Although I did not know it at the time, my Rifleman journey began on December 14, 2012. Ironic that this journey began on the day of the Newtown tragedy, but it was this event that prompted our government to try to renew the assault weapon ban, and that prompted me to go buy my first AR-15 while they could still be bought.
Not only was this my first AR-15, it was in fact the only rifle I had ever owned in my 45 years. I had not fired a rifle of any kind since I was a teenager, though I had shot action pistol matches for several years and had always thought 3 Gun sounded like fun. Looking back it was almost funny picking up that first rifle, as I knew absolutely nothing, and the dealer took some extra time with me to show me how to push out the takedown pins and remove the bolt, and simple things like that.
As a responsible new rifle owner, I wanted to learn how to shoot this rifle well, and getting good instruction from the beginning made a lot of sense to me. A bit of internet searching lead me to Project Appleseed, and it was April 20, 2013 that I attended my first Appleseed.
This was a Patriot's Day event in Waco, GA lead by FranklinFarmer, and it was a life changing experience for me. I discovered many things that weekend, not the least of which I was a pretty good rifle shot. Much better actually than I ever was at shooting pistols. I shot a 233 on my first AQT with a Magnum Research MLR22 I had picked up for the event, and I was hooked.
While I have always loved the people and the program that make up Project Appleseed (and still do!), it was the idea that I could earn a Distinguished Rifleman badge that really set me on fire. I decided then and there that earning that badge was something I wanted to do.
The next year or so I attended several more Appleseeds (and a boot camp in Ramseur) and reduced range matches at a local club before I felt like I was ready for full distance match shooting. PHenry, Morpheus, DrJohn, and many others were some of my teachers, and I learned a great deal about shooting, and about myself, from all of them.
As my marksmanship skills continued to improve, finally in October of 2015 I was able to complete one of my goals, which was to shoot a 250 on an AQT. If you haven't done it, it's a worthy challenge! Those last few points are tough!
Also in 2015 I attended the National Matches at Camp Perry for the first time. If you've never been, it's an amazing place with some amazing shooting events. Experiencing the sunrise over Lake Erie from the 200 yard line on Viale range is a memory that will last a lifetime. Of course shooting the National Trophy matches with over 1,000 other competitors is also an amazing experience, and you meet many wonderful people.
Unfortunately time spent on shooting practice and matches took away much time from helping Project Appleseed, and while I became an instructor in 2015, I have not dedicated nearly as much time to this as I would like. I hope to rectify that moving forward.
Finally in 2016 at the National Matches things started to come together (the mental piece is the hardest actually), and I was able to earn 4 points at the SAFS match, and another 10 points in the NTI (along with a silver Daniel Boone medal!). I finally was making progress toward my Distinguished Rifleman goal!
I should take a moment and explain, for any who might be unfamiliar with the Distinguished Rifleman program. From the CMP website:
Quote
Distinguished Badges are the highest individual awards authorized by the U. S. Government for excellence in marksmanship competition. They are awarded by the CMP in accordance with 36 USC §40722 [3] and by the respective services in accordance with service regulations. The CMP and the military commands responsible for the awarding of Distinguished Badges coordinate their respective badge regulations and the establishment of a master file of Distinguished Badge winners.
To earn this badge you must excel in what are called Excellence In Competition (EIC) matches, which take place at many clubs all across the country. You must earn a total of 30 points, and can earn from 6-10 points per match by finishing in the top 10% of non-distinguished shooters. In addition to earning 30 points, at least 8 points must be earned by completing what is known as a "hard leg", finishing in the top 5% of competitors at an EIC match. Only about 2,400 civilians have ever earned this award.
Once the first 14 points were done, the rest have come pretty quickly. Six points were earned at Fort Gordon in the fall of 2016, and 6 more points at the Confederate National matches in April of this year. Finally today I earned my last points at the D-Day EIC match at the CMP Talladega marksmanship park with a score of 479-11x.
Project Appleseed was part of this journey at the start, and will continue to be part of my journey in the future. While I have focused more on my marksmanship skills for the past few years, now that the badge is done I hope to find more time to help out, and participate in more Appleseed shoots! Thanks again to everyone who has taught me, supported me, encouraged me, and been there for me throughout this journey!
CONGRATS, Scott! Well-earned, for sure. I and others have benefited greatly from your writing here, and I'm glad to hear you'll keep on with Appleseed.
A man to respect. Dare I say, a role model? Congratulations sir, and thank you for sharing your experience.
Congratulations Scott. You set a goal, developed and worked a plan, and achieved that goal. Your dedication to the effort is exemplary.
A very worthy achievement. Congratulations! All the hard work and dedication has paid off.
Congratulations on your leg, a very worthy endeavor.
Congratulations! As we see every year with New Year resolutions, many set goals, but few actually achieve them. You not only set your goal, you continued to work toward it until you finally reached it.
The efforts that you put forth were well invested, and I believe that you will be able to use much of what you have learned along the trail in a way that can benefit many others that you come into contact with. Not only the skill and knowledge that you have built, but the dedication that it has taken to achieve what you set out to do.
Thanks for sharing your story. O0
Wow, that's an incredible story! Over 4 years in the making. Thanks for sharing, and congratulations! You've definitely earned it. ^:)^ ^:)^
Congrats, Scott! You will have to come back down to Palm Bay and do another KD. We have electronic targets, now!
-- Gary
Congratulations brother.
Wreck
Congrats Scott!
Was watching your scores on the CT tracker!
R/
Chris
From one Distinguished Rifle Shot to another!
Congratulations on your achievement of becoming Distinguished with the rifle. Have you thought about trying for your pistol badge as well? Your experience with the pistol gives you a firm foundation to start from.
Doug
Congratulations, sir!
HUZZAH
HUZZAH
HUZZAH
I have no doubt that your journey will give you insight that will make you an even better instructor.
Congratulations, Scott. Your commitment and your thoughtful approach to adapting the fundamentals to meet your needs are great examples to all aspiring Riflemen.
Well done Sir!
Steve