Helena, MT April 16-17, 2016

[peterlandsiedel]

This past weekend saw 5 brave men and women join us for a chilly, and muddy Appleseed at the fantastic Prickly Pear Sportsmen's Assn. range outside Helena, Montana. We were fortunate to have Mark, Rick, Ashley, and Ian instructing this weekend.

Shooters started off on a cold Saturday morning with a bang. All five shooters were not only on paper after the first sighter square, but many were shooting 4-6 MOA groups! Each and every shooter brought a teachable attitude and I know I speak for the rest of the instructors when I say that you were all a pleasure to work with. Cory and Jeremiah were both consistently shooting smaller and smaller groups, and even after some equipment trouble, Cory kept on and persisted. Terry, an orange hat from a while back, returned to get his feet wet in the program again and we are looking forward to having you back. Eric rocked his Mini-14 and did a fantastic job of listening to what his target was telling him throughout the day. This event was special for me as I have pleaded for my wife, Emily, to attend an Appleseed for the last 3 years, and she finally did.

After the end of the first day, the instructors had a brief huddle and I think we all shared the sentiment that every shooter was within striking distance of earning a rifleman patch.

Sunday saw Jeremiah, Cory, and Emily return, eager to apply the skills they learned on Saturday. I watched as the AQT scores went up and up on Sunday morning, and then a little fatigue on Sunday afternoon set in. A quick break to demo lumberjack55's "mangled body drill" remedied that and every shooter was back shooting AQTs and hovering in the 180-190s range. On the second to last AQT, Emily broke through and scored a 210, on the nose. I am exceptionally proud of the work she put in this weekend. Naturally, a 210 score deserves a bucket of cold water from underneath the North Bridge at Concord and Mark made sure she got it. Jeremiah and Cory were both very close to cracking 210 this weekend, and I have no doubt that they will do so at their next Appleseed.

If you five shooters found anything of value from this weekend, be it the history, the marksmanship, or the camaraderie, I implore you to tell your friends, and bring them to the next shoot. Special thanks to the PPSA for hosting us, and to Rick for always promoting Appleseed with the club, and from behind the gun counter.

Hope to see you all again on the firing line.

[peterlandsiedel]

Pictures coming soon.

[peterlandsiedel]

As promised

[eert]

Was it muddy enough to be reminiscent of the Columbia Falls Aquaseed a few years back? 

Congrats to all the shooters and especially Emily.  I miss my Montana shooting buds. 

EERT/Pat

[Emily406]

Despite my best efforts (I'll admit, I came into this shoot with a pretty negative attitude), I had a very good time and a different perspective by the end of this Appleseed. I'm very proud of what I was able to accomplish as a result  of all the instructors' hard work and effort. I appreciate that they spent their entire weekend volunteering their time to teach me countless new skills. I'm especially grateful to Ashley, who spent the majority of her time with me and put up with all my questions. I can tell that she is a great teacher and will do well in the classroom as she continues her career. She and the others helped me to hone my skills and reach my goal of becoming a Rifleman. Thanks everyone (especially my husband who finally got me to show up)!

[Kaiser Leib]

My only regret from the Missoula shoot is that it prevented me from attending this one. Great job, Emily!

[Mark Davis]

Great weekend, the first few photos showing snow give the impression of cold winter, really the shoot was held under cool but mostly sunny skies Sat, to, not a cloud in the sky Sunday.
The ground was wet, and water came to the surface each time you stepped on it but just not the gumbo of many other ranges.
It was good to see Terry back at appleseed, Eric shot well but with out any padding he must have been extra sore when he got home Sunday night. Corey and Jerimiah, good shooting! Em, knowing your reluctance to come shoot, I was reluctant to christen you for your riflewoman at 210 score. Hope you enjoyed it, you only get such royal treatment once!

[lumberjack55]

Much acclaim to all that made this shoot happen, including the shooters!  The cause of liberty takes another step!

[Emily406]

Mark, you sure didn't seem too reluctant to pour the cold water all over me! If you had questioned it though, I went out today with Peter as my shoot boss and did another timed AQT that should erase all doubt- 224. 

[Mark Davis]

Emily,
Some times you just have to grit your teeth and get it over with.
Nice shooting with the 224 score.
Now the pressure is off, I believe you will soon think a score of 224 is an off day, and be searching your technique,  position, mental state, equipment, and ammunition for the reason for only getting two twenty four.
Edited,
Looking at you target, it might be possible to squeeze just a little  better than 224, by plugging the holes. The score total  says either 225 or 226.
Good shooting either way!