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What a great weekend in Lapeer. Thank you to the club for allowing us use of the range. There are few things more exciting then a sold out event.
This was a great group of students. They soaked up the instruction and helped out one another. Oh, and Holly moly could they shoot.
Congratulations to the 10 new riflemen and 2 qualifications.
Thanks to all the instructors for helping out, and critterkeeper too.
Twolf, Joey and Roen thanks for stepping up to help out.
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It's a Miki-sighting!
Greatest event!
So sorry to not see you, Miki!
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Good Morning!
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RangeRat67 favors us with tales from the second Strike of the Match!
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Congratulations, Luke! I was really impressed with the way you ran the bolt on your rifle. No lost motion there!
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T. WOLF What can I say, aside from Well Done. Your persistence is a model to us all! Welcome to the Cadre`!
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Dennis! Good to see you as always. What ever will you do with all those patches!?! You probably have enough to make a vest! Nice job and thanks for bringing so many others to our events.
MORE PICS!
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My Button does the smiling for me.
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You've been photo bombed by 6
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Wow, what a great shoot. Riflemen were falling from the rafters! I had a super time working with all of you. Congrats to all the riflemen. And to the rest of you, now you see how it's done. Riflemen are persistent. Hang in, you'll get there.
It was nice to run into folks from my home club and folks I met at Camp Perry last summer.
And to ST2, my sightings in the 'wild' may be rare. Rest assured, I'm working everyday behind the scenes!
I stole an AAR template from MGO and Lightfighter that I've used in past classes - sorry it's a bit long
Where- Lapeer Sportsmans' Club
What- Project Appleseed 2-day shoot
When- October 28/29
Who- mooster and son
Gear- I started the weekend off with an SBR 10/22 equipped with a J-Point red dot. While it was a fun setup, the size of the dot and lack of compatible sling mounts made it inappropriate for the course. My son started off with our 10/22 with Tech Sights - but it was discovered to have an issue with the bolt release binding
Wizard, one of the instructors, allowed us to use 2 of his loaner 10/22s. Both were equipped with 3x scopes and USGI slings. Mine had a bull barrel and an extremely comfortable Magpul hunter stock. My son's loaner had a traditional stock.
While we brought foam camping mats to shoot from, we used the loaned Midway shooter mats - which were MUCH better and we didn't have to worry about the foam ones blowing around.
Other great gear we brought included our MSA Sordins (extremely comfortable and useful hearing protection) and the Patriot Products AZ's Combat Optic Tool (very handy little gadget for adjusting optics).
Why did I take the class- Appleseed has been on and off my radar for several years now. It will pop to mind periodically and then I'll get busy and forget about it. An instructor noted during class that shooters should always write everything down -"a Rifleman's memory only lasts 24 yards!!!" Fortunately a series of recent events kept Appleseed event fresh in my mind - attendance of a memorial ceremony for a local Revolutionary War vet (Nathaniel Squire in Shelby Twp), a mention by a fellow alumni from Michigan Defensive Firearms Institute and a Groupon.
A strong majority of my training is on defensive/tactical applications and I have a limited background on precision shooting. There are skills transferable between different disciplines and I was hoping to learn new ones and see what works
Another key interest was spending time with my son and getting him additional shooting training. My son shoots with me on a routine basis and does great. He ran across a rather overbearing Range Officer / Merit Badge Counselor at summer camp who yelled at him about a trivial, non-safety issue. Since then he hasn't wanted to complete his rifle merit badge. Taking the course would help him with his confidence as well as give him a great dose of important history.
What I Expected From the Class- I expected to learn new marksmanship skills for precision shooting with a side of Revolutionary War history.
What Actually Happened From my Perspective- I received quite a few new tricks and skills to add to my shooting toolbox. I met fantastic and generous folks from across the state and made new friends. I learned a great deal about the fascinating opening of the Revolutionary War and how regular people rose up to defend their communities. I actually stayed up way too late on Saturday night reading more about the war on the internet!
Most of Day 1 was focused on shooting skills and exercises to reinforce course materials.
The terminology used in the course was a bit different than what I was used to but the concepts were complementary. I was always taught that "shooting fundamentals" are sight alignment and trigger press. No matter the shooting position or grip, if you have those 2 elements you will hit your mark. The other elements such as shooting positions, breathing and sling support make the shots much faster and more repeatable.
Through the day's exercises and instruction we were quite happy to see our class' shot groups getting smaller and smaller. I missed Rifleman on the first AQT but managed to get it for the second AQT.
For Day 2, concepts were reinforced and several exercises were run before several AQTs.
Having already earned the Rifeman patch on Saturday, I switched to the iron sighted 10/22 my son tried at the beginning of day 1. Iron sights are a known issue for me - hence I use red-dots on all of my other guns. I traced the sloppy bolt release issue to a misaligned spring on Saturday night and was ready to roll for Sunday. As expected, I really struggled with the iron sights but I was quite happy that my groups were getting smaller for most of the day. I didn't come close to Rifleman on Sunday but walked away much more comfortable with iron sights and a path forward for improvement.
My son did well over the course and his groups got better and better. He wasn't able to earn his Rifleman patch but on day 2 he got 100% on both the morning and afternoon Red Coats. He had a great time and I hope the history lessons left an impression on him
Best Item I Learned- There are a lot of great items I picked up over the weekend. Natural Point of Aim probably ties with the very many uses of a sling. For the courses and competitions I've done, the sling is a tool that allows you to free your hands to do stuff or transition to your secondary. Use of the sling as a stabilizing tool opens up many new options for me.
Critique for the Instructors- ALL of the instructors were fantastic, very patient and generous folks. The only suggestion for improvement would be moving the Boston-Lexington-Concord map from the side of the classroom to the front. It was sometimes hard to see all the elements of the map from an angle.
Overall- Appleseed is a "must try" event that all shooters should try at least once. I learned new skills as well as reinforced existing ones. It is one of the best bargains in the shooting industry and I will be singing its praises and recruiting friends/coworkers for future events.
Future- I am an Assistant Scoutmaster with a local Boy Scout Troop and see the Appleseed Project as an invaluable program from many aspects. I will definitely evangelize the program to the Scouts in our Troop as many have an interested in shooting as well as history. I think they will definitely connect with the history taught through the course. DragonMedic and Miki pointed out they have a tailored Appleseed course that meets BSA requirements (additional exercises, more history and no shooting at human silhouettes) that could yield several merit badges. Organizing such an event for our Troop or with others could be a fun project (perhaps a candidate for a Wood Badge capstone project)
If I ever win the lottery, I would love to take a bunch of BSA Troops to Boston National Historic Park to do the Freedom Trail . This is an easy 2.5 mile hike that brings folks through historic Boston to learn the events leading up to April 1775 and see where the Sons of Liberty and other historic figures lived/worked. BSA Troops can also earn a Freedom Trail medal for completion. After Boston, I would have them attend a local Appleseed event to learn the actual events of April 18, 1775 and snag their Rifle and History merit badges. We would finish the week with a trip to Minute Man National Historic Park and the Sons of Liberty Trail (Battle Road Trail). The latter is a 10 mile hike follows the action from Lexington to Concord - and yield the Scouts with a special patch.
Thanks to:
All the instructors and staff are volunteers and they did an incredible job. Their dedication to educating and helping the community through Appleseed Project is hugely appreciated! All attendees had a great time, were safe through the weekend and brought some great skills+history home.
Special thanks to Wizard for his patience, guidance and generosity. The rifles you loaned us were fantastic and will help us build our own. The mats were a huge step up from our foam mats and kept us off the freezing ground. Thanks also for the rite-in-rain notebooks and pencils - they will be invaluable for our Boy Scout Troop. You are an excellent educator and my son and I hugely benefited from your advice.
Dave (from Clio?) - Thanks for letting me borrow your USGI sling. I so focused on the shooting that I didn't realize you left early! Please message me and I can mail your the sling back or I can paypal you money for it.
Thanks to Miki for loaning me your purple mat on Day 2. I'll have to pick one up at the next MidwayUSA sale.
Thanks to Lapeer Sportsmans' Club for allowing Appleseed to use your fine facility
I couldn't figure out to edit my previous post ..
Thank you also to Roundballer for coming in period dress and demonstrating use of each item. I work with weapons but have very little experience/knowledge of Revolutionary War era equipment - thanks for answering all of my many questions and letting us shoot your musket!
What a great weekend! It has been quite a while since I've seen such a full line. Hats off to the crew that worked on Saturday because it was quite obvious that the shooters were paying attention to what they were taught as they came out swinging Sunday morning. Each and every shooter was dialed in and working hard to earn their patch. Riflemen were made, and made again, and again as the instructors put the group through AQT after AQT.
Congrats to all the new Riflemen. Be proud of your accomplishment and don't be a stranger just because you now have your patch. There is plenty of work available for those who want to help.
T. Wolf, thanks for stepping up to the plate and taking the Orange Hat. Now the fun really begins!
And lastly, thanks to the line for reminding me to close my mouth when the shooters are in the Bubble. Holding the trigger back is not necessary when you are in the zone and getting good results.
MrSuplus
and now for more pictures :~
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Hi Everyone!
Its Kim from the weekend event. So sorry I miss Sunday. When I woke up, I just couldnt make it. I have a bad discs in my back and was hurting to much. I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone! I learned so much from you all and I had so much fun! Not just from the instructors but also the fellow shooters that help me out. Congrats to everyone that earned their Readyman. So many of you, including my son and husband. I will continue to use the skills that I have been taught and I hope to one day recieve it myself. I will be attending the 1 day event in Dec! :) :)
Thank you again!!!
Kimbershooter. Glad to here you are coming back. Hopefully you are feeling better too.
Mooster. Thanks for the feedback. It was a pleasure having both Moos there. I hope you come back with 10 friends. :)
It was certainly a memorable weekend! And for so many great reasons.
Almost a year to the day since my first Appleseed, I finally earned my patch! I can't recall the last time I felt such a sense of pride and accomplishment, and that's a testament to what Appleseed can do for the soul. It was a long road to get here, marred with equipment failures and an elusive NPOA, but it never crossed my mind to give up. My entire family knew how important this goal was to me, and it was awesome to get back to the campsite on Saturday evening and partake in the congratulatory phone calls.
I have to admit I was feeling pretty confident when I arrived at the club that morning and Superheat presented me with the ‘Instructor-Maker' rifle. But I about lost it when there was a catastrophic failure of the trigger return spring on my second COF. I swear I'm cursed! Fortunately I had been fine-tuning my LTR in recent months, so I swiftly recovered and continued down the road toward Patchdom.
Rifleman status newly confirmed, there was no excuse for hesitation when DragonMedic offered up the orange hat. I have observed the hard work and dedication that every instructor brings to Appleseed, so I was under no illusions about the commitment I was making. I want you all to know that the message you present at Project Appleseed does not fall on deaf ears. I look forward to continuing to learn from each of you, and I hope that I can pay something back.
I also hope it's okay if I temporarily doff the orange hat once in awhile and return to an event as a shooter. I won't be satisfied with 214 for very long, and I have really been looking forward to my first KD shoot later this month.
Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone (Instructors and Students alike) for setting such a positive example for my stepson Joey. I'm not sure how many of you live with millennials at home, but it can be pretty discouraging some days to ponder their future. It meant a great deal to me and my wife that he came out to experience Project Appleseed. Two full days on the firing line proved to be a little much for him, but I was proud when he took it upon himself to put on a blue hat and participate behind the line. I hope he embraces the commitment and eventually looks back on this weekend as a turning point in his path toward a better future. As time goes on it becomes clear to me that is exactly what my first Appleseed was - a critical first step in the right direction.
Huzzah!