On this fine April weekend, 4 students came out to learn about our shared heritage of marksmanship and liberty. Some had never handled a rifle in earnest before, and one had recently signed a contract to join the Marine Corps and wanted to brush up before entering.
We had our work cut out for us. The first Hits Count target had half the students at 100 yards effective range.
Over the course of a bright, sunny Saturday we baked, sweated and learned. We went home a little redder in the faces, sore in the bodies, encouraged in patriotism, and shooting groups where groups didn't show before. We now had one student out to 300 yards effective range at the end of the day. Improvement was noted across the group.
Day 2 was different. There was a USPSA event scheduled to share the range with us, and they cancelled for fear of the incoming rain. But we heard somewhere that Appleseed instructors are rainproof, so we bet we all could be, and persevered. In the opening, we noted how much more dedicated we happy few were than all the crack competitors who melted before the threat of a cold, rainy day. With temperatures dropping into the 40s and rain persisting, the groups got smaller even as the targets sagged with water and demanded more staples. No riflemen this time, but the persistence of a rifleman was definitely shown!
Looking forward to seeing these folks again, and seeing Kaiden come back to show us how it's done once that uniform's on. I'll take a Rifleman any way I can get one!
Pictures to follow soon
Well done everyone.
Snow or shine, we're on the line!
(https://i.imgur.com/3sQUkPE.jpeg)