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Columbia, ME April 20/21, 2013

Started by The Old Guide, April 22, 2013, 12:23:56 PM

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The Old Guide

Saturday  began with a typical April howling 40 MPH gale and a driving rain, but all sixteen registered shooters showed up.  Pleasant River Fish and Game has a great facility and we began in a warm clubhouse with a salute to our flag, welcome, safety brief and safe rifle. Radar on my iPad showed the trailing edge of heavy rain was not far west of us and moving east fast so we had North Country Lady do the First Strike then and there. The shooters were rapt in their attention.

Boreas, club president and Orange Hat had made a stronger set of target frames that would not blow over. Hey, it happened twice in prior years. We had about a dozen novices, four experienced shooters and quite a variety of rifles including an ancient Marlin lever action .22 and a Winchester bolt action .22 with the longest .22 barrel I have ever seen. We covered the safety rules again at the line. On the morning Redcoat target we had eight 100 yard shooters and two shooters did not hit the paper. One of those shooters with a borrowed rifle had the rear sight obscured by a scope mount rail which was removed to be able to get sight alignment. Our work began. I was very pleased to have three experienced Orange Hats including Larry, Brian and Robin. It took a while to get all rifles dialed in.

As the shooters settled in and realized the benefits of our steady hold factors, groups shrank. I like the talking targets and this eager group of shooters embraced them. The rain slowed to showers, but the wind didn't die down. Despite the conditions we Got our first Rifleman when Durand fired a 224.

At lunch, provided by the club, we covered Strikes 2 and 3. Some shooters were amazed at the details and the names, and became emotional over it. From the clubhouse at Columbia falls we look out toward a large field hundreds of yards away with a meetinghouse on top. We look down on the Pleasant River with a bridge. What a place to tell the story! I have the shooters picture companies of militia running across that ridge as the Redcoats saw them. I point out both sides of the bridge across the river and the confrontation that occurred back then. The Story comes alive.

We had shooters from age 10 to about 70 including two lady shooters. Everybody improved. Everybody was encouraged. We don't do Talking Targets as a passing topic. We used them after nearly every stage. There was a magazine shortage. We could fire 2&8, but could not manage rapid fire AQTs. Shooters continued to improve with a few knocking on the door of Rifleman.

The Memorial Volley went off precisely on schedule and for the 14th name I called "James Wall, Aim, Fire!" James Wall was my door gunner in Vietnam. He died the week after I left. The last Redcoat of the day showed significant improvement including five head shots. It was April 20 and at the Saturday Benediction I quoted From John Adams' letter to his wife Abigail about liberty and posterity after John had walked Battle Road the day after the battle.

Sunday dawned with calm winds, 21 degrees, a hard frost at the range and one of our dark blue Maine skies. All scheduled shooters showed up. We lost a one day shooter and gained another one day shooter, a novice. We had enthusiastic shooters showing progress with improved Redcoat targets. Before noon we had a second Rifleman. Tim fired a 228. Here in Maine we douse the patch with Concord River water that has actually flowed under Concord Bridge. At Lunch, North Country Lady did "The Women of 1775". The two women shooters were crying.

The weather warmed up to 45 degrees in the afternoon and it was dry The wind was cold, but our shooters persevered. Scores improved and at the last AQT of the day our novice one day shooter, Rick, with a very old Winchester tube rifle fired a 212 to  make Rifleman.

This was a fine Appleseed weekend, despite the weather, with dedicated shooters. We have one potential Orange Hat for his next Appleseed and others will be back with friends and relatives.

Columbia, Maine, is the furthest east and may be the furthest north Appleseed Range in the lower 48. We are a long way up the road. Nobody signed up for Shoot Boss, so after consultation, the Powers that Be gave the only active Red Hat in Maine special dispensation to fill that role. I had a great team of Orange Hats and all concerned were pleased. Comments invited.

Our history is not a list of dates and places. It is a dynamic adventure of freedom and individual courage.

Crak's IBC, August 2010.
Fred's AIBC, April 2011
kDan's IBC, March 2012
Northeast SC Confab, Feb. 13

TOMINCT

 Looks like a great shoot, first time in a while that I've missed one in Maine.

The weather always seems to keep it interesting up there, for sure! Congratulations for the effort and results that you obtained. Tominct
crak's battle road IBC 10-09
Ramseur 2-12!
ninsho's battle road IBC 6-13

Boreas

The Old Guide covered things very well. As always, he and North Country Lady knocked the strikes right out of the ballpark (that sounds odd... ;-)) , they tell the story in a way that gets the rapt attention of all. The weather... typical Pleasant River spring shoot, wet from above, wet from below, wind, etc. It was evident early on that Durand and Tim were Rifleman bound. I was very impressed with Tim's shooting. He shot a 208 Saturday afternoon after a stoppage left him seven rounds short! WOW! I had him and Durand on my end of the line as well as Nick and Jacob, a couple of very well behaved young men who had the spirit but didn't quite pull it off. It was fun as always, a big thanks to The Old Guide, his first time as Shoot Boss and he did a wonderful job. Hopefully, it won't be his last and we can get Maine independent and have more shoots! Although you're always more than welcome Tom!

The Old Guide

That reminds me: Nick had a loose scope. The scope rings were held to the rail or base with square screws and the scope rings moved on the base. There was no way to tighten them so I took two layers of paper from a used squares target and put the home made shim between the base and scope rings. That made the sights immovable and his groups tightened right up.

Meet the need. I advised him to get a new base because that was the cheapest potential repair. The next cheapest would be to get a set of rings and a base or rail from the same manufacturer and country of origin. Nuff said about that.
Our history is not a list of dates and places. It is a dynamic adventure of freedom and individual courage.

Crak's IBC, August 2010.
Fred's AIBC, April 2011
kDan's IBC, March 2012
Northeast SC Confab, Feb. 13

Josey Wales


..Great Job way up there in Maine..  Yes it is quit the trip & Maine is a very special place in our Country.  I am so glad The Old Guide was able to keep this Appleseed thing alive in the rural Northeast, yes a proud member of Team Northeast in deed.  Thanks to the range and the Orange Hats for believing in the program.  Thank you to the patrons who took the time to spend at a Project Appleseed event, we need you all.  Our Liberty life line stretches far and wide and you Columbia Maine are a testament of that life line.. God Bless..

.......Strength & Honor..............Josey Wales....................
..to hell with them fellows, buzzards gotta eat same as worms..