Another great fall weekend greeted us at the gorgeous Palmetto Gun Club in Ridgeville, SC. I got to the range Friday afternoon to stake out our target lines with KarlHofen - volunteer extraordinaire who dabbles as the club president (lol - he's been the president for a while). The club has set up baffles at the KD firing line since last year. It sure helped keep the sun out of our eyes. Karl arranged a couple of carts for us to use throughout the day. This club goes out of their way to make groups like ours run our events smoothly and efficiently. Having actual bathrooms can make a girl feel spoiled.
Saturday morning greeted 10 shooters ready to go! We had 4 new and 6 experienced RKD shooters - all very good shots. My favorite thing about this group is seeing 2 pair of fathers and sons and a lot of friends. This is such a nice way to spend a day. After a brief welcome, I reviewed a bit of IMC and Trajectory, Karl reviewed our safety rules and we were off to the races. 6 out of 12 shooters (both line bosses took a turn) hit a larger than life Morgan's Shingle. The challenge wasn't quite the same as a 3 1/2" x 5" shingle, but I'd say it was great shooting for first thing in the morning. Afterwards, we dove right into getting sighters for each stage of the AQT and then shooting the stage. TheIronMantis explained how to adjust for wind, but thankfully it wasn't much needed, sort of - half the fun of an RKD is learning how to adjust for wind. The newcomers were awesome. All 10 shooters' groups were sub 6 MOA until 150 yards. By 150 a couple of the rifles ran into mechanical issues. What a shame, because the groups were awesome. We took a break at lunch to hear a bit of history. I gave an abbreviated summary of the Battle of Alamance. TheIronMantis told a great rendition of the battle at Kings Mountain, complete with bringing a black powder rifle.
We also took a couple of minutes to thank DEH for the excellent job he's done as the South Carolina State Coordinator as he steps back from the role. It's not the first time he's done the job, and hopefully we'll see him back after a well deserved rest. He's been the state coordinator for the last 3 years. In that time, the state was recognized for their growth, each volunteer received a rocker in 2024. He and Karl worked together to get shoots way down here in Ridgeville, away from most of the volunteers. We now have 5 volunteers in Ridgeville, and hopefully will have more in time. Duane's done a great job at answering emails, communicating with all the clubs, all the volunteers, and regularly getting them together for shoots or friendship. He helps out with the nearby states when he can and has a great amount of wisdom about Appleseed, ranges, and shooting. I'm thankful that he'll still be around as a volunteer and wish him well as he spends more time with all the rest he has going on in his life.
After lunch KarlHofen took over for TheIronMantis as line boss. We finished up the sighters and completed our first AQT. Duane "only" got a 49 - he was the first of many to achieve a rifleman score. Nice job! By our second AQT his son, Darien, wasn't too far behind him with a 46! Duane repeated his 49; Simeon hit 43; and James got a decent score of 41! That's 2 new KD Riflemen and 2 requalified as rifleman. We were able to get a third AQT in before running out of energy. ALL 4 got new riflemen scores. Darien's dipped a little, but Simeon scored his best at 45! James finished with a 43! Duane proved the third time was the charm with a 50 - a perfect score and a perfect way to end the day!!!
The other shooters all had great groups, they just weren't in the black. I'm sure next time around they'll get it. It can be a little frustrating to go down to the 200 yard target line and see a beautiful group in a 6 inch circle (that's 3 MOA) that's just outside the target, but we all know that a rifleman persists. Keep up the dry fire and perfect practice and we'll see you back at another event soon.
A
huge thank you to TheIronMantis and KarlHofen for all they did on Saturday. Travis, Duane, Bill, and James - you all helped out too and it is very much appreciated.
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Ball & Dummy isn't just for 25m events. They helped each other knock off any cobwebs. It clearly worked because they were so good.
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Stage 1 of the AQT - the baffles were nice for this. The sun was up and down range.
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We're shooting sighters for stage 2 and some are done, so they're practicing stage 2.
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Sitting position is everyone's favorite.
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Prone shooting and whatever DEH is doing. He has a unique way of doing things. If it works, don't knock it. No, he didn't shoot this way or have a magazine in the rifle, although I suggested finding a mirror and trying it.
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TheIronMantis shares the history of Kings Mountain with us.
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Karl literally blending the 2 hats he wears when volunteering at his home range.
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The first of 3 distinguished scores - I was checking to see if he was smiling.
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James holds up his first rifleman KD score - Nice shooting! He finished the day with a 41 & 43!
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Simeon should be proud of his scores - 43 and 45!
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Darien hasn't been to an Appleseed event in a while. It sure looks like he kept up the perfect practice. Here he is with his high score of 46!
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Like father, like son. Dual rifleman scores on their second AQTs.
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Darien helps celebrate Duane's PERFECT 50!!!
Thank you for another great clinic, @UpACreek, @KarlHofen, and @TheIronMantis!
I am here to witness that @DEH shot a 50 (and 2 x 49s) using Federal Automatch ammo. Amazing!! ;D