Another great experience in Chugiak, AK!! This great state just keeps getting better and better! What a great weekend and what great folks! Not suprisingly, we have another 7 Riflemen in Alaska and 3 more good folks that stepped up to be Instructors! I'll be back to add more, but please post your thoughts and pictures.
We want to welcome the new Riflemen/Riflewomen to growing nation of Riflemen! Congratulations to:
Simon
Jason
Jacob
Mary
Jamie
Erik
Bill
Jason, Jacob and Bill also took the Orange hat of destiny and have embarked on the journey of the Appleseed Instructor.
I know lots of folks were hoping for an icicle patch, but I think the cold rain we had was even tougher than snow. That stuff soaks in and goes straight through to your bones - but everyone was still taking up their prone positions and soldiering on without a complaint. Good strong folks on the line!
Persistence!
Wound up short a couple Marlin 795 magazines for the black stocked loaner (not the wood one that decided to become a jam-o-matic). If you ended up with a pair let me know. (located by samwe Thanks!)
Kudos to those who persevered through the cold rain - hopefully we'll have a nice blanket of snow for next time!
Bob O., It was a super weekend out in the cold and RAIN! Thanks coming up from sunny Cali & we'll see you with even more folks in April. Make sure you bring a patch for me because I won't be leaving without it.
Wally
Thank you for all the great instruction for me to improve my skills as a marksman. I am glad that I shot the riflemans score and I am looking forward to helping instruct in April!
Jason
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It was a great weekend. Congrats to all the new Riflemen (and woman!).
Quote from: Rafn on October 17, 2011, 10:32:07 PM
Wound up short a couple Marlin 795 magazines for the black stocked loaner (not the wood one that decided to become a jam-o-matic). If you ended up with a pair let me know.
I think we are the ones who borrowed that! we will double check that we did not bring them home, and if I do not find them get you some more. Do you know anyone who carries them local?
Alaska never fails to surprise...7 Riflemen and 3 Orange hats!?!
I always see the strength and attitude of the early colonists in the people of Alaska.
Nice job Ms Kaylee, RAFN and Josh. Hope you all are doing well and I wish I could have been there!
-Peter
Thank you to all the instructors for an amazing weekend. You all worked us hard and didn't waste any of our time. All the repetition and instruction was the perfect learning experience. You were all kind, attentive, knowledgeable and organized. I will spread the word for sure here about how good this was and come back in April for more. I still feel one of the best parts of the weekend was seeing the families that brought their children to this event. You all are doing a wonderful thing to promote those important family values that our country needs!
Mary Downs-Last
I had so much fun last weekend! I cannot WAIT to come back in April, and with any luck, der sis will be coming with me.
Thank you so much for all the help and BIG thanks to Kaylee & Cam - I couldn't have done it without you!
-Mel
What can I say? Another great weekend! Many, many, thanks to our "Outside" friends who so graciously came up to Alaska to light the fires. You are all Alaskans at heart. It was fantastic seeing the new orange hats on the line - great job! I can hardly wait for the next Appleseed and I've already got several folks interested in attending. Once my neck quits bellyaching I'll post some of the VERY numerous photos that I was able to take. One good thing about having a bum neck is that I've got to step back for a while (I just don't bend that well with that much titanium in my neck), which affords me the opportunity to actually watch what is going on with the instructors and the shooters. It was an honor to be around so many fine folks. God bless you all, and keep an eye open for those photos...I'll get them up soon! April cannot get here fast enough...I'll get that patch and hat next time!
PS - Ya know, if we had a Seed in December, I think we could guarantee some of the white stuff...just sayin' ;)
I bet we would need a snow blower to create shooting lanes for Prone!!!! ++)
I, for one, would love to be a part of that, but I bet most of you Alaskans will be snowed in pretty good, and not be able to get to the range... Just Saying'.... :'(
BUT, I guarantee that the lines will be full in April, and we probably will be able to give out the first "Winterseed patch" earned in Alaska!
I hope it will be you, Bob! You got a long winter ahead of you... keep dry practicing, ~~:) practice the positions for muscle memory, :~
and we will see you in April!
Hey Cam,
Oh, I'll be out there...20 below and the wind blowing, I'll be there. Great time to see what primers and what powders really toe the line. Its not as bad as you'd think, as long as you don't expose too much flesh. Enough light is more of a problem once we get to November, December and January. Not a whole lot of time to squeeze in some shooting (still have to work once in a while). There should still be some snow on the ground in late April, so with any luck and a lot of practice, I'm goin' home with one of those patches and a nice new orange hat! BTW, I'm working on the photos right now...
The range does have lights and tracers are legal.
But cheek frostbite is real.
That gives a whole new meaning to the concept of "cheek weld." ;D
- ShadowMan
Great instruction. How many attended?. Thurs phone call-in will include us Alaskans. Breakfast, sit pads, slightly oversize boots for extra insoles are good for heat retention.Wear a neck wrap, ski hat to keep the radiator head (mine has no insulation:-) from giving away your calories. Mittens warmer than gloves, can cut a slit for trigger finger to protrude, will need non slippy 'contact' glove to shoot. Avoid sitting on frozen ground, bring a sit pad if nothing else. Heat packs- chem, iron filings inside, help.just rip their cover they oxide slower, last longer. Hydrate, you don't realize in cold you need to drink. Sun on snow quite brite if any (glasses) build your range w southern exposure , but not shooting into south (low sun in winter in north). Consider an exercise break to get bodies blood rewarmed, like a athlete will ski a lap during his shoot training. Ski you later...eagleriver
Hi All,
Here are a few photos more or less randomly selected from way too many that were taken. This batch was taken on the "dry" day, 15 Oct 2011. They are named/numbered chronologically, so the smaller the number at the end of the photo's name, the earlier in the day the photo was taken. I'll post the photos from the "wet" day as soon as I can go through all of them and resize them. I must have been "jerkin' the trigger" or selected "full auto" on the camera because I took far more than I thought I had...Photos from Sunday are coming soon...Cheers...Bob "Mooseneck" Ourso
Mooseneck, thanks for putting these up. Saturday was very dry & pleasant compared to Sunday, but we hung in there. ;)
My pleasure, fisherdawg,
And now, for something (weather) completely different...A few more photos of Sunday's shoot. Definitely wetter, but still no snow (at this elevation, anyway). I hope I got photos of all the Riflemen and Riflewomen, as well as our new IITs (orange hats). Congratulations to all for a great time and some great shooting. Can't wait until April...Cheers...Bob "Mooseneck" Ourso
And just one more thing,
I wanted to take a minute to urge anyone that was shooting at the other range and happened to have taken photos to please post them. I had to take some time off during AQTs (busted neck, now filled with more titanium than a F-22) and decided to grab a few pictures in between the drizzle and the actual rain. I meant to go down to the other range to grab some shots, but I got redirected as I saw my daughter and her friend (who went on to get her patch, BTW) making some serious progress toward a 210, and my man-pride forced me back on to the mats. I'll be sure to remember next time, as I'm sure we'll have to have more than 1 range again!
On a side-note, I just finished reading a great post by Tellico at http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25883.0 (http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25883.0) that everyone should read. One of the best descriptions of what makes Appleseed the phenomenon that it is...Cheers...Mooseneck
Thanks for adding the pics. What a great weekend it was.
Those pictures are great! Thanks for sharing!
Don't forget to tune in to the Rifleman Radio Show tonight.
Here is the thread with the number http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25938.msg198042;topicseen#msg198042
Quote from: Mooseneck on October 27, 2011, 12:26:09 AM
And just one more thing,
I wanted to take a minute to urge anyone that was shooting at the other range and happened to have taken photos to please post them. I had to take some time off during AQTs (busted neck, now filled with more titanium than a F-22) and decided to grab a few pictures in between the drizzle and the actual rain. I meant to go down to the other range to grab some shots, but I got redirected as I saw my daughter and her friend (who went on to get her patch, BTW) making some serious progress toward a 210, and my man-pride forced me back on to the mats. I'll be sure to remember next time, as I'm sure we'll have to have more than 1 range again!
On a side-note, I just finished reading a great post by Tellico at http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25883.0 (http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=25883.0) that everyone should read. One of the best descriptions of what makes Appleseed the phenomenon that it is...Cheers...Mooseneck
Bob,
You had to go and post that link, huh? As I sit here typing through misty eyes, I realize this hits home for me as well.
It is as it should be, and as it will always be... Americans, coming together for a common ideal, and helping each other through teaching, learning our heritage, and marksmanship.
To quote a special person in my life.....
"DO YOU BELIEVE WE GET TO DO THIS?"
From one IIT to those up in Alaska, "Don't forget to work on your PC's!" Appleseeds in Alaska don't happen too often and you need to be ready to PC when they do! I can't imagine trying to take a PC from Bob210 or another Master Instructor, but you can be sure you know your stuff when you do pass...
Download the manual and get after it! I still am..
+1 to what TowedJumper said. Print out PC4 and start working on your history. The 1st 3 PCs focus on safety and rifleman skills. If you start working on your history early, a little bit here and there, then hopefully your PC4 and instructor PC will not be so overwhelming.
When it comes to telling the history, ask if you can share a DOM story and get feedback from the other instructors and shoot boss. Learn and improve your skill. Once you feel more confident about sharing history, then prepare to share one of the strikes of the match.
I can't wait to see what will happen when we start getting some Alaskan red hats and more senior orange hats. :)
- ShadowMan
Quote from: ShadowMan on October 29, 2011, 06:35:02 PM
+1 to what TowedJumper said. Print out PC4 and start working on your history. The 1st 3 PCs focus on safety and rifleman skills. If you start working on your history early, a little bit here and there, then hopefully your PC4 and instructor PC will not be so overwhelming.
When it comes to telling the history, ask if you can share a DOM story and get feedback from the other instructors and shoot boss. Learn and improve your skill. Once you feel more confident about sharing history, then prepare to share one of the strikes of the match.
I can't wait to see what will happen when we start getting some Alaskan red hats and more senior orange hats. :)
- ShadowMan
No Joke. Toughend by their environment and driven to succeed... Look out....
.
Nobody I have ever done a proficiency check with has ever been easy. I think they have some idea that a lot is at stake, and they would be right. Each PC is a chance for an instructor to make sure those following are doing their due diligence and studying properly.
Wouldn't expect any less. Oh, and if you do come up north Cal7.62 said he would like some help with Mariposa on 11/12& 13th if you are offering :cool2: I think I have been talking to Instructor Scheduling too much and its starting to wear off on me ++) Bring your bat too! :DH: (I have to say, that beating a dead horse thing is somewhat disturbing...) Oh well
Mooseneck,
That post from Tellico got some dust in my eyes, I'll tell you what. Thanks for pointing that out. I just finished listening to the podcast of Thursday's radio show as I was unable to listen live. Thursday was parent teacher conferences. Anyway, I really enjoyed hearing you, Bob & Savage with Scout. I'm looking forward to April. David & I made it to Birchwood yesterday afternoon and got the new Tech Sights for his rifle dialed in (I think) and shot one AQT. Definitely seeing progress. The dry fire is very worthwhile as the range doesn't allow seated or prone. Regards to all.
Wally