Bonfield, IL AAR July 9-10, 2016

[Wurstmacher]

Thank you to the Illinois State Rifle Association Range for hosting this shoot.  This is the first time that I have been to the range since they opened up the new pistol/training ranges.  Nice, really nice.  With the target frames already in place, all I had to do was paint a firing line while the IIT's hung the target backers.

The weather was beautiful the whole weekend. 

Thanks to Alan, Wanda, Rev, Dave, Eric, Dave and Joann who helped out on Saturday and/or Sunday to make sure that our Appleseeders were properly instructed and saturated with history.

Congratulations to our three new Riflemen, Dale, Guy, and Brian.

We had three more that were in the 190's and low 200's.  They were all good marksmen, but putting it all together under the time constraints, AQT gymnastics, and equipment issues proved to be there undoing. Hopefully we will see you all, and those that you are going to bring at an Appleseed later on this year. 

Please post your pictures (I saw some being taken) and share your comments.

[bakeneko]

An excellent shoot, and all participants made progress.  One shooter used his never-fired, out-of-the-box AR and was confident and proficient by the end of the weekend.  Another used his 10/22 with the factory sights and acquired enough rifle skill that he was shooting tight groups all of the second day.  Congratulations to them for bringing a teachable attitude, and to our new riflemen.



WurstMacher and Rev357 prepare the line







All Ready on the Firing Line..; FIRE!!

























Congratulations to New Riflemen










Thank you everyone for making this an excellent and inspiring weekend!

[Texas T]

Looks like a great group. Thank goodness for popups!!

[Laredo]

 

[Two Wolves]

What is the construction of your target boards and how long will they hold up? Thanks, looking for new ideas.

[foundatown]

Hey all, guy with the stock Ruger 10/22 here. Thank you for welcoming me into your rights-restricted state for a fantastic shoot! Before meeting you all I'd been to an Appleseed once before, 6 or 7 years ago, I think, but this was the first time I made solid progress with my rifle. Thank you, shoot boss, and all other educators for helping me make that happen.

I have to say, the dots between current day marksmanship proficiency and the values demonstrated by our side in the Revolutionary War connected for me towards the end of the second day when a whiteboard was set up and our shoot boss was communicating the various metrics related to getting a shot off at great distance, with wind present, etc., and I realized that what felt enormously complex for me, even with my modern rifle, was handled with relative ease by the historical figures we'd be studying over the weekend with their relatively primitive armaments. I realized at that moment that for the colonists the rifle was indistinguishable from citizenship, that it was an essential component, that it interacted with every component of their lives, from hunting, to personal defense, to service in the militia, and that that is why the rifle is imbued with so much value for us as Americans. Of course, we know the rifle is as essential now to our freedom as it was then, but you get my point. It was an ah-ha moment, that part of the second day I've described.

Thanks again, everybody, educators and peers alike. It was a great time. Hope you see you all again sometime soon.

[Wurstmacher]

Two Wolves, the target backers are coroplast, the corrugated plastic like political signs are made of.  In fact, I started out with political signs.  As they started to get more worn, and could be replaced, I decided to get some new material that did not have the printing on them.  I bought it from a local sign shop in 4x8 ft. sheets and had them cut it down, as it did not cost that much to have them cut in on their equipment.  I have gotten about 5 years out of them.  The material is somewhat self healing.  I have seen some that the material must be more brittle, because the bullet holes look like they cut them out with a hole punch and they do not last as long.  It is also water proof, so it does not disintegrate like cardboard does when it gets wet.  People generally use staple guns to attach their targets to the backer, though I have seen some use push pins.  I bought some tarp eyelets at Menards and had one of the kids put these eyelets in each corner of the backer.  Makes the attachment points last longer as wire or zip ties won't pull through the material.

[Laredo]

FYI:  You can buy the coroplast backers from Home Depot.  You order it online.. they ship it to nearest store.  Comes in 4x8 sheets. 

[Rev.357]

Once again, flyr 521 and shooter 559 did not have time to work the Bonfield shoot, but made time to be there because they were needed. I attempted to arrive early, but Shooter 559 opened the gate for me as Flyr was already setting up target backers with Wurstmaker.  It was truly an honor to work with bakenoko who gave up the golden checkerboard five point of Chicago's finest to retire the Askarben area. I hope the Corn-huskers use him wisely and often on their lines. OutaAmmo got of the river long enough to add a little precision shooting theory to the mix, before returning to the river for a 300 mile paddle.  BTW Dave, I signed up for Joe's precision rifle coaching course; but I can tell you now that in Appleseed, trigger elbows fly high. Finally I got to meet PleantyofAmmo. She made sure everyone on the line had a smile and the next target they would need.

There were a lot of good shooters on the line, and an undercover orange hat who is both a top notch shooter and a top notch communicator.  My vote would be for him to get that hat out at least once a year, until life circumstances are such that he can increase his temporal connectivity with the training team. 

Super to hear from foundatown.  It is always impressive to see a shooter work over an AQT with a jar.  You are absolutely correct about Wurstmaker.  He can keep it simple, AND offer just the right piece of input that the shooter needs to tighten that group.  Furthermore, while he is educating shooters, he is providing the challenge, support, and information that the instructors in training need to perform better on the line. 

If I'm not mistaken, foundatown was sporting a Gadston logo or two on the line.  If you get a chance, hunt down what old Benjamin had to say about the rattlesnake as an appropriate symbol for the American spirit: "I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her."

[foundatown]

Great quote, Rev.37. I just now got around to reading that. Very nice.

I took two rifles to the range yesterday, and even though I've done very limited home practice since our shoot in July, was able to zero them both very effectively at 25 yards from prone using the USGI sling. A Ruger AR-556 and a Molot 7.62x39 16.5" VEPR rifle, both shooing 1.5-3 MOA groups. Thanks for that, guys. That never would have happened without my Bonfield experience.

I recall hearing that targets for home, living room use that simulate various distances were available for download on the main site. I can't seem to find them. Can anyone point me in their direction?

Hope you're all well.

-foundatown