FLASH REPORT - Coeur D'Alene, Idaho - July 07

[Fred]

     The weather was hot (a rumored 102 degrees in the shade) but relatively dry, as 43 shooters showed up to discover for themselves the delights of Appleseed.

     If this shoot showed anything, it showed that Appleseed works. At least a few (maybe as many as 15%) had been to a previous Appleseed, and it showed in their shooting: tight groups, right on target! We need to get these guys into the instructor program and make honest men of them.

    Fred ran one range; Guy ran the other. (Guy will be heard from later..)

    Leslie, Princess of the West showed up for a second time with her tube-fed Marlin crackling with marksmanship. Nice tight groups, fired just like they should be fired.

    But I digress, as we should start at the beginning: Fred picking up Guy at the Portland air port on Friday evening, the drive thru the night up to Idaho, arriving at 3:30 AM, waking up at 7:30 AM the next morning (after the morning wake-up call for 6:30 was not made - it eventually came thru at 6:30 in the evening!)

   So, the crew arrived on-site along with the shooters. But not to worry. Soon everyone was checked-in, and the orientation was given and people were on their respective firing lines...

    All this was possible because local club members had the range set up and ready - a real plus in running any Appleseed.

   Sheesh! You'd think Idaho in the summer would be a little cooler than the rest of the nation, but the entire NW is in a heat wave...

    Not only was it hot; every bug in town was there, from house flies to sweat bees. Fred personally accounted for over a hundred of them. Long-term residents could not recall a time when the bugs were worse...

    None of the big Arizona boys from last time showed up (scared to meet Leslie again?), so she simply shot the course with everyone else.

    At the end of the day, Fred laid it on them to really get into the spirit of the redcoat targets; to pile up the hits after a  day of training.

    In fact, he issued a challenge: He wanted 100% of them to 'qualify' at 100 with three hits on the target; 75% to qualify at 200; 25% to qualify at 300; and one or two to qualify at 400.

    He predicted that one of the two at 400 would be Leslie, and that the guys had better get together and have at least one of them shoot equal to her, if they all couldn't...

     It didn't work out quite like that (as you can expect), but shooting was greatly improved.

    Approx 75% qualified at 100; maybe 40% at 200.

    And only Leslie qualified at 300!

    Since Fred had called for all the "300" shooters to come to a particular spot, she was the only one standing on that spot, and all the rest of the shooters were split between 200, 100 and - I regret to say, too many who still could not hit the 100yd target, from prone!

     Still, a tremendous improvement.

     Tommorrow, we shoot the Long Range AQT out to 300 yards.

      PS: Like our range in Ramseur recently, we saw wildlife downrange during the shooting - a deer, and a turkey!

[Fred]

   
    Sunday morning began with Reformed Redneck conducting a service using sermons from Colonial times, including one delivered shortly after 4/19. It was interesting, timely, thought-provoking (those old boys could really use the language in those days - to hear it, is to force you to think...). Thanks, RR, for a job well-done. I was disappointed that it was not more heavily-attended, and even more disappointed at what that implies.

    We cranked up with 30 shooters, all but three 'retunees' from Saturday.

    I had related to them, the day before, the story of the young guy who came up to me (I think at the Florida Appleseed) on the Sunday, and told me he'd dreamed all Saturday night about the six steps.

     So this morning one young shooter came up to me and told me that he woke up in the middle of the night, laying face down on the bed - and with his trigger leg pulled tightly up! 

     One thing we did today was to do 'show and tell' on a "Liberty Training Rifle" which showed up on the line, to drum in the message that these rifles could be the wave of the future for Appleseed.

     I failed to mention that this shoot had a LOT of kids, and the ones who showed looked and acted like they had been raised by adult parents who cared about them. Not an 'overactive' one in the bunch. In fact, as serious learners and shooters as adult Appleseeders - maybe even a little more so! And the kids sure scoffed up the shirts! We may have made big progress in training the next generation of Appleseeders with this bunch.

    In fact, I overheard one of them running back to the line from the targets saying "I shot marksman [125 or better]! I qualified!" He looked to be about 11 years old, and I thought to myself how many military marksmanship instructors would be smiling to see him, as they struggle to get 18-20 year olds to at least do 125 points... To shoot 125 on the Army Qualification Test is a major accomplishment on the road to becoming a rifleman if you are a new shooter with few skills/knowledge/experience.

     The weather was a repeat of the day before, maybe a little cooler, but the flies and sweat bees were still out, and I personally killed over 200 of them during the day. In fact, we had the unusual occurance of two shooters actually shooting flys which had alighted on their targets. Boy, those .223s really make the arms and legs fly - and the .22 rimfire does a good job, too!

     In the afternoon, we fired long-range - up to 300 yards, for shooters with the skill, and using centerfire. But a unique event took place to foul things up at 200. A target (second in from right) came loose and blew over the target to the right, blocking it. The shooters were keying in on the "1st target on the right' and the 'second target on the right'. When the two targets on the right disappeared, they apparently without any notice switched to the first two visible targets on the right - so we had four shooters on the two targets...

     At the end of the day, one young shooter, Matthew, wanted to try his skill on the 500-yard gong - and hit it on the second shot! Good shooting!

     This was a good Appleseed. The Fernan Rod and Gun Club had everything ready when we arrived (which was good, as we arrived at 8:30 AM on Sat morning). From doughnuts to ice water, from the target line and backers to a volunteer RSO... They liked what they saw, and plan to host their own AQT program in the future. Appleseed spreads its wings!

[funfaler]

I love the CDA area, beautiful country!

By the way, did the .223s require a follow up shot on the flies?  I hear that they are good for follow up shots 

Was the range full?  Sure seems like CDA gets a lot of interest, nice to know how many more they could handle.

[Old Dog]

Many years ago me and my M52B established that even a .22 LR in the head or upper torso would put a fly out of the fight (kind leaves a smeared bloody spot on the paper target though) so I'm sure a .223 will get the job done.  I like when somebody brings back those (good) old memories.  Thanks.

[Grin Reaper]

When the two targets on the right disappeared, they apparently without any notice switched to the first two visible targets on the right - so we had four shooters on the two targets...

Again, this speaks volumes about the sort of folks who we get to reach: give the average Doofus Americanus any sort of unexpected/unprecedented event, and they will freeze up [mouth-breathing] and wait for 'somebody' to give them instructions [then argue about them].  Not so with Appleseeders! See the problem, and act!

[klick]

I thought the range was just about full the first day, but on Sunday everyone was able to shoot on one range.

Just want to say I really appreciated all the hard work by Guy, Fred and others. I was certainly impressed and will always endorse and promote the Appleseed every way I can. Next time I'll bring my Brown Bess and my Betsy Ross flag, to add a little pizzazz to the most excellent Rev-War lectures. (you can pop off one of them pumpkin balls over 110 grains of powder at a water jug or something, and see who would want to stand in front of THAT!)

Sorry to say I only made Sharpshooter...(but hey, did it with an AK!)...did that on Saturday, but by Sunday my elbows were hamburger and I just couldn't ignore the pain and get in the "zone". I believe that with elbow pads, I will make Rifleman!

Thank you for the excellent shoot. The bugs were not near as pesky as that hot 7.62X51mm brass hitting me from the M14 shooters.

Thanks again. Klick.

[Fred]

    Klick: Glad to hear from you. And if you shot Sharpshooter (175+ points) with an AK, you did it the hard way! (Yep, some rifles are easier to shoot well than others.)

    Yes sir, bring that smoke pole with you next year (we talked to the club about hosting TWO Appleseeds next year, and they seem agreeable - even enthusiastic).

    BTW, if either you or anyone else took any pics, post them so the rest of us can see them (I can see the caption now - "In the background, behind all the gray blurs in the foreground, which are bugs, is the Fernan firing line, in action.." )

    (If you can't figure out how to get them posted, email them to freds@centernet.net, and I will get them on - one of the few things I know how to do 

    And to make it clear that I did not overlook our fellow site-member DR308: Many thanks to you for showing up and dealing with armorer issues relating to malfunctioning rifles. It's always nice, and seldom does it happen, to have someone who can diagnose and fix rifle problems right there, on the spot.

     BTW, for those of you unfamiliar with "Leslie, Girl Princess of the West", she first showed at Fernan last year and shot so well Fred put her in charge of a group of burly Arizona guys who were having trouble. She must have done a heck of a good job, as they didn't feel the need to show this year.      

     This year, at age 15, she was - sad to say ( ) the only one to qualify at 300 yards on the Redcoat target after Fred lectured everyone to do the best they could...

     We did have a guy who brought the kids qualify with a Ruger 10/22 - shot a rifleman score of 210 or better - first with a scope, and then with iron sights (a sizzling 231!)...

    I predict a bright future for the "Liberty Training Rifle" at future Appleseeds.

    It will make a Rifleman out of you - and that's why you come...

   A PS: In the remaining daylight on Sunday, the RWVA crew took a tour of Lake Couer d'Alene by car - what a lake! Surrounded by mountains, deep, clear (and cold) water. Along the way we saw eagles roosting in nests in the tops of trees - gee, I thought they did that only on TV.

     We went 29 miles and were still nowhere near HALF-way around it!

     Great spot to live in!

     Looking forward to coming back next year!

    Meantime, if you were there, remember the boys of '75, and get out, and spread the message.

    As one of our instructors says: "Appleseed - it's a verb!"

    So get out there and Appleseed!

     We need to make it happen!

     As important, we want to make it happen!

    Next up, next weekend: Medford Oregon. If you're reading this, consider you have a personal invite from Fred!

[Reformed Redneck]

Friends,

Yup! It was a good one. Hot too.

This year was our second time to the Coeur d'Alene Appleseed, and again it was well worth our time. I learned more again this year, and especially liked Fred's emphasis on simplicity and precision. This was something I don't remember discussing last year and it had real application for us on Sunday. About half way through the day, Leslie's .22 broke. We responded like any aspiring riflemen/riflegirl would do and broke out the spare. However the spare was my AR-10, which occassioned many interesting comments and condolences from the instructors. As a result, Matt eventually ended up shooting my M1A, and Leslie inherited the AR-15 Matt had been using, a rifle she has rarely shot. Both adapted fairly well, but what really became evident was the simplicity of the elevation adjustments on the M1A. It's a bit more complicated on the AR designs, and the question does remain as to why anyone would want to complicate something that you might have to do under considerable stress. The KISS principle seems to trump sophistication on this one.

One thing an Appleseed will do for you is to show you any weeknesses in your shooting. This year it became apparent to me that you need to do more than acknowlege the need to adhere to Step 6: the follow through. I was lucky that Fred didn't have the bat, or I'm sure I would have had some intimate knowlege of it. This does give me something to work on 'til next time.

We really enjoyed meeting most of the participants this year, and seeing all of the younger folks showing up (and doing well!) is a real encouragement. The war for liberty is still going on and, although the short term holds some aprehensions, if we are able to engage many of the next generation in the battle to renew liberty we will have actually accomplished something of value.

By the way, we opened up the .22 Marlin tonight and discovered two(!) broken parts. They are on their way from Midway already. Leslie had to help me with the disassembly as I haven't had the thing apart for about 10 years, and that was only to slick up the trigger a bit. Lots of little parts in those little rifles.

Two Appleseeds in Coeur d'Alene in a year? Great! Hey Fred, how about those downloadable flyers we talked about? I haven't found them on the site yet.

We really appreciate all the work of the instructors; they have to work with whatever material is available.
A special thanks to Andy at Fernan for his persistance, and Jerry for his help and inimitable input.

See you all again soon,
The Redneck

[klick]

By the way, I would have attended the service, but no one came down and told me it was going on. I was the guy in the mini-RV camped in the parking lot. Didn't know it was being held at the gate. I was hoping I'd be allowed to bring my rifle! (flag in, bolt back, safety on, and pointed in a safe direction of course)

klick

[The Guy]

How could anyone leave an Appleseed unhappy.

Tired, sore, sweaty?  Yes!

Unhappy?  Shesh, you would have to work at that!

One of the flies was exictued by an 11 year old girl and a Henry Mini-Bolt.  The other by a .223.  Neither needed a follow-up shot though.  Like M1A4ME said, just a bloody splatter.

Reformed Redneck's Sunday morning service was very well researched, not to mentione thought provoking.  I hope no one's ears were shattered by my joining in on Amazing Grace.  Always loved that song.

Once again, I have to thank Fred for offering me the chance to see the country, meet new and interesting people,and not shoot them!  How may other "jobs" offer that kind of adventure?

Also, I continue to be impressed by the caliber (lol) of people that attend Appleseeds, and I pray that trend continues.  Seeing folks listen raptly and learn new shooting tecniques always warms the heart, and the gratitude expressed afterwards is humbling.  I only wish more could experience the joys of Instructing.

The range was nice and well kept, and Appleseed looks forward to next years experience.  I truly hope that those involved return, and bring new Initiates of Liberty along with them, to show that yes, they have been following through on the most important step of all...

The almighty 7th step.

To all who came, or made the Appleseed a succes in anyway, thank you.

To those who missed, see you next year!

The Guy

[Grin Reaper]

Classic.

[Reformed Redneck]

Klick,

Sorry things didn't work quite like we had intended on Sunday morning. We will try to improve our choreography next time. Surprized you didn't hear the two part harmony between Guy and me. No problem bringing the rifle by me.

The Redneck

[Fred]

    There may have been a 'two part' between you and The Guy, but I am having trouble remembering the "harmony" part.

    Did you actually observe one anywhere on or nearby the scene?

    Singing aside (and it wasn't too bad, let me quickly add), there was plenty of meat and potatoes enough for everyone.

    Thanks, RR, very much.

[klick]

Thought that the coyotes just hadn't gone to bed yet.



Just kidding, didn't hear anything until everyone came driving up.

klick.