Pelham, NH March 9-10, 2013

[Luigi]

Well it was ALMOST a Winterseed!  We arrived @ 0700 on Saturday to find 10+ inches of new snow on the ground - and in the parking lot!  Thanks to Pelham Fish & Game's caretaker Richard, the parking lot got dug out in time for the shooters' arrival and as a bonus, so did the firing line area.   By 0900 the combination of cloudless sun and climbing temperatures began to have an effect - coats and sweaters started leaving their owners for nearby tables, and by late moring some shooters were in short sleeves; I think Spring kicked in unofficially at around 1000!  Those hoping to earn the coveted Winterseed patch instead had to "settle" for the equally coveted Rifleman patch.  Given New England weather, you never know what might happen in April, though!
   Sixteen shooters arrived on Saturday ready to go, and proceeded to absorb our instruction and demos with full attention.  Paper was shot through, starting with the morning Redcoat.  Sights were adjusted, and position, the six steps, and NPOAs were practiceed.  By lunch everyone was famished, so we repaired to the clubhouse where the Boy Scouts served a great hot meal and we got to hear the history of April 19th. 
  In the PM we focused our attention on the AQTs.  Drills like Ball & Dummy and Happy Finger honed our skills and gave shooters an introduction to the role of instruction (we are ALWAYS looking for new instructors, did we mention that?).  The perfect practice paid off: by the end of the day we had 3 Riflemen, and a HUGE improvement (like 2-3X+) in the Redcoat results.  By 4ish everyone had had enough so we had benediction, awarded patches, and packed up for the day.  Sunday had 5 returning and 2 new shooters.  We made one more rifleman that morning, then went in for lunch.  The Boy Scouts had another great meal for us, which we ate while admiring the military vehicle collectors show going on in the clubhouse.
   After a KD lecture, we got to shoot at the 100 / 200 yard range, demonstrating that the fundamentals do apply at distance, even for the .22LR!
  You were a great group of shooters - it was a pleasure meeting and instructing you!  We hope you liked what you experienced, and return with a friend (or two).  We are at Pelham NH and at Holderness NH on April 20-21.  Our greatest marketing is from shooters who spread the word.   Thank you for choosing Appleseed.

[Luigi]

here are some pics

[Luigi]

pics part 2