Gaston, SC June 1-2, 2013

[TheIronMantis]

It was a hot and sunny day in Gaston this past Saturday, and given the terrain it would have been reminiscent of what it is like to shoot on Tattooine.  Nine attendees arrived at the Mid-Carolina Rifle Club to begin/continue their path towards becoming Rifleman. 

After the morning redcoat we learned that South Carolina folks shoot better than most Texans (at least according to the stats printed on the target), but there were still lots of improvements to be made.  Throughout the morning, the three pillars of rifle marksmanship were introduced including Steady Hold Factors, Six Steps of Firing the Shot and Natural Point of Aim.  Throughout the morning we saw groups shrinking in size while concepts of Rifleman's Cadence and Talking Targets were conveyed while conducting dry fire, ball and dummy and sight carding drills. 

At Lunch, armaborealis treated us to a story called the First Strike of the Match followed by TazDevil's presentation of the Second Strike.  These talks got us thinking about how much we value liberty today compared to our ancestors and we were left feeling somewhat inadequate in comparison to the patriots of old. 

After lunch the seated and standing positions were introduced and it was emphasized that just because you change positions doesn't mean you can forget about those Six Steps or Natural Point of Aim.  During the afternoon break we heard the story of the Third Strike from Leadfarmer and we learned where the Revolutionary War actually started and where it was won.

After the break it was back out to the line to try our hands at an AQT.  Which allowed 12 year old Mark to requalify as a rifleman.  Not to be outdone by his little brother, Blake brought everything together from his passed 'seeds along with some practice at home and produced a 215 on the AQT thus earning him a Rifleman patch.

After the AQT we learned about the 7th step of firing the shot, and what our responsibilities are to maintain the liberty that was fought so hard for over 200 years ago.  We were told to take care of ourselves and our rifles and were dismissed for the day.

Sunday, five shooters were able to return along with a a new face.  Russell, a previous 'seed attendee, came and shot in the hot weather in full WOOL WWII period dress.  In the morning we reviewed our three pillars of marksmanship, while making sight adjustments to our rifles.  Before lunch we shot an AQT, that didn't produce any new Riflemen, but we did learn the importance of Stage 4 before taking a break for lunch.  Throughout the afternoon we shot more AQTs and did some NPOA drills to help with Stage 4.  We took breaks to hear about some Dangerous Old Men, Brave Women and Gallant Children.  We also discussed, target detection, range estimation, wind estimation and what kind of sight adjustments we need to make to apply our shooting techniques at longer ranges.  During the afternoon all shooters were knocking on the door of that Rifleman score.  However, Russell was able to score a 219 and earn his Rifleman patch.  Afterwards, he switched from his AR to a rifle to better match his attire, a very nice M1 Garand!

Hot, sweaty and a little sunburned we had our closing discussion emphasizing that what we really learned today was how we need to practice, in addition that the skills we were working on are perishable and must be maintained.  Keep up the work Ross and you'll soon catch up two you big brothers.  Patrick, keep it up too.  You're almost there.

Thanks to all the instructors that came to help.  Thanks to the Mid-Carolina Rifle Club for continuing to be a gracious host. Thanks most of all to the attendees that came out to make this a great event!

[dreamerofdreams]

I hope everyone had as much fun this weekend as I did!  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera for day one, but I do have some pictures from Sunday!

[PHenry]

 

[Selver]

Would love to get the high-res version of some of these.
Thanks!

[dreamerofdreams]

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