After reading Chris G.'s report on his experience (while I had just an AAR "Placeholder"), I hardly have much to add. Thanks, Chris, we really enjoyed having all of you there!
With this, our 4th event at the Wears Valley Ranch Range, Sevierville is becoming an Appleseed destination for shooters from all over TN, KY, GA, AL and VA. We had 10 new shooters out of 17 total participants! And two of them, Matt J. and Chris G. scored Rifleman first time out...well done Matt and Chris!. I credit not only their persistence, but also the excellent instruction by SB Morpheus, Red Niva, and the IIT's, all of whom made me proud once again to be part of Appleseed.
Thom T. also scored Rifleman at only his second event, and he asked for an Orange Hat. Brian M. (brianmac) did his first duty as an Orange Hat by reviewing Safety Rules and Safe Rifle on the second day. Yes, sir, we are growing! Josh H. re-qualified three times...243, 245, and 247. TNColonel, Josh is after that tricked out 10/22 you are holding for the first perfect score of 250 in TN!
But, even more exciting (if that's possible) was the enthusiasm of the new shooters not only about the instruction, but also about the sharing of history and the location. We adapted and overcame the very cold weather by converting a "counselor cabin" into a classroom for much of the instruction and history sharing. Many "first timers" indicated they would be returning with friends and children.
Please read Chris' comment for the "rest of the story."
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https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u517fynwkp6zj9j/AAAXGKXzE70_WfQ5YK_rKbRca?dl=0
Here is my post as posted at rimfirecentral.
Wow! What a great weekend.
Myself, my brother-in-law, and one of the teens (13 years old) from my church decided to travel down to Sevierville from Lexington, KY for our first Appleseed event. We wanted to go to one that ran on Friday - Saturday instead of Saturday - Sunday, and there wasn't one close to home.
We weren't quite sure of what to expect, and both myself, and my brother-in-law, both admitted (after the fact) that before the event, we were kind of regretting agreeing to travel so far when we each had so much to do at home. However, when we were leaving the event on Saturday afternoon, boy, were we glad we had gone!
Friday started off COLD! It was probably around 27 degrees to start the day. However, Wears Valley has a beautiful short range with a covered shooting platform that was very nice. We started off the morning, in a heated room, with the safety briefing, the 6 steps to a shot, Natural Point of Aim, and the First Strike. By the end of the Shoot Boss's (Morpheus) presentation, we were raring to go!
We had around 20 people, give or take (I never actually counted), and about half of us were there for the first time. After shooting our Redcoat targets, we got down to the business of getting our rifles zeroed in and ready to go. We had several presentations on shooting positions, and finally, we started shooting the AQT's.
The first day, I got my score up to 185. So close, but still so far away! Through the day, we went through the 2nd and the 3rd strike. Each presentation was very moving and motivational. We ended our range time with shooting with the Redcoat targets again. Most of us did much better than the start of the day! During the day, we had a couple of re-qualifies and 1 new Rifleman - Thom! It was his second Appleseed. We also had an old hat to the Appleseed that was shooting consistently 245 - 249! WOW!
The second day arrived! We went back through our safety presentation and we had some more wonderful stories of the Revolution. Back on the range we shot the Redcoat target again, and got to work re-zeroing for those that needed it. Then we started the AQT grind.
The first AQT, I didn't do so well, but by the second one, I was feeling pretty good. We started this AQT from the bottom up, and I liked that a lot. I felt really good about my target, but I didn't score it myself. I figured I might have scored close, but not enough. I handed it off to the Shoot Boss in Training - Everett aka CokeGuy, for him to score it.
We went back to shooting AQT's, and I was wondering the whole time what my score was on that last AQT. We finished the current AQT (not a great one due to my distractions) and I was prepping mags for the next one when I saw Everett walk by. I asked him, "Did you score my target?". He was kind of cryptic about it and didn't volunteer my score. I said "Well, how did I do?". He broke into a grin and said, "212". I thought , "212 . . . 212 . . 212. What was the score I needed to qualify? 210!" . I immediately broke out in the biggest grin I could manage. YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!! I had just become a Rifleman! I received congratulations from all those around me. I couldn't stop grinning! I felt like a kid at Christmas!
I scored a 195 later, but I didn't shoot another 210 or above, but by that time I was pretty tired both mentally and physically. These shoots take a lot out of you!
During the second day, we had another new Rifleman, so we had a total of 3 new Riflemen for the weekend. The teen that went with us improved by leaps and bounds. The first day's, first Redcoat, he only managed 1 shot even on the paper. By the end of the weekend, he was able to manage a couple 1" - 1.5" groups of 5, and everything was getting close on his AQT's. I think he can qualify at the next event we go to (There will be more events for us!) if he practices his dry fire exercises.
We had a wonderful time, and my brother-in-law is thinking about taking the Orange Hat and becoming an Instructor in Training once he qualifies. He ended the weekend with a 192 score, but he was shooting on a borrowed rifle with a trigger that was less than optional. I think he can qualify next time around as well.
Can't wait for the next one!
I mistakenly bumped Josh H.'s top score by 2, but he was oh so close to that perfect 250!
If you don't know the password, you can't read beyond this point.
OK, it's "purple penguin." You couldn't get across the bridge to the range without this vital information!
This was my third Appleseed but my first trip to Wears Valley Ranch in beautiful Sevierville, TN. I first met Mr. Womack, "Cokeguy," at an Appleseed in Manchester, TN. After speaking with him about a location less than an hour from my home, I knew I had to check it out. As expected, this Appleseed was everything I had hoped for: excellent marksmanship training, inspiring and motivational stories about our founding fathers (and mothers), and fellowship with some modern day patriots!
I don't have enough words to describe the amazing hospitality shown by the instructors from this weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed the story telling from all the instructors, Morpheus, Cokeguy, Mama Bear, and the mini-Morpheus's Hannah and Asa! (Forgive me, I couldn't recall their forum names!)
I think it's taken three Appleseeds for me to finally bring together the wealth of information presented during the weekend. I have found out how to use less and less muscle during the shot. It sounds simple, but finding your natural point of aim is the "secret sauce" to expert marksmanship. It is elusive but once you identify your NPOA, the shots actually become easier. I had some great scores this weekend and they were all the direct result of the training I have received at Appleseeds.
I look forward to many more Appleseeds and I can hopefully take an Orange Hat in the near future. It's too difficult for me to get weekends off at the moment, but that should be changing soon!
I forgot to mention that my highest score for the weekend was actually 283. How is that, you say??? I got a little help from my good buddy, "TN.Chaplain" who was in the shooting lane next to me! He got a little lost and started putting shots on my paper! ;D
I'm just picking on you Choate, you were shooting great in Sevierville. I'm sure a 210 is in the near future!!!
WVR is a beautiful range for sure. Good to hear that some Kentuckians were there. I hope to attend a shoot there in 2015.
Chris- we have a shoot this Friday and Saturday 1 hour north of Lexington. How about bringing your brother in law and that teen up with you? Saturday we will be shooting out to 300 yards. In January we will be running a shoot indoors at Buds Gun Shop. If you are so inclined, we need instructors in Kentucky. O0
http://www.appleseedinfo.org/search-states-display.php?qstate=KY&statename=Kentucky
Here is the Kentucky Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KentuckyRifleman
See you soon!
UL
I know I can't make it Friday. What would I need to do if I wanted to come up Saturday? Do I need to buy a full ticket?
I think we may be coming to the one at Bud's in January.
Edit to add:
We are definitely coming to the 1 day at Bud's in January. I, and my brother-in-law will be coming.
I will also be bringing my 9 year old son this time.
Quote from: Chris22 on November 25, 2014, 09:05:29 AM
I know I can't make it Friday. What would I need to do if I wanted to come up Saturday? Do I need to buy a full ticket?
I think we may be coming to the one at Bud's in January.
Yes you would purchase a regular ticket. However, we are also having an optional unofficial fun shoot on Sunday at no extra cost. The main attraction at crittenden is the opportunity to shoot out to 300 yards to confirm that BSZ really does work.
UL
Quote from: Chris22 on November 25, 2014, 09:30:30 AM
Edit to add:
We are definitely coming to the 1 day at Bud's in January. I, and my brother-in-law will be coming.
I will also be bringing my 9 year old son this time.
Chris,
As of tonight, there are only 5 tickets left for the Bud's shoot in January.
UL
I already purchased mine and my son's. My brother-in-law has as well.
I probably won't make the one this weekend, but we will be there for the one in January.
It was great to see a full line of shooters at the Wears Valley Ranch on that frosty Friday morning. It was even better to see such positive attitudes and eagerness to learn and to apply what was taught through our Appleseed "Fire Hose" of instruction.
We did have a great weekend with outstanding people. Chris, Thom and Matthew scored their first rifleman scores this weekend and Josh re-qualified with many incredible scores (243, 245, 247)!! :bow: Huzzah!! The improvement shown by the other shooters was equally encouraging to us instructors. Our walk-on shooter Diane had never fired a rifle before and by the end of the day was consistently on paper and seemed to be enjoying her time with us. I know that we were happy to have her on the line! :)
I hope that everyone remembers that a rifleman will persist! Take what you learned from this weekend and practice. If you dryfire at home I know that we will see many new riflemen at the next event. It does work! Persist!
Seeing the improvement at the firing line was great but I was about equally encouraged by the response of the students to the message of liberty and the story of April 19, 1775. Thank you for being so receptive and engaged to our heritage and history. Remember the 7th step! Talk to others about your experience at Appleseed and get them to come with you the next time. We need your help to increase liberty!! :sos:
I hope to see all you fine folks again soon. You are the reason that I keep doing what I do. Thank you for making it so worth my time. Appleseed is the best way that I know to spend a weekend.
I wanted to take a moment en express my appreciation to all the instructors. I had a great time! To be totally honest I was thinking of backing out. November is always very busy, but I can honestly say this was one of the most informative, and enjoyable weekends I have had. I was not sure what to expect. I was not prepared for the wealth of knowledge that was shared. The enthusiasm of the instructors was apparent. I have already signed up for the single day event at Bud's. I can't wait for another shot at the AQT. Chris and I have not been able to stop talking about applseed, and have signed up to be members of RWVA. We hope to get a group of guys to attend an event in 2015. Thanks again for the great weekend and time you put into this event.
We had a great time this past weekend. Great facility, great people! Looking forward to Jan 2 & 3rd!
Quote from: Hardbean on November 24, 2014, 03:06:46 PM
I forgot to mention that my highest score for the weekend was actually 283. How is that, you say??? I got a little help from my good buddy, "TN.Chaplain" who was in the shooting lane next to me! He got a little lost and started putting shots on my paper! ;D
I'm just picking on you Choate, you were shooting great in Sevierville. I'm sure a 210 is in the near future!!!
Yes, that awkward moment when you realized you helped a brother out! At least they were in the black :cool2:
Actually, I think we cleared that stage with the exception of one shot!!! One hit on the first target, lower right, may be a judgement call (30 caliber rule) but the rest look like they broke the line. The redcoats should fear the Boys of East TN!!!
See you at the next Appleseed!!!
(http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a520/Hardbean/20141128_1612541_zps1b0a1333.jpg) (http://s1281.photobucket.com/user/Hardbean/media/20141128_1612541_zps1b0a1333.jpg.html)