We held the very first pistol clinic in Illinois on the Tom Noller farm in Stockton. It was followed by the very first rimfire KD event in Illinois on the next day! Huzzah!
We had remarkable weather for the middle of July, with the temperatures only reaching the low 80's. We had twelve shooters on the line with instructors coming from the Chicago area, southern Indiana, Iowa, and Arkansas. Shooters brought a variety of pistols ranging from .22's up to revolvers in .357 and 10mm. We shot in relays in order to keep the instructor/student ratio high, which also allowed the alternating relays to prep magazines and rest in the shade a little longer between courses of fire.
I was really encouraged by the progress all the shooters made throughout the day. We had one shooter qualify for his Pistoleer™ patch with a 217. Congratulations Mark!
A couple other shooters shot in the 180-200 range. If they had been shooting a rimfire I'm confident they would have also qualified.
Many thanks to Rob (Captain) for helping us through this first pistol clinic. His guidance and coaching were fantastic! Many thanks to our other instructors (Jay, Cherie, and David) for all your help with calling the line, RSO duties, history, and ensuring our event was safe! We also need to thank Tom Noller for sharing his farm with us and for all the work he did to get the ranges prepared and promoting the event.
Here are a few pictures from our event. If you click on them they will enlarge. Click on them again and they will shrink back down.
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Here was our group of shooters and instructors
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Introductory comments
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Some instruction time in the shade
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Jay presenting the First Strike during lunch
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Mark receiving his Pistoleer™ patch
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This was my second weekend in the Illini state for Appleseed. Meeting Liberty-minded individuals like these participants is why I travel to help. Being a part of the first of these events was a bonus. Our program's message is about saving this country. I hope we were able to reignite the spirit that makes America so great.
geek
First Pistol in Illinois! This was a really fantastic event with a full firing line out in a beautiful part of Illinois. This was my first trip to the Noller Farm and I really enjoyed meeting everyone and enjoying a day of Liberty and Shooting. IXOYE always puts on first rate events. I'm glad I was able to be a part of this weekend.
Really enjoyed the day with you all, look forward to practicing and going for my patch in the future, thanks Rex and Captain
Was great to get a Pistol Event in Illinois. This group of instructors hit it out of the ballpark. Many thanks to Rex for ramrodding the event and providing the much appreciated canopy. A special thanks to our out of state instructors who traveled a great distance to help out at this event. Thanks Rob, Jay, Cherie from free states and Dave from the Chi-town area. Well done!
Congratulations to Mark for earning his patch here. This was a great group of shooters who learned, as I did, that a little more practice is needed. We shall persist.
A big thank you to Tom Noller for providing a site for this event. A great proponent for second amendment rights and freedom.