We did not have as great a turnout as we would have wished, but the Appleseed event at Toccoa made up for that in the excellence of the students. Dave, Seth, and Caleb attended for their first time. Jeb had attended two prior Appleseed events. Their attentiveness, determination, and persistence were exemplary, and we made good progress. We began With the Safety Briefing, and then shot our first Redcoat target, which indicated we had a bit of work to do. And then we got down to it with teaching modules on Sling Use and the Steady Hold Factors in prone, the Six Steps, Natural Point of Aim, Rifleman's Cadence, Target Analysis, and Inches-Minutes-Clicks. At lunch we heard the First and Second Strikes of the Match. Later we studied Steady Hold Factors in sitting / kneeling, Transition to sitting and prone, then Steady Hold Factors in standing. After an AQT to end the day, the students were invited to attend the After Action Report and then join us for supper. Our social interaction was especially enjoyable, especially for this instructor.
The next day we began with a comprehensive review of all we had studied the previous day, especially safety. After a few squares targets for sighters, we began the "AQT grind." Fortunately, each of our students had adequate ammunition, and we were able to shoot five AQTs as the day wore on. During lunch Sunday, we were treated to a fine rendition of Dangerous Old Men. During the mid-day break, we studied the fundamentals of shooting at Actual Distance, then took the opportunity to move the targets out to 100 yards and use our Basic Sight Setting to get the appropriate come-ups for that distance.
Jeb T. easily shot rifleman with a score or 234. Dave and Seth repeatedly shot respectable scores in the 160s to 170s. Caleb showed commendable determination and decent improvement. All are to be commended for putting up with oppressive heat and for their enthusiasm and persistence. It was an honor and pleasure to work with you all and it is my sincere hope to be able to see all of you again soon. Dry fire on a regular basis and bring as many people as possible with you next time. Huzza to all!
Congrats to Jeb for earning his patch. As for the other folks, listen to Dr. John about dryfiring he knows what he's talking about. Practice your steady hold factors, six steps, NPOA and riflemans cadence. No doubt if you practice you will acheive on becoming a rifleman or woman.
Look forward to working with the Georgia crew again sometime this winter.