Wow! What an amazing day! This was a special event which we were blessed to partner with several local Trail Life groups. And as always, big shout out to Frank Reynolds and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. We had a little rain and a temp drop roll in,with ScubaSteve although he claims it wasn't, we know the truth though, but we still had 26 attendees show up eager to brave the day. ;)
After check-in, we jumped into Introductions. We had to know why we were there and how lucky we were to be able to be there doing what we were doing. So, we led off with the First Strike of the Match as told by Captain John Parker, leader of the Lexington Training Band. Next, we held our safety briefing before safely retrieving our rifles and meeting out on the firing line. After in impromptu review of the 10/22 we shot our first target of the day, the Red Coat Target. We saw we had our work cut out for us, although one young lad would have many cooks to serve him. **)
With determination, we got down to work. ~~:)
Leadslinger66 led us in an eye dominance test.
(https://i.imgur.com/RbKL8Ze.jpg)
Then we covered Sling Use and the Prone Position. Followed by the first 3 Steps of Firing the Shot. Next up was Natural Point of Aim or NPOA. Then we spent a good chunk of time working on those positions, fitting rifles to shooters and testing for NPOA.
(https://i.imgur.com/Qp00aX7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rCEpe6D.jpg)
Next, we reviewed steps 1-3 and then covered steps 4-6. Then we did a Trigger Reset exercise. After which the shooters were rewarded with their first square of the day, and several more to reinforce what they had learned.
(https://i.imgur.com/41XK0Lo.jpg)
Hungry and exhausted, we grabbed our squares targets and took them to lunch with us. At lunch Upacreek regaled us with an amazing telling of the Second Strike of the Match. And ScubaSteve taught us about Talking Targets and how are targets never lie. He also told us how to adjust our sights using Inches, Minutes, and Clicks. We then cleaned up and hit the range with our new knowledge and spent a couple squares making sure we were sighted in.
Once sighted in, we moved on to all 4 seated positions. After learning about them, we then spent time dry-firing in all 4 positions before picking one and going live again. While in seated, we also learned about Rifleman's cadence, magazine changes, and shifting between targets.
(https://i.imgur.com/HyOpD0H.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/v5VQ0VV.jpg)
The last position we covered was Standing.
(https://i.imgur.com/eRllMAJ.jpg)
We then took a well-deserved break to hear a stirring telling of the Third Strike by ScubaSteve. Refreshed and re-energized, we jumped into the Appleseed Qualification Test, or AQT. We paused along the way to cover transitions. And finished out the day by heading inside to hear the story of Timothy Murphy and how One Person Can Make a Difference. 15 young men were awarded the William Diamond Patch and Road to Rifleman Certificates. Well done!
I can't wait to do it next year! Keep up the perfect practice Trailmen and I'll see you on the line soon. Remember, a Rifleman persists.
In Liberty,
Roswell
BTW Photo Credits above to Overmountain.
Thank you sir! If anyone has any others, please post them. Thank you!
:pics:
NOTES:
- Thank you to my amazing Instructors! Some of whom traveled from as far as Tennessee and Florida
- Leadslinger66 was awarded his 50 event pin! ScubaSteve got his 75!
- Thank you to the NRA, whose grant gave us much of the ammo and many of the rifles used by the youth.
I love these weekends. Trail Life had some great families joining us this weekend. It was nice to see quite a few from last year too. I'm not sure if it was Scuba Steve or just a normal Trail Life event that brought the rain. At least it was just a drizzle this time - but the cold!!! Even my New England blood took a few days to warm up afterwards. The returning boys seemed to pick up right where they left off. They remembered so much from last year. The new ones and their dads caught on quickly. I hope to see you guys at a full weekend Appleseed soon.
(https://i.imgur.com/Rq5WG5v.jpg)
Roswell giving a great rendition of the First Strike as Captain John Parker
(https://i.imgur.com/yfdlers.jpg)
Axeman jumps in with the Safety Rules
(https://i.imgur.com/s8GN6Hd.jpg)
A few dads finish up the Strikes Count target
(https://i.imgur.com/nJS8zdw.jpg)
Roswell and Axeman demonstrate the prone position.
(https://i.imgur.com/4nbDGiV.jpg)
Leadslinger and Overmountain teach the 6 Steps of Firing the Shot
(https://i.imgur.com/2g8uCEP.jpg)
The seated position.
(https://i.imgur.com/5vXNyLK.jpg)
Those on a rest stayed on a rest all day. The shooters practiced the steady hold factors, no matter their positions and got better and better as the day went on.
(https://i.imgur.com/C4njlCN.jpg)
Time to explain the AQT!!!