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AAR Clinton, IL June 4-5, 2011

Started by Wurstmacher, June 06, 2011, 12:09:11 PM

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Wurstmacher

The shoot was "sold out", but we could have handled a few walk-ons, as we had a couple of no shows and a couple of shooters left before we even started registration, as one of them was not feeling well. 

I think we did a pretty good job of keeping the shooters hydrated and kept the pace about right for the weather, as all of the shooters persisted throughout the day.

Thank you to all of you shooters that persisted through the heat on Saturday.  We were fortunate to have a couple of the 10x20 canopies, which along with my canopies, allowed us to have a covered firing line.  They were a real life saver for the shooters.  The canopies came in handy for Sunday, as we had steady rain for most of the morning.

Everyone felt that their shooting improved as a result of applying what they were being taught.

Congratulations to our two riflemen, Brian and Doug.  Several shooters were consistently shooting good groups throughout the weekend, but you two guys were able to put it together and shoot in the 220's.  Chris, Doug's 13 year old son, improved considerably from Saturday and was shooting in the 160's and 170's on the AQT. 

Just to show you that you can teach an old dog new tricks, Jim Payne was convinced to embrace his eye dominance issue and switch to shooting left handed.  He began to get more comfortable and was shooting some nice tight groups on Sunday morning, before he had to leave.  Hope to see you at future shoots Jim.

I hope we changed some hearts with the telling of the history.  A couple of the Sunday only shooters, were not aware of the history component of Appleseed.  They were quite complimentary of the program, and I hope to see them again.

Thank you to the Dewitt County Sportsman's Club for hosting us again, and than you Dave and Joanne for cooking lunch for us both days.

Please post your pictures and your experiences from this weekend.

Lifebreath

Thank you for running what I thought was a fantastic event! I learned a great deal and my two boys benefited immensely, both in marksmanship skills and historical appreciation. We all really enjoyed the history and connected with the spirit of our heritage. Our Nation is in need of true Riflemen and you are helping develop them. Thank you to all of the organizers, volunteers and participants. Thank you also for the proper sized loaner sling swivels.

I did note when we got home and I took the rifles out that Alex's scope mount had loosened horribly, which answered our questions as to why his skills that seemed to improve significantly on Saturday using the open sights didn't seem to translate to his shooting on Sunday. I had made the equipment changes Sat evening to get Alex on the lighter rifle and switch Chris to something with a little more weight out front. On Sunday, Alex was noticeably disappointed that he didn't seem to be shooting defined groups and was discouraged. Regardless, at the end of the day, he was enthusiastic about having learned a great deal. As a suggestion, you might want to remind participants partway through the event to check their equipment, especially if they are using optics and/or their groups seem to be getting worse. It might also be an opportunity to teach the importance of being familiar with our equipment, the advantages of KISS setups, etc. I'd have stuck with my irons on Sunday, but I realized my 48-year-old corrected vision on a short sight radius just wasn't cutting it.

We'll be printing the AQT targets and practicing for the next time. Tech Sights on a 10/22 and Chris wants to see what he can do with my high power and iron sights. And dry firing at home.

Regarding the weather, I can think of many worse ways to spend a 94 degree day or rainy morning than learning new stuff on the range and meeting a bunch a really nice folks!

I forgot to get a green slip after the event. I'm interested in the CMP.

Again, many, many thanks!

Doug
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. - Confucius

mtbrass

Good to see you on the forum Lifebreath  O0. Hope to see some more of the shooters on here. Bet there will be pictures soon.  It really is a fun way to spend a weekend for the whole family. When you see the improvement it really makes the weekend that much better.

Hope to see you all again.

AK

I thought it was a great shoot. The weather was a just temporary inconvenience. It was nice to meet and work with a great bunch of Americans.  Congratulations to Brian and Doug for earning their Rifleman patches.  Hope to see everyone at another shoot sometime soon.  Remember to practice what you learned and pass it on.  Thanks to Dave and Joanne for cooking for us.  The food was great.  Here are a few pictures.
I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

"We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ~Abraham Lincoln

Shooter30-06

We had extreme heat, lightning, thunder, and rain and yet our Shooters just kept coming on like the Colonists at Menotomy.  They were absolutely true to their heritage.  Every shooter showed good improvement.  This is a wonderful facility and I want to thank Dave and Joanne for all their hospitality.  I would offer congratulations to Brian and Doug as the two newest members of the Rifleman fraternity.  I would also like to single out Jim, Bill, and Drew for their efforts.  They really worked hard and they were wonderful to work with.  Finally, I want to thank the other Instructors and the Shoot Boss on a very smooth and cooperative shoot.   O0
"We cannot insure success but we can deserve it."-John Adams
"Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could."-Daniel Defoe

OutaAmmo

Another Appleseed Event in the Clinton DeWitt Sportsman Club history books.  A great bunch of shooters that endured extremely hot temps on Saturday and rain on Sunday. 

Congrads to Doug and Brian for getting their Rifleman patch.  I expect to see both of them back trying to improve their scores.  Lots of improvements from Saturday to Sunday by all the shooters.  Many where knocking at the AQT door.  Nice to hear that most will be back in October if not sooner on the Appleseed Trail.

You couldn't ask for a nicer group of instructors to work with. 

full mag

First of all i would like to thank the volunteer instructors for their giving their time to this weekend. This was my first appleseed and it was more than i expected. I went in to the appleseed thinking I would be just putting a lot of lead downrange and getting some help as needed. That wasn't the case. I really was impressed by the demonstrations of each element of riflemanship.  I also liked the fact that the top notch instructors spent both days watching and constantly helping all of the shooters. I learned more about shooting a rifle in two days there than i did in the army. I can't believe the military doesn't use this exact program. I have already recommended this event to many of my friends. I have to be honest and say that the highlight of the weekend for me was getting my rifleman patch. A close second was seeing doug's boys improve from sat morning to sun night.      Well, thanks again. Hope to attend another appleseed in the near future with some friends.     Brian                   

mtbrass

ba good to see you on the forum. Hope you have time to look around at some other topics as well. Great job on the patch. O0

crookedbarrel

Many thanks to all for their patience and special tutoring to a couple of 60ish shotgun shooters. We enjoyed the day and learned much. My wife was sold on the program when the instructors high fived her after she got on paper. As for myself, while I didn't become a good shot, I can say with some certitude that I became a safer bad shot! We're members of Left Handers Gun Club in Loami, IL, and if you'd be interested in a Springfield area venue, I'd certainly try to promote this. - CrookedBarrel

mtbrass

Crookedbarrel great to see you here. Just happens I am not too far from Loami. I live south of Jacksonville and if I can be of any help getting shoot set up over there let me know. We will contact the State Coordinator, Garand 69, and get to work on it. Also, usually the Loami gun show is full but it would be good if we could get a table there to promote.

It was good meeting you and if you need any information just send me a pm.