We have seven shooters on our second day. Bit slower than the Ramseur RBC, but there are four children in the group, with one eight years old.
Three are using bolt guns, one AR normal and one conversion and two 10/22s. Four of the rifles had not been fired before they arrived, new ones, and we have been getting all up to speed.
We begin the dreaded AQT after lunch today and I have told them they have to get up to speed and get their minds right because my good cop is much sweeter than Fred's bad cop, and he will be here in one day.
Very hot and the heat taking it's toll on the children and the mother, but all are giving it their best. I think the first AQT might produce two-three riflemen.
The young girl (13?) is just amazing with her almost touching groups. I told her she needs to get a second stage off in three seconds to beat DragonWood.
I gave my first "Story" on Sunday morning and although I think I was too dry with too many details of the events concerning April 19, 1775, I received a hearty round of applause anyway, for the heroes of that day, not me.
Still need to do some more work on the sight. But I ran everyone into the dirt yesterday so at 5:30, they were exhausted and needed some rest and some showers. Will post more tonight.
Scout
Thanks for the report, Scout. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and shooting with them this weekend!
Long day of one inch squares and then greencoats and finally an AQT. One rifleman and one at 205 and one knocking. Still having a hot time with daytimes temps running in the mid 90s and not much of a breeze.
One family put their tent over an ant mound and have had a constant ant experience and I had to move them and the other family into one of our houses for the nights. Heat still giving the woman and the children a hard time.
Tomorrow will be hot again and we will continue to drive on with the AQT grind, NPOA drills, ball and dummy and fine tuning their techniques. I will have some pictures tomorrow. I will have to expand the firing line to accomodate the Appleseeders this weekend also. Hopefully have at least twenty to go along with the seven RBC folks. At least supposed to be a cold front coming for the weekend (80s). See you all tomorrow.
Scout and party: adversity is the true test of peoples worth, sounds like you have some worthwhile indiviguals there. hydrate and keep on guys!!
Another super hot day, but two more riflemen to add to the list. The two men and now the mother also are riflemen.
The first score was a 211 for the man, but the only body of water was a stagnant pool about six foot across and since the dog had already splashed in it and then ran around the shooting area sliming everyone with the stinking muck, he was having none of it.
The two older kids started out shooting pretty tight groups, the girls was about nickel sized and then they just opened up wider and wider. Neither had used a sing before and I could not figure it out untill their 10/22s kept jamming and we took them apart at lunch and found that the rear sights and the front sights were both falling off.
This might be something for folks to check on the 10/22s. I didn't know this was a common thing for the Tech-Sights, but Fred said it was.
Tomorrow is going to begin with the Storuy again and then we will work in some more AQTs and get the guys ready started off in helping to run the line.
Family pics below :)
Up to now I've not had a problem with the rear sight (loctite on both screw threads). The front sight came loose at the Stuart Appleseed (in spite of the loctite). I've never been happy with the fit of the front sight (the sight was sloppy fall right out loose in the barrel sight base). Even after peening the sight base and trying to hammer the edges downward the front sight was loose (this is a stock Ruger barrel). After Stuart I started to wonder if I could drill into the front of the sight base with a small drill bit (parallel to the barrel from the front of the base), thread the hole and install a set screw to lock the sight into the base with a second screw. Now I've just gotta give it a try.
You've got to use Red Loc-Tite on the Tech sights, front and rear.
I had mine loosen up at Proctor, as well as a couple of stock screws loosen.
So, I Loc-Tited the sights, we'll see how long they last.
I fished out my trusty torque screwdriver, and torqued the stock screws, and it is now a "PMCS" check.
Matter of fact, I think I'll write a PMCS chart for the LTR's.
For those that don't know what PMCS is, it's Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services, the Army's term for Operator Checks.
Quote....adversity is the true test of peoples worth, sounds like you have some worthwhile indiviguals there
Maybe it's a Texas thing - you know, the one good Texan in the state (the only one currently stepping up to the Appleseed plate out of 22 million Texans - that's 22 times better than "being one in a million", right?).
And he's hosting the first and so far only Rifleman Boot Camp in the state? And doing it on short notice due to it being moved from Texarkana?
And ALL of his 'guests' are non-Texans?
And maybe - just maybe - just a little - he wants them to leave with a good impression, not only of Appleseed, but of their entire Texas experience?
So we have the New Model Appleseed Boot Camp, the First Air-Conditioned Ice Cream RBC.
And you wouldn't know anything about it without Fred stopping by to help out for a few days.
Not to say that there's not the usual adversity you find at any BC - ants, heat, sweat, long hours of grinding out rifleman skills on the AQT.
But Scout has it set up so at the end of the day the BC attendees return to an air-conditioned house, and ice cream has been delivered to the firing line at least once to cool off a hot firing line.
I don't know where we find the quality people we find for this program, but these BC students - two Louisiana families, kids and all - are the worthy people that this program seems to delight in attracting.
At least, you can bet it delights Fred to have the honor of meeting and associating with fellow Americans of the caliber that these are.
I'll stack the youngest kid there against most adults I run across, and I know which is the better (sad, and shameful as that may be).
Or, to put it another way, you don't have trouble distinguishing these Americans from rock squirrels... 8)
I've said it before, many times. When you get depressed about the future, fed up with what's going on in this country, discouraged about things, simply hit the Appleseed Trail.
You'll find people you don't meet in everyday life, people that give you hope for the future.
This BC is the same.. 8)
[Sorry, I have to stop now, as it's 7 AM and I'm late to get to the firing line - say, it's still dark outside, how are we going to see to shoot? :)]