Alaskan WindySeed: Chugiak AK Oct 20,21 2012

[ItsanSKS]

From the moment I walked out of my house in the early morning twilight of October 20, I had no way of knowing that I was about to face the most challenging Appleseed event that I have experienced.  In the course of four years of Appleseeding, I've seen quite a bit- torrential downpours, blast-furnace heat, oppressive insect invasions, and much, much more.  Nothing learned from those events could prepare me for the Great WindySeed of 2012. 

26 brave souls, including 7 instructors, gathered together at Birchwood Recreation & Shooting Park (BRSP) to learn fundamental marksmanship skills, and to hear about the events of April 19th, 1775.

Everyone who was present for this Appleseed event will remember it forever.

Instructors: ItsanSKS, Josh Holloway, Vaquero, taka22,,biathlongal.ak, Grey Bird, and fisherdawg

The event began as all other Appleseed events do; an introduction to who we are, what we do, and why we do it.  Followed promptly by a safety briefing, in which our students are taught the Four Safety Rules, and how to safely handle a rifle.  After this briefing our students were released to bring their rifles to the line. 

With the rifles inspected for safe condition, (Magazine Out, Bolt Back, Safety On, Chamber Flag In, Rifle Grounded, Nobody Touching) our students were assigned target numbers and posted up their first target of the weekend- the Hits Count! target, affectionately known as the Redcoats. 

The Redcoat target is used as an evaluation target.  When posted at 25m, this target features four silhouettes representing targets at 100 through 400 yards, as well as a *really* small target that represents a shingle at 250 yards.  The Redcoat gives an accurate diagnosis of how effective someone is with a rifle.  Asked to engage this target without the benefit of any instruction whatsoever, the Saturday morning Redcoat gives the instructors a baseline from which to gauge progress throughout the weekend.   

The baseline had been set pretty low; barely half of our students could consistently engage targets at a minimum of 100 yards.  We instructors had our work cut out for us, to say the least.  We were determined to show our students the path to becoming a Rifleman; to learn how to master their rifles, to consistently engage a 20" target at 500 yards- the traditional Rifleman's Quarter Mile. 

The instruction began a furious pace, covering the use of a sling to stabilize the rifle, the steady hold factors for the prone position, how to achieve Natural Point of Aim, and how to fire a rifle using Rifleman's Cadence. 

As the instruction began to soak in, the groups began to shrink.  Those who were, just a few hours before, barely able to keep their groups on backer, were now perilously close to achieving the 4 Minute of Angle standard.

Then something happened that would change the course of the weekend.  A NE wind began to howl, battering us with a steady 25mph wind that gusted to a recorded high of 36mph.  Target backers snapped in half; shooting mats took flight, scattering safe rifles across the range.  Anything not secured disappeared in a heartbeat.  As visibility plummeted, so did the temperatures.  Blowing dust made speaking impossible; dust, sand, grit and debris found happy homes within the actions of our safed rifles, and elsewhere.  Fingers and feet became numb with the briefest of exposure, despite the number of propane-fired space heaters present on the line.

With there being no sign of an end to the wind in sight, it was decided that the show must go on!  Modifications to our target line were made, and I made a decision to focus on prone and sitting positions for the rest of the day.  Some strong progress was made, though we were unable to test our students against the Appleseed Qualification Test. 

While the weather presented challenges unlike any I've ever faced, the students and instructors both pooled together their resources and met those hardships head on, working together to make the best of a tough situation.  I am proud to be associated with you fine folks, and will always look back on this event with a certain fondness.

As Saturday drew to a close, students packed away their rifles and gear, shaking sand from from every conceivable crevice.  Each student was reminded to thoroughly clean their rifles, as failure to do so would mean near constant malfunctions the next day.   


I'll allow one of my fellow instructors to recap the events of Sunday, October 21st.


I would like to extend the sincerest of thanks to the staff of BSRP; your assistance in dealing with both the wind and cold went above and beyond. 

-ItsanSKS

[fisherdawg]

Here's a photo of the dust storm blowing in at about 11:00 am on Saturday Oct 20th, 2012.  The air temp was about 20 degrees, so I don't even want to think about the Wind Chill!
That's Gray Bird and my son David trying to relight the propane heater that just blew out!
fisherdawg

[fisherdawg]

Sunday morning dawned bright and cold with the mercury pegged at 17° F.  The instructor cadre of Itsansks, Josh Holloway, AKMan, Vaquero, Taka 222, Gray Bird and fisherdawg welcomed back 9 hardy souls and one new shooter to the line for the second day of the best in Rifle Marksmanship and American Heritage.  Our returnees included the very hardy Olsen family including father Tom, mother Michelle, daughter Alyssa and son Karl.  Also returning were Kevin & Rebecca, Christie, Britney(one of the most quietly determined young shooters you'll find anywhere -- the spirit of William Diamond lives on!), Sharon and newcomer Jerilyn.  This all on a morning that found 2 inches of solid, clear ice in the water bucket by 10:00 am!  WinterSeed, indeed.

The wind did NOT return, much to our good fortune!  We set the firing line as close to the berm as possible just in case, though.  We opened with our Hits Count - Red Coat Target and proceeded into a review Saturday's Points of Instruction followed by intensive courses of fire.  AKMan was able to provide one on one instruction to Jerilyn who was a quite new rifle shooter.  The Ball & Dummy drill was particularly instructive.  We had good shooter to shooter instruction and were additionally aided by the high ratio of IT's to shooters:
•   Tom found out about the importance of a consistent cheek weld.  A field expedient   modification to build up the stock of his rifle immediately lead to much improved groups.
•   Rebecca found her groups improved immediately after her 'dancing' target finger was identified and she began to shoot with improved Follow Through.
•   Michelle was able to identify that Karl had a bit of a flinch.  Ball & Dummy helped him overcome that malady.
•   Other shooters learned not to 'slap' the trigger, but rather to Squeeeeze the Trigger

Since the wind remained absent, we were able to instruct the Standing Position and then proceed to AQT's.  The waning energy of our shooters that had been used to ward off the cold suddenly revived when they realized the AQT's were to be shot for score.  The competitive spirit between Alyssa and younger brother Karl was immediately apparent and brought smiles to the faces of the Line Boss and IT's.  Britney also displayed a new found interest in the use of the sling!  Although the AQT's ended without any shooter reaching a Rifleman's score, the improved shooting was quite apparent.  For example, Sharon, upon swapping from a 10/22 with factory sights to one with Tech Aperture sight shot 3 of 5 on a NPOA transition drill and her group size dropped into the 1.5" range in prone.  Some consistent dry -fire work with these GI style sights and a Rifleman's score is sure to follow.

Alyssa's progress was also very impressive in spite of the cold.  Her last AQT was very promising through Stages 1 through 3, but intense shivering in Stage 4 was simply too much!  On our final Red Coat she cleaned 100, 200, 300 and the Head Shot with2 on at 400 with only a slight flier by one quarter inch!  Very impressive for a new shooter in conditions more reminiscent of Valley Forge than typical Appleseeds.  Tom, who had just been instructed on how to shoot from the standing position on Sunday, showed that he could easily apply what he'd learned and shot a Stage one score of 46. 

We did not note any Safety Issues and all the shooters seemed to enjoy a Second Strike of the Match by fisherdawg at Lunch, the Third Strike by Itsansks in the afternoon as well as some Dangerous Old Men.  The Patriot spirit thrives here in Chugiak!
fisherdawg
Gray Bird

[connibear]

Wow, sounds like a challenging shoot, and good to know the shoot went on despite the wind, dust, and cold. Everyone needs to keep practicing and get their groups tighter, and you'll get your patch before you know it. Keep up the good shooting.