Great Appleseed, Piru,ca. ;D ;D ;D ;D Many thanx to all the instructors + IITs . Kool aid + Bob good job on 3 strikes history.
I heard that Steve made rifleman on sun . Welcome aboard Steve Im looking forward to working you. Son of the republic , congratulations on your making rifleman + we all are very happy to have you along.
To the others who are so close, next time for sure ;) + thanx for being there + adding so much to our enjoyment. It was truly my pleasure working with you.
JA, Thank you for starting the thread, I just got to a computer.
It was a great weekend for an Appleseed. The weather was fabulous. Some minor wind but mostly good. It was not too hot, at times the wind even made it seem downright cold. Of course that didn't last long. It warmed right back up. ;)
Saturday we had 14 shooters. All were pre-registered. We started the day with Red Coat, "Hits Count" targets. The effective ranges of the shooters was as follows.
400 yds. - 1, 300 yds. - 0, 200 yds. - 1, 100 yds. - 6, no hits 6.
The end of the day saw much improvement. Not all 14 shot the second Red Coat target at the end of the day, lots of fatigue had set in, so there were 11 on the line for it. The effective ranges were as follows,
400 yds. - 3, 300 yds. - 0, 200 - 2, 100 yds. - 2, and 4 head shots. That is so nice to see.
Sunday we had 9 of the shooters from Saturday return and 1 walkon.
We started out with a Red Coat target. The effective ranges were as follows.
400 yds. - 2, 300 yds. - 0, 200 yds. - 2, 100 yds. - 4, and 3 head shots. ;D
Next we shot 1 inch squares, then went into a ball and dummy drill. The shooters really worked well together. They got rid of a few more gremlins.
On to the AQT. The first AQT of the day produced two Riflemen scores. Steve had the first qualifying score of the weekend, shooting 235. Congratulations Steve! Also, Dave shot a qualifying score of 221. Great job both of you. ;D ;D The second AQT of the day had Steve again with a qualifying score of 214, this time though Steve had run out of time with 4 shots remaining in his rifle. Imagine his score if he had gotten them all off!! Fantastic job Steve.
On Sunday there were many shooters very close to qualifying. I am certain these men, and women, will continue the journey and perservere. It is awesome to witness folks improvement on the firing line.
Thanks to Bob210 and KoolAids great instruction the AS went off without a hitch.
I'd like to Thank all the shooters for coming out and I hope you all came away from the weekend with good memories and the desire to continue the quest. Hope to see you all again at AS.
~SS
As Bob 210 says: 'Every Appleseed is a great Appleseed', and this one was no exception. The weather was again perfect, the scenery beautiful, and the marksmanship, instruction, and history - excellent and inspiring.
This Appleseed touched on a new but intimately related part of becoming a rifleman - the value of true manhood in America today. How Americans need to re-discover their manhood within. At the time of the revolution the challenges men faced were beyond those of anything most of us know today. Those challenges forged real men who stepped up and met those dangers and problems head on. Bob210, Grant, Hollywood Marine, and KoolAid all gave us some thought-provoking revolutionary history, touching on the courage and perseverence of the men of that era. KoolAid went on to give us some generous insight into his upbringing, and how he has realized and appreciates the need for men to be men, and the crucial/life-changing example that men can set for boys in today's society . . . a society that has all but cast-aside the true meaning of manhood for a softer more "girli-fied" version. I am thankful that we have some good examples of men in the Appleseed Project today. May they continue to grow and develop as Appleseed gains strength, especially here in California.
Thanks to all who came and participated. "Life" in its most dynamic form requires action and participation. It was good doing "life" to its fullest this weekend.
Son of the republic,TY for the post, outlining Sundays topic of "real men".
We need not look close at present day society to know with a certainty.Men of character are ridiculed + dismissed by most dominate culture.
I am really >:( I missed real men history ,gratitude to Bob210,Kooliad,Grant + Joe for the lesson. I did learn to NEVER miss 1 day of a 2day appleseed ;)
Saturday I did see lots of real people , having fun + working hard . The sprit of decentcy + character resonates at AS . Attendes + staff,I am proud to be in your company
With all that talk about men . . . I would just like to add that one of our greatest, and most inspiring Appleseeders (to me) with her service, perserverence and rifleman status, is Savage Shooter! Thanks for your service and encouragement! It has meant a lot : -)
Gosh, I think I am blushing. But seriously, Thank You SonoftheRepublic for the kind words, and also your addition to the events of the Appleseed. It truly was a fabulous weekend at Mt. Appleseed. As Bob210 says, "Can you believe we get to do this?" ;D ;D ;D
I agree, the history as told by Bob210, KoolAid, F-Stop, and HollywoodMarine was inspiring. KoolAids tuning fork analogy was really quite thought provoking. Thank You KoolAid for sharing that.
Johnnyappleseed, you were missed on Sunday, and I know you were thinking about Appleseed all day. Just waiting for word from somebody. Next time don't leave a day early. ::)
Socalserf. we were sure sorry to hear that you couldn't make it, you were missed also. Hope to see you next time.
Again, Thank You to all of the participants. We couldn't do it without all of you. Remember to practice step 7, along with all of the other steps, while you are waiting for the next Appleseed to come along. See you in July, when we "get" to do it again.
SAVAGE,
DO NOT FEEL BAD THAT MEN WANT TO HAVE MEN BE MEN. YOU HAVE MORE CAHONIES THAN MOST MEN I KNOW! IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO KNOW YOU.
COLY
Hey Coly,
I don't feel bad, I hope it didn't come across that way.
Thanks, it is a pleasure knowing you as well.
~SS
Here is a pic of the flags, I am sorry but I had to cut it down as the original file was too large.
I did, however, get all of the flags in the pic.
I hope it works now ;D
That worked out well
setting up on the firing line
Ball & Dummy Drill
Redcoats
As I hurriedly poured the last bit of concrete into the final flagpole receiver on Friday evening, I was wondering what the turn-out would be at this weekends Appleseed in Piru and who would be coming to enjoy another weekend of Heritage, Marksmanship and comoradery. Would there be new faces? Would previous Appleseeders show up? I could hardly wait!
I rushed over to the motel and found Savageshootr and Johnnyappleseed waiting patiently and after a quick shower, we began to go over the assignments for the next day and ideas for upcoming events and promotions ideas at upcoming gun shows. It's amazing how you can loose all track of time when speaking with good friends about things that are important to you, like Appleseed. The last of the instructor's straggled in and somewhere near midnight, I said my goodnight's and drifted off to the land of black squares and the AQT. ::)
Morning dawned cool and clear and after a quick breakfast of waffles at the motel office it was off to the range to get set up. It was the first trial run for the new flag poles and they did their job well, holding the Revolutionary War flags received during the April 19th Appleseed and allowing them to gently ripple in the morning breeze at the foot of Mount Appleseed. Although a lot of the green on the surrounding hills has turned "blonde" (California...sheeeesh :D), I still find it beautiful in Piru.....but it was time to get to work.
Savageshootr and Kool-aid jumped right into admin and promptly checked everyone in as they showed up. There were some new faces and some past aquaintences and it was good to see them all as we began this second of what I hope to many Piru Appleseeds. A total of 14 folks showed up and as I started to wish more people were here, I remembered something Fred once told me, "There is no such thing as a bad Appleseed....." and realized the great instructor to student ratio these folks would be taking advantage of. 8)
After the intro and a little history teaser we covered the safety rules, line commands, Redcoat COF and let the shooters get their rifles. The redcoat target produced the typical results and after a little lesson about effective range during April 19th 1775, we headed off to the land of black squares......prone position, sling use, 6 steps, NPOA, Talking Targets, IMC and ball & dummy, with much improvement on the line, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.
We dove into History of April 19th 1775, taking note of the things that parallel the events of today and the sacrifices of the Founding Fathers, even as they paid the ultimate price for the liberties we take for granted today. Kool-aid jumped in with the second strike of the match and the story of Issac Davis and the impact a strong leader can make on the people around him. I followed up with the third strike of the match and the intense battles from Meriam's Corner all the way to Charlestown and the birth of this nation that we hold so dear.
We proceeded back to marksmanship training after lunch and covered mag changes, transition in position, seated, and off-hand positions and NPOA associated with them. Then it was off to the rodeo as we road the bucking bull that is the AQT. No rifleman's score today, but after another engagement with the Redcoat target, we sent our weary Appleseeders home with a benediction and instructions to clean rifles and get some rest.
The other instructor's and I went back to the motel and proceeded to have our "tupperware party" with those Appleseeders that were interested in attending. It was at this point that Son of the Republic was approached with the idea of becoming an IIT and he happily accepted and I'm sure will be an outstanding addition to our Instructor family here in CA.
Sunday dawned as beautiful as the previous day and after the morning review it was off to Bunker Hill and the Redcoats. A quick sheet of squares and then we settled into the AQT grind, forging Rifleman on the anvil of the AQT. One of the Appleseeders shot his now famous 235 score followed by Son of the Republic, showing us that his first two Rifleman score, shot earlier in the week, were not just luck or coincidence, as he scored his 221, followed by our new Rifleman repeating his feat with a 214 sans 4 rounds unfired. It was time to send these gentlemen down to the full distance range, to show them that what they learned at 25m, works at distance. Later I would hear the comment about how annoying it was waiting for the dust to settle around the steel targets, for a good sight picture, as the bench rest shooters that we were sharing the full distance range with, kept splashing the dirt around the targets. :D
During our lunch time, Kool-aid spoke of the different groups of the militia during April 19th 1775, as an introduction to the stories of "Dangerous Old Men". F-stop started us out with the story of the "Greybeards" that stopped the supply wagon followed by Hollywood Marine and his recounting of Hezekiah Wyman as DEATH, the pale rider on the pale stead. Kool-aid brought it home with his telling of the story of my favorite "Dangerous Old Man" Samuel Whittemore.
At the RWVA range, the AQT grind continued, with much improvement and polishing and as the day came to a close we gave our Appleseeders a benediction, touching on the debt we owe the Founders and the Seventh Step and I encountered the same wonderful phenomenon that happened at the last Piru Appleseed........no one seemed to want to go home! 8) We continued to discuss the state of our country and the hope that Appleseeds instill. Our new Rifleman is interested in becoming an IIT and will be, as soon as he get's himself registered on the board and figures out a forum name....something better than Joe-Blo! ;D
I want to thank everyone for coming and the instructor's for doing such a great job. I saw lots of improvement on their part and I feel confident that the day is quickly coming that I will turn Piru over to their competent hands and head on down the Appleseed Trail to plant another seed and watch a Liberty Tree grow in another part of this state.
Two Rifleman that turned into two IIT's...not bad, I thought, as we finished packing everything up and the sun went down over Mount Appleseed. I couldn't help but agree with with Fred, there is no such thing as a bad Appleseed. :)
Next up.....July 4th weekend!!
Bob 210
bob210,
You rule! nice report on a small AS. I wish we had you guys in WI. But on there hand, you have 15 million people within 1.5 hrs of Piru.
We will continue to work on WI. I guess we really can shoot around here as we have 25% of our shooters make rifleman.
Thanks again for your dedication to AS.
Coly
Hey Bob210,
You did a good job with that concrete.
The flags look really good flying up there. Makes me proud to be an American.
Thank You for all of your hard work at Mount Appleseed.
~SS
I had a great time at the Piru Appleseed. I did run into some technical issues with both of my rifles and was helped out by Grant and Hollywood Marine. Without them I probably would have gone several trips to the range without finding out that a $2 pin was causing my rifle to malfunction. My groups have definately tightened up since the Corona Appleseed. They did loosen up a bit when I changed from a 20 in service length rifle barrel to a 16 in carbine length barrel. It really helps having all of the instructors next to you while you shoot or dry fire as they let you know what you are doing right or wrong. Without them it would have taken me years to figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Congratulations to those that made Rifleman. I'm still working on it. Thanks to Bob210, Koolaid, Grant, Hollywood Marine, Johhny Appleseed, and Savage Shooter. I will be out at Raahauges Shooting Sports Fair manning the Appleseed both with Ian. I look forward to seeing you there. Here is a link to a map and a $2 discount coupon for admission.
Thanks,
Dan
www.turners.com/engage/event_sportsfair.html
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Hi all:
well, I just now got my admin approval to log on, so here I am. Ta-dah!
Even though it has been more than a week since the shoot, I am still excited about it. What a great weekend. thank you so much savageshooter, johnny appleseed, koolaid, f-stop, hollywood marine, Bob210 (hope I didn't forget anyone...). You guys rock, and are the reason I choose to stay on with Appleseed; at least as much as the shooting and the mission of the organization to create riflemen and instructors. IT'S THE PEOPLE, STUPID!
I'm working on getting together a bunch of people to come out for 4th of July weekend and shoot. I plan to attend, as well. I may not be able to go all weekend, but will do what I can get away with.
Anyway, I very much enjoyed meeting you all and really appreciate your instruction, coaching, and standing up for what you believe to make it all happen. I'm looking forward to working with you all in the future to help build on what you have already accomplished.
Rock-Chucker (formerly Jo-Blo )
Rather than give you another play by play....
A couple of verble snap shots for 'yall
At the full distance range, having to wait for the dust to clear while the bench rest shooters kept falling short on the target and raising a huge dust cloud.
They just seem to want to shoot at the same target we do when we go down there...... With their scopes and off the bench no less. Then here we go with our slings and our iron sights...... Whack Whack Whack Whack.....
The SonoftheRepublic, behind a 10/22 everytime I have ever seen him shoot, finally whiping out his AR10 at the full distance range. This is a man of considerable gravitas, and I must say that the picture was a little more complete seeing him behind the full size full power 4th Gen MBR. Oooh Rah!
Rock Chucker shooting the winky little (but very very fine) 22 bolt the first day, and then cleaning the AQT on sunday with a 235 (are you freaking kidding me?) With the M1A. Also at full distance, and also spanking the steel at range.
F-stop being the mad gun wrench all weekend. ('kool aid, do you have a spare AR extractor pin?) Once again with the hair blowing back.....
Hollywood calling the line like Rifleman Dodd.
Laylopro with more rifle changes than cher has outfits at a show, and yet ending up back with the 10/22. Nice Gerand dude..... And thanks for bringing your youngsters (okey- not that young). And that cheshire cat smile.....
The polite Duffman, having the common decency to set up with his short M1A on saturday, on the far left side of the line...... right next to yours truly. My ears are still ringing, but you gotta smile when you look and see that it is a rifle made by Ron Smith..... And this guy is gonna be a monster of a rifleman by the time all is said and done.
Bob 210 taking off the training wheels and letting his corps of supporting cast take the reigns of more and more points of instruction. I kept looking up and seeing him further and further away as the day went on.....
Mike Thompson (our host/landlord/patron) comming up on sunday afternoon and briefing a couple of us (okey- me) short bus types on the finer points of the rapid aquisition of prone...... "no no- not like that. do it again, only this time try not to bounce so much" And I wonder why I was so dead and sore at work monday.....what a treasure.....
Okey folks, nothing to see. move along. move along.
See you all in July.
Hey Rock-Chucker,
Welcome to the forum, and again, Congratulations on your Rifleman score.
See you Independence Day weekend. ;D
~SS
Rock, you rock. Made Rifleman, Wow.
You will couintue to be jazzed weeks after an AS, Because they are so much fun. When else in your life have you had an reason, let alone a goal to shoot 400 rounds in two days? Welcome aboard!
Coly
Yo, Kool-aid!!
With three shooters on the line, I -had- to bring a few rifles out :o.......What surprises me is everybody kept hauling out 10-22's for me to "try"...... :-* ;D
Optics are kind of a requirement with my "tired, old eyes", but my high score of the weekend was with Bob210's Tech sighted 10-22 (again!).....tapped a 203 according to Hollywood....I only counted a 190 something, but he was applying .30 rule, so I'll try harder on the 4th.......
I'm just trying to figure out a fast way to load my .25-06 for AQT time trials....... ;) ;D
BTW, your '03 has a really sweet action on that bolt........I liked that a lot..... 8) ;D
Mike's instruction was invaluable....ground the toe, grasp the heel, bend -both- knees together, & -sttrreeetttcchhh-!! You got it!! :D ;D
Real simple, & easy like.......sort of like a reverse spin kick, after a few thousand attempts...... :D
And yeah, SOR looks a bunch better with "real" rifles.......he had a blast out at Rahhauges on Saturday as well....... ;D
Bob210 just really gets into what he's doing, as do all the rest of the "redhats"........(and orange hats too!) 8) So many fun times to be had by so many, yet we still have so many others that use excuses of why they can't make it to the event......
Yep, they say it right....no such thing as a "bad" AS........the reason for the "cheshire cat smile", is that I was shooting, and having fun.....I'm a bit, shall we say, "stoked" about watching my marksmanship improving @ such a dramatic rate, after languishing for so many decades.........and, I also enjoy the folks that show up at these events a LOT!!
Give a PM when you have a chance......
This was my first AS, I pre-registered after being approached by Bob 210 at Wes Thompson's range a few weeks before. I'm the ex-Brit who washed out on Sunday cos I succumbed to whining about me old aching body....
But, the good news is, I'm registered with my son for the July 5th/6th plus I got a guy and his son from work to go and I'm working on my boss!
I need to live up to the rifleman's creed - Persist! So what if you back aches and your elbow is torn up and your gun is jamming cos you didn't lube it right! Persist!
Cheers
V
PS. A great article today...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/kwiatkowski/kwiatkowski204.html
Hey V,
Welcome to the forum.
It was a pleasure meeting you. at Piru on May 31, and June 1.
I'm glad you are going to be coming back next month and bringing more shooters with you.
You had the first six steps before you left, and now you are doing the seventh. ;D
See you on the 5th of July.
~SS
Hey V!!
Nice to have you on the firing line with us.....believe me, I feel your pain....... ;D
As you noted, it is all easily remedied by a simple case of persistence.....carry on, soldier!!
Adapt, improvise, & Overcome!!
Hi all. Wow, this certainly is an active forum. It's hard to tell if Appleseed is about shooting, or journalism! Great writing, guys and gals. In addition to the great shoot reporting, and good cheer, it's cool to see all the "newbies" racking up (including me) and witness more seeds being planted and taking root. Excellent! I'll be bringing more newbies with me next month (four, so far, and still looking for more). My buddy Bill plans to give it another whirl, too.
Hey V, welcome to the forum, and glad to hear that you and your son will be coming next month. Oh, I like your handle. In addition to being a jolly good bloke, it looked to me like you were shooting very well and know what you're doing. looking forward to seeing your rifleman score next time out.
cheers!