"Make Ready"
"Present!"
"FIRE!!!!"
...And as the smoke clears it becomes apparent that another symbolic Redcoat has fallen in honor of the ultimate sacrifice that our great ancestors gave for their posterity...US!
What an awesome tribute we had on Good Old Bay 7 at none other than the venerable Clinton County Farmers and Sportsman's Association in Wilmington, Ohio this weekend past. Eighteen hearty souls took to the line Saturday afternoon to pay homage to the victims of that fateful day so long ago and nearly forgotten. When the line was cleared all that was left were a few tears and a handful of Patriot's Day patches clutched to the breasts of our shooters. I'm humbled to have just been there with them!
But the weather was perfect! The shooting was awesome! And the Redcoats dropped morning and evening until a few new Riflemen rode off into the sunset.
We turned on the firehose Saturday morning and the shooters drank it up. Quarter sized groups were all over the place and we knew it was just a matter of time! Lunch time brought us a real treat as none other than Ramblin' Wreck delivered an amazing First Strike.Then it was back to the line. Soon enough we had the positions down pat, Six Steps in our brains and NPOAs to spare.
Dan laid down a qualifier at 210 using his bolt gun on our first AQT. We told him it was practice to take the nerves off and he nailed it! Earned it fair and square!
Bryan Mc wasn't going to let this Appleseed pass him by. He squeezed out a 210 himself and we chilled with a sweet North Bridge Baptism in celebration!
Dan turned it on again and cleared himself a Redcoat to finish out a perfect day of shooting and remembrance.
Dawn Sunday broke with another Glorious Day in America, CCFSA style. Jake, Chuck, and Bryan Mc showed them Redcoats a thing or two and then we got down to it. A morning of NPOA drills and some Experiments in Seated opened the door for some great scores.
Jake and Allisa were banging out low 200s. The Hook boys were climbing up as well. Chuck was unstoppable and Eric, Garrett, Mike and Dave were all over it. Matt and Luke kept up their spirits and Teresa wasn't about to quit. And how 'bout them Jordan Boys? Bryan laid down the best stage 4 of anyone all day only to be foiled when the wind peeled his target on stage one! Hutch's persistence was the name of the game and Zap was showing a ton of promise.
But the heat of the day was taking it's toll! A rousing Team Drill awarded Team North Bridge (Bryan Mc, Allisa, and Joe) the Fabulous Prizes of Unspeakable Value (TM) and put some wind back in everyone's sails. On the very last AQT of the day we were finally rewarded with pay dirt.
Matt re-qualified with a 213 to get the special patch and The-man-who-knows-very-well-what-he-is-about himself, JAKE, busted out a 211 to finally take one home.
The last of the Redcoats surrendered to Zap, Jake and Bryan Mc and we called it a victory!
Thanks to everyone who made this Appleseed a great one especially our Instructor Corps and everyone at CCFSA - The greatest range in Appleseed!
Shooters- We'll see you back on the line again and BRING A BUDDY or two next time!
Third time's a charm!!! Super well-organized event. Thank you Longrifleman and thanks to all the other instructors who made the weekend great. Special shout-out to Redleg for lending me the trigger pack (twice) when mine malfunctioned. I will be back in October, hopefully with some more new blood. Huzzah!!!
Great range and event. I really appreciated being a part of the Patriot Memorial 13-round Salute with Appleseed Patriots across the nation at the same hour, followed immediately by the ceremony to award the Project Appleseed Patriot's Day Patch to all shooters. I thank the Wilmington team for their hospitality and for a great experience. :F
It was a great weekend making new friends in the cadre and working with some terrific shooters. Y'all are blessed to have such a nice range to use with a very accommodating management.
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. See you again soon I hope.
Ramblin' WreckSE Region Coordinator
Looks like another great event at Wilmington. Congrats to the entire team for another great job. Huzzah!!!
Corvette
A huge thank you to all those that made this event possible. We had a great time and will certainly be back again some time. The instructors were awesome and the range was great too.
A very fine event indeed! Lots of great shooters on that line.
Special congratulations to Jake for making the score. You showed the qualities that we all need in anything we try to learn: open minded, teachable, patient and tenacious. Sorry I didn't get to stay and see your best AQT ever.
Was glad to meet Ramblin' Wreck and CarrollMS. Got a good shot of you guys that I will share below.
See you all back at Bay 7 in June!
Yet another fantastic group of shooters came out to enjoy an absolutely gorgeous April weekend in Wilmington to drink in a bit of History, Heritage and Marksmanship. Thank you all for your willingness to learn and persistence!
A shout out to CarollMS and Ramblin' Wreck for lending their expertise. Great to meet you guys and I look forward to future events with you!
Some photographic highlights are below.
CarollMS and Ramblin' Wreck doing a bit of review Sunday morning
Cleared Redcoats!
A couple of men who know very much what they are about.