...and we have amongst us those who know VERY well what they are about...
"Full value wind chill..." I said. Nobody doubted what that meant! At least the Revolutionary War era flags were easy to see as they strained the flag poles on the berms of Good Ole' Bay 7 at the Clinton County Farmers and Sportsman's Association range in Wilmington, OH.
That familiar gravel paradise was the scene, once again, of a spectacular Appleseed event that saw eighteen hardy Americans brave the elements to bask in the glory of Sweet Liberty.
The results were undeniable when, after the RWVA Instructor Corps' unyielding Hammer of Knowledge pounded the marksmanship lessons home, we forged two new Riflemen and re-qualified four others along with multiple Redcoats cleared and lots of lessons learned.
Drake cleared the AM Redcoat Saturday and we were off! The feeling was familiar yet different as the instruction took hold in the hearts and minds of our shooters. Instruction blocks turned to Dryfire exercises which quickly became holes in squares and, soon enough, groups the size of quarters. As the day wound down and the mercury dipped we engaged an AQT for a chance at that elusive blue patch.
When the smoke cleared Isaiah RQ'd with a 215 and Drake did the same with a cool 229 but the real show was on either end of the firing line. On the left Kyle cranked out a whopping 229 to earn his first patch and Drew crushed it from the right with a 235 on his maiden flight. He was quickly awarded an Ohio Appleseed patch for his decisive work on the PM Redcoat and we called it a day.
Sunday dawned clear and bright with a coating of frost a half-inch thick! If it wasn't for the campfire I don't know how many would have survived the morning instruction review. Now we know a little of what the soldiers at Quebec must have felt back in that infamous first year of our Liberty!
Kyle, Drew, and Isaiah mastered the morning Redcoat and the drills and practice soon began. It sure was nice to feel the heat off the barrels until Old Sol finally got ahead of Jack Frost. It wasn't until after lunch that the scores started to pile up. Drew, Isaiah, and Kyle proved they could do it again and Bryan re-qualified hot on their heals.
Drew's perfect run of rifleman scores continued and it didn't take long before he entered the rarified air of the Distinguished Rifleman! First with a 241 then backing it up with a 242.
Denny soon squeaked out a 212 for his first patch only to be bested by his friend Tom who RQ'd with a 213. It didn't take long for the drama to peak when Denny smoked Tom's best with a 220 on our last attempt.
Drew popped another Redcoat just for good measure and we all retired to the cozy warmth of our home fires and cuddly blankets (maybe that was just me) as our fruitful Appleseed came to a close.
So much other great marksmanship was evident on our line that deserves a nod. Roy, Chris, and Nate were coming on strong as were Alex, Dan, and Greg. Allisa and Mark kept up the pace and Theresa was posting excellent scores right out of the gate. Our two young men, Tripp and Paxton, held their own all weekend, too! Remember the secret is DRYFIRE Practice whenever you get the chance!
Special thanks to our instructors for the weekend. Redleg (Darren), Owl1 (Greg), SawdustJake (Jake), Griffin (Greg), Octopus (Eric) and Longrifleman (Jeff) without whom this weekend would not have happened.
And lastly we wish to express our eternal gratitude to the members and staff of The Greatest Range in Appleseed- the Clinton County Farmers and Sportsman's Association. We absolutely Love you guys!
See you next time!
https://imgur.com/a/Z1r73ln
(https://i.imgur.com/ncKiKUl.jpg)
Fantastic group of shooters! Always a good time at Wilmington. 🥶 🇺🇸
What a FANTASTIC weekend! Many thanks to all the shooters who braved the cold to spend a few days learning about the history and heritage of April 19, 1775 and get a little marksmanship instruction.
I was truly blown away by the groups displayed by every shooter on the very first square of the weekend. Had a few Rifleman requalify and minted several new Rifleman as well!
As always, a shout out to my fellow instructors and all the volunteers who sacrifice their time to make this happen.