The weekend after we celebrated our indepenence, six awesome students joined us at Piru. We couldn't have asked for better weather. A mild summers day compared to the triple digit heat of last months event. A unique group of shooters gathered from far off places called Vandenberg and Oceanside. The amount of effort in getting to the event was astounding. We started the morning at a brisk pace. Groups were very good from the start and only shrunk as the day wore on. Our youngest shooter, Ryan, showed us early on what a group could look like with NPOA. He called it shooting blind. Things were looking good. At lunch, history was shared with Bob providing atmosphere with his flintlock. The shot heard round the world was skillfully reenacted after demonstrating tactical flintlock malfunction drills.
Like clockwork, the Piru winds picked up mid lunch. Dust, mats, and rifles flew in the air. We persevered with rocks and and tent pegs. Then, unexpectedly, the wind died down to a gentle cooling breeze just as we were getting ready to continue shooting. Cooperative weather at Piru? I guess it happens. A few more squares and we were onto the AQTs. The Quick 2nd and 3rd stages still caught everyone by surprise as it always does but groups were tight. The next AQT would be the one to watch. With a second AQT, a Rifleman emerges! Rob from Vandenberg scores a 210. On a bolt! Very impressive to say the least. We also had qualifying sharpshooters in the mix just knocking on the door. A glean of determination shone in their eyes as we awarded Rob his patch and rockers. With some advice on pain management from Boris, we ended the day with the students (and instructors) heading toward a sore morning.
We were expecting Sunday to be hotter but the weather was even better than Saturday! An offshore breeze was cited as the source of our good fortune, but I think Piru just decided to give Appleseeders a break. We got through sorting some equipment issues and Candace found that her scope could do a lot more clicks than she thought. She was zeroed in quickly after some IMC math and got her rifle sorted. The morning review went by quickly and we were able to squeeze in an AQT before lunch. Rob avoided the Waters of the North bridge by scoring a 231! Our qualifying sharpshooters from Saturday were only a few missed shots from getting their patches. Just shy of noon, a vote was taken to run through another AQT before lunch. My rumbling stomach didn't get a vote but luckily, democracy went my way. While the students were regaled with tales of dangerous old men the midday winds returned only to calm down again to a cooling breeze. We took it as a good omen and began the AQT grind.
The concentration was apparent as the shooters were staring down the targets between stages. Paying little attention to the line boss describing the courses of fire. They had their mags prepped, knew the stage, and were ready for battle. Before the line boss could finish with "preparation period has ended" the shooters were on their feet ready to go. We saw scores like 199 from Anthony but he seemed unimpressed. He had been shooting 190s all weekend. Marsh-Brock was much improved from Saturday and played with the limits of open sights. Graham, another sharpshooter from Saturday, started having having sporadic groups. The problems were sorted with a valuable lesson learned. Know your equipment. A loose screw can ruin your day. The day wore on and when the breeze periodically stopped, we could feel the heat of the day. Skin and brains were getting fried in the sun. It was time to call it quits. Another vote, however, was taken for one last AQT. While not
everyone voted to shoot, hands were raised for a last AQT for those interested. Only two qualified sharpshooters emerged from under the shade. On opposite sides of the firing line, these two men knew it was their last chance of the weekend. The determination was palpable. In the end, we had
another rifleman in our midst. Graham scored a 214 with his last shot.
The shooting ended as we reenacted Parker's revenge with our final redcoats of the weekend. Another fine Appleseed filled with camaraderie, fun, and even a dramatic tv ending for Graham. Thank you all for coming. I know I had a good time! Comment on your experience below.
Graham here - thank you guys for the great weekend and for all the hard work you do. Appleseed is a great cause and I can't wait to convince my friends to attend as well.
Another fine weekend in Piru. Good weather. Greate shooters. All around awesome.