We just completed our second Seed at the Erie County Conservation League in Sandusky, Ohio. In spite of weather challenges, we had a great event. This is just a placeholder for the full AAR which will follow shortly but if folks want to start posting pictures and/or commenting on the great event, they can reply here.
Corvette
We arrived late in the day on Friday night to set up for our second Appleseed at Erie County Conservation League. We just barely got setup before dark and headed out for a quick dinner. The next morning was cold, overcast and breezy but 12 shooters showed up on time to start their Appleseed experience. After the welcome and the safety briefing, rifles were brought to the line and the morning Red Coat was shot.
Results showed that there was room for improvement. With 12 shooters, we only had 4 at 100, 2 at 200, 2 at 300, 1 at 400 and 1 who joined Daniel Morgan. But that didn't deter this group of shooters. We moved into the instructions with steady hold factors in prone, the Six Steps and NPOA, shooting related drills along the way. Groups improved quickly. We then shot sighting groups and went through IMC and adjusted sights. Groups included some more.
We broke for lunch and shared a First Strike. After lunch, the wind picked up and the weather worsened. But that didn't stop this great group of shooters. We moved on to steady hold in seated and standing, followed by a practice AQT. We monitored the weather radar and skipped the afternoon break to get our instructions/shooting done before the rains came.
The afternoon Red Coats were shot earlier than normal and great improvement was seen.
The remaining 11 shooters produced the following outstanding results: 10 at 100 (250% improvement), 6 at 200 (300% improvement), 5 at 300 (250% improvement), 2 at 400 (100% improvement), 4 joined Daniel Morgan (400% improvement), and we had one shooter clear his Red Coat. Huzzah!!!
We broke down the line just in time as the rain and wind moved in just after we finished. The Second Strike was presented and we all ran to our cars through the rain and wind to end the day.
Sunday dawned overcast and cold but the wind had abated some. After a safety and POI review and the presentation of the Third Strike, we moved to the line for the Sunday morning Red Coat. Results were mixed. Great at 100 (9 of 10 shooters) but not overly impressive for the rest. I attribute this to the fact that everyone was cold and not quite ready to shoot well.
We moved on to an NPOA/Rifleman's Cadence drill followed by the start of our AQT grind. We added our first Rifleman (Brian) during the first AQT. We shot two before lunch and three more after lunch. At lunch, we presented the Known Distance talk and talked about the Firelands connection to the Rev War. On Sunday, we made a total of three new Riflemen over the course of our AQTs. They were:
Jeff - 228
Brian - 228, 218, 210
Jack (on the very last AQT) - 225
Congratulations to our three new Riflemen.
Between the afternoon AQTs, we presented talks on the Dangerous Old Men and Cadence did a demonstration on the Brown Bess musket, firing several shots and hitting his target.
One shooter had to leave mid-day for personal reasons so at the end of the day, we had 9 shooters. They impressed with their final Red Coat.
With 9 shooters, we had 8 at 100, 6 at 200, 3 at 300, 4 at 400, 2 joined Daniel Morgan and we had 2 cleared Red Coats.
It was clear that great improvements were achieved over the weekend and everyone left on a positive note.
I want to thank ECCL for hosting us and we look forward to coming back next year. My thanks to CactusJack and Cadence for working this shoot with me. I hope to see you all next spring.
Corvette
:pics:
A big Huzzah!! to everyone at the ECCL shoot this weekend. It was a terrific shoot with a great group of shooters. Despite the cold and wind everyone did a fantastic job and had a good time. Congratulations to the 3 new riflemen. Thanks to Corvette and Cadence for helping me to grow a little more as a IIT. As the season is winding down, I look forward to hitting the trail again next year.
Finally got time to download the pictures so everyone knows it actually happened.
Weather was a little iffy but the shooters were not. All came with the all important teachable attitude. One shooter on Saturday remarked that he learned more than he ever thought he would. Unfortunately he did not return on Sunday to get more instruction.
Great shooters and even better crew with Corvette and CactusJack.
PS - CactusJack - I am way envious of your Pedersoli Brown Bess. Even if we did not get a chance to shoot it! :'(