Saturday morning saw the sun rising over the grassy hills of the United Sportsman's Inc. shooting range in Concord, California and warming the air cooled by the night's darkness. The partnership between Project Appleseed and the USI management continues to grow stronger with each scheduled event and has resulted in our group being allowed to erect a metal shed next to our shooting bay to store event tools, equipment, and pop-up sun shades. A heartfelt THANK YOU to Traci and Larry of USI who made this possible and coordinated location and timing to install the metal storage shed on site. A thank you also goes out to Dan, Bill, and Victor our instructor crew who worked as a well-oiled Team to provide first-class instruction for our shooters. A thank you to our shooters who traveled far and wide from South San Jose, Oakland, and San Ramon to attend the 25m Rifle Clinic. The "Squares" target scores improved steadily and perhaps helped by a new "key" indexed to the COI. Each squares 8.5x11 inch target sheet was labeled A,B,C,D, and E. In addition each square was labeled for the position the black square was being shot from. In this was, shooters could reference a shooting position (offhand, sitting, prone) after the target sheet had been pulled off the target backer and evaluate it (talking targets) for feedback without trying to recall the position from memory. Our Team had noted that while we encourage and ask shooters to "write it down", more often than not...details on the position as well as the time of day for the weekend were not being routinely recorded. So with the expert instruction, hard work by shooters on Steady Hold Factors, Rifleman's Cadence, Rifleman's Bubble, 6-Steps in Making the Shot, and the critical to success Natural Point Of Aim, the weekend saw great results. On Sunday, David's efforts and persistence paid off as he scored a 225/250 earning the coveted Expert rating of Rifleman! Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah! He was proud to demonstrate what hard work was about which turned out to be especially important as his 14yo son Nicholas was also there. Nicholas's marksmanship skills and ability were incredible to witness as he was putting 5/5 rounds into the black from prone all weekend long. A quiet youth who speaks with his targets showing what he is all about. Amazing I say. Two other shooters Armen and Chris also improved greatly and are interested in attending the Rimfire Known Distance event in Northern California later this year to further expand their skills and experience in precision marksmanship. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Late in the afternoon we honored the American Militia and Minutemen companies blocking the 1,700 Redcoat troops marching east from Lexington towards Menotomy. The Battle of the "Foot of the Rocks" was honored as simulated Redcoat targets were engaged at 400 yards, 300 yards, 200 yards and finally at 100 yards as they marched towards the defenders of the small town of Menotomy. All targets were successfully engaged by volley fire, and the group who had appointed a different shooter to issue the "FIRE" command for the entire group experienced great success in safely and effectively reliving that afternoon as Redcoat troops were pursued by General William Heath from behind and blocked by rapidly assembled Massachusetts militia and minuteman companies at the town's western border.
Finally, our Team's Eagle Eye and awesome distinguished shooter Dan...had to show that he only gets better and better and better shooting a 243/250 on his first AQT inspiring others on the line to keep working, keep learning, and keep up the passion of honoring the heritage of our nation's defenders of liberty on 19 April 1775.image11.jpegimage15.jpegimage16.jpegimage17.jpegimage24.jpegIMG_8760.jpeg