***National Rifle Association Whittington Center Raton, NM February 25-26, 2017

[TaosGlock]

The American spirit is alive and well at the National Rifle Association Whittington Center.

In today's world of 24-hour news cycles, changing technologies, and push-button gratification, it's a challenge to stay connected to the values that our great country was built on. Ideals like integrity, commitment, and personal responsibility are what our founding fathers relied on to win our independence and to then make America a great nation. At Project Appleseed, we're dedicated to keeping these timeless values alive. We promote civic responsibility through the teaching of colonial history and the American tradition of rifle marksmanship. Even after all of these years, there is much to be learned from our forefathers' examples of perseverance, commitment, and civic virtue. With a full calendar of shooting clinics and events, Project Appleseed is here to make sure these timeless principles live on for generations to come.

The Northern New Mexico Project Appleseed crew has it's home in Raton, New Mexico at the prestigious National Rifle Association Whittington Center.
We use the Jeff Cooper Range where Col. Cooper originally taught rifle marksmanship and wove this in with his famous "rifle walk". The "rifle walk" is still there but seldom used in it's original form.

This weekend was our first NM event of the year and the wind chill gave temps to minus 25 degrees. Even though it was clear and without snow, it was cold!
Shooting in cold weather is a test of ones equipment as well as the shooter.
Trigger fingers become stiff resulting in jerked triggers and it becomes a challenge to maintain your natural point of aim.

We had 4 hardy shooters show up. Greg and Patrick who were Whittington Center staff and Michael G. and Michael K. who traveled from Los Alamos and Las Vegas, NM respectively! Way to hang tough guys! 

Huzzah to everyone for hanging tough!
And of course a hearty thanks to the instructor crew of Warren (CaptWa) and James(Taos-Dovahkiin121) and my wife Gilllian (BlueFeather).
And a big thanks to the WC staff who made sure we had what we needed! 

Red River Peak on the left skyline dominates this extreme Northern New Mexico range.
It was used as a landmark along the Santa Fe Trail:


The old wagon ruts barely visible, run thru the WC and is marked accordingly.

Due to the wind, the flags changed little during the course of the weekend.


Inside "Jeff's Place" is a patriotic cozy cabin where we used a small heater to stay warm and do the instructional modules.



Below, the Big 3 of 30 caliber battle rifles hang below Col. Cooper.
Warrens's 03A3 thrives on 190 grain custom loads.
James' CMP M1 Garand likes Greek surplus ammo.
My Ted Brown built M1A on a Fred's Big Red Birch stock is fed NATO 147 grain where it spits it out nearly 2MOA at 2800 fps up here in the thin air.



The above rifles will be used to shoot the new 1 MOA (more or less) steel plate we installed at 1000M.
Thanks James for humping the steel and posts up the mountain!





...more later!

[TaosGlock]

You can't write the story of America without including several chapters about the skill and bravery of our forefathers.


On April 19, 1775, at Lexington Major John Pitcarin yelled, 'Disperse ye rebels and lay down your arms". They stood their ground and many got shot in the back a few moments later as they walked back to their families who were watch the event unfold.

..and at Concord's North Bridge where "The embattled farmers fired the shot heard 'round the world".


....American colonists stood with muskets in hand and faced down the British forces that were trying to seize their arms. The colonists did it with grit, determination, and superior marksmanship. They were real marksmen: nobly and ably putting their skills on the line in pursuit of liberty.

To be simple and precise, this RWVA bumper sticker says it all:


The first official flag of our new nation:


"Unhappy it is...to reflect that a brother's sword has been sheathed in a brothers breast, and that the once happy and peaceful plains of America are either to be drenched with blood or inhabited by slaves. Sad alternative! 
But can a virtuous man hesitate in his choice?-George Washington


Would you be willing to make a similar choice if the need arose?

[TaosGlock]

After the French and Indian War, King George decided to break his agreement with the colonists and decided to tax them to help pay off the massive debt incurred by the Crown. England was in social and economic shambles but the rebellious colonists were thriving with opportunity. Naturally the colonists revolted with even the smallest tax infraction. War with the Crown was inevitable and the militias started in earnest their training.  The fundamentals they learned have changed but a tiny bit, mostly in regards to modern equipment.


Time to learn the fundamentals of precision marksmanship:
Specific sight alignment fundamentals with a scope. James has the demo chart:


Prone on the firing line. In the shade in the below freezing cold!:


In the warm Cooper Cabin. Standing with laser and NPOA (natural point of aim) demo with Warren and BlueFeather:


Prone with laser NPOA demo in the warmth of the Cooper Cabin with Warren and James:

[TaosGlock]

We are the descendants of those fearless men and women who earned our freedom on the battlefield.

Parker's Revenge:


We honor their pursuit of liberty by passing along the skills and knowledge that aided them in securing it.
Today's Rifleman understands that owning and mastering a rifle is part of his/her American heritage.
After all, this country was founded on the principles of effective marksmanship.

It was common everyday folk who turned up on April 19th, 1775. With their principled skill at arms, these embattled farmers", shopkeepers,
and school teachers, successfully repelled the British Army in an embarrassing defeat :



Whether you're a new shooter or a seasoned marksman,
Project Appleseed can help transform you from a person with a rifle into a principled and skilled Rifleman.

Have things in our country changed much from this?:


If you do not know your history, how do know where you came from or where you are or where you are going?

[TaosGlock]

Our standard for this program is four minutes of angle. At 500 yards that is a 20" "man" sized target.

What works at 25 yards works at 500 yards as demonstrated by the steel target shown below.
This is shot on day 2, after lunch when we do the long distance version of our standard 2 day event.
That is when we put up the rimfire rifles and break out the centerfire rifles. We shoot steel from 200-1100 yards!
Our four minute of angle standard is represented by this steel target. The center is the same as a "head" shot.

The results speak for themselves as shown by the 4 MOA steel on the 500 yard berm in the shadowy landmark of Red River Peak.

"Homeland security is a nation of Riflemen"-Ken Royce aka Boston Tea Party.

[TaosGlock]

Those who persist are rewarded with the coveted Rifleman's Patch.
This is based on a score of 210 or more on the AQT (Army Qualification Test). 250 is a perfect score.

Congratulations to Patrick who scored a whopping 238. 
Patrick is one of 10% of men who as Lord Percy said, " know very much what they are all about."


Full quote of Lord Percy:

"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, having been employed as rangers against the Indians and Canadians, and this country being very much covered with wood, and hilly, is very advantageous for their method of fighting."

[TaosGlock]

..."That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."


Project Appleseed is a CMP approved  course of fire. Attending a 2 day event allows one to immediately purchase an M1 Garand and ammo. This will be delivered directly to your door!


Known distance/long range shooting time to 1000M with a very accurate Ruger Precision Rifle.


Evaluating the Red Coat target. A target which is shot each morning and afternoon. Sort of a progress check. A target which answers that eternal question, "What is my effective range?" Bluefeather asks, "is the kind of marksmanship that would birth a new Nation?

...as our Founders handily did, but not without sacrifice, on April 19, 1775.
Below a pic depicts Maj. John Buttrick of the Concord Militia who for the first time in American history told our militia to fire on the British Regulars. He had had enough of their firing without orders that day onto our men when they were merely standing their rightful ground.. His words were: "Fire, for Gods sake fire...fire as fast as you can!'


I have no doubt Jeff Cooper would have approved of our program. If Project Appleseed was around when Jeff Cooper wrote his column, "Cooper's Corner" in Guns and Ammo, no doubt we would have gotten some praise from the master.

[TaosGlock]

A huge thanks to the shooters who attended this event!
Thanks to my awesome instructor crew!
Thanks to the NRA Whittington Center staff for all their support and the use of the Cooper Range!



The sun sets on the vast acreage of the Whittington Center.
Along the Santa Fe Trail, where this statue of Charlton Heston sits right near the original tracks of the historic Santa Fe Trail.




And thanks to our Founders who had the guts to make hard choices and sacrificed their all to form a new Nation.