Full AAR to follow but if you can't wait, feel free to start adding your comments and pictures.
Corvette
What a great Appleseed! We had 24 motivated and dedicated patriots on the line at the Henry County Sportsman Association. I met Topper at the range Friday evening to setup the line, hang flags, setup registration and settle in for a great weekend.
The shoot started as a private/church shoot that quickly outgrew its original location. Many thanks to the Henry County Sportsman Association for allowing us to move to their range for the event. The line was a little unusual in that there was a steel plate rack for three gun that sat right in the middle of the range we were using. Too heavy to move, we setup with a left hand line and a right hand line, about a dozen shooters on each one.
In an Appleseed first for me, many of the shooters attended a pre-shoot meeting at the church to cover final question and to prepare for the weekend. Topper handled this event and then joined me at the range.
Shooters arrived early on Saturday and we started on time at 8:30. Before we knew it, we had covered the welcome, the safety brief and we were on the line shooting the first Red Coat. The group showed great promise right from the start. 60% of our shooters were proficient at 100yds, and 35% at 200 yds. We had 5 folks join Daniel Morgan's rangers and we had one clean Red Coat (Topper).
Instruction commenced and after a good morning of work, we were in the shelter house hearing Blindman deliver a great First Strike. Back to the line we went for seated, off hand and transition instruction. Blindman delivered a great Second Strike at our afternoon break and we went back to the line for a practice and real AQT. Everyone was hot and tired but our group applied themselves to the Saturday Red Coat. The day came to a close with the Third Strike.
Sunday dawned with a rain shower that ended before we started shooting which was a blessing. Almost everybody returned on Sunday, Mary, I really missed having a second day to work with you on how to work a Ruger 10/22 bolt stop. ;D
After a welcome and a review of safety and the Saturday instructions, we were back on the line shooting the Sunday morning Red Coat. Our work Saturday paid off as we had 79% competent at 100yds, and 36% at 200yds. We had 4 people join Daniel Morgan's rangers. The group just picked up where they left off on Saturday. After several NPOA and Rifleman's Cadence drills, we moved onto AQT's. That's when the fun really started.
Our young shooters (Matt, Jacob, Kate, Laura, Sadie, Logan, Tracy, Jordan) all were focused and worked hard on their skills. By the second AQT, we had a number of folks knocking on the door of Rifleman. Cyrus shot 202 and 207 and several other folks were at 190+. The fun started with the third AQT.
We learned that Cyrus was recently engaged to Jessica. Also, Cyrus's mom and dad were on the line as well as Jessica's dad. Well, when Jessica shot 212 to become a Riflewoman and Cyrus didn't, well, the ribbing that Cyrus took was big fun. Jessica was joined by another Rifleman who got baptized with the water from the North Bridge having shot a 210. Topper then re-qualified with a 220+. We had a mom recovering from cancer (Squirrel Sniper) shooting with her husband and son, we had five different father and son combinations on the line and we had a number of young ladies working on their rifle skills with their father's in non-shooting support.
KD and the Dangerous Old men were presented at lunch and during the afternoon break. Cadence demonstrated how to load and fire a Brown Bess musket, and shooters were given the chance to fire an MI Garand. Before we could blink, it was the end of the day Sunday and we were saying good-bye to our new friends. Many thanks to the Henry County Sportsman Assoc for hosting the event, to Topper for putting it together and to all our wonderful shooters for a great weekend. We look forward to returning to HCSA soon.
Big thanks to Cadence, Blindman, Dougum and Chevy Shooter for helping with this event, couldn't have done it without you guys. BIG THANKS. :bow:
Corvette
I have been waiting anxiously for this AAR all weekend. Excellent write-up Corvette, it sounds like a great shoot! Congratulations to our new Riflewoman and Rifleman, and thanks to Topper for making this event happen AND for taking the orange hat! Well-done instructors for making this a success, and thanks to all the shooters who signed up and turned out. Looking forward to the pictures.
UL
We had a great weekend. I'm getting some feedback and will be able to share more later.
Hopefully this evening I'll get some photos posted. There's some good ones.
Thanks
I HAD A BLAST THIS WEEKEND!!! I would like to thank all the instructors and (topper) for setting this up and making it happen. I am going to let the 207 and 202 be motivation for me to become even a better shooter so that when the next appleseed shoot comes to town or the next one that I attend i can also join the ranks as a rifle man!
BUT MOST OF ALL THANK YOU!!!!
(http://[url=http://s1214.photobucket.com/user/Topper111/media/IMG_20140622_143336532_HDR_zpsiq0pgdt3.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc484/Topper111/IMG_20140622_143336532_HDR_zpsiq0pgdt3.jpg)[/URL][/img]
Our future
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Dad keeping Tim's pesky brass off of Sadie
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Todd and Laura shooting from seated
(http://[url=http://s1214.photobucket.com/user/Topper111/media/IMG_20140622_141142450_zpshdvtml6b.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc484/Topper111/IMG_20140622_141142450_zpshdvtml6b.jpg)[/URL][/img]
Jessica and Cyrus dueling it out on the standing AQT portion
(http://[url=http://s1214.photobucket.com/user/Topper111/media/IMG_20140622_135803496_HDR_zpsyvfwnhfs.jpg.html%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc484/Topper111/IMG_20140622_135803496_HDR_zpsyvfwnhfs.jpg)[/URL][/img]
Way to go Jessica!
Stand by
Has there ever been a more appropriate place to host an Appleseed than a town called Liberty Center?
In keeping with the towns namesake, all who attended showed their desire for liberty by being attentive and drinking from the "fire hose" instruction in stride. Although some struggled on Saturday, all persisted and it all came together on Sunday. This was one great group of patriots. ^:)^
Quote of the weekend: "Blindman - you have the line!" **)
Highlight of the weekend: Getting the entire firing line to do the "Posterboy Dance" on Sunday to drive home the point of shifting their hips between targets on stages 2,3 and 4 when the line boss noticed several people just trying to muscle their rifles. :)) Did anybody get any video of that?
Many thanks to Topper for spear heading the effort to bring an Appleseed to Liberty Center and congratulations to him for stepping up and accepting an orange hat.
Unbridled Liberty - sorry you couldn't attend. I know you were looking forward to coming back to your old stomping grounds. Hope to see you somewhere else on the trail.
First one.
I also had a great time this weekend! Thanks to all of our great instructors and to Topper for putting this all together (since he has talked about little else since his first appleseed!). It was great to have joined the rank of rifelman/woman and it will be nice to hold the bragging rights for a whille...although I think I will pay for it in the long run since Cyclops210 is already planning which event to go to next.
Thank you all! I can't wait for the next LC event!
Dad keeping Tim's pesky brass off Sadie
Prone AQT
Ted and Matt
Jess and Cyrus battling out the offhand AQT
Wat to go Jessica
Nice job Jim!
Baptized
Todd and Laura inspecting targets
Mary likes what she sees
Lunch and second strike by Blindman
IMC in the shade
Target inspection
Cadet Kate had a great time, and looks forward to another one! We both appreciated the super-helpful attitudes of all the instructors, and we both learned a lot. might even make a tired old Marine shoot with his daughter next time..... ;) And any time I get to spend the whole weekend making memories with my baby girl--priceless! :)
Great to hear Kate enjoyed the weekend. See you guys at Marion in Aug?
Corvette
Quote from: dmb on June 26, 2014, 12:12:45 PM
Cadet Kate had a great time, and looks forward to another one! We both appreciated the super-helpful attitudes of all the instructors, and we both learned a lot. might even make a tired old Marine shoot with his daughter next time..... ;) And any time I get to spend the whole weekend making memories with my baby girl--priceless! :)
Huzzah! Glad to hear you all had a good time. It was a great weekend especially with so many youth. It always is a good weekend when we have so many younger shooters for me, simply because it reminds me that my generation isn't totally lost yet.
Doug
Here are some more pics from last weekend.