I want to thank the members and board at Deer Creek Conservation Club for allowing us to use their beautiful facility for the weekend. They host us 4 times a year for events. We are talking about adding a fifth event for next year at this location. 10 years of a great relationship.
We started our weekend with 13 Patriots ready to learn about our shared American Heritage and Marksmanship. The group had a good mix of newer and experienced shooters. Some were first-time attendees; others have been around the program for decades. After setting the tone for the weekend with the First Strike of the match, we covered our safety plan for the weekend. We were blessed to have both a doctor and EMT in attendance. <neither had to use their skill in that capacity.> Following the safety brief, we brought rifles to the line and engaged the first Hits Count target of the weekend. 9 cleared 100 and 4 hit the shingle. No one cleared the first one, so there is room for improvement. As we slowly built up the skills and coached them through the Steady Hold Factors, Natural Point of Aim, and Six Steps of Firing the Shot, we introduced the AQT target. By the end of the day, we completed the first AQT and three of our return participants were able to requalify as Rifleman. Jeremy, Nick, and Dave scored 213, 217, and 221, respectively. Nick and Dave had not been to an Appleseed event in over a decade. We closed the shooting portion with another Hits Count Target and saw improvement. After losing 2 shooters to a family obligation, only 11 were left and 10 cleared the 100 silhouette. 5 hit the shingle. 3 cleared the target. Congratulations to Cesar, Dave, and Nick. This was the first time to clear one at my event for Nick and Dave. They were awarded George Rogers Clark quarters.
On Saturday, 11 came back for another dose of American Heritage and Marksmanship instruction. After reviewing yesterday's instruction and a safety brief, we brought rifles to the line. Our first target, after adding a couple of instructors to fill spots on the line, saw 11 of 13 clear 100, 6 hit the shingle, and 2 cleared it. At the end of our Ball and Dummy drill <one of the best things we at 2-day events>, Dave showed the best witness target against where his hits were. He won a fabulous prize of unspeakable value. We broke for lunch and learned about shooting at distance. There were lots of questions about rimfire, as we have one of those events at this range in October. After lunch, we shot a couple more AQTs to refine our skills. By the end of the day, 3 new Riflemen revealed themselves. David and Ben, both return shooters, and Jonathan, a first-time Appleseeder, scored. Jonathan confessed he is fairly new to shooting, with only about 6 months of experience. This group turned in scores of 215 to 227. Echo Charlie was able to requalify as well on Sunday. Our last Hits Count Target had all 10 shooters clear the 100 silhouette. 5 of the 10 hit the shingle. 3 cleared it. A new person, Ralph, earned the last of my quarters for the weekend. We did blend in a Parker's Revenge between AQTs. The team of Dave, Ben, and Nick won some fabulous prizes of unspeakable value.
I want to thank my cadre that kept things running smoothly. Echo Charlie, TheGunslingingGamer, Traveling man, JHB, and Frimplepants, made my part easy. I appreciate your time and commitment to our program.
Follow the link for pictures: https://imgur.com/a/U5LnqbU
I want to commend our two Hot Brass Recipients of the weekend for their unwavering attention to safety and keeping the muzzle in a safe direction. Cesar got brass behind his glasses on Saturday and attached itself just under his left eye. He had quite the welt to show us on Sunday. His muzzle remained towards the berm the entire time. On Sunday, JHB was gifted some hot brass on her collarbone. Just like Cesar the day before, she kept the muzzle in a safe direction at all times while dealing with a welt-generating gift. Both will likely have reminders of this for a long time. During the safety brief, we remind people that the first safety rule says 'ALWAYS'. Both of these shooters exemplified what that looks like.