Special thanks to the Oil City Ikes for hosting us for the first, but not the last, time. They were very helpful in all aspects of getting ready for the weekend at an Appleseed Rifle Clinic, clearing their covered range so we could all stay dry. And we are already planning to head back there next year!
The weather was only tolerable on Saturday (rain, drizzle and wind), but cleared up rather nicely on Sunday, with mostly blue skies and not too hot, and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend of marksmanship and heritage! The shooters all persevered through the firehose of instruction and greatly improved as the weekend progressed. We worked through the day proceeding from demonstration to dry fire practice to live fire confirmation of our marksmanship instruction, combined with history and heritage. A few equipment issues were quickly corrected, including a scope change and many build-ups of cheek risers. Although other equipment issues cropped up throughout the weekend, all were resolved by the knowledgeable staff. Everyone was very receptive to the course of instruction. History and heritage were well received and there were some great discussions.
All but two returned on Sunday and we took advantage of the improved weather, with more drills and practice in the morning, and all showed great improvement as the day progressed. By Sunday afternoon everyone had the process down pretty well and we proceeded at a good pace. The Time Monkey stayed off our backs, and several AQT's were shot, along with the Memorial Volley at precisely 4:00 pm.
Those not yet of muster age showed their persistence, and special thanks to Max, Sam, Evan, Kaylin, Cooper and John. The shooters showed those pesky Redcoats the strength of our cause on both the AQT and Hits Count Targets, and we have 12 new Rifleman to add to our cadre, along with 3 folks who requalified. Our new riflemen include the father and son team of Nate and John that both earned their Distinguished patches, with Nate shooting a perfect 250, with Iron Sights! Huzza!
In addition, 12 of the 27 shooters cleared the Hits Count Target at least once, with Jim leading the way clearing it all four times! Huzza! There were so many awards the ceremony lasted almost an hour, with Team #2 taking the challenge award and Bailey the Most Improved award (she had never held a rifle before, but progressed to a 183). Congratulations to all.
Thanks to all the shooters and Oil City Ikes for a great weekend.
This was a great weekend to spend time with our fellow Americans. Thank you to the members of the Oil City Ikes for hosting their first Appleseed clinic. I am thinking that with the support that we experienced from the club members that attended this shoot that we will be welcomed back with gusto.
Seeing a perfect score was awesome. OH, did we mention that this was a bolt action rifle with iron sights!!
A few photos of the event...
Remembering the fallen...
Instructors even got a chance...
Redcoats, Riflemen and a team of winners...
Some of the best...
Thanks to the parents...
This was my first Project Appleseed event and to say I thoroughly enjoyed it is an understatement. I had heard of Project Appleseed before but never understood what it was about. I'm so glad a buddy of mine encouraged me to attend the course. The marksmanship instruction was amazing. I consider myself a well-rounded marksman but I learned a lot of great information and saw great improvement over these two days and proudly earned a Rifleman patch. I am now an ardent believer in the GI sling. I'll be ordering one of those very soon.
The history lessons were also very enjoyable and inspiring. My daughter is home schooled, and we are going through early American history this year. She is now studying the Colonial period and the Revolutionary War. So I was excited to get home and tell my family all about what I learned this weekend. Next time, I'll bring my daughter to the class.
Thank you to all the instructors that helped us all improve our marksmanship skills, spark a new flame of patriotism and learn a lot more about the bravery, patriotism, and dedication of our forefathers.
Thanks! We didn't talk about it much, but we do have a LibertySeed program where we present the forgotten history of April 19, 1775. You can find out more at www.libertyseed.org, or get in touch with me at mike.jehle@appleseedinfo.org. Huzza!
I am so happy I made the drive to attend this Appleseed! It was a great event filled with excellent instruction, great facilities, and welcoming participants.
I enjoy hearing the history from different instructors since each has a slightly different delivery. And I've now started my State Red Coat patch collection 😁
Thanks again to the Oil City Ikes, the instructors, and fellow participants. I'm looking forward to attending an event here again.