATH

As the sun broke the horizon on the morning of Saturday, on the 16th, of April in the year of our Lord 2011; I awoke to the sound of footprints on my deck, followed by a pounding on the door[actually a light tapping].  A voice arose from beyond the threshold, 'twas that of my sister - samjt15.  I do not recall the words that were uttered, but I do recall what I heard!

'Get up!!!  The Redcoats are coming!  They've just been spotted crossing the St. Croix on their way towards Hinckley!'

What choice did I have?  I grabbed my rifle[actually rifles], loaded up my cartridge boxes[actually shoot boxes], threw on my coat,  packed it all up on my horse[actually my car - though I'm sure a horse would run better], and galloped[drove] towards the action!

The morning was brisk and overcast by clouds frozen in the atmosphere.  The night prior, had graced us with a fine layer of white, .  An unpleasant mixture of snow and frozen rain, made only bearable by the frigid wind descending from the northern tundras of Canada. 

As we drew near to the location that would mark our two day battle[The Hinckley Conservation Club's Rifle Range].  More of that dreaded white stuff began to fall from the frosty air.
'Tis a glorious day for an Appleseed, though I, to myself; as I approached the location which shall live in infamy.

Though word had been spread, far and wide, all across the countryside, of the evil scheme of them Redcoats; we were only able to muster but a few.

Adamt and I were grateful to have amongst us four fine Americans who valued their Liberty 'nough to show.  Let their names, hereby be preserved for posterity:  Samantha, Kelli, Scott and John. 

Following a brief outline of our mission, along with the rules of engagement[safety], the six of us mustered on the firing line. 
Vastly outnumbered we prepared to engage the enemy - Ignorance, Laziness, and Apathy, materialized in the form of Redcoat targets.

Valiantly we fought, but were pushed back and forced to regroup[Instruct].  We proceeded to adapt our strategy to suite our effort - Learning the; steady hold factors, 6 Steps, NPOA, and so much more.  The enemy pushed and we pushed back.  They fought, and we fought back, gaining ground with each procession.

As the sun began it's retreat for the evening, so did the redcoats, and we retired for the night.  But we knew they'd return come sun-up.  Thus we took the opportunity to prepare.  The next morning we'd be ready for them.  And to make our final assault!

Sunday lived up to its name, as the sun finally broke through the clouds.  Though the wind remained, it was beautiful.  Perfect weather for Appleseed!

We mustered and drew our line of battle, once again, and engaged the redcoats.  Only to find the redcoats had also made their preparations.  This was going to be more difficult than we had anticipated. 
Russellmn made an appearance that morning, but having stayed the whole evening guarding prisoners from from other battles was forced to attain a little bit of rest, before returning again to the job that is vital for our peaceful society.  Tho' 'twas good to see him well.
Shortly after the mornings battle 'gainst the redcoats, reinforcements came by way of DewDrinker - a veteran Appleseeder, notorious for his effort in the Blizzard-Seed campaign at Hinckley, in December of 2010. 

As the battle continued the Redcoat AQT's arrived in force.  We stood bravely and defiantly.  Persisting, adapting and overcoming through every wave. 
Team 1 proved notably effective in their every effort - seizing the field at every opportunity.   
All proved themselves to be great bearers of the flag of Liberty.  They are both worthy and responsible for passing on the torch, and preserving for posterity, the legacy that they have been given by our founders.  Though, not yet Riflemen, they have the makings of one.  Take care of that seed, nurture it, watch it grow, and share the harvest with your fellow Americans.  You owe it to the ones who came before us, and to those who shall follow.

As the sun fell behind the trees on Sunday evening, both sides were tired, worn, and desperate for victory - Perhaps a little R&R as well...  But we gave 'em one final push!
With all the vigor of a tiger, and the fury of a lion, we hammered those redcoats!
Indeed we took the field; but I regret to report that once again, a few of 'em slipped out of range.  They escaped this time; but as sure as the sun rises in the morning they'll be back - in force. 

We just received several reliable reports; there were large numbers of redcoats gathering near Winona.  The level of activity observed indicates they'll be ready to march the weekend of May 7th & 8th...  Another report indicates, they're planning another attack in Hinckley, the weekend of May 14th &15th...

Will you stand with us then?
If not; when?


Aftermath

P.S. Tomorrow is April 19th, 2011.  Only two hundred thirty-six years since the real Redcoats marched on Lexington and Concord.  For most "Americans" this day will pass without notice.  Without any thought of what happened April 19th, 1775.  There will be little in the way of parades or celebration, in honor of our victory - No mourning in remembrance of our loss.  The names of Isaac Davis, John Parker, Johnathan Harrington, and so many more - All but forgotten. 
Don't allow this historic day go by without a thought.  Learn their names, share their story.  It's our heritage, our legacy, and our duty to preserve it!  May God forbid the day we allow it to slip away, into the abyss of time.
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

AFTERMATH

"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

AFTERMATH

 :P
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

adamt

First and foremost, thank you to those that attended. In true Minnesota fashion, we were blessed with all 3 seasons in one great weekend... rain, snow and cold. Come to think of it, I can only think of a couple of Minnesota appleseeds that mother earth hasn't precipitated on us. Who am I kidding, any day is a great day to save the country.

I would like to make a special thanks to the Hinckley conservation club. If it weren't for the tireless work of volunteers, the range would be awash in all sorts of spent target matter.

To our shooters, who all seemed to agree they would be back, DRY FIRE. I look forward to seeing all of you on the line. Samantha and Ian, you guys definitely have the required persistence of rifleman. It will be a true race to the finish line. Maybe next month.

AdamT
"If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

--  Abraham Lincoln

AFTERMATH

Found another one....
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

AFTERMATH

One of our shooters posted THIS on the MN Gun Talk forum....  In lieu of his aproval to access the Appleseed forum. 
"We intend to produce men who are able to light a fire for Liberty in men's minds, and make them the finest rifle marksmanship Instructors on the planet." - Son of Martha

"Tyrants rise and fall, but tyranny lasts forever." -Me

[What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?]

Cooper

AWESOME!!
They sound like keepers, and are 7th stepping to another receptive audience...
"This Appleseed thing doesn't look like it would be for everyone, but it really is." Zac, age 7  كافر
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." ~ Thomas Paine    "Cooper, you're an a**hole!" - recent Shoot Boss's compliment
"I don't know where "brave" leaves off and "foolish" picks up, but you've certainly got your share of courage." - FuzzyMath
"For the Rifle!, the Rifle!, in our hands will prove no trifle!" ~from the lyrics of "The Bennington Riflemen"
Understand the urgency of our mission; no amount of bailing can raise a sunken ship.
I don't want to be forced back into the darkness.
 

"Shut up and color." - slim

Puma Mami

That's a very excellent endorsement he put up for Appleseed, isn't it? Why was his registration under review for the forum?

It just goes to show that even if only a handful of people are at an Appleseed weekend, if it's the right people they will come back and bring friends, family, etc. and help to build the program over time.
"Saving America...lots of things are easier to accomplish, few are more worthwhile." ~Fred

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."  ~Albert Camus

Notaeh

Quote from: AFTERMATH on April 28, 2011, 09:54:06 PM
One of our shooters posted THIS on the MN Gun Talk forum....  In lieu of his aproval to access the Appleseed forum.

I made it on here now.  I will repost my post on the other forum here in case some don't like links. 

Went to the Appleseed Project weekend in Hinckley MN on April 16th and 17th, 2011 with my wife. We were new to firearms and had first shot rifles only a couple weeks before the event. Like swimming, shooting is a skill that all Americans should learn and just like I can swim and am bringing my sons to swimming lessons, I need to learn to shoot and teach them to shoot.

The biggest problem is that we didn't know where to start. I learned about Appleseed on the forum mnguntalk.com and was very interested as it sounded perfect for us especially since my wife also has taken an interest in learning more about early American history. My wife was also a bit nervous around firearms and the thought of going to training stressed her out. I would relate it again to swimming where someone might want to learn to swim but has some fear of water and the thought of going to training stresses them out. Thankfully, some great folks at mnguntalk.com offered to teach us firearm safety rules so we would be more comfortable and taught us on sling use and rifle position shooting. We even had multiple offers to lend us another rifle to use and we borrowed one. We also were given some Appleseed targets to practice on so by the time we signed up for the Appleseed, my wife was confident and excited to go. (Contrast this with when we first met up with a very generous lady who offered to teach us safety and how to shoot and sight in our rifles, when we were asked who wanted to shoot first, my wife shook her head, took a big step back and said, "not me!")

Day one arrived and we awoke to a nice layer of snow on the ground and a very cold wind. We shot with two others in the class who both had been to an Appleseed before. There were two trainers or one and a trainer in training. I was very glad that we both had semi-auto 22lr rifles with the suggested sling as it made things easier. I will just say to follow the suggested list of what to bring. The training was fast paced and good - when they said that they packed a week's worth of training into two days, they were right. One in our group was a very experienced shooter who had taken many training classes but still seemed to learn lots in the class. From reading on some of the gun forums, it seems like many experienced shooters think that Appleseed is only for beginners but I think that while it is good for beginners because it is friendly and safe and instructors can take the time to help with basics, it is also a very good training where even advanced shooters can learn and improve. I also liked that there were no politics involved and they were not selling anything. The instructors were very knowledgeable, focused on safety, happy to help you learn and get better, and extremely friendly and helpful.

The way the training worked on the first day is that the instructors demonstrated some techniques for 10 minutes or so and then you went up to the line and shot for 15 minutes using the new techniques. Then repeat. The shooting is physically demanding for those like me who are less than fit as you are getting into many positions so we would occasionally take a "break" where we would learn about the beginning of the revolutionary war in a storytelling format. We enjoyed the history and it was well told. It did not disrupt the shooting but complemented it and it came just when we needed a break.

I would guess that we shot around 175 - 200 rounds each on the first day and all shots were precisely aimed. They trained us to shoot accurately in field positions such as standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone using the sling and stance for support. I would guess that many who mostly shoot from a bench or using bipods would learn lots at an Appleseed. My wife outshot me on the version of the Army Qualification Test (AQT) that they use to judge progress and she was downright giddy about it. For those that don't know, the AQT is 40 shots using different positions on progressively smaller targets. You also need to change magazines and transition positions. It is timed which had me rushing too much at first and my wife not getting all of her shots off. She also had some issues where the last round in the magazine of her Marlin 795 would not load. The round would have scratch marks on it but would stay in the mag. The issue did not follow the magazine. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. She ended up borrowing the instructor's identical 795.

On the second day, we lost one person and gained another. Even though there was no snow, the wind picked up and the morning seemed even colder than day one. We shot a lot on day two mostly on AQTs. We also ran drills to help diagnose issues and correct them. Everyone improved but no one was able to shoot a rifleman score. My wife still outshot me so she was happy. Her top score was 162 and mine was 152. I think we went through a good 500 rounds each on the second day so the recommended ammo amount might be a little light. My wife and I went through more than 2 ½ boxes of 525 count ammo combined.

I got to shoot 5 rounds through the instructor's M1A at the end and it was a highlight for me. We ended up very tired with some newly found sore muscles by the end. We were both very pleased with the program and happy we went. Both my wife and I want to go back and work on improving. We will most likely bring some others next time. I would highly recommend Appleseed to anyone who wants to improve their rifle marksmanship.

Do you know how to swim? If not now, when?