Even if Cindy had not made Rifleman (See AAR EXTRA - CINDY MAKES RIFLEMAN!), this was a special shoot.
The weather was perfect; the shooters were wonderful; we made two Riflemen; and we shot KD to 100 yards.
Saturday started out slow. We had a lot of first time shooters, and Andy in NH did an excellent demonstration on how to operate the Ruger 10/22 while demonstrating how to make the rifle safe. The experienced shooters were not only patient, but actually paid attention. Andy does that to people. It's a gift.
Then we plowed through the basics and managed to complete Rifleman Cadence before lunch. After lunch we continued with standing, sitting, and transitions for the stage-by-stage AQT.
A word about the shooters. These guys and gals really paid attention. They listened, asked questions, and then just did what they learned. My hat's off to you shooters who attended this shoot. You really did an excellent job.
Then we ramped up the AQT machine and shot a LOT of AQT's. We threw in a little Happy Finger Drill, and voilà, Dan earned Rifleman. Then we shot more AQT's until we dropped.
It turned out to be a good thing that we did so many AQT's on Saturday, and a lot more on Sunday morning, because after lunch we moved back to 100 yards and shot KD for the rest of the day.
The KD on Sunday was a surprise to everybody. It had not been announced beforehand. Four of the shooters were walk-ons, repeat Appleseeders who had come only on Sunday to work on getting their Rifleman patch, and only one (Cindy!) succeeded in doing so. It was a little unfair to them, since the KD component was in effect, an unannounced KD beta test. Shooters, especially Mike, I apologize for springing it on you. In the future I promise to notify shooters in the Event Information Page (EIP) of all shoots with the KD component in them. (NH Shooters, please always read, if not bring with you, the EIP for your shoot. It contains a wealth of information, including, ahem, instructions for not dressing for the beach.)
I taught Boltgun71's outstanding KD course as near as I was able, without notes or a white board, during lunch. Boltgun71 is a US military instructor. He knows his stuff. If you are fortunate enough to have him at your shoot, count your lucky stars and pay attention.
After the shoot, I quizzed the shooters as to whether they thought that it was worth it. The general consensus was yes, with even Mike admitting that he liked it. He did pretty darn well, too, with lots of hits in the "V". We all learned that the boxes of ammo that advertised a 5.6" drop at 100 yards were pretty close. Our experience ranged from from 2" to 8". We had a lot of fun doing basic research for ourselves.
The Monadnock Rod & Gun Club was superb as usual. They ran the kitchen for breakfasts and lunch, serving wonderful maple smoked bacon in their breakfast muffins and on their burgers. Worth a trip to their range just for that.
We found a new thing to like about Monadnock, too. For shooting both 25m and 100 yd, this range fits the bill. We left the targets in place and moved back and forth as needed, no sweat.
The second time we moved, it was back to the 25m line to shoot the Redcoats. Moving all the shooters kit was too much trouble, so we just moved the shooters, rifles, and mags. Much ado initially about shooting in the dirt, but the shooters handled it with aplomb, even a certain shooter who was dressed for the beach. LOL!
I can tell you one thing. The men and women in this group know now what they are about.
Thanks to all for making this a super shoot!
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This was our first shoot in NH. Peterborough is a very hospitable club that allows camping on site. Good range and good attentive shooters. Congratulations to Cindy on making Rifleman. Maine, Mass, Vermont, Connecticut and now NH. If we can fit in a RI shoot we'll have New England covered.
I just want to say Thanks to all the instructors
I had a great time even if I wasn't dressed for the occasion ;D
When I get caught up with my farm chores I'll be back for another run at rifleman