Winterset, IA / October 15-16

Whisker · October 17, 2011, 11:11:57 AM

In my mind, this Appleseed was just about the perfect Appleseed: Iowa-fall weather- dry and warm enough, a good core of instructors, but most of all: FORTY determined and persistent shooters!

So, out of 40 shooters, we had 7 riflemen... Let's see if I can remember.
Gary
Erin
Jack
Jonah
Miller
Furness
Matti

Right?

Several shooters/past shooters have taken orange hats
Carl
Scott
Matti
Joe
Miller

Dave has upgraded to a Red Hat! Congrats Dave!

So, correct my list if there's something missing or not true, and if there are forum names I don't know about.

Highlights of the weekend:
-Iowa-Mark's prehistory and thoughts on life and American culture.
-Construction of the Liberty Pole, upon which shooters stapled their AQTs/ a new Iowa tradition- pics anyone?
-Personal highlight, my sister scoring Rifleman on sunday (her second day behind a rifle, ever)
-Couch and TV target team shoots. They were so shot out, we had to put a round count limit so we could even score them

It was an excellent Appleseed.

If you've taken an orange hat, I likely only know you by your first name. Send me a PM with your forum name so I can get your set up. Thanks

Other opinions?

Cooper · October 17, 2011, 04:59:35 PM

WOW !
Sounds like it was an awesome event !!
And I like the Liberty Pole idea... post the pix!!
Congratulations to all!

Coop

BTW, Miller -- did you use all 5000 rds?

Modified to harass Miller

Miller · October 17, 2011, 05:30:53 PM

Don't forget me for the orange hat as well.

Made Rifleman, not by a wide margin, but made it and early enough in the afternoon that I didn't have to break out the glowsticks, flashlight, and reserve ammo supply. I'm sure Dave was relieved by that. And having crossed that hump and tweaked a couple of little things I was doing I'm confident that my scores will keep going up.

Thanks to Alex and Vic for starting me off down in Montrose back in July, Whisker and Cooper for their work at Dubuque's inaugural shoot last month to get me well squared away, and Mark, Vic (again), Alex (again), and Kyle (again) for the final polish this weekend to get me to that patch. And thanks to all the orange hats this weekend for helping spot those little tweaks I needed to break through.

Congrats to Dave for the new red hat and thanks for giving me the nudge to finally make a mod to my stock that I'd been considering since Dubuque. It's amazing the difference an 1/8" of comb can make.

Both my prior 'seeds had been small affairs of a dozen shooters with fewer than that even on Sundays. Having forty rifles on the line made for a very different, and very enjoyable, experience. Appleseed really is more fun with a crowd.

One great thing about my path to getting the patch that strikes me is the places I've gotten to see because of it. I've driven through some beautiful bits of our great state and visited some great little towns that I probably wouldn't have seen if it weren't for Appleseed. I've spent glorious fall days in in the middle of Madison county's famous covered bridges, driven through the hills as dawn's pink glow first lit up the fall colors around Dubuque, and looked out over the mighty Mississippi at Illinois' lush green bluffs as I left Tri-State Gun Club down in Montrose. It might sound sappy but I've enjoyed seeing my state just as much as I've enjoyed the history and the shooting. And having taken on an orange hat I'm excited about seeing more of it. I'll have to hit Decorah and Shenandoah next year and maybe carve out more than just a weekend for my trips. And knowing the story of April 19th better makes me want to go out East and take a look for myself. Getting the patch wasn't a destination like I first thought. It's just the ticket for the trip.

Now I just need a coat to stitch that patch on to....
And an RWVA oval...
And need the Rifleman rocker...
And a boot camp would be a worth while vacation so there's a rocker...
And if Waterman, Ill. does another 300...
Hmmm... I'm gonna need some more ammo.

Miller · October 17, 2011, 05:37:28 PM

Quote from: Cooper on October 17, 2011, 04:59:35 PM

BTW, Miller -- did you use all 5000 rds?

Nah... Only burned through about 650.
I actually didn't pack in 5000...
Packed in 6000.

I made the mistake of stopping at Farm & Fleet on the way out of town Friday afternoon and couldn't leave with a clear conscience if I didn't grab more ammo.

cavscouty · October 17, 2011, 05:42:03 PM

I had an awesome time. To all the "hats" thanks for the help and I'll be shooting more of these.

Jack

Sisu! · October 17, 2011, 05:49:36 PM

It was a great time! It was really encouraging to see such a good turnout and everyone made great progress over the weekend.

By the way, we didnt hear who won the second TV shoot??? hmmm...

Miller · October 17, 2011, 05:59:20 PM

Quote from: IAfinn on October 17, 2011, 05:49:36 PM

By the way, we didnt hear who won the second TV shoot??? hmmm...

Yeah.....
Funny that....
I've still got both the tvs that Matti, Chase, and I perfed.
That first one was just gone.
Mind you... I think between the three of us we put well over two boxes of ammo into it.

Might have fudged our steady hold factors a teensy little bit...

Yankeedutch · October 17, 2011, 08:05:07 PM

What a great weekend!!
Congrats to all those free Americans that got a good taste of their heritage.

Here are some pictures.

Enjoy,

Dutch

Yankeedutch · October 17, 2011, 08:09:01 PM

More pictures:

Yankeedutch · October 17, 2011, 08:23:05 PM

The Appleseed Liberty Pole tradition is started.

Was it Alex or Whisker that came up with this?

I posted this here... hopefully this will become a national tradition.

http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25697.0

What do you think Cooper?

Dutch

Miller · October 17, 2011, 08:43:09 PM

Loved the Liberty Pole.
Actually stopped by Home Despot on the way home this afternoon and wandered around looking for ways to make it easily set up, torn down, and transportable.
I'm thinking a couple of five or six foot lengths of hand rail. Bore holes in one end of each and hammer a t-nut into each. A short length of threaded rod joins the sections which can then be easily lashed or zip tied to a fence post. The flat side of the rail will mate up to a standard fence post nicely and the wood will take staples well. The top of the upper section can be rigged with an eye bolt so the whole assembly can be guyed out if it gets windy.

Just my thoughts so far. I might just have to knock a prototype together from some scraps I have in the garage to see if it'll work as well as I think it should.

Cooper · October 17, 2011, 10:02:41 PM

Quote from: Miller on October 17, 2011, 05:30:53 PM
Don't forget me for the orange hat as well.

Congratulations!!

Quote from: Miller on October 17, 2011, 05:30:53 PM
Congrats to Dave for the new red hat and thanks for giving me the nudge to finally make a mod to my stock that I'd been considering since Dubuque. It's amazing the difference an 1/8" of comb can make.

Ya, dats duh stuf dat instructors are made of, eh? Dat liddle extra bit a knowing.

Quote from: Miller on October 17, 2011, 05:30:53 PM
One great thing about my path to getting the patch that strikes me is the places I've gotten to see because of it. I've driven through some beautiful bits of our great state and visited some great little towns that I probably wouldn't have seen if it weren't for Appleseed. ... And knowing the story of April 19th better makes me want to go out East and take a look for myself. Getting the patch wasn't a destination like I first thought. It's just the ticket for the trip.

You have seen the light, and are truly an awakened American now! I have been blessed to see the little towns of ten states thus far in the service of Project Appleseed, and the people all have the same great American Spirit that just needs a little encouragement to bloom...

Quote from: Miller on October 17, 2011, 05:30:53 PM
Now I just need a coat to stitch that patch on to....And an RWVA oval...And need the Rifleman rocker...And a boot camp would be a worth while vacation so there's a rocker...And if Waterman, Ill. does another 300...Hmmm... I'm gonna need some more ammo.

Careful, now! Don't become an Appleseed Fashion junkie!!
But you're right about the ammo, and soon it will be surplus 30.06 for your CMP M1 Garand or .308 for your M1A. Real rifles at real distances can be addicting, and beneficial for our Nation. Just sayin'.

Coop

Miller · October 17, 2011, 10:20:37 PM

C'mon Coop...
You're talking to an original gear-ho here. You know I'm going to dress the part. Besides, I've got front the colors for my new homies.

And as for the center fire...
I've got less than a thousand rounds of surplus M2 ball for the Garand right now. I need to get some boxes moving from the CMP.

And I'm thinking something in a 20" AR might be my winter bench project. Might not be a National Match level build but I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to build a Rifleman's AR.

Cooper · October 17, 2011, 10:59:49 PM

Miller:
It has nothing to do with the barrel length, its the cartridge itself, which is why deployed soldiers have complained for a decades about their lack of stopping power with their M16/M4 rifles:

6 Marine recruits with AR15's and 1 "alarm lister" with an M1 Garand took on 1/4" steel: the 5.56mm rounds of the "modern rifle" left 2mm dimples and a splash, the 30.06 "old-timer" did just a bit more as you can see...

Miller · October 17, 2011, 11:10:32 PM

Oh, I hold no illusions regarding the effectiveness of the .223/5.56 vs. the .30s.
But at the same time a .223 will provide enough ompf to get out to 500 yards with good feedback, less recoil, and a little cheaper than the "dangerous old men" of .30 cal.

I still plan to run my M1 out to 500 (and dare I hope...beyond?) but I figure an AR would be a nice intermediate between my 25 meter LTR and the M1.

Alex · October 18, 2011, 03:48:15 AM

What a great shoot! I am glad that I got to be a part of it. Wonderful shooters, decent weather, and a fine group of instructors. Thank you to all those who were there, those who picked up an orange hat, and those who are going to go forward and spread the Appleseed message. I hope to see you on the trail again soon.

Alex

PS
CMP Garands for $500 and only 33 cents a round. Plus that CMP ammo comes on en blocks in bandoliers. Also it is much gentler than you would think, and it works at much farther than 500 yards. Just some food for thought when doing comparison shopping.

Whisker · October 18, 2011, 01:14:21 PM

Quote from: Yankeedutch on October 17, 2011, 08:23:05 PM
The Appleseed Liberty Pole tradition is started.

Was it Alex or Whisker that came up with this?

Well.. the liberty pole was an accident. I tried to construct a flag pole out of a board. Alex asked, "what's that?" I answered without any thought, "why, it's our liberty pole."

If he didn't ask, we wouldn't have a liberty pole today.

Alex · October 18, 2011, 05:42:46 PM

I am glad Whisker decided to improvise, adapt, overcome, and fashion what started out as a flagpole. What a happy accident it was. We have been working Appleseeds for four+ years now and the idea finally comes to us

Anyway I think we may still be ahead of the curve on this one, and it is a great idea either way.

Miller · October 18, 2011, 06:01:34 PM

I'm puttering about with some bits of lumber in the garage trying to figure out a cheap and simple version that can be stuffed in a trunk. I figure if I can come up with something for under thirty bucks that's stable enough I'll post the parts list and instructions. Then there would be no reason for them to not be at every shoot.

Bettendorf · October 18, 2011, 06:12:21 PM

Speaking of all this talk about M1's, 30.06, and long range targets, is there anything else going on this year in Iowa? I'm new to Iowa as of last May and I'm looking to get into shooting CMP matches and the like. I have rifles and ammo.

Also, thanks for putting this shoot on last weekend!

loves2hunt59 · October 18, 2011, 10:09:26 PM

As of right now only Shenandoah Nov 5-6 is on the schedule for now

Nero · October 19, 2011, 01:13:29 PM

Quote from: Miller on October 18, 2011, 06:01:34 PM
I'm puttering about with some bits of lumber in the garage trying to figure out a cheap and simple version that can be stuffed in a trunk. I figure if I can come up with something for under thirty bucks that's stable enough I'll post the parts list and instructions. Then there would be no reason for them to not be at every shoot.

I've been wanting to make a Liberty Pole for our shoots in the Bay Area for some time now, but hadn't come up with any design that would be both portable and sturdy enough to hold a flag in the wind. Seeing the board-type design and the use for tacking up AQTs has got the mental gears turning again.

Will be watching to see what you come up with - if you get a winner be sure to post in the instructor areas as well as the AARs!

Whisker · October 19, 2011, 01:46:06 PM

From experience, the liberty pole construction goes as follows:

1. Drive a fence post into the ground.
2. Staple flags of your choice to a 1x6, approximately 30feet in length
3. Place the 1x6 parallel to fence post
4. Lash 1x6 to fence post
5. Decorate with notices of liberty

PS, I recommend tying the elongated 1x6 to the top of your car for transport.

Alex · October 19, 2011, 04:00:45 PM

I suspect the easiest way to have a liberty pole at a shoot is to have the pole at the range and not try to transport it. The one at Winterset was already there. I am going to ask the BOTG for future shoots to try and have something for us to use. That would be much simpler than trying to transport something like that.

mac3647 · October 21, 2011, 07:29:36 AM

Exciting to see all the positive comments. Liberty Pole......hmmmm now I have another winter project for the range.

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Winterset, IA / October 15-16