Amite, LA. May 14-15, 2016

[geeck]

Wow what a wonderful and productive Appleseed event we had. An enthusiastic group of 15 shooters, many showing the focus and persistence, required to shoot a rifleman score... and they did. We had 4 shooters join the ranks of "Men Who Know Very Well What They are About" The weather in this part of the country can be challenging starting around this time of the year. Saturday was quite warm and sunny, Sunday we had high cloud cover that made for pleasant shooting conditions.

To his credit Adrian came to this Appleseed with a teachable attitude and a high level of proficiency, two things that normally don't go together. He was our first Rifleman of the day on Sunday. Doug, a veteran of a few Appleseeds, his persistence paid off and got that coveted Rifleman Patch. Adam was a man on a mission, very focused at the task of joining the ranks of Rifleman. Adam turned in the highest qualifying score of the day.

The small cadre of Louisiana instructors present Sunday had a very special treat. However, it was my honor to present a Rifleman patch to a very squared away young man, and to trade him his Blue hat for an Orange one . Thomas "T-Dog" has worked tirelessly towards this day never losing focus of that goal. He just had to wait for his physical size to catch up to his sharp mind. Dan "Lawdog" the proud papa was there to witness this milestone. I predict big things from this young man.

Everyone in attendance showed marked improvement, with a few right on the cusp of making it into that rifleman territory. If not for a couple of equipment issues I'm sure we would have had another Rifleman from this group, but that's what it's all about. We had group of Youth shooters, that work hard and showed great improvement along with their guardians. I hope to see these fellow Americans at a future event.

Lucky for LA Appleseed we lost a Blue Hat, but gain an Orange hat... however as luck would have it we also gain a Blue hat - Miss Aoife B. daughter of another LA. SB the weekend was special in so many ways for Appleseed in Louisiana.

At the end of the shoot we had another treat in store for us, Hank a Louisiana Orange Hat brought out his "Brown Bess" Musket.  We had a few turns at seeing a little like what it was to be a Rifleman on April 19, 1775.

[DrRichP]

Looks like another great event by a great team od Appleseed Instructors at a great range. My thanks to all involved, especially the participants that made this event a big success. Huzzah folks! 

[Ellis1958]

Congrats again to those who have joined the ranks of Riflemen. It must be noted that junior shooter Thomas "T-Dog" shot a Rifleman score with an AR-15 ... in .223 ... with iron sights. I too predict big things for this young man.

Myself I changed hats all weekend. Part time orange hat, part time paid shooter, part time Sherpa loading magazines. Reason is I brought my nephew and his son to learn the ways of Appleseed. Neither had shot a rifle, any rifle, prior to attending. Both went from targets with lots of misses to scores in the mid-170s. Much progress and I couldn't be happier.

As for 'Bessie', I've yet to bring it to the range without some issue cropping up. This time the flint fell out of the hammer which was embarrassing on my part but only took a few minutes to fix. Such as it is when you are dealing with 250 year old technology. If you ever get the chance to shoot one do not pass it up.

[LawDog]

One might assume that, as his father and frequent instructor/Shoot Boss, I was disappointed that I was not the one to hand TDog his Rifleman patch. But one would be wrong. That honor went to this event's Shoot Boss, as it should have. TDog would not be the shooter he is without Geeck's wisdom, guidance, and encouragement. I am grateful to him, and wbridgeman, Ellis1958, leethar, and MandyMonstar for the patience and generosity they have shown to TDog over the years. Getting to see a proud "uncle" present that patch and Orange Hat, and seeing TDog join the ranks of people I respect so highly, are memories I won't forget.

To all our new Rifleman - thank you. But know this: earning that patch is only the beginning. A Rifleman persists, and our Mission is more than a scrap of fabric. Apply what you learned about shooting to your participation as a citizen. And come back to the next event with friends and neighbors in tow. We can become a nation of Riflemen again.

LawDog

[geeck]

I was so excited about TDog, I forgot to mention the Krewe, without which this weekend would not have been possible. A Big thanks to my follow instructors wbridgeman, MandyMonstar, Leethar, Ellis1958, and Lawdog.

[MandyMonstar]

Hi all!  I managed to get more photos this time.  I have a few video clips too, which will be going up on the Appleseed Louisiana Facebook page with the rest of the pictures later this week.

Congrats to all four new riflemen!  I know very well how difficult the challenge can be.  And congrats to all who saw improvement as well!  It looks like it's only a matter of time (spent practicing that trigger squeeeeeze) before we have another bunch of experts here in Louisiana.  Hopefully, we'll see some familiar faces back in June!

Until then, may you shoot straight and suffer no malfunctions.