Really great shoot! Weather was awesome.. after the back to back to back polar vortexes, this weather was welcome!
A full line, with 2 relays, BOTH days. This was our first shoot at Berwyn and hopefully not our last. They went above and beyond to welcome us and fill the line. Sat saw a slow start, but an AQT was managed by days end, and two students hit the mark! Sunday saw great improvement amongst all shooters, with 2 MORE shooters reaching Rifleman designation. All we great attentive and really into the history and liberty volley. All left with a greater appreciation and understanding of our message, and are likely to return with others in tow! Thanks to all, congrats to our new Riflemen, future Riflemen and new volunteers who stepped up to take 2 orange and 1 blue hat! Again, thank you to Berwyn for being such outstanding hosts! :bow: O0 BeSwift
The membership of Berwyn Rod and Gun Club in Bowie, MD, was proud to be added to the list of ranges for Project Appleseed.
As to how the event went, please allow me to forward the following After Action report from the Maryland Shooters forum. Mdeng is a NRA certified trainer and a professional firearms instructor.
Quote from: MdengI want to send out a heart felt Thank You to Brian and his crew of dedicated instructors. I really enjoyed my first Apple Seed event and wish I could be there for day two. The instructors are a fine group of very knowledgeable people.
This was my first but definitely not my last Apple Seed shoot. The day started early with sign in at 8:00 am. Brian and his crew brought everyone to the firing line promptly at 8:30 am and went over the range safety brief. They keep it to the point and added several range specific items.
By 9:00 am we were shown a prone position demonstration and assigned to a lane. The first shots were fired at the Red coats and I quickly realized just how challenging this event was going to be. The goal is to put 3 shots into each Red Coat and 1 shot into Morgan's shingle. When I started I was confident I would clean the target on the first try. To say it was a humbling experience is an understatement. I not only failed to clean the target but I failed to hit 3 shots on any target beyond the 100 yard qualification target and I missed Morgan's Shingle.
Now the real lesson begins. Targets are changed and we move on to getting our rifles sighted in. ( I thought my rifle was good to go when I arrived, the first targets showed me how wrong I was.) From the prone position the instructors showed us how to get into a "Perfect" position and they stressed the importance of Natural Point of Aim.
With our rifle sighted in and most of the participants starting to tighten up their groups we move on to other positions. I tried several different seated/kneeling positions but found I was most comfortable and stable in a modified seated position. I need to work on it more to find a way to get my second elbow (Right) down.
Next we moved onto our Standing position and show the importance of anchoring ourselves and the easiest way to adjust elevation.
The history lesson begins. One of the best parts of the day is the history lesson. We learned how and why the Revolutionary War started. I can say that there were several new to me names from history. It was very enlightening.
We took a break for lunch and continued with the history lesson.
After the break we started to learn how to transition from a standing position to prone and seated position safely. The cadre of instructors does a great job keeping a watchful eye on all the participants.
We then took shots from seated/kneeling with a time restriction. The instructions were to shoot until you finished but that the instructors would call time. This allowed everyone to see just how much time they had and many of us (myself included) found we need more but understood we would have less.
After some more transition practice we moved on to our first AQT target. This is the first timed target for score and the first target that would qualify for the RIFLEMAN Patch.
I had high hopes of making my RIFLEMAN qualification on my first try. To say it is challenging would be an understatement. To make RIFLEMAN each participant needs a score of 210 on the AQT target.
My Score was 234!
We then had one target left to shoot. Our second Red Coat target. My scores improved all day but I did't expect to clean the Red Coats.
At the end of the day Brian awarded me with my RIFLEMAN Patch and the Maryland Front Sight Patch. As an added bonus I also hit Morgan's Shingle and am glad to say I won't have to face a bayonet charge.
Brian please pass on my thanks to all of your instructors. As for Berwyn Rod and Gun club, you have a great facility your members should be proud. Thank you for hosting this wonderful event.
For those of you that haven't tried a Project Appleseed event. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You won't find a better program and for the money it is by far the best bang for the buck. I highly recommend it!