Ice cold rifles and warm hearts. 15 fine Americans showed up on a brisk day in north FL to practice the traditions of their storied ancestors. What a great bunch. From the Simpson family to Sid and Chris and Micah and Annie and so many others. It was a pleasure to spend time with all of ya'll.
From early Sat morning, it was clear there was room for improvement. Redcoats sometimes swear, but they never lie! :wb:
By mid afternoon on Sat, we were seeing marked improvement and the shooters just kept bringin' it. Lots of good scores by days end. Alas, only four were able to return in Sunday, but then that was good for them, as they received a very custom program of instruction and a high level of individual attention, which resulted in two Rifleman with one in the low 200s - knockin' on the door as we say.
To Micah and Chris - congratulations. Your persistence and teachable attitudes paid off with a shiny new Rifleman patch! Caleb - you are so close. One more event will surely get you over the top. Please remember to dry fire with a safe rifle at home - at least three timers per week.
Almost fergot. Since we had but four shooters on Sunday an instructor who shall remain nameless asked for volunteers to shoot a real M1 Garand battle rifle - just like the kind seen in the HBO series, "Band of Brothers". There were several takers - even one instructor who had never fired one before. It was great watching as each one wrapped themselves around that old battle rifle and sent those big 30-06 rounds down range.
Great people / great event. What old salty shoot boss could ask for more? Huzaaaah!
Thank you so much to our awesome shoot boss Trey, and instructors Terry, Smoak, Micah, and Evan, gentlemen and patriots every one. This was my second Appleseed shoot and it will always hold a very special place in my heart. Some highlights from the weekend:
1) Sharing this Appleseed with my wonderful husband Sid.
2) Scoring rifleman!!!! ..:..
3) Getting to shoot an M1 Garand provided by an instructor who will remain nameless.....
My first Appleseed 3 months ago was the first time I had ever picked up a gun. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would achieve rifleman at my second shoot. I will forever be indebted to Terry for his patience and kind guidance in coaxing out scores of 223, 222, and 221 on my AQTs. And for Smoak constantly reminding me to get my elbow under my gun! The comradery amongst the participants over the weekend was wholly enjoyable, especially watching Randy improve his groups immensely by the end of the first day and 16 year old Caleb outshooting us all on Saturday! Earning that patch ranks way up there as one of the proudest achievements of my life. So inspired am I that I am considering the orange hat after I attend one more shoot, to make sure this one was not a fluke! Thank you to all of the participants this weekend, and especially to all of those who volunteer their time and talent in passing down this most excellent tradition of those fearless lovers of liberty who went before us.
In liberty,
Chris
Hello all,
I wanted to say again how much we appreciated that you guys took the time to come up here and give us your time to pass on the traditions and skills of our ancestors. My son and I had a great day. It was great to meet all the other people who came out, I'm going to do my best to spread the word among the homeschooling community here in Gainesville about this excellent opportunity for our young people to gain the knowledge of what our freedom cost and the men who made those sacrifices as well the the skills they had to posses and master in order to defeat the most powerful military of their time. Looking forward to doing it again!
Huzaaaah! ^:)^
I couldn't get my pictures to upload last night - trying again:
1) Sid waiting to get started on Saturday morning
2) Trey teaching the 2nd strike
3) Old Glory waving in the wind
4) Chris and Caleb shooting phase 1 of the AQT
5 & 6) Trey fitting Chris on his Garand
7 & 8) Chris shooting the Garand
9) Trey instructing Caleb on the Garand
10) Caleb shooting the Garand
11) Micah shooting the Garand
Enjoy!
Sorry it took me so long to get to this AAR, the caveman is still intimidated by the magic box and does not use it much.
This was a fantastic shoot. Teachable attitudes abounded. For those who did not make it back on Sunday, we will be back in Gainesville in a couple of months, see you there O0
For those who made it back Sunday, thank you for a great shoot. Your positive, teachable attitudes made it great.
To Micah and Chris, congratulations on shooting the score, there should be an orange hat in your future.
Caleb and Annie, both of you were so close. Caleb, dry fire, you will be surprised how much you will improve. If you need any help, or just want some range time, message me.
Annie, I apologize for not being on the ball. I should have asked about your sight picture sooner. If I had, you may have scoped your rifle and probably shot score. You have the skills, you were, after all, the ONLY shooter to clear the red coat. All you need it the sight.