Wonderful group of shooters met here in Annapolis. Some were new and some were continuing their Rifleman journey. Of course one would have thought all of these shooters were experienced after witnessing their first couple courses of fire. I also had the pleasure of meeting one of our own, ABCgarand, who proved he still has it by clearing the redcoat earning the highly coveted Maryland Immortal 400 patch.
Following a presentation of IMCs, and some discussion, light bulbs went off when it sunk in that those clicks do not equal minutes of angle. With this newly acquired knowledge we were able to get everyone's rifle zeroed in no time. The morning moved smoothly through applying NPOA, practicing mag changing, focusing on the six steps of firing every shot. This group quickly and confidently applied everything we pointed out during our coaching. This was evident as we saw shogun groups shrink to sub 4MOA. It was time for lunch and my favorite part of the day. Shooters enjoyed an energetic presentation of the 1st Strike complete with portraits of characters. Shooters were left on the edge of their seat following the aftermath of the events in Lexington, but I promised we would continue the story later.
Back to instruction, shooters learned and practiced seated positions, standing positions, and added the transitions from standing. Seeing these shooter's flawless execution of all the skills covered we were ready to tackle our first AQT. And with that announcement, a race to earn their Rifleman qualification began between several shooters. The competition began as I heard Amy C ask "who will earn their patch first, her or her dad, Roger C. Many thanks to both of these shooters who brought with them Mark F. I should mention that Mark stuck in there all day using open sights. On the end, Jason O also really gave it his all. Groups looked really promising leading into the AQT, but then a couple of misfires, failures to feed did not help. Next down the line, Sarah B was accompanied by our very own ABCgarand (Andrew C). I was very impressed by Sarah's marksmanship right out of the gate. And there was of course some friendly family competition amongst these two as well. At the end of the first AQT, Roger C with a score of 207 and Chad M a 208 were so close. I asked if shooters were up for another try, and each responded with an enthusiastic YES!
On our second AQT, Chad M earned his Rifleman qualification with a score of 214 and Andrew C proved he still has it with a score of 223. Huzzah!
With the long day drawing to a close, I shared the 2nd and 3rd strikes. This was a nice break for shooters and a chance to reflect on the sacrifices made by those early Americans who defended Liberties we still enjoy to this day. Not to mention that without them we'd still be speaking English.
We wrapped up our day with the final Red Coat. Several were able to push through this final course of fire and their hard work was seen in their scores. The morning only saw two shooters effective past 300 yards. They came, they listened, they proved they know what they're about. Three proved effective at 400 yard, two over 300 and another effective over 200 yards.
Thanks to each of you for coming out and giving your all. I know that every one of you will one day soon earn your very own Rifleman patch. Keep practicing and I look forward to seeing you back at an Appleseed to prove you can do it.
I was excited to officially welcome Bolt-Action (Patrick) as our newest IIT, presenting him with his orange hat. Thank you for a job well done presenting safety, making rifles safe, and helping keep our shooters safe.
And lastly, to our host range, Anne Arundel Fish and Game, thanks for your continued hospitality!
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