Sixteen Patriots and a fantastic group of volunteers joined us on an unseasonably warm weekend at the Interlake Sportsman's Association to learn about their rifles and their Heritage.
A handful of shooters joined the ranks of Daniel Morgan's Riflemen on Saturday morning and we set out to make some Riflemen. Groups on the first few sighter squares looked pretty good, then the day started to heat up quick. We heard our history told and learned of the sacrifices made for us 248 years ago before getting back to it and learning new positions for our first AQT. You all persisted through the heat, stayed hydrated and Keith came oh so close to becoming the first Rifleman of the event with a 208. Despite the heat, twice as many of you were able to engage Morgan's Shingle by the end of that day. That's something to be proud of!
Everyone returned the next morning to another pleasant morning and eight shooters (half of the line!), successfully engaged the shingle with a cold bore shot. We reviewed Saturday's instruction blocks then had a good time pairing up and coaching each other on the line. After lunch, we turned up the AQT pace just as the temperature soared into the 90s. Jeff became our first Rifleman of the weekend with a 210 and the cold waters from under the North Bridge looked to be a welcome relief, along with the pride of having qualified at his first Appleseed, with a bolt action! Nathan and Drew soon followed with scores of 213 and 226. Right after them, Evan re-qualified with a 212! Despite taking frequent hydration breaks and hearing stories of some Dangerous Old Men and Women, the heat was getting to all of us. Nathan ended on a high note, turning in another Rifleman target, and increased his high score to a 214. Yeva came oh so close with a 197 and was the youth high score of the weekend!
So many more of you were right at the door - we had a lot of sharpshooters scoring between 170 and 209. A few more rounds on paper during the transition stages or another NPOA shift on stage 4, and you would be there. Practice these skills in the comfort of your own home, keep your ammunition in a completely different room and stick a post it notes to a wall. Practice smoothly getting into position, finding your NPOA, and dry practicing. Speed will come naturally as these motions become more familiar.
I hope to see each of you join us again! We have no shortage of events for you to return to with friends and family, thank you all for your enthusiasm and commitment to safety!
The weekend was amazing. Learned a great deal and met a cool bunch of like minded people.
Thank you all ☀ï¸â˜€ï¸â˜€ï¸
Had the best weekend of training ever! We learned so much.
On the way to the range on the second day, Layne asked if there would be more history lessons. He said those lessons were his favorite part of the course.
Thanks to everyone for sharing your time and enthusiasm. We will be attending more courses and bringing friends and family too.
If anyone would like to go shooting sometime, let us know. We would love to go. Our gun club, Tacoma Sportsmans Club has a rimfire "fun shoot" June 17th.
The weekend clinic was a great intro on rifle fundamentals. It was a drink from the firehose for me - the demos and discussions, especially on technique alternatives were helpful to get a sense of what I'll want to work on. Pacing of the event was good with the early heat - the stories while off the firing line with the volunteer instructors were captivating.
The Interlake Sportsman's Association range was a great venue, and it was good to hear from the other participants. I'm glad I was able to attend and intend to go for more after I've had a chance to work in the big learnings from this one.