Friendship, weather, range, shooting, history, and food... I can't think of anywhere better to be than Hobbs Island Shooting Range on April 19th, 2025. Known Distance on April 19th is an annual tradition at Hobbs Island!
At 5am on Saturday, the sky was dark with clouds - but Apple Weather promised clear skies. By 7, the clouds were clearing and we were blessed with a perfect day. It ended up the warmest day of the year: 86 degrees, but the sun-baked gravel was hot.
Our goal for the day was to validate Rifleman skills at distance. Known Distance shooting is "a trade to be larnt", as the old Scot said. But doing it without the crutch of sighters at each distance? That's a whole different level - commensurate with the skills of our forefathers.
After the Morgan's Shingle Challenge, we started each AQT at 100 yards and our valiant shooters were allowed but one 5-rd sighter group. We got in 3 "walking" KD AQTs.
Ramblin' Wreck - thank you for leading the Top Shot contest. We interrupted Top Shot right before 3pm so we could join shooters across the country in the Memorial Volley. Twenty-three simultaneous centerfire rifles sounded like thunder. I have no doubt the Founders heard us!
I think the numbers speak for themselves:
21 - Shooters
10 - Joined the ranks of Morgan's Men
3 - 400 yard AQTs
10 - Riflemen requalified at distance
27 - served at lunch (the range guys joined us)
1 - Geissele SSA-E trigger awarded for high AQT Score
23 - centerfire rifles during the Memorial Volley
36 - seconds was the fastest time to hit 7 targets during Top Shot
1 - Larue MBT trigger awarded for best Top Shot performance
5 - different types of ice cream, plus numerous toppings and fruit.
Shout outs to:
- Morgan's Riflemen: DonD, Maximum Effort (STANDING), The Dude, Ramblin' Wreck, Morpheus, Roswell, Chuck, Tellico, AnthonyB, and Mixed Metaphor!
- KD Riflemen: Cleveland, Google, York, Willociraptor, Tellico, Morpheus, Roswell, Maximum Effort, and Peace & Love!
- Best KD Score: York! (MIs were disqualified because they use The Force)
- Top Shot Appleseed Winner: Tellico. 7 targets in 36 seconds!
- Heros of the Event: Ramblin' Wreck, UpACreek & ArmyVet! Wreck, thank you for making Top Shot awesome as always! UpACreek, thank you for slaving in the heat on Friday to get the range set up and steel prepared. ArmyVet, thank you for being our spectacular and encouraging Line Boss all day long.
It was an honor to serve as your shoot boss for this event. My thanks to each of you for making it an awesome day!
In Liberty,
MO
P.S. If you have pictures you'd like to share, please do!
Saturday's group photo (a rare gathering of six Master Instructors!)
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Getting steel ready on Friday
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Coffee, coffee, coffee
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Morpheus rocking his 10th Anniversary polo for the 20th!
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Reading the 2025 Presidential Proclamation for April 19th 2025
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Getting ready to mark the steel Shingle
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One shooter at a time... giving Peace & Love his fire command
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Victory pictures. That shingle is TOUGH to see!
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Views of Stage 1 at 100y
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Stage 2 at 200y. The first three shooters are DonD (84 years old), Google, and Cleveland
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Our super-cool Line Boss
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Views from 300y
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Views from 400 - back in the parking lot!
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A quick validation of DOPE for an ACOG
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Our intrepid Line Boss needing a field expedient repair
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The Ice Cream Bar post-Memorial Volley
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An interesting mis-printed 25m AQT brought for "show & tell"
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Gold Rifleman Patches
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Morgan's Shingle Patches
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Presenting Ramblin' Wreck with the 2025 Memorial Volley Target
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Memorial Volley Briefing
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Presenting 20th Anniversary Instructor patches and 2025 Patriots Day patches is a solemn part of the Volley ceremony.
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Presenting a signed copy of the Bloody Butchery poster to our fantastic host, Don.
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Many thanks to Maximum Ordinate and crew for putting on an extra special event to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of April 19, 1775. HUZZAH
Proud to be a part of it - no place I would have rather been!
Thanks to Rusty and all the organizers that contributed to this :beer:
Awesome place, awesome people, and a lot of you even shot awesome. Thanks to everyone who celebrated the day - you can't ask for a better group of people. (And the ice cream :1luvu )
Congrats Google and Maximum Ordinate on the High Sons of Liberty awarded yesterday too. Both of you have done so much for so many. What a way to start the day.
Thank you Maximum Ordinate and crew for making this event possible. This one is in my list of one of the best Appleseeds I've been a part of! No better way to spend the 250th anniversary of April 19!
What an awesome event! Thank you so much to MO and everyone else that had a hand in this one. The Founders would be proud.
Thank you to everyone who helped setup and run this event. I had a great time and enjoyed it all.
Since I started in the program in 2011, I've only missed one or two Pat's Day events, and I have to say that this might be the best one yet. We had ice cream!!!!! :F
The most impressive shooting displays happened on the Top Shot Appleseed we've done for over 10 years now. We placed steel targets of various sizes (9 plates total) from 100 to 385 yards. The "bonus" or tiebreaker target was the metal Morgan's shingle (5" x 8") which hung at 385 yards (cleverly camouflaged by Maximum Ordinate and nearly invisible to the naked eye.) Shortest time to engage all targets with a max of 15 rounds wins. The format almost dictated you would not have time to "turret fiddle" so holdovers/under ruled the day here. The National Coordinator had the fastest time on 8 of 9 targets (19 seconds) but missed the stealth shingle. If bad things ever happen, just offer to reload mags for Cleveland. ;D The last shooter was Shawn "Tellico" Williams. He ran every plate, including the shingle at 385 yards, in 34 SECONDS!! Shawn also won the last TSA we did in Talladega 4 years ago. The dude can shoot and he's better under pressure.
It's always good getting together with Appleseed compatriots, and even better on the 250th anniversary of L&C.
Keep dry firing and I'll see you on the line.
Wreck