Another successful event in the books!
and what a great group of shooters we had!
We began Saturday with some perfect weather and a nominal three shooters. Our trusty IIT and friend Sly223 and I looked forward to giving all 3 shooters a heaping dose of personal instruction and enjoying a leisurely pace. We started out with a husband and wife team, James and Liz who came to us as new shooters and left us looking like seasoned pros and Tony, who came in already well schooled in the arts of placing the shot!
Liz had a beautiful custom Kimber bolt action .22 target rifle that had been generously lent by the President of the range. It was an amazing piece of gear, but less than ideal for our purposes with a new shooter. Loaner rifles were procured and the instruction began. Both Liz and James were quick studies and rapidly mastered the art of the sling and the different steady hold factors for position shooting. Tony was having sling issues and as both of our GI slings were already out on loan, we did our best to help him modify his sling for use in the hasty configuration on his AR.
we managed to get in three AQT's that afternoon with no riflemen ready to reveal.
After a benediction and a reminder to get plenty of rest, our tired shooters and instructors made their ways home with a grain of anticipation of the next day.
We had 6 people registered for Sunday. Even with two instructors, that shouldn't be a hassle right?
Then a walkon showed up...
then another...
then 3 more...
11 shooters...
two of us...
oh well, if it was easy, it wouldn't be Appleseed!
I handled the admin work while Rick handled the line drill and parking lot duties and we got everyone registered and waivered up. After a THOROUGH safety briefing we dismissed the shooters to their vehicles to bring their rifles to the line. Once we'd cleared the line, we went to work! Bruce and Lori returned to us from an Appleseed where I met them as a shooter early in 2010. Lori had her own rifle this trip and reminded me that I need to spend more time practicing as a southpaw so's I can demonstrate lefty sling and positions without having to think about them first. Jeff was a repeat shooter who had attended my first event in Hernando in 2009. I enjoyed swapping war stories with him from that outing. Especially the guy with the .308 that had the "side blast" muzzle brake that was situated neatly between the two of us. That hing would part your hair in a different spot every time he pulled the trigger. It was a great pleasure to award Jeff his rifleman's badge at the end of the day. Jeff brought his buddy Gregg who was relatively new to shooting and Gregg demonstrated grit and a teachable attitude that allowed for great progress over the course of the day. I have a feeling we'll see him at a future event, tuned up from some dry fire practice and ready to take another crack at the AQT.
Another repeat attendee, Gary, brought his friend Howard along. Thanks for 7th stepping Gary, it was a pleasure working with the both of you. After we got some initial battery related equipment issues out of the way, Howard made good progress. Gary showed he'd been practicing what he'd learned off the line as well. He definitely had a much better understanding of his AR and is a rifleman in waiting. a bit more practice and he's there.
Another excellent shooter, Russell and his son Doug showed up for some father and son quality time. They did a good job of working through some new rifle issues to absorb the lessons and convert them into practical skill.
We finished Ball and DUmmy right before we broke for lunch, giving the shooters the feel for diagnosing error and working with another to improve both marksmen and then Sly regaled us with some tales of Brave Old Men and Dangerous Women. After lunch it was time to put the students on the anvil of the AQT and hammer 'em into riflemen and women. We cranked out three AQT's by 2:30 and broke for the KD portion of the event.
After a reader's digest version of the tasks of a rifleman in the field, we turned all the shooters loose at 100 yards to see the effect of the increased range on their POI vs POA. This is always a great exercise as it visually illustrates to shooters the concept of trajectory and coincidence and forces them to learn Inches, Minutes and Clicks and how to adjust on the fly. After three 5 round sighter groups, we shot a reduced stage 4 for score. We had some very tight groups and some students were surprised at how well they were shooting at that range. The morning of the day before they'd barely handled a rifle and now they can adjust their equipment to mark targets at 100 yards! I always have a hard time concealing my pride in our students after this portion of the event and today was no different.
We cranked out a few more AQT's and the redcoats and after a short benediction, cleaned up the range and bid our students adieu.
The whole day, we had excellent safety practices from all of our shooters. They were friendly and generous with one another and it was a pleasure to watch this class progress together. It was an honor and a privilege to work with this group and I hope we'll see all of you at future events!
A big Thanks! to ThaiFighter & Sly223 for making our first Appleseed such an awesome experience. As first time shooters we arrived with no preconceived ideas and left with confidence and a desire to get our Rifleman's badge. Thank you for all your patience, for the procured loaner rifles, the encouragement, the great stories, the reminder of our heritage and, most importantly, transforming us to become stronger patriots in support of our nation. Our experience has become a part of our daily conversations and we look forward to seeing you again at a future Appleseed event. J&L
Pix!
Sly at work:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_slyatwork.jpg)
IS the line ready!!!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_allllready.jpg)
let down and rest:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_JandL.jpg)
raw elbows in ball and dummy:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_rawelbows.jpg)
Gary and Howard hsow how it's done!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_HandG.jpg)
Safety rule #3 in effect!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_goodtriggerdiscipline.jpg)
Showing us how it's done!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_howitsdone.jpg)
Step 4:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_Makinitsafe.jpg)
A happy line!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_goodprone.jpg)
The Southpaw at work!:
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/thaifighter/t_slingupprone.jpg)
This was one of the greatest times of my life. Much work By all, Much fun with all! Great Experience.No saftey issues at all. Just an all around great group, and Wiley Thanks again Bro. Great Event! :cool2: ..:..
Naturally, I looked at the pictures before reading the AAR. Wait a minute, is that Bruce and Lori?
Sure enough! Good to see you, again! I'm sorry i couldn't be there but I had a scheduling conflict.
Good job TF and Sly!
RickB
We had a great time. ..See ya in January at the next Appleseed. Hey RickB, we hope to see ya at the next appleseed.