The first Appleseed event at the new Designated Appleseed Range at Quail Creek was a tremendous success! We had a good number of instructors and even some AppleCore on hand ready to pass on the knowledge they have learned. Hornet41 even came all the way from Mississippi to Appleseed with us!
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We had 11 anxious shooters on the line ready for the first Redcoat. Every one listened intently and worked hard on all the fundamentals Saturday morning and the groups started tightening up in short order.
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After a learning Inches, Minutes, and Clicks we had a few folks make the necessary adjustments to their sights so they could start putting them in the black.
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Lunch came with a great first strike by FloydF and we heard about the choices that were made in the early morning hours in Lexington. Paul Revere, Captain Parker, Dr. Prescott, Margaret Gage all made decisions that have echoed through the generations and what better time to talk about these folks than on Veteran's Day weekend.
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About the time we were finishing up lunch we had a father and son pull into the parking lot. We went through an introduction to the safety rules and the six steps soon he was down in prone on the line with everyone else. ..ready to fire his first shot ever.
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The loaner cricket and the holes in his RedCoat brought big smiles. Within a couple of courses of fire he was working that bolt like a champ.
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I think dad was pretty happy with the results too.
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We had several other youth on the line this weekend as well. They were a sharp crew. Excellent safety and great shooting were exhibited throughout the event. Kyrie, Edgar, and Emma you were super and I'm so glad you all came out.
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Other folks began learning the other positions and before we posted up our first AQTs, Big Zach gave us the Second Strike. I thought it was good, but it must have been a great one because...
Then it happened...
Something typically not done by a shooter at their first Appleseed....
And even more rare on a first attempt...
Not one - but two new Riflemen!!! ...and they both scored 210 O0
(http://www.appleseedtexas.org/pics/JohnAndAshley.jpg)
Ashely followed this up by shooting a 227. Congratulations John and Ashley on a job well done!
Sunday:
Tired and sore, folks came back with smiles on their faces ready for another go. Every one was pretty squared away in short order after our review and we jumped back on the AQTs. Around lunch time, another Rifleman emerged from the crowd. One of the first Blue Hats in Texas and Daughter of DaleSP, who is a Shoot Boss in Oklahoma, ...Ashely Spencer! Congratulations!
(http://www.appleseedtexas.org/pics/Rifleman_Ashley.jpg)
But that's not all folks... About mid-way through the afternoon, John James (inside joke) decided that it was time to kick it up a notch. He fought through a few NPOA issues and it certainly worked out for him. Congratulations James!!!
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The crew
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All in all, I'd say this was a pretty great weekend. History & heritage, mixed with the right amount of rifle marksmanship. I can't think of a better way to honor our veterans than to take a couple of days and really think about what they do for us. ...and then shake their and offer a heart-felt "Thank you."
The line of veterans in this country goes back a long way. All the way back to April 19th, 1775. We will never have the opportunity to personally show our gratitude to men like Captain Parker, Isaac Davis, and countless others. But we can honor them.
...by remembering them.
More pics over here -----> http://www.facebook.com/appleseedtexas (http://www.facebook.com/appleseedtexas)
Please give us a "Like" while you're there. O0
Thank you all for coming out. The Dallas/Ft. Worth area has a lot of opportunity for growth with this dedicated range. So if you had a good time, please drop Chris Rainey and the good folks a Quail Creek a note and let them know you appreciated their hospitality. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Proactive-Defense/123031444437579 (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Proactive-Defense/123031444437579)
This weekend was so much fun. This was the best group of shooters I've been around so far and I got a lot of experience instructing.
I hope to see more new faces at quail creek in 2012! Here are some more pictures of the event
Wonderful view on the way to the event saturday morning
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Our awesome brand new range
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The OTHER Zach modeling NPOA
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father and daughter on the line
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A 227 from Ashley on his 2nd AQT. I actually ran into Ashley at church sunday, day 2, of the shoot and he ended up bringing his wife out for a little bit of shooting that day as well.
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day 1 winding down. It was a little chilly in the morning but we ended up with perfect weather for most of the day.
Ashley Spencer was ecstatic to have shot a 223
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Couldn't have asked for a better event to christen the new DAR range at Quail Creek! Good facilities, great weather, and four Riflemen to boot!
It was great to meet Hornet41 and work a line with him. It's always good to meet instructors from other parts of the country and see how they have adapted and overcome the challenges of instructing shooters.
One thing that bears mentioning is that Ashely, Dalesp's daughter, shot a perfect score on stage 4!! ^:)^
Young Niles shooting the cricket was a great thing to see and judging by all the questions Dad was asking about rifles, I think I know what Santa might be bringing him for Christmas! ;D
And finally spitstickler did a great job as SBiT once again! I foresee a green hat in the near future. O0
To top it off, we are working with the range on a membership deal for Appleseeders to provide a place to practice shooting position!! That is a HUGE deal for the Metroplex as there are exceedingly few ranges within a reasonable drive from the Metroplex which will allow prone shooting. Quail Creek will once again set the standard by which other ranges should be judged in the DFW area.
Good job guys. Looks like another grat shoot and an above average number of Rifleman.
My hat is off to each one of you.
Congrats to the new riflemen this past weekend! Great job Spitstickler. Enjoyed working with you on my first "behind the lines" event. I learned more watching others learn and work hard at their shooting. Looking forward to my next chance to see you guys and help make more riflemen!
Awesome -- good job everyone. Man, you guys are REALLY making me want to come down to an Appleseed at that range... especially when I think that it is only a few hours away!
So does the new DAR allow center fires on the line?
Hench - come on down! We'd love to have you. Lots of events in the works for next year on this range so there will likely be an opportunity where we'll need some help.
Quail Creek is in a great location on the northwest corner of the metroplex and the folks from the range are definitely top notch. The DAR is a 22lr only. Although it's not official yet there is an Instructor Boot Camp slated for Feb 4/5th. You and the rest of the Oklahoma crew should head south. The more the merrier!
I had a great time with a dedicated group of fellow Appleseeders!! As I told a few, my Son lives in Keller. So, a family visit plus Appleseed!!!!!! Don't get much better than that!! As a displaced native Texan, it was great to be back among a bunch of Texans!!!!!
I was impressed by the persistence and willingness to learn by all attendees. Congratulations to the new Riflemen.
Lauren and Kirk ran a nice tight ship and kept the time monkey on the defensive!!!
'Mo, AKA hornet41
Looks like you had a perfect Appleseed shoot! Attentive students, good weather and nice location!
AND RIFLEMEN!!!!!! Congrats to all the Riflemen and to all the Americans who got off the couch to learn their heritage and history this Veteran's Day weekend!!
Well done, well done! O0
Patriot Gal
I'd like to thank all of the instructors and volunteers for their patience and helpful attitude. Any success I enjoyed on the range was due to the thoughtful instruction I got from you folks.
I am especially grateful for the wonderful treatment my daughter received all weekend. You deserve praise for imbuing your event with a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. Your volunteers/instructors were uniformly awesome; you should be proud to have such a great team.
Great job!