It was billed as "The Battle of the Gravel Dust!" Old Man Doug versus Nate the Natural in a Battle Royale to crown the King of Good Ol' Bay 7!
We all had front row seats at the Greatest Range in Appleseed, Clinton County Farmers' and Sportsmen's Association range in Wilmington, OH, on a beautiful weekend for October shooting.
Nineteen patriots with the Fire of Liberty in their hearts turned out for our final Appleseed of the 2025 season and none could have expected the spectacle we would behold. The history and heritage lessons began right out of the gate with the amazing story of the First Strike of the Match early Saturday and then the Redcoats attacked!
The fight was quick and dirty but Doug, Nate, Nancy, and Dave prevailed with decisive Hits Count victories!
The firehose of knowledge was then opened wide as the Worlds Greatest Marksmanship Instructor Corps got down to business. Redleg, Owl1, Octopus, Griffin, GoodOldfriend, Sawdust Jake, and Longrifleman began the arduous process of forging Riflemen from ordinary Americans pausing only long enough to hear the Second Strike as we enjoyed lunch at the range.
By the time we settled in behind our rifles we had all the tools we would need to be Masters of Marksmanship, all that remained was the necessary perfect practice to make us perfect. Squares were engaged and hips began to shift. Proper positions and all six steps were in play as we chased that elusive NPOA.
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The Third Strike (masterfully delivered by Octopus, I should add) ushered in the first of many attempts to earn "The Patch." More than a few were caught off guard as the Glorious Fifty-five Seconds flew by but when all four stages were complete five Riflemen requalified! Nancy squeezed in with a 211, Don rocked a 222, Doug a 224, Nate 229, and Phil led us all with a 232.
When the line of Redcoats formed back up we knocked them down again as Doug, Nate, Dave, and Phil stood victorious and we rode off into the sunset.
Sunday was a carbon copy of that perfect Saturday. A little chilly early but a ton of sun later! We cranked through a complete review and faced off against those rascally Redcoats again.
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When the smoke cleared Doug, Nate, Michael, and Susan repeated the feat and Sammy nailed his first Hits Count target!
After some drills on some squares we strung up an AQT and let it rip! Mike and John were looking good on the north end along with Steve and Jordan. We were mighty impressed with Walker on his bolt action and Shiloh was learning how to hold it steady! Dean, Steve, and Dave were pushing their skill level higher and Brian and Doug were giving it their all.
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Scores were getting better for everyone and the Riflemen on the line were requalifying repeatedly. Right about then Doug relaxed into a puddle on his mat and laid out a 241 for Distinguished Rifle patch!
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And, finally, the hard work paid off for Sammy who cranked out his first ever Rifleman score of 212!
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It was then time for the trademarked and patented Team Drill shot with "Everything you got and all you can afford for Fabulous Prizes of Unspeakable Value!" We feel sorry for the neighbors every time we do one but it sure is fun! After the smoke cleared and we waded through the pile of spent brass to get to the targets it was Team 3 "The Bay 7 Bruisers" who came out on top but I think we owe the club another backstop repair. Dang it!
One final AQT was engaged and, after all that work, Dave snuck one in at the end with a North Bridge Baptism 210!
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Then came the battle of all Redcoat battles. But wait a minute! Someone noticed that Old Man Doug and Nate the Natural had, up to this moment, cleared all Hits Count targets AND scored Rifleman on every AQT. They both were riding "Perfect Appleseeds" to the last score!
We faced off against those sneaky Redcoats and when the count was tallied Nate and Doug had both cleared them again! It was now down to the final AQT. As we were closing out the day word trickled down from Good Ol' Bay 7 Official Timing and Scoring that there was a victor, a champion for the ages. And it was....wait for it....NATE THE NATURAL CHOKED! Old Man Doug (Nate's dad) was once again family champion!
It was all we could stand. Nothing else could top the excitement. So we headed for the hills....
A great time was had by all and the pure American skill of marksmanship was kept alive thanks to some fantastic students, the World's Greatest Marksmanship Instructor Corps, and, of course, Clinton County Farmers' and Sportsmen's Association, their members and board.
We'll see you in February! HUZZAH!
What a fantastic weekend! Thanks to all the shooters for making the time to come out in the name of Liberty to learn about our shared heritage and rifle marksmanship!
Congratulations to all the Rifleman, both new and repeats. A shout out to Doug for being the first in the family to shoot Distinguished!
Good to see old friends and make new ones. Thanks to the entire instructor corps for their dedication to the program. I learn something new every time we get together. HUZZAH!
Fantastic Appleseed! I enjoyed working with all the new and repeat shooters as well as the Good Old Bay 7 Instructor Cadre!
Shiloh, you did an outstanding job first time shooting. Appleseed can be quick paced, and like a rifleman, you kept persisting. Your patch shouldn't be too far off.
Walker, you amazed me! Working a bolt action throughout the entire Appleseed. It shouldn't be too long before you get your patch.
Looking forward to the next Appleseed.
What a great group of shooters! One of the best Appleseeds I've been to. I loved how engaged you were, hitting us with great questions, and contributing your own insights.
Congratulations to the newest riflemen – Dave and Sammy! Great shooting! The extraordinary job by Team #3 on the team competition also demonstrated some great shooting (and complete disregard for ammunition costs!). I've never seen Morgan's Shingle so completely eradicated – that was so impressive.
Thanks to Owl's wife for the great snacks on Sunday! I also wanted to say how much I appreciate the gratitude so many of you shooters expressed throughout the weekend. Means a lot to me. I hope to see you again at CCFSA – with plenty of your friends!