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Nampa, ID June 20 - 21, 2014

Started by Nero, June 21, 2014, 12:44:17 AM

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Nero

We had 9 shooters on the line for our first Friday - Saturday event at Idaho's Nampa Rod and Gun Club.  We were glad to see a several families on the line, with 3 father / daughter or son pairs.  Good attention to instruction and safety today.  We got in one AQT and Craig has high score so far with 203.  We hit a high of 86 degrees with some stiff winds in the late afternoon, but everyone kept hydrated and held up well.

We look forward to another clear and warm today tomorrow, and some more great shooting and history.
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters." —Frederick Douglass

scoob

Ahh, home safe and sound!  Showered.  Frosty beverage.  Aloe.  How about a little AAR?

The magic number for the weekend was THIRTEEN. 
Yes, thirteen patriots assembled at Pit 11 (there is no Pit 13 yet) of the Nampa Rod and Gun Club, near Boise, Idaho.  Nine of those thirteen were wide-eyed, attentive students with teachable attitudes.  These fine patriots listened to the instruction, demonstrated their new or refined skills with a rifle, and heard the stories of a very special breed of patriots before them.  The sun was bright and unforgiving, and the sunscreen was flowing.  The wind ripped through and kept the lip balm going.  Yet, these patriots stayed safe, stayed hydrated, and persevered.  HUZZAHH!

One new Rifleman!  HUZZAHH!

Something tells me that there are several more riflemyn in the the makin'!  HUZZAHH!
Mike 'scoob' Underwood
Boise, Idaho
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Northwest Region Project Appleseed
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During the whole affair, the rebels attacked us in a very scattered, irregular manner, but with perseverance and resolution, nor did they ever dare to form into a regular body. Indeed they knew too well what was proper, to do so. Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob, will find himself very much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about..."Gen. Hugh, Earl Percy

Earl

#2
Home safe, long trip both ways for Earl, but I am very happy to have participated in this fine Appleseed, and I am home in time to sleep well and go to church on Sunday. What could be better. I was only there for three scored AQTs on Saturday, was line boss once, RSO always, and told the second strike and Samuel Whittemore. The remainder of my time was spent on demonstrating, or instructing SHF, IMC and general coaching and assistance. I was so tired from the drive Thursday, I didn't shoot the range and practice what I preached so well, and after day one of the Appleseed I was again so tired that sitting in a chair talking to our IIT was as much energy as I felt I could expend, so I got two good days of talking to Scoob.

Our three young shooters held their own on the first day, and by the second day were really looking very improved. If I can just convince Garrisen to not try to muscle his next target but trust the NPOA, he will catch his father. There is never enough time to polish our shooters into Riflemen, I know I took more than one Appleeed to finally score Rifleman - it is always a test to learn the lessons well, until they are habitual (or automatic). Do that dry practice of positions, six steps and breaking down the transitions and making it all smooth and constant. Hope to see everyone on the range or the trail in your future Appleseeds.

Pictures then I switch gear and swing into Shoot Boss of the Appleseed in Custer, WA, next weekend, the 28-29 June. Please contact me if any photos here need eliminated or changed
... to catch the fire in another American for sharing the skills and our heritage to our posterity. Maybe my perfect shots will be made by those I met along the trials and trails of Appleseed. I know that America is a nation of Riflemen.

Nero

#3
More to follow, but just in case someone's looking:

We had two lost & found items when we cleaned up:

A black folding camp chair - I've got this, PM Nero to claim.

A large, rolled up tan rug/mat, left beside a table under the cover / wind tunnel.  scoob has this.


More to come...

(Mystery resolved - these are Earl's, left behind when he had to head home early.  We'll get them back to him at a future shoot.)
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters." —Frederick Douglass

Nero

Day 2:  8 shooters returned to continue the quest for heritage and marksmanship.  The wind was with us from the start, and temperatures rose into the mid-80s by end of day.  Nonetheless, everyone persevered and kept safe, both with hydration and their firearms.

We started out with a quick refresher on prone position, inches/minutes/clicks and gave an opportunity for (re)adjusting sights, as we had a couple of new loaner rifles on the line.  Then a ball-and-dummy exercise, letting the shooters see things from the instructors' point of view.

And then one AQT, stage by stage with refreshers before lunch.  Craig repeated his 203 of Friday, with several others in 160+ territory.  Then we broke for lunch and some stories of dangerous old men, and one determined young lady. 

On into the AQT Grind, with rising temperatures - and scores.  We took shade and history breaks from the heat in the wind tunnel under the canopy, and shared stories of a brave doctor caught up in the 1776 campaign, and the origin of firearm rights in early America.  During those breaks Pat was frantically scoring AQTs, and relaying advice to the other instructors and shooters.

In the end, it was Craig who made it over the finish line, with a Rifleman score of 218.  This was a proof that sometimes less is more:  After we took away 3 minutes from his stage 4 time - he was actually finishing in less than 90 seconds - his groups tightened up and flyers nearly disappeared.  He then focused on the transitions, and killed stage 2 with a 49 on his qualifying target.  Well done!  Hope to see you back in the future, maybe with a nice hat on your head!

Gary came so close, topping out at 208.  He was rocking a Ruger American Rimfire, which drew the admiration of the instructors.  Nice, smooth work with that bolt gun.  All you've got to do is put together all the skills on one target.  Keep practicing and come on back and you'll have it for sure.

Garrisen probably took a many shots with his camera as his rifle!  Post those up!  He also turned in a 160+ on the AQT.  Nice work!

Jon had a better second day running one of scoob's loaners, after battling a too short length of pull and flaky sights on Friday.  His scores were rising through the day.  Get those rifles squared away and come on back!

Rachael had the opposite issue.  She kept a great attitude while dealing with an over-large stock.  She did a nice job with 'target style' in standing.  Sure is nice to be young and flexible - made my back ache just watching!   ;D

Marlene also struggled with a borrowed rifle on day one, and did better with a loaner on Saturday.  She was turning in consistent groups by the end of the day, and kept all her shots on the paper during our 'star' drill.  Marlene also gets the shoot boss' "thank you" for the great questions during the history.  Always so much nicer when it's a discussion than a lecture!

Zoie, we're sorry you didn't make it back for day two.  That rifle size was a real challenge for you.  We're got a loaner with an adjustable stock with your name on it - come on back!  We'll get your rifle skills up to where you are with your air pistol!

Neil and Sharon, you guys persevered for the whole weekend, and handled what the weather and your hardware threw at you with good humor.  Thanks for traveling so far to shoot with us - keep practicing and come on back, here or at another shoot!

Thanks also to Pat, scoob and Earl for making it all happen and making the shoot boss' job easy.  Especially to Earl for 'border raiding' all the way from Tacoma, WA.  You are welcome back in Treasure Valley any time!

This was Pat's and my first shoot as Idaho residents, and we really appreciated the helpful and cheerful attitude of both the Idahoans and visitors.  It makes it all so much more rewarding when it's a cooperative effort, not an exercise in 'cat herding'!

And finally...

Let's see some more pics!
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters." —Frederick Douglass

Nero

We only got a few photos ourselves:


3/4 of the instructor crew: scoob (Mike), Earl, Nero (Tim)


The canopy sheltered us from the sun...


...but funneled the wind right through


Double red coats!  (We used these for sitting, standing and mag change instruction, now that 'greenies' are a thing of the past.)


Zoie receives the Nero & American Amazon Fabulous Footwear award for this shoot!


Sharon and Neil


Craig working his tricked-out 10/22


Marlene had a bit of a struggle with an old Marlin boltie


A Rifleman persists!  Craig puts it all together and earns a patch!
"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters." —Frederick Douglass

Manly Man

I'd like to thank the instructors for putting on an enjoyable shoot and to express my appreciation for your efforts.  It was a busy time for my son and me, and we didn't put on 1/10th the effort the instructors did.  Thank you Nero, Scoob, American Amazon, and Earl.

It was a truly worthwhile experience, and I learned a lot.  I was especially impressed with Scoob's demonstration of the prone position.  I would not have believed the human body could be that stable.  If I had not witnessed it, I would have thought that laser pointer was mounted on a gimbal in a vice.  Wow.

It was especially humbling when we had to work with other shooters to diagnose trouble spots.  Trying to watch the head, hands, body position, and muzzle for indications of problems is very difficult.  I appreciate the instructor's dedication and efforts all the more.

The weather wasn't too bad.  Hot, but not scorching.  The wind was sometimes distracting, especially when it flipped my mat back at me while shooting.  I wish I could blame the wind for not being able to bring it all together, but now I have a good idea of what to work on. 

Over the years, I've learned that practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.  If you practice bad habits, they become permanent.  Worse still is if you don't know you're practicing bad habits.  Since training teaches a person how to practice, I've learned a new foundation that will hopefully result in good (or at least better) habits and skills.  I'm confident I will be able to resolve some of my shooting issues, and increase my scores.

Congratulations again to Craig for earning his patch.

I would have taken more pictures of the firing line, but running a bolt rifle meant I was usually the last person shooting.  Between loading mags, watching the instructors, and inspecting targets, I didn't manage to take many good pictures.  However, even a blind pig finds an acorn every once in a while.

Scoob maintaining the firing line vigil

Scoob and Pat demonstrating the sitting variations

Nero tells the tale of three strikes

Instructors covering the course of fire for the AQT.

Earl rockin' the pink

The final day featured 8 shooters, 6 with some sort of 10/22, several borrowed.

After the shoot, Nero let participants take a crack at the M1A.  It was awesome.

I may not know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, but it takes about 430 .22 cartridges to have a great Appleseed.

No, I didn't count the empties.

The whole shoot was enjoyable.  The pace was just a notch below frantic.  The instructors say it's like drinking from a fire hose, and that's an appropriate metaphor.  Learn a skill, try a practice, and move to the next skill.  Then try to use all the skills at once.  It gets daunting, but I truly believe that once I figure out how to do it all at once my shooting will improve.

As if the great instruction wasn't enough, Nero, American Amazon, Scoob and Earl also proved to be engaging story tellers, and breaks and lunch were filled with well told tales of the rocky road to independence from British rule, and the contributions of ordinary citizens.

My boy and I had a fantastic time.  Thanks again to Nero, Pat, Scoob, and especially Earl, who drove a long way just to help.  I appreciate your time, energy, and friendly attitudes.

To anyone thinking about attending, you really should.  The crew really put forth effort to make sure everyone had adequate equipment and form.  They're very good about answering questions, and they run everything with safety as the top priority. 

My observations about attending with maximum enjoyment:
   1) Stretch - some positions require contorting into shapes that would make a cirque du soleil performer cringe (or at least feel that way).  I've been practicing the prone position, so my middle-aged body wasn't too sore.  You will hurt, but you don't have to be in agony.
   2) Make sure your gun fits - the instructors will do the best they can to improvise solutions, but there are limits to their ingenuity.  Make sure you can get a good cheek weld and still see your sights, especially from prone because you will be shooting prone a lot.
   3) If you use magazines, make sure you have at least enough to shoot the reloading stages.  Two stages of the AQT require at least one reload: firing 2 rounds, reloading, and then firing 8 rounds.  This is regardless of capacity or how your rifle feeds (detachable box magazine, tube, fixed).  If all you have are 5 round magazines, you will need 3 for these stages (2 rounds, 5 rounds, 3 rounds).  Two 10 round magazines will suffice, but expect the occasional frantic stuffing of cartridges.  My son used a clear 10/22 magazine, and it was easy to see how many cartridges were loaded.  Very helpful for knowing if you've put in all 8 rounds.
   4) Use a sling.  Buy one, borrow one, scavenge one, but by all means use one.  I used a hasty sling, and felt it served its purpose.  I also had an opportunity to try the GI sling, and was impressed with how much it aided a steady hold. 
   5) Practice changing magazines.  If I had a good change during stage 2 and 3, I usually got off all 10 rounds.  If I bobbled the change, I frequently had leftover rounds at the end of the stage. 
   6) Have fun.  To paraphrase an expression, this should be therapy, not a reason to need therapy. 

I'll practice what I learned, and come back for that elusive patch.

Finally, I got a lot of attention about the Ruger American Rimfire rifle.  I shot the compact with the long, high comb, which fit me best.  The stock may not be handsome, but it is handy.  The only real negative I can find with the rifle is that the magazine well is on the tight side, and not all Ruger magazines fit properly.  One old magazine fits tightly, and a clear magazine doesn't fit at all.  Six other magazines fit and eject fine.  The only problems I encountered were dumb things I did operating the bolt (mostly short stroking), and running the 6 safety steps in order.  The safety steps are 1) mag out 2) bolt back 3) safety on 4) chamber flag in 5) rifle down 6) stand back.  The rifle has a tang safety that can't be reached with the bolt back, so I had to switch steps 2 and 3.  No biggie.  When I first got the rifle, I did swap out the standard extended magazine release with a flush release for aesthetic (not practical) reasons, but don't believe this hindered me much.  Here's the tweaking I made from the out-of-box configuration: swapped the magazine release for a flush unit, reduced the trigger pull to lowest setting (which involves backing out one allen screw), adding a scope, and using the long, high comb.  In the future, I might add a GI sling.  No gunsmithing is required to make the firearm Appleseed ready.  I like this rifle more every time I shoot it.

Earl

 ^:)^ Welcome to the forum, Manly Man, still like your rifle. Now I see that you can write and your pictures are great. Hope to hear about your journey along the Appleseed trail in the future. Gosh you took a beautiful picture of me in the pink shirt, thanks O0 I have posted it to my Facebook avatar, until the next pictures from last weekend's Appleseed in Custer come in. You and your son will get that patch, you both have all the makings according to the way I have read Fred. :)
... to catch the fire in another American for sharing the skills and our heritage to our posterity. Maybe my perfect shots will be made by those I met along the trials and trails of Appleseed. I know that America is a nation of Riflemen.