Ramseur, NC AAR - Jul 17-19, 2026 - KD & Shoot Boss Camp

[Maximum Ordinate]

If you haven't made a pilgrimage to the RWVA Home Range, it's a place of legend.  Visiting Ramseur is something every Rifleman should do.  On the Friday before last, Fourteen Appleseeders mustered to focus on the art and science of Known Distance Shooting!

It was a long drive, but carpooling with Google and our Southeast Regional Coordinator UpACreek made it fun.  We made a couple of stops.  First to see the resurrection of Pizza by the River in the Natahala Gorge, the Asheville Farmers Market, and of course Jay Bees for their amazing foot long hotdogs!




Of course, we stopped at the warehouse and got to oooh and ahhhh over the special edition pistol targets! 


The KD range was looking manicured when we arrived Friday morning!  Despite being early, several instructors were even earlier and getting the range setup.  Special thanks to R-Mack and Proud Patriot for their efforts.


We began the day with a quick review of applying IMC at distance.  Then, jumping into the fundamentals of trajectory, choosing a zero, and methods to shoot the KD AQT.  After a safety brief, shooters began sighters and shooting for score!










At lunch, we heard about the War of Regulation and the Battle of Alamance - the latter took place about 30 minutes from the Home Range!






Congratulations to our new KD Rifleman Recon82 and our two requalifiers (UpACreek and Cowtipper).






It was a fantastic to spend the day with everyone. I'm especially appreciative of the instructors and coaches who came out to help make the day fun for the instructors who shot. 
 

Friday was meant to be our warmup day - and warm it was.  In fact, with rising temps, humidity, and chances of thunderstorms, your Shoot Boss made the decision to move the scheduled Shoot Boss Camp to an air conditioned venue.

Saturday morning, fourteen students arrived in Asheboro, just a short drive from the Home Range.  Instructors traveled from Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee to attend.  After check-in, we got started with the Shoot Boss Camp.

One of the first items on the agenda was to announce the promotion of Tar Heel of NC to dSB.


We quickly got to business.  We discussed our Appleseed Mission and our part in it as Shoot Bosses.  For the next two full days, we discussed leadership challenges, time management (on and off the line), preparing for an event, and mentoring instructors.  One of the very best parts of a Shoot Boss Camp is the sharing of lessons learned among the Appleseeders present.

After warming up with IMC, we dedicated to time to teaching the Three Challenges of a Rifleman.  Everyone rehearsed Known Distance presentations and our small group leads coached and helped polish.  We also discussed how to conduct an effective KD component at a 25m event.




Storms rolling in!


And Google starting the demo teaching trajectory.


And some other pics from the weekend.





We wrapped up the weekend with SE Regional Coordinator UpACreek recognizing a couple of instructors who have been instrumental moving North Carolina forward: Bulldog14 and Tar Heel!




My thanks to everyone who dedicated this weekend and invested in growing our Mission.  The up & coming shoot bosses who attended are going to be awesome!

Our group pic:


Special thanks to: Google for co-facilitating this with me and our small group leads - UpACreek of Georgia, Geek of Indiana, Tar Heel, and Big John of Indiana!  Thanks so much for making this an easy weekend.

For those of you still working toward wearing that green hat, persist.  It's the most fun and rewarding job in Appleseed!

Liberty, yo!
MO

[Roswell]

Wow! What an amazing looking event. Good job everyone! 

[UpACreek]

Another great way to spend a weekend.  R-Mack and Proud Patriot (with other locals) have done a fantastic job with the Ramseur range.  It's looking great!  I got to shoot my first KD there.  Man, that range spoils you.  I'm grateful for Maximum Ordinate's loaner since part of my rifle wasn't up for the shoot.  The KD was hot and well done - 2 AQT's at about 100°.  Thanks for driving the trucks John and Derry.

    Thank you for moving the SB IBC indoors!!!     

NC, TN, IN, and PA are in good hands.  Two days of questions, answers, practice, and camaraderie.  I think all of us learned a great deal.  If a SB IBC pops up near you - get to it!


Pleading with one of my overlords to forgive the brief break in servitude.


It was nice being chauffeured around -lol.  We made a stop at the Granny Squirrel covered bridge too.  Turns out it's for an HOA. 


Google and MO share tips on adjusting scopes


Proud Patriot and MO wrap up the safety briefing before we start shooting


Yates explains trajectory


Cowtipper explains range estimation.  Sir Mix-a-Lot would approve his jackalope artwork.


Recon takes a turn explaining explaining range estimation.

[Tar Heel]

With all these dedicated instructors attending and Maximum Ordinate and Google facilitating, my expectations were high for this weekend. Somehow, though, the two days spent with all these folks zeroing our administrative, leadership, and instruction skills went even better than I thought it would!

One highlight for me was a discussion led by MO about the context leading up to the American Revolution that went all the way back to Thomas Hobbes and John Locke in the Age of Enlightenment. You won't get that level of deep dive in very many marksmanship programs! To me it spoke of the seriousness that Project Appleseed applies to our mission of knowing and sharing important history. It also modeled a high standard of teaching that we would all do well to aim for.

Thanks to everyone who put in their time in Ramseur and Asheboro!

[Big John]

I very much enjoyed those three days, and, although the mountains of WV earn their tollroad wages in upkeep, it's a nice drive in the summer, (maybe not in the winter.)

I'd never been to Ramseur, and, although it is an epic range, it took me a while to figure out what I felt differently about it, and it's that Appleseed is there always. At other ranges, you pack up and leave, but this place seems like we're always present. It's a Zen thing, or maybe I worked outside too long today.

National-run boot camps, whatever the level, are always good and always teach you things. I recommend folks go to ones of their level in the program, but ALSO go to ones to those of a level you aspire to be. They run just like a shoot; the shoot boss fights the time monkey, and we persevere. I took about ten pages of notes and hope to apply it all to upcoming events. It was also great to see people I knew, and meet new people in the program of that region.

My diet won't allow me to buy it, but we were spoiled by complementary pizza, too!

I think my favorite part was talking about mentoring people coming up the program, and the finesse we owe them for what they give us.

[Google]

What a great weekend!  One of my favorite things about Boot Camps is the opportunity to connect with people from across the country and this one was special with so many states represented. The group was well-prepared and clearly dedicated to honing their Shoot Boss skills.  The program is in good hands with these folks. 

I look forward to seeing you again!

[JustKim]

WOW!  This sounds like a special event!  Congrats to the new and the improved KD Rifleman scores!!!

Special Congrats to Tar Heel and Big John!  Both well-deserved promotions to dSB! 

SBC as well as all other IBCs are a fantastic way to hone our instructing skills and are also a blasts to attend getting to see friends both old and new. 

I'm sure this being held at the home range made it even more special - Big John, you are right that there is just something special about that place.  I love attending events at Ramseur!

Thanks MO and Google for all you do -- and of course UpaCreek!!

It's great seeing that everyone had a great time and I am sure learned a lot!