Hawkhavn, Dave and Josh,
Wow. I'm am just floored. I came home tonight all muddy and dead tired, but my sweet wife came out to the garage to meet me and I just couldn't wait to show her my 196! For a 40 year old guy who has shot tens of thousands of rounds over the years AND NOT ONE WITHOUT A REST! At least not since that day as a little kid when I realized I wobbled all over and couldn't hit anything. So I bubbled on for a while showing her all my targets and she is excited to attend a mini at freedom at some point in the future as long as we are not tied to some event the kids must attend....
I've never had a minutes worth of instruction by an instructor on all that time, so I can't really compare you guys with anyone else, but I'm still impressed!
Comments:
Instructors: 1st class. Very concerned about each individual, and our line was packed! They watched over us with some sort of cool mix of pride and joy, and could barely contain themselves as several of us were "getting close" I honestly have no idea what these guys could do better.
Safety: Um, there is really no excuse for someone to be shot during an Appleseed. These guys are fantastic about safety and put the ground rules down firmly and fairly. I should know, I got called out plenty, especially when I was tired and tending to be careless...those darn mags! I am very pleased with the level of safety expected of each participant!
Students: Again, really nice folks! I only got a chance to get to talk with five or six guys and they were all just average Americans. Oh, OOOOPS!!!! DOH,,,,really there is NOTHING AVERAGE about the 24 individuals of all ages on the line the last two days!!! I was priveledged to spend time with PATRIOTS! Thanks to EVERY ONE OF YOU who were on that line! Especially Tim on my left and Steve on my right.
Politics: Wisely there is none. I'm sure folks have thier passions, but the instructors so wisely kept everything pointed towards the founders and the basis of freedom....just handled very tactfully.
Smoking: Well, some folks did choose to smoke, and I was glad nobody shut them down, since I personally feel folks should have the right to consume whatever drug they wish as long as it doesn't interfere with me. Unfortunately people sometimes choose to smoke upwind of the group. Kind of thinking thats not too cool. Maybe an announcement could be made at the beginning reminding every citizen to be mindful of others sensativites in this regard so that no citizen needs to have their rights trampled?
Weather:
Shooting in any weather had me a bit worried at first, but honestly, it was just my "priviledged, lazy, comfy, American" status. I am so glad we shot in the crappy rainy mud. I am proud to have accomplished this. If you ever actually NEED to shoot a rifle, you damn well better be able to handle whatever weather there is to handle. Well done guys!
And lastly, the history. Wow. If I wasn't in the middle of a veritable marathon of books on my table as I type this, I would order a copy of Revere's Ride off of Amazon tonight...but, like I said I've got four or five books on back log and that will take a month to work through. All that boring dribble aside, I though it might be a little corney listening to oral history. I WAS WRONG!!! It was fantastic to hear all three of the guys talk about those days....I wish there was MORE history! But hey, guess I'll have to do that on my own eh?
Thanks so much to you guys, I am so grateful!
Joe Olson (#10)
A citizen of the town of Spencer in the United States of America!
Oh, ps, Book of the Year for me: One Second After by William R. Forstchen. Buy it. Read it. Buy one for all the folks you care about. This book is important! You must read it! Read it for your family!
Joe,
You are quite welcome, certainly glad you found it a worthwhile experience. I am confident what you saw this weekend was echoed at every Appleseed in every state this weekend.
Techres and Dave worked very hard on the history segments, we all do. It is not an easy task to stand in front of strangers and discuss April 19, once you understand the sacrifices that were made.
Thank you for your kind words ane we will see you 'on the trail' again soon.
Hawkhavn
p.s. I had the privilege of meeting Bill Forstchen several years ago, great guy!
I went to this event also. My son talked me into attending, I must admit I was very apprehensive. I am an older woman just getting into shooting and was afraid they wouldn't want to be bothered with a newbie like me. Boy was I wrong, all instructors were very helpful and encouraging. They were equally attentive to all of us, to the best of us and the worst of us and were all very knowledgeable. The attendees were very nice and fun to talk to. The history lesson really added to the event, reminded me of how proud we should all be of the courage and determination our forefathers had, something not taught in our schools any longer. I am also pleased to say their only agenda was to make better and safer shooters out of us all. Sunday was rainy, we were all wet and muddy and very tired but it was a great time. Much to my surprise, I am a better shooter after attending and will certainly attend future Appleseeds. All you women out there should try it, I'm sure you will love it.
I must echo what tjane and jlolsen said about the Cloverdale Appleseed. Although I have a LONG way to go before I earn Rifleman status I learned a lot in spite of myself. Ed, Josh and Dave were incredibly patient instructors and anyone who attends and listens to these guys WILL improve their shooting skills. My wife Chris' physical condition wouldn't let her come Sunday in the rain and cold but she's already planning to attend another one in the future. She's fired up!!!
My biggest mistakes? One, based upon disparaging comments about folding stocks in Fred's columns I switched from the Butler Creek folder I was used to shooting with to the factory stock with a 1" buttpad which was a lot longer. It was really uncomfortable and if I could offer any suggestion to an Appleseed newbie it would be to make sure you're comfortable with your rifle's setup and not make any major changes right before the shoot like we did.
Late Sunday afternoon I started experiencing jams and failure-to-feeds despite cleaning the weapon Saturday evening. The mud and rain contributed to this but I believe the majority of my problems came from my use of the inexpensive Remington Thunderbolts. I had a number of rounds that failed to fire altogether during the weekend and the ammo seemed to leave the rifle extremely dirty. I heard a number of shooters speaking highly of CCI Mini Mags and we'll be switching to those.
The Wal-Mart sleeping pads we bought worked fine in the dry conditions on Saturday but Sunday's rain left it too slippery to use and I ended up lying on the bare ground for the most part. A real shooter's mat would be a good thing to have.
The best shooting I did Sunday came during the "ball and dummy" drill. With someone watching your mistakes closely you will correct them and shoot better, or at least I did. Unfortunately I seemed to go back to my bad habits afterwards.
The best (?) thing about the difficulties of shooting in the rain and mud is that it gave you a feel for what a soldier might experience in the field in adverse conditions.
I had never shot prone and unwisely ignored the advice to practice getting into this position prior to the shoot. Late Sunday afternoon I was really feeling it in my neck muscles and had a tremendous headache to boot. Again in retrospect this gave me an idea of what a soldier might experience and have to overcome in the field. They don't postpone battles due to rain...
The historical education about the Lexington-Concord battle was extremely interesting. You could tell that Ed, Josh and Dave really honor the bravery and sacrifice made by those common folks who stood tall against the most powerful country in the world. It's a real shame this isn't taught in the public schools.
For those considering attending an Appleseed: Do it. If you come with an open mind and a willingness to learn you will leave a better marksman, perhaps even a Rifleman. I'll be back for sure.
Tim Weaver