Kingman, AZ - April 21-22, 2012

[azmule]

The 7 Mile Hill Range in Kingman has become a favorite of mine in spite of the travel distance from my home in Tucson; and this Patriot's Day weekend, the weather was even better than I'd ever seen it, staying in the mid 80s to mid 90s both days, with the famous Kingman wind even cutting us a break and kicking up only occasionally on Sunday.

Donna and Randy (a very cool couple that I really enjoyed meeting), had the line and two instructors to themselves all weekend - unfortunately, I was experiencing a flare-up of an old knee problem that was placing some physical limitations on what I could do; fortunately, the admirably capable Colton (slinged_in) stepped up to handle the lion's-share of this shoot, with me assisting where I could.  Shoot Boss will be a small and easy step for him to make when he feels ready.

After introductions, a quick overview of Appleseed, our goals for the weekend and beyond, and a safety briefing, rifles were brought to the line and we got to work.  Donna and Randy, both avid shooters, started from a good place and still showed continuous improvement throughout the weekend.  This being our annual Patriot's Day shoot, in addition to break-time discussions of the history of April 19, 1775, we paused from marksmanship instruction at 1PM (Daylight Savings Time?  No thanks - Arizona has enough daylight!) to join in with fellow Appleseeders all over the country to honor with a nationwide memorial volley those brave folks that answered the call on a chilly April morning so that we might enjoy and maintain the freedom that we do today.

As the weekend progressed, Donna's new LTR began to act up and present her with the opportunity to practice clearing various types of mechanical failures, though frustrating as that can be, she persevered!  And though the Rifleman patch stayed just out of reach this weekend, I have no doubt that we'll be seeing them both earning that distinction soon!

[Woof Doc]

Thanks for the kind words and your help!!   Donna and I had a great time and you both were super!

Also, while cleaning rifles Sunday night, I figured out why my shooting was not getting better Sunday.  The Tech-Sight (rear sight) screw became stripped from the mount and the sight was floating back and forth with recoil.  That's why I need to "Know My Rifle"!!

R&D

[azmule]

Ouch!  I've had sights loosen up a time or two myself - I should've thought to check, but your groups were still fairly tight, usually when that happens they go everywhere.

This weekend was a lot of fun, hope to see you two again!  Next time you come out bring your centerfires.  One of the best things about 7 Mile Hill is that wonderful 1,000yd Known Distance range.