The weather was unseasonably chilly and overcast for our Patriot's Weekend two-day Project Appleseed Rifle Marksmanship Clinic at the Leetown Gun Club, Isaac Walton League of America (IWLA), in Kearneysville, WV.
With nine total shooters, we got right into the introductions and safety briefs. New shooters were introduced to the "Redcoat" target and the course of fire. After scoring the Redcoat, we kicked off the history with the "First Strike of the Match", the telling of the events of April 19th, 1775, and the birth of our Nation. Students were offered "Reduced Round-count protocol", but opted for normal procedures and round count.
Next instruction was on the prone position "Steady-Hold Factors (SHF)" and then we put sighters on the Squares target. Group sizes were really good, and students listened closely to instruction. One student was not on paper, and we had no clue where the rounds were going... but we quickly realized she was right-eye dominant, while trying to shoot left-handed. Great job by our instructors catching the cross-eye dominance issue. After moving the shooter over to the right side, and re-coaching prone and emphasizing cheek weld, BAM! She had a group of about 5 MOA! From not on paper to a great group, just like that! Then we broke for lunch, and got a welcome surprise; Aaron was cooking Hot Dogs for everyone at lunch! That was really nice, thanks buddy! After some more history at lunch, we got back to marksmanship training - and taught Seated/Kneeling and Standing SHF on the "Grenadiers" target, and got in a practice AQT. Ana, Jonathan, and Aaron all had Rifleman scores on the practice AQT, of 223, 230, and 227 respectively. Scott was close with a 194, foretelling good things to come for him. We wrapped day-one up with the final Red Coat target, and a fine rendition of Patrick Henry's speech in 1775.
Sunday morning dawned clear and cool, and warmed up nicely throughout the day. The wind laid down making for better shooting conditions. After the Safety brief, review, and a few sighters, we got right to the shooting. Four shooters cleaned their Red-coat target, and all shooters accepted the "Cold-bore Challenge" - four succeeded! Isabelle, Ana, Aaron, and Jonathan all put one right in the shingle on their first shot!
We got six AQTs and another drill in, and had a great event.
Another surprise at lunch, Alex and Jonathan got lunch, and made hot dogs again for everybody (on Aaron's grill!), thanks guys! While we put away those dogs, the students heard about some Dangerous Old Men (DOM), Alarm-listers, that as individuals, showed up and made a difference when nobody would have thought less of them if they didn't show up at all...wow! This is the cloth we are cut from, as Americans.
Some students from our Friday one-day event came back out on Sunday to join us and shoot a few more AQTs, and that was great to see. This was an enjoyable, relaxed event, and all the shooters maintained a fabulous attitude, obvious improvements and serious scoring was accomplished, and everybody had a ton-of-fun, too!
We had six shooters make Riflemen! Here's the list:
Aaron 227, 220, 213
Alex 214, 224
Ana 223, 222, 210, 221
Scott 214
Topher 223, 215
Jonathan 230, 222, 243 (Distinguished!) O0
Huzzah!
Several were close (Isabelle 188, Angelina 186, Joseph 159); we hope we see you back on the line soon. :cool2:
A Rifleman Persists!
Huzzah!
Thank you to our students that helped throughout the event with set-up & take down, cooking, coffee(Thanks Topher!), clean-up, etc. Great job.
And remember the six steps of firing a shot?
1. Sight Alignment, 2. Sight Picture, 3. Respiratory Pause, 4. Focus, 5. Squeeze the Trigger, and 6. Follow-through.
Well; don't forget the seventh step - Tell everyone about Project Appleseed!
Thank you very much to our host range, the Leetown Gun Club (IWLA), in Kearneysville, WV.
Check out their website http://iwlawv.org/
And last but not least, many thanks to my fellow instructors Alex (Tyrus Rechs), Jonathan (Reclaimer), and Ana (Justagirl). Because of your dedication, focus, and professional demeanor, this was a very fun, yet safe and successful event.
CW sends.
Event YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/IeaFUdXao8I
:F
Nice job on AAR and your event, super video! O0
Thanks for the weekend, the video and the write-up! It's always a good time on the range and this weekend was no exception.
Prone shooters!
:snipersmi
Stage 2!
:---
Other stuff. ..:..
Awards!
:bow:
I hope to see you all back on the line somewhere soon. We are back in WV the weekend of October 10th! Tell a friend!
Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
:F
Last ones...
Morgan's "Cold-Bore Challenge" winners, and the Cadre:
(L to R) Double A-Ron, Justagirl, Cold Warrior, The Topher, Tyrus Rechs, and Reclaimer.
Thanks Team. :bow:
Someone shot me a e-mail, asking "what the heck is a cold-bore challenge?"
Daniel Morgan got his start in the Revolutionary War in 1775 as the captain of a small rifle unit set up by the state of Virginia (1 of 10 such units commissioned by Congress). Morgan recruited 96 men (80 men and 16 officers), marched 600 miles, arriving in Boston on August 6, 1775. There they gave an exhibition as described in the Virginia Gazette of September 9, 1775 quoted; "A man held between his knees a board 5 inches wide and seven inches long, with a paper bulls-eye the approximate size of a dollar. A rifleman at 60 yards, without a rest, put eight bullets in succession through the bulls-eye." From the same source we are told that the rifleman gave an exhibition "in which a company, on a quick advance, placed their shots in 7 inch targets at 250 yards." So many men tried out, some stories indicate the test ultimately included one cold-bore shot on the shingle at 250 yards.
It is said that to "Hit the Single" with one cold-bore shot made you a rifleman, and you didn't have to be a cook anymore, or face the bayonets…
To honor this marksmanship and heritage of the American Rifleman, we tell students this story and urge them to try and hit the shingle with their first shot ("Cold-bore") on the Redcoat target first thing Sunday morning (They're on the honor system). Those that do, we reward them with something (usually an Appleseed pin).
Rest of the Morgan story:
Morgan's most significant action was support for the invasion of Canada, and the Battle of Quebec in which he was seen as a hero, despite General Benedict Arnold's overall failure and their subsequent capture. In early 1777, when Morgan was freed from captivity (and was in poor health), he was commissioned as a colonel and assigned command of the 11th Virginia Regiment. Having done such a fine job with his original company of Riflemen, a few months later was instructed by George Washington to form a Provisional Rifle Corps; men skilled with the use of the long rifle, from his and other nearby regiments. Having done so, his first assignment was to harass Colonel William Howe as he retreated through New Jersey. Morgan did so by having his 500 riflemen snipe the enemy troops as they moved, using their longer range to do so from safety, an unusual tactic for that day. Sent to join the northern army headed by General Horatio Gates, Morgan's Riflemen helped establish better conditions for the coming Battle of Saratoga, by a series of quick attacks on their Indian allies, driving them back in order to interfere with British intelligence of the American troops' movements. His Riflemen proved pivotal in several engagements, including driving back an advanced unit all the way to the enemy's main forces, and later helping turn the main battle by attacking from the right flank, and is credited with forcing the British retreat.
After a series of similar successes, Morgan left active service for a year, then joined the southern army with Nathanael Greene. In the January 1781 Battle of Cowpens, Morgan led Continental troops to a major victory that resulted in the near-total destruction of Tarleton's force.
Morgan retired shortly afterwards due to health issues.