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Gibsonburg, OH. aug 22-23

Started by posterboy, August 24, 2009, 06:22:40 PM

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posterboy

The Fertile ground of the The Great Black Swamp once again produced a fine Appleseed weekend from it's loins

For being the month of August we sure lucked out with the weather. Although it rained a bit on Saturday morning it soon stopped and the rest of the weekend was cool and dry ! We had 15 shooters with us on Saturday and 10 came back for more on Sunday. I have to say that these americans could shoot! Some were repeat Appleseeders but others weren't. After the first Redcoat I knew we would have a great weekend. We had excellent staff with Techres at the Helm with his concise leadership, Slim, Peacemaker  as well as his son and myself helping row the ship of liberty.

This appleseed was special to me because I got to hand rifleman patches to 3 very good friends. Foremost , Blindman( Mike Metzger) who actually got the Club to host the first Appleseed last August Huzzzahhhhhh!!!!. Ryan who has dubbed him self Buttstock was also at that very first AS last year earned his patch and was the first to do so last weekend..... not bad for a 15 year old !! we have a bright future with young men like him showing determination to reach a goal. Troy, his father has brought him to every AS we've held there and helped set up and tear down so A big Huzzahh again...and btw YOU"RE next we want to see you one the line  &) ! Finally Kate who in the Gibsonburg tradition we've named Persistence after she had her 210 shower provided by Slim !!!!. A big Huzzah to all of you I am proud.

I am also proud of of the other 2 YES 2 riflemen that we're produced. Gibsonburg makes rifleman plain and simple! Doug ( who we've named Short Stroke ) Brought his mom all the way from Michigan. Doug had nothing but troubles with his new rifle all day saturday ( short stroking ..get the name now ? !) Rather than complaining and becoming aggravated he persisted ! On sunday he brought another rifle and made the score ! His mom Catherine is one dangerous old lady ! and I mean that in the fondest of terms. Nothing like seeing a D.O.L hit steel at 500 yrds yes sir ! She can be on my team anytime.

The other rifleman traveled all the way from PA in his RV which became his nickname "GreenWeenie" Scott persisted all weekend long scoring higher and higher until it finally came together !

The other students on the line we're knocking on the door too...Bryan an his father both raised there scores by at least 50 points, Linda and Ted we're shooting well all weekend and it was wonderfull to see Ted work the enfield. We had Mark the minister come on Saturday only for obvious reasons, Dan and one other gentleman whose name escapes me forgive me.

The best part of the weekend was seeing ALL of them yes ALL of them hit steel at 500 yrds

I would have liked to see more Americans this weekend but I wouldn't trade this group for any amount.....

Gibsonburg is here for you . Please spread the word and come. We have plenty of space. great facilities, camping and 500yrds See you in a month !

PB


Gordon

PB,

   They're all so stunned at your outstanding writing that they don't know what to write!

   As you know, I would have been there if I could, but the Fenton, Michigan shoot seemed more important. They're just getting started up there and were looking for help. State Coordinator Bee Free is doing a great job.

   Anyhow, congrat's on another great Gibsonburg shoot! I'll be "coming home" for the Sept. 26 shoot, and look forward to working w/ you again.

  Thanks for all you do,
-Gordon

techres

#2
I rolled into Gibsonburg early Saturday morning to find Posterboy waiting for me and Peacemaker already finishing up the preparations for the shoot.  This range is rather unique with a great diversity of capabilities and the area we setup in was the cowboy western area complete with small but extremely impressive cowboy buildings that had an eye for detail and attractiveness.  The weather was perfect with overcast skies and coolish temperatures.

Soon we had our 15 shooters, registration and safety instructions were complete, and the line was ready to shoot under Slim's command:




We had in our midst a large number of experienced shooters.  Some were returning Appleseeders and one is active duty military:




After redcoats, and a slew of squares, it was time to take a break for a bit of history:




Back to shooting and a picture of one of my favorite things to see on the line: husband and wife shooting teams.  The soldiers on April 19th could have used the force multiplier that we see here, not to mention the kind of family unit that is made up when both parents are, or will be riflemen and riflewomen:




After lunch students were turned into teachers in the ball and dummy drill, even the young ones:




With Posterboy running the line, Slim kept an eye on all the shooters and customized the learning for each according to their own challenges:




We had among us many who were right at the door of shooting rifleman, Persistence was one of those:



And by the end of the day, we shot our first AQT:



And got our first Rifleman!



But even those who did not hit rifleman all showed significant improvement as proved by their red coats, and you could see it on their faces:




Then it was time to finish third strike and seventh step and move on to camping.  We had 6 campers for the night and a nice fire to chat by. 



The next morning was underway just as soon as we did a brief review.  We had 10 shooters all with no new shooters so the morning went fast with some of the shooters opting for a bit of variety and spice in their rifle choices:





Soon we were back to AQT's and had several so very, very, very close. 
As a break we did the team drill "Parker's Revenge" and one team (a pair of riflemen) chose a strategy unused before - use of a spotter.  It worked well, and they won, but only by one point:



This was a perfect segue into doing known distance shooting.  Every shooter had the chance to shoot a 24"x16" steel silouette at 500 yards.  Every one who tried it, hit it:



One "dangerous old lady" who was up against some physical limitations decided to try it even though she doubted that she could do it without a scope (we offset the limitations with a bipod just for her).  Here is a youtube video of her third iron sight hit out of three tries!

Three in a Row

Back to the anvil of the AQT and we had two new riflemen:





And again, we had some that were so on the cusp that it was frustrating for them and us to watch.  One was Persistence who was just knock, knock, knocking at the door:



And after a few more hammer blows another two riflemen were forged:



Including Persistence who had a 210 exactly:



Thanks for helping Slim!

And before you knew it the day was over and the crews cleaned up super quick.  Rifles were pulled from the line, targets removed, gear pulled, tents put away and thanks given for a safe shoot and new friends.  We all got the chance to renew ourselves to our heritage, listen to the loud sounds of freedom, and exercise the freedoms that we still have that others would pay tremendous amounts to be able to experience just once back in their homes.

A couple last images:

Five new Riflemen -



But everyone, all of our shooters working towards a nation of Riflemen -




And a last thank you to all who took precious time from their personal lives, got babysitters for their kids, risked the wrath of their spouses and spent tightly held monies all to come and learn the heritage given down to them and to learn the rifles that are their inheretence as well.  Each of you deserves a thanking and each of you should be proud of you learning, skill, and most of all - dedication.

Each of you were good shooters, each of you improved, each of you worked hard, and I am proud to have met each and every one of you.

Thank you and I hope to see you again on the trail soon.

Appleseed: Bringing the Past into the Present to save our Future.

Blindman

#3
Greetings all
  I am very proud to come among you now as a Rifleman.
  I am still coming down off the whirlwind experience of once again "drinking from the firehose", but at the same time, I am eager to do it again. Like I told Posterboy, being at an Appleseed recharges my "American battery".     
  Slim and TechRez did a great job with the history, always my favorite part, as did Posterboy talking about "Dangerous old men". When TechRez talked about the seventh step, you could have heard a pin drop. My favorite moments at this Appleseed, apart from getting my patch, has to be shooting "Parkers Revenge", working as a team was a real mental shift from ranging and firing AQT's and 1-inch squares, and upon reflection was the perfect break in the routine. I take full blame for the decision to use a spotter in the event, but, as TechRez said, "No one said I couldn't", and it seemed to make sense.
  A memorable time, new, good friends made, old friendships renewed, and a reminder of the sacrifices made by our forebearers, what better way to spend a weekend
  Thanks to all, HUzzahhh!
okay, my dear friends and fellow's. My novel has gone live.
"Freedom's Forge, striking the sparks of liberty (volume 1) is available
http://abbacsrealms.com/
part of the profits go to Appleseed!

posterboy

Before this slips my mind......

I found a purple bore snake on the line after everyone left. If this is yours PM me and give me your address or better yet come get  it personally at the next Gibsonburg Appleseed September 26-27

BTW that youtube is awesome! She was a DOL in the finest sense. Great AAR Techres !

PB

techres

And one more video, I like to think of this as the sounds of liberty and freedom:

Appleseed: Sounds of Freedom
Appleseed: Bringing the Past into the Present to save our Future.

slim

Best weather ever at Gibsonburg. Not that I wasn't impressed with the event, but there was something going on with the space time continuum where I actually had to turn on the heater in my Jeep on the way there. It is August... right? This is Ohio.... right? And then, throughout the day, I wasn't even really hot at all. This is Gibsonburg..... right?

FIVE new Riflemen, four of which came back to their second or subsequent event after practicing and persisting and putting it all together. One came all the way from PA in the "green weenie" to show us how they do it over there. I asked the other guy, Doug, who made it at his first ever Appleseed if there was a time during the weekend when the heavens opened and the angels sang, and when that was. His reply - "when I shot your rifle out at 500 yards."

Folks, it had nothing to do with "my rifle" and everything to do with this shooter's focus on making the shot. On firing by the numbers. On getting inside that Rifleman's bubble. We walked back from the KD range and he nailed it shortly thereafter. So did Kate. 210 on the dot! I love dumping water on shooters. I do it to honor the tradition, I swear! Think of it as the same thing as when the coach gets Gatorade dumped on him after the big game. You've earned that water being dumped on you. Enjoy it! Had Gibsonburg been the Gibsonburg we all know and love, it probably would've felt pretty good. Since the space time continuum rift thing was going on, it was probably a bit chilly though. But in a good way, I'm sure. And just so folks don't get the wrong idea about me being all mean and having some secret desire to dump water on shooters, I "tested" it first by totally giving away the secret and dumping most of it down my shirt while feigning a drink. It's supposed to be a surprise.

One of the best things for me as an instructor is to see folks persist through issues and improve over time. When I head to a location several times and see the same folks coming back time after time and inching closer and closer, once they finally break that barrier and get that Patch, I know they've earned it. Ryan, you definitely earned yours! Not only did Ryan earn his patch, but in the past year or so, he's grown into a man who knows well what he's about. Speaking of men.... once again, special thanks to Troy for taking care of everything and making sure we had yet another flawless shoot at this great location.

.... which leads me to our next Rifleman. There's a reason we conduct events up at G'Burg, and Blindman is it. His actions led to us getting the location set up in the first place and every event we have, every Rifleman we forge, every single shooter that steps up to that line is because of him. (Well, him and Posterboy who's now been joined by several other club members who've donned the IIT hat as well.) Sure the Rifleman score is a big deal, but in terms of mission success, Blindman can show us all what to look for.

Camping was a nice touch this time. I'd planned to camp several other times before but each time I'd been offered a nice roof over my head and hot shower so I readily accepted. This time there were more campers so we pitched a few tents, techres stoked a fire, and we had us a nice little time. PB and Kate stuck around til bedtime and OFCC'ers Ted and Linda hung out with us til it was time to call it a night. Peacemaker did his best to give us some company but the call of his perfect Appleseeding tent and cozy sleeping bag was louder than the call of the icebergs we were discussing. He may have been the wisest out of all of us!

Several folks couldn't make it back on Sunday but Saturday's final groups and Redcoats were all 1/2 the size they were earlier in the day. Folks may've gotten enough to drink from the firehose, but I'm betting I'll see many of them again, back on the line of the black swamp.

It was nice to see Panama when he stopped by and it was really, really nice to see every shooter hit Posterboy's portable pinging target at 500 yards on Sunday. Father and son teams, mother and son teams, husband and wife teams, shooter and spotter teams.... Rifleman teams. I'm already chomping at the bit to get back up there next month. See you all again real soon!

KingsMountain

It was a great time and a pleasant learning/shooting experience.

My dad and I hope to attend another Appleseed sometime in the next few months.


Thanks to everybody who made it possible. :)

WolfAmongSheep

Hey, did anybody stay at any of the hotels in the area? I need a recommendation for the Sept shoot. Thanks!

Short-Stroke

Hello everyone
I had an awesome time at the Gibsonburg, OH. appleseed event!  I learned soo much from everyone there!  I would like to say THANKYOU to all the instructors for their time, patience, skills, use of equipment, history lessons and advice! 

Posterboy, thanks for all the advice, your time, patience, and especially for helping my mom out.  She was really impressed "as was I" at the quality of people at the event.  The media portrays gun owners and patriots as wierd fanatics.  Lately I have stopped even watching the boob tube as it seems to be just useless drivel, non-informative, depressive, hypnotic,  mis-leading, mis-information, and just pure waste of my time!  Shooting is just soo much more fun!!!
 
Techres, thankyou too for the great history lesson, your time,  advice, the youtube videos, and the use of your sling.
 
Slim, I cant thank you enough for the priveledge of shooting your AR at the 500yd target, for your advice, your time,  the great history lessons, and the GI sling I purchased from you. I have never shot past 100yds before.

BTW, I had previously thought a sling was just to carry your rifle.  Boy was I wrong!  I found "thanks to all the instructors help" I could actually shoot better with proper usage of the sling than I was doing with a bipod!  The skills I have acquired will be with me forever and I am determined to pass them on to others.  Achieving rifleman was just icing on the cake.

We had great weather, great people, and a great time!

Im doing my part in spreading the word,  My brother and I will be at the late september Gibsonburg event for sure.  Im still working on a few buddys also!

To anyone I may have unintentionally left out,  THANKYOU!!!

P.S.  I think my Rem 597 mag 22 was short stroking due to one of the rail springs hanging out.  I disassembled it, cleaned it thoroughly, and reassembled it.  I have not had a chance to try it but I will let you know the outcome.

MeanStreaker

Quote from: WolfAmongSheep on August 29, 2009, 03:27:39 PM
Hey, did anybody stay at any of the hotels in the area? I need a recommendation for the Sept shoot. Thanks!

Before camping was allowed at the range, I stayed at the Travelodge in Fremont, about 15 minutes from the range.  As an Instructor (read: "the wife wasn't there" :) ) I went with the cheapest I could find.  Through Travelocity.com it was like $40 a night.  It's not a 4-star hotel, but it was clean and had a shower and bed.... everything I needed.
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
--Thomas Paine

Used to ride a Kawasaki Mean Streak motorcycle.  I'm not an angry, naked runner.  :)

techres

Quote from: WolfAmongSheep on August 29, 2009, 03:27:39 PM
Hey, did anybody stay at any of the hotels in the area? I need a recommendation for the Sept shoot. Thanks!

Bowling green had the room at $60.
Appleseed: Bringing the Past into the Present to save our Future.

posterboy

Just to repeat what the others said....you can now camp at Gibsonburg. It is primitive camping ( meaning no Potable water or AC hook ups) but you can't beat the price or the company. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Fremont will be your closest bet for Hotels but BG is also an option.

PB

Panama

A couple I know run a Motel in Fremont, about 10 minutes from the range. It's nothing fancy, but if I was given a list far enough in advance, I may be able to get a discount set up if there were enough rooms taken. It's worth a shot anyhow.
NRA certified Instructor
US Army Veteran

WolfAmongSheep

Hi Panama! What is the name of the motel your friends own? I would be in for a Saturday night stay. My back is a little on the messed up side to be sleeping on the ground for an entire night, otherwise I would just camp out  :(

Panama

Quote from: WolfAmongSheep on September 02, 2009, 12:20:04 PM
Hi Panama! What is the name of the motel your friends own? I would be in for a Saturday night stay. My back is a little on the messed up side to be sleeping on the ground for an entire night, otherwise I would just camp out  :(

PM sent
NRA certified Instructor
US Army Veteran