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Rocky Creek Ranch July 14-15

Started by alkeford, July 16, 2012, 09:36:28 AM

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alkeford

   What a great weekend. These fine patriots showed up for this one with a teachable attitude. we came out with 3 Rifleman,3 on the bubble and the rest showed 100% improvement. Thru the Heat,Heavy Downpours and frustration these patriots showed they know very much what they are about. My cadre working this event showed me that no matter what presents itself we can overcome and move forward. I am proud to say I was a part of this event.

Thank you all for your service

P.S. RamboGranny shows an impressive display of tru cheek weld

Esse Quam Videri (To be rather than seem to be)
Powder With My Brother Ball Most Hero Like Doth Conquer All,
Tomet Nosce
The Suda, a tenth century encyclopedia of Greek Knowledge, says: "the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are,"and that "know thyself" is a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.

stoneknives

What can I say about this the Appleseed Sunday except it was an amazing day at the Rocky Creek Ranch.

After a stress full week at home and work, plus feeling a little guilty for missing church I left for Rocky Creek. I got lost, arrived on the line late,  grabbed the wrong rifle,  and plopped on the line with a brain definitely not centered for shooting. This was proven by a lousy AQT's of 165 and  167 , my worst ever.

Then the Appleseed started to work its magic. Meeting the infamous Rambo Granny, and  listening to the stories of Dangerous Men and Women, for the first time. (I've shot 6 Saturdays but never a Sunday) Talking with the Rick rest of the dedicated  RO's and the good folks shooting on the line with me, watching Archie receive his well deserved RED HAT.  Then riddling his old orange hat (that cluster on the bill over the left eye is mine)

Topped off by witnessing a incredible demonstration of shooting by Bruce, which ranked up with when I watched a demo by Miculek speed shooting. Get this he was in Demonstration mode for us and shot a  FAST AQT, just a tick over 3 minutes and a score of 244. Man that's shooting.

After all that who cares that it was as hot a Satan's toenails, how could anyone not be pumped to be there and do their best work. I then cranked off a respectable 206 AQT and then the one I'm most proud of a 198 AQT.

A  198 you ask, yup, imagine laying in a 3 inch puddle of cold water, in a tropical downpour,  gusty wind causing water to cascade a few gallons on you at random.  The whole bottom row was shot purely on Zen and NPOA, because all I could see out of my scope was tiny smeared blobs.

Like I said Amazing Day.
"When men's rules are Honorable and Just I will follow them. When I find the laws tolerable, I will tolerate them. When I find the rules obnoxious, I will ignore them. When I find evil imposed or codified, I will War against it. My Lord has made it known and understood to me that to accept the gift of freedom I will alone bear the full responsibility everything I do, or chose not to do." I .......    "This is Appleseed. We are here to restore the Republic. Tyrants, major or petty, need not apply."  I .......

"I stand with the mission, Sir" PHenry

Sly223

This weekend even though Mother Nature threw a good game Appleseed prevailed,
We had a heat index of 141 on Sat. and only 115 on Sunday. We were Rain free until 3:30pm and it started pouring sideways dropped approx.4 inches in 1 hr.
Then the lightening shut the event down. The fine Patriots,that graced our presence,were eager to drive on no matter what.They even all stayed to help leave the Range better than we found it. This involved breaking down the canopies and target line and digging brass out of the mud and submersed in 2 inches of water.
We had some amazing things happen,First and foremost our Posterity,Ivee 11yrs.old very little experience and really pretty uneasy around things that make loud noises,like Shoot bosses and Instructors,let alone a Rifle, this amazing Little girl weathered the heat and storms and Shot a whoppin'140 on the AQT.Not to be out done 12 yr.old Zack showed up Sunday after being violently ill Saturday,persevered and shot an Amazing 171.
We had two men join us and show they were true Americans who knew well what they were about Jeff R.came to us with a very  obvious knowledge of a lot of different types of marksmanship principles in his bag. To engage a target from 100 to 500yrs,we explained the principles are a little different when he realized this a light came on and the next AQT he popped a 223,Great number!
We also found that the Father to the lil' girl, brought a teachable attitude and with his tube fed rifle scored a 212,Great job Ken,Huzzah!
Rambo Granny came out in disguise as a shooter, and persevered all weekend and shot a whoppin'232,Earned an inferno patch, after that she broke out the orange hat and tended to the feminine element,she helped Gina,creep up to a 181!
I have to pause for now,WAIT I ALMOST FORGOT,THERE WAS AN ON THE SPOT FEILD PROMOTIN AT 11:20,ALKEFORD WAS PROMOTED to Red Hat this man gives the meaning to the word fast trackin' neither of the Shoot Bosses present has ever known this to have happened,However we also agreed that we had never had an iit with such passion, and he already possessed a lto of knowledge so as soon as he met the criteria we stopped and did this as we agreed there was no one more deserving of this kind of Honor!Huzzah!,Huzzah!
By the way 9mm4545 also came in disguise a a Redhat Demoed a live fire rapid AQT with me over him telling the students every little detail of what was happening as he was performing and perform he did in 3min.1 sec. he scored a 244,and totally blew the first shot, a flier on stage one that did not register!Huzzah!, Huzzah!, Huzzah!
I have so much more to share but, will do so a little later.
Thank you To Cris Badden,CEO of RCR, great host and venue,Also to the cadre, and last but not least the incredible Amercans that Blessed us, with a never say die attitude. To all of you I feel you made our forfathers proud!
"Smoakin'2" IBC11/12
"Plattka 3-12"(IBC)FL
What have you done for this program lately?
IBC-Tampa 8,'10
RBC-"Myakka12'10"RCR
C-1, Do-1, Teach many!
"Run all you want, you'll just die tired"!
There is U.S. & there is Dems!

alkeford

        HUZZAAAAAA  :---
Esse Quam Videri (To be rather than seem to be)
Powder With My Brother Ball Most Hero Like Doth Conquer All,
Tomet Nosce
The Suda, a tenth century encyclopedia of Greek Knowledge, says: "the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are,"and that "know thyself" is a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.

Some Guy

It was miserable hot Saturday  - and rained like the dickens on Sunday afternoon. The drive was over an hour from home and I woke up not feeling great and stressed from work. My son had puked all over the place just hours before I was to leave for the Saturday morning start. Wife was dealing with a kitchen that requires almost $15,000 to fix the water damage (do you know how many M1 Garand's that would buy?!?!?!?!). All of those would be excuses not to show up - but not this weekend.

My 3rd Appleseed event started with a new rifle I was trying to build up. I like the way it shoots and after a few squares to zero it in - I was in business.

I will say - the shooting is great but I have always been more amazed with the history that is taught and learned by all. And it's not like they're working from a script (well I am sure they are) but these are people who truly have a passion for what they are doing.

We started the day with the redcoats. Sat. morning - I don't think I had 3 hits anywhere. Not too damaging to the ego since I hadn't sighted in the rifle yet and knew there were adjustments to be made. By the end of the day - and for the first time at AS -  I had all 3 shots in the 400 redcoat... and my Sunday morning redcoat target was cleared. And that included a cold-bore headshot for the first shot.

My top AQT score for the day was a 207. 207...Yes - 3 points away from rifleman. So close -yet so far away. Especially when you only got off 8 shots in the second round of the AQT. But enough with the excuses - this means I will be working harder on stage 2 to ensure I get my NPOA more quickly. I have set a personal goal to earn the rifleman patch this year - and though it may not be the infernoseed - I will have earned it soon enough. Thanks to all involved as this was truly a memorable weekend.

My son, Zach, had not broken 100 on the AQT in his previous attempts. This time we made sure his rifle had a sling and had no issues before showing up. Yes - he was the aforementioned son who was puking on Saturday, but was feeling well enough to show up Sunday.  This time - we brought his rifle equipped with a sling and most importantly teachable attitudes and he was able to score a 171.

What did I learn? Well anyone can shoot in a nice air conditioned range. But it takes the spirit of a rifleman to shoot under adversity.  And unlike our forefathers, our targets were not shooting back.
Journey to Rifleman
____________________________
12/11 - Myakka Gun Range - 121
2/12 -Rocky Creek Ranch - 200
7/12- Rocky Creek Ranch - 207

Serbonze

I wish that I could have stayed for both days, but life sometimes takes precedence over fun.  Did I really just say that a heat index of 141 is fun?  Well, it was.  It was a struggle at first to shed my previously learned dynamic shooting positions and adapt to the precision shooting positions of Appleseed.  I believe that Rick pointed out that I was employing a "hybrid" shooting stance during one course of fire.  ;D  Sorry Rick, and thank you for the correction.   

I really want to thank you all (fellow shooters included) for making Appleseed such a wonderful day of learning and camaraderie.  Without the hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm of the instructors and shooters, I don't see how these marksmanship clinics could be done.  I am so proud of the way the instructors work with each student, regardless of prior training or ability, to tweak techniques and drive shooters to score personal bests on the AQT.  From a personal standpoint, I want to thank the instructors for working with me throughout the day and providing positive encouragement to see that I performed to the best of my abilities.

I plan on framing my two AQT targets and the Infernoseed patch in my office for all to see, and to hopefully question.  This will provide me an opportunity to explain what Project Appleseed is all about, and hopefully encourage more shooters to participate. 

Freewayken

"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." 

What an amazing weekend, spent with an amazing group of Americans.  I wish that every family would attend an Appleseed Event at least once a year.  I want to express my gratitude to each instructor, for making this event so memorable for my family.  Yes, the weather was brutal, but I would have had it no other way.  I learned a lot about little Ivee this weekend.  Hot brass blistered Ivee's arm, and she didn't break her NPOA.  In fact, she didn't even mention it until we had shot 2 more AQTs.  I've never seen her carry herself with such confidence.  And within a couple of hours, I felt totally comfortable with her attention to detail and command of the safety procedures.

Gina shoots a pistol well, but is  brand new to rifle.  Despite a rifle that would not digest more than 5 rounds without a FTF or FTE, a neck spasm, a heat index of over 130, and trying to learn a brand new skill at a relatively rapid pace, she not only had an amazing time, but she shot some pretty respectable scores.

A huge thank you to every instructor, you guys (and gal  :)) are absolutely amazing.  The kindness and compassion shown to Ivee was so appreciated, and the skill and knowledge that you shared with us is equally appreciated.  Thank you for lending Gina a sweet 10/22 so that she could finish out the course, and for lending Ivee the Taj Majal of tents, so that we were not all 3 crammed into my backpacking tent.  We all enjoyed the campfire talk.  And the Espresso in the morning was a life saver!  Thank you for the extra attention and instruction that Gina received there at the end when frustration and fatigue began to get the better of her.  The patience and perseverance shown by the entire cadre was truly impressive.

It was also a great group of shooters.  Mike was putting up some great scores until he ran out of ammo and his conversion didn't particularly care for that cheap white box stuff.  And Jeff is about 1 AQT away from that patch.  When I really knew that was in the presence of a special group of people is when the rain was coming down so hard, and wind gusting so severely that it was actually raining sideways and the targets could barely be seen and the shoot boss asked how many people wanted to shoot another AQT and every hand went up...Huzah!  I wish we had more time to  get to know everybody a little better.  Hopefully we'll see some of you again at another Appleseed Event, later this fall.

While I'm happy that I earned the Rifleman patch, especially shooting that tube fed rifle (next time I'll be using detachable magazines!), I'm most happy that I achieved my number one goal of the weekend.  To leave the event with Ivee having learned a love of shooting, how it relates to our heritage, and the values upon which this country was founded...and that goal was achieved, through the help of a group of Appleseed volunteers who truly, know what they are about.

Sly223

Did anyone mention it was Hot!!! :--- :~
"Smoakin'2" IBC11/12
"Plattka 3-12"(IBC)FL
What have you done for this program lately?
IBC-Tampa 8,'10
RBC-"Myakka12'10"RCR
C-1, Do-1, Teach many!
"Run all you want, you'll just die tired"!
There is U.S. & there is Dems!

alkeford

Esse Quam Videri (To be rather than seem to be)
Powder With My Brother Ball Most Hero Like Doth Conquer All,
Tomet Nosce
The Suda, a tenth century encyclopedia of Greek Knowledge, says: "the proverb is applied to those whose boasts exceed what they are,"and that "know thyself" is a warning to pay no attention to the opinion of the multitude.

9mm4545

Despite the heat, bugs, rain, long drive, and hot brass--it was totally worth it.

I try to imagine a world populated by Appleseeders and Riflemen and my mood improves and a smile creeps upon my face. I imagine people who are focused, disciplined, persistant, and who pay close attention to detail and how that might impact our society. It brings a chill and a racing of the heart. Imagine, if you will, a nation of Riflemen who have a love of liberty that knows no bounds and what that might mean for our troubled nation. Thanks to everyone for all the good times and for persisting in the fine art of rifle marksmanship. You guys rock!

BTW, I discovered a pair of boots at the pavilion after the shoot on Sunday which look remarkably like the ones Gina was wearing during the weekend. If they belong to you Gina, Chris at Rocky Creek Ranch has them and will hold them for you. They should be somewhat dry by now...
The American Constitution is remarkable for its simplicity; but can only suffice a people habitually correct in their actions, and would be utterly inadequate to the wants of a different nation.  Change the domestic habits of the Americans, their religious devotion, and their high respect for morality, and it will not be necessary to change a single letter in the Constitution in order to vary the whole form of their government. - Francis Grund 1837

rambo granny

#10
Having worked the previous HOT HUMID weekend as the usual IIT at New Smyrna where both an instructor and a student showed significant signs of heat prostration, I decided to try another HOT HUMID weekend as just one of the shooters to experience the steamy side of a Florida summer event from the students perspective. I also have to confess that earning one of the really fabulous Infernoseed patches was just too much to resist.

Whether teaching or shooting in the extreme heat, it is critical to pay attention to both fellow instructors and shooters for signs of heat exhaustion as the simmering patriot quite often is not even aware of the insidious nature of the heat. After personally consuming 10 bottles of water and Gatorade to get through the day, I still barely managed to keep dehydration at bay as my targets continued to look really fuzzy blobs somewhat fused together. The pads of the shooting jacket donned just for the COF did not dampen the shake from the heartbeat as vasodilation due to heat was prevalent.

Shooting the score on Sat with a .22 for a score of 231 and shooting it again on Sunday with an AR 15 during a rapid fire AQT for a score of 232 made me really appreciate learning marksmanship the Appleseed way. Although not my best scores, it's nice to know a decent score is possible in very challenging conditions. Mission accomplished, it was time to exchange the floppy shooters hat for the orange hat and help the instructor cadre pass on the tradition with some really fine American patriots who refused to be stopped by the boiling heat or spectacular rainstorm.

Some tips that really help in the heat to keep shooters and instructors operating safely:
*Coolers filled with ice are absolutely essential:  make ice compresses out of a kerchief for applying to the base of the neck, dip hats in the ice water to keep heads cool, add ice to water and Gatorade. The new fangled  Frogg Togg "Chilly Pads" dipped in ice water and placed over the ice compresses are the bomb.
* Pace yourself: Sit down in the shade and skip a COF if needed. Instructors may also have to take a chill break too if signs of dehydration such as headache, blurred vision, irritability, nausea, or slurred speech occur. Sometimes a little retreat to an air conditioned car may be also be necessary to relieve the symptoms. By all means, if you note either students or instructors showing signs of heat prostration, take command of the situation quickly as denial occurs quite commonly. Apply tips above and have someone keep tabs on whomever is simmering.
RBC @ IDMR 02/17, requal KD May 2017 @IDMR 49/50,
RBC IDMR 1/18: requal KD, Shingle shot & 2 MOA steel shot @ 300,
RBC IDMR 1/19: requal KD;  >100 events; Post accident>Adaptive 4 min AQT scored 5/1/22
This info block too small for ancient instructors.😉


The IMPOSSIBLE is Not always impossible when an IAO (improvise, adapt, & overcome) is applied! Add focus, creativity and stubborn to win!

Quote from a very wise man, our own amazing Scuzzy:
"Pray. But eventually you're going to have to pick up a rock." - David

Some Guy

it was so hot - even the dog was melting
Journey to Rifleman
____________________________
12/11 - Myakka Gun Range - 121
2/12 -Rocky Creek Ranch - 200
7/12- Rocky Creek Ranch - 207

Orangedotfever

"Need", has nothing to do with it!

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." John Wayne

"I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living."  John Wayne

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well armed lamb.