HOT HOT HOT!
With temps projected to be in the mid-90's all weekend long, it was a wonder anyone showed up on Saturday morning, but by 9:00am, there were over 45 attendees looking to learn rifle marksmanship, and American Heritage. Unfortunately, the weather forecasts were correct: Saturday's high temperature was a recorded 96 degrees, cooling off to 94 on Sunday.
Mustering on with an impressive amount of perseverance, our students all made impressive gains throughout the weekend. From new shooters to competitive marksmen, our students all brought a teachable attitude, and left better for it.
A special thanks goes out to the Range Master, Manny. He was responsible for most of the preparation for this event, including providing the copious amounts of water and ice that were consumed throughout the weekend. Another hearty thanks goes to ERML Board member Tim Frey, whose assistance was instrumental in getting this event on the schedule, and for promoting it throughout the community. This event truly would not have been possible without the assistance of these two men.
I have taken many pictures, and will post them as soon as I can get my camera to communicate with my pc again; seems the two had a falling out, and are not on speaking terms at the moment...
There are moments from this weekend that will stick in my memory for a long time; such as Landry hammering away with a Mini-14 with perfect cadence, or Collin clearing the final redcoat target of the weekend. Awarding the Young Patriot patches to these young men was a no-brainer, as they both showed tremendous grit and determination, persevering the whole weekend with nary a complaint. There was even a video recorded of this patch presentation, which I hope to link here as soon as it is posted.
SHOOTERS! Your 7th Stepping Begins NOW!
Please help spread the word about our shared history and heritage- only by reawakening the sleeping Americans in our midst are we able bring the country back from the brink of ruin.
The most effective way I know how to do this is to bring them to an Appleseed.
By attending this past weekend's event in Pensacola, you have each been reminded of the price paid for your liberty, and now know the debt that we all owe those men and women from 235 years ago.
Please help us save our country, one Rifleman at a time.
Contact your friends, relatives and coworkers, and tell them about your experience this past weekend- tell them how much fun you had, the tremendous improvement in accuracy you achieved, and more importantly, how much you learned about the most important date in American History: April 19th, 1775- the day Marksmanship Met History, and the Heritage Began.
Your Instructors this weekend were:
Shoot Boss: Eric "ItsanSKS"
Red Hats: Wiley "ThaiFighter"
John "Franklinfarmer"
IIT'S: Doug "Douglas34474"
Jon "Jollynator"
Steve "Jollymeister"
Vicki "LadyZipper"
I was sent the following in an email this morning:
I attended another day of Appleseed Project training in Pensacola FL this past weekend. I learned a lot, but it was really hot. This last class, I learned to shoot offhand and to shoot sitting -- neither of which I absorbed in my first two days of training in Gainesville FL, not due to the instructors, I just didn't get it, probably also due to heat. I am almost 60, and Appleseed is the only formal rifle training I have ever had in my life.
By the end of the final AQT that Saturday, I was confident that I was shooting correctly and needed a sight adjustment. Unfortunately, the Tasco instructions for my scope are unhelpful, and I don't have enough of a shooter's book yet to fill in that gap for myself, so my adjustments are imprecise. Nevertheless, I moved crosshairs to raise bullet impact and hit all targets on the Redcoat, plus the headshot. A couple were squeakers, but that's progress.
I hit the 100m Redcoat with a group I could cover with a pencil eraser. Not so good on the smaller targets. I think that means I need to increase magnification on my scope, so I can see enough mass to shoot center of mass. I don't know who to ask about such things. Perhaps you can suggest someone. Thanks in advance for that.
I intend, as a general response, to join the local private club, which I know is already running a kids NRA marksmanship program (I forget the name of tht program). That should lead to an Appleseed Project shoot pretty soon here in Tallahassee FL.
I ordered some targets from Fred's, and I really like the suggestion about leaving a clean target posted as an invitation to unknown shooters. That oughta be fun. Next to one with tight, consistent 400m hits.
I am no evaluator of shooting programs, but to me, Appleseed is an excellent, intensive rifle marksmanship training program. I am saying that because I see the results in my own ability, which was poor (or imaginary) before Appleseed. When I speak with other shooters now, it is clear that their idea of effective marskmanship is actually appallingly poor quality (just bad). They congratulate themselves with bromides like, "Well, if that was a person . . ." but actually, it's either a poor shot or a miss.
I like shooting with precision. It appeals to every part of me.
Richard
We had a great time, but boy was it HOT! Looking forward to attending a future event (maybe even at ERML) and earning that Rifleman patch.
Brian
Sorry to have missed this shoot, as you should know, I love the warm weather.......anyway, Good show to all who participated, I am trying to slide on down to Myakka this weekend, looking forward to seeing you all....
Woody
Eric,
I hope you told Richard that his groups were so small on the 100yrd, is because he didn't aim.(who can miss that shot from prone) It called NPOA 8)
Finally, a few moments of down-time has allowed me to post up the pictures from Pensacola.
The bright sun made many of the pictures I took impossible to discern, but here is a slideshow of those that were usable. (Just click on the picture below)
(http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/EngineBuilder/Appleseed%20Photos/Pensacola%20May%202010/th_ERMLSign.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a266/EngineBuilder/Appleseed%20Photos/Pensacola%20May%202010/?action=view¤t=dc894ef4.pbw)
Thanks to everyone who made this event a smashing success!
Should anyone like a copy of a picture, please send me a PM with your email address, and I'll get it right out to you.
-ItsanSKS
Wow....sorry about the late reply, I know its been a while. This was my first appleseed shoot, and although I was not sure what to expect, I must say that I was greatly impressed with the instruction and skills that I learned. I grew up in a rural place and was taught to shoot at a very young age...I still learned a great deal about shooting, and the work and techniques greatly improved my abilities (the first AQT is humbling ;)).
I wanted to say thanks to all the instructors that were there. You all are really doing something worth while for the cause of freedom.
I will be going to the one this comming weekend in the Mobile, AL area (gotta earn that rifleman's patch), and I will be bringing a friend. Thanks again for all the great things you all are doing.
Welcome aboard, kidthatsirish!
Glad to hear you're headin out on the "Appleseed Trail"- it can get addictive, as there is likely an Appleseed within a few hour's drive of any vacation destination... Gets tempting to start planning vacations around Appleseeds...
I spoke with Tim Frey, who is on the Board of Directors for ERML, and he assured me that we can expect a few more dates later this year (when the weather isn't ridiculously hot). So keep your eyes on that schedule, and start telling your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. I'd like to see us sell out our next event, too!
-Eric