We had a fantastic day at the range with 17 enthusiastic Trail Life boys plus one Trail Life dad shooting, and several dads lending a hand and cheering everyone on. This marked our third shoot at the Griffin Gun Club, and we couldn't be more grateful for the ongoing support we receive there. Tim, a Rifleman from our previous shoot and new club member, met us at the gate and stayed the whole day, helping with everything from setup to breakdown and anything in between. Roy also made an early visit to share insights about his youth program while the dads finished up paperwork.
The weather was perfect for early February—cloudy skies and a comfortable 70 degrees. After our introductions, I had the privilege of awarding TWO event milestone pins! DEH, our South Carolina state coordinator, has volunteered at over 50 events. Jemac, another South Carolina volunteer, has contributed to 25 events. We truly appreciate the support from our neighbors in the East, for our program and most recently getting up pre-dawn to trek over the border and help us out for this shoot.
Gator0246 kicked things off with a bit of history, sharing the First Strike of the match. I'd attend more events just to hear the extra details Gator always weaves into his stories. After the safety briefing, we got down to business—the first target! The shooters got off to a great start, demonstrating excellent safety which they continued throughout the day. The targets showed we had room to grow, but the boys listened intently, worked hard, and patiently practiced in relays. Most of the rifles were loaners (a big thanks to those who contributed), and the slings were new to everyone, but they adapted quickly and learned a lot. With great instruction from the volunteers, by lunchtime, we were almost ready to hit the targets again. DEH shared the Second Strike while we all enjoyed lunch together.
Post-lunch, we shot a few squares, and the shooters' efforts paid off with some impressive small groups. Several shooters managed to put all five shots inside a quarter! What remarkable improvement! They soaked up the IMC block and learned how to adjust their rifles. We wrapped up the day with another Hits Count target. Everyone showed fantastic progress—well done, all! Our sharpshooter of the day, Jackson, cleared his target!
Toward the end of the day, I brought the British soldiers back to Bunker Hill with the Third Strike. The boys headed home with a sincere thank you, a William Diamond patch, and several targets to continue practicing at home.
I hope everyone had fun and I see you all again soon on the firing line!
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DEH receives his 50 event pin - THANK YOU for all you do for Appleseed!
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Jemac receives his 25 event pin - THANK YOU for all you do for Appleseed as well!
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Leadslinger tells us about Morgan's Shingle and how to shoot the Hits Count target.
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The first shots of the day
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Leadslinger and jemac demonstrate the prone position
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Isiah is showing really good steady hold factors in prone
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Our sharpshooter Jackson receives a bit of one on one instruction from Leadslinger66 - congrats to both for a job well done
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Jemac teaches us about talking targets.
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Group shot - a big thanks to the NRA foundation for their generous contribution of ammunition.
It was great seeing so many young people. Hopefully we will see more of them.