I had the privilege of attending the Sacramento Appleseed on April 9th and 10th.
I had planned this as a bonding event for My father and 3 of his sons to get together even though we all live in different areas. We varied in ages from 66 to 17, and we varied in skill levels as well, two of my brothers had never shot a rifle before.
We were met by Laurie who had a smile and positive attitude to ward off the rain and the cold. The stories of the Revolutionary war and the history of the 19th of April were worth the price of admission alone. It was infectious, and as we fired our rifles at the groups on the paper we were pushing ourselves to learn and do better.
The instruction was excellent I cannot thank the instructors enough. Each student was taught several variations of kneeling positions and sling positions. I looked down the firing line after a round of shooting and saw one brother kneeling, another cross ankled, and my father sitting calmly Indian style. We each found out what was comfortable, stable and allowed us to put the groups down range that we desired.
I went from not hitting anything to being effective at 300 yards.
One instructor Joe helped my brother with a sticky bolt on his AR, and one time after my 10/22 refused to fire Joe had the entire rifle apart and back together ready to put rounds down range in a very short amount of time. Hans was also very helpful informing me of ranges close to San Francisco where I can go to perfect my craft.
As a father of two children I can honestly say that I WILL be purchasing two additional 10/22's to take my children. I cannot wait for the summer when they are off of school so that we can participate in this together.
Despite the wind and the rain I had a perfect weekend. The bonding exercise to tie together multiple generations was a complete success. Filled with the rich history of the Revolutionary War, the excellent instruction, and the passion of these volunteers for the RWVA for the cause of marksmanship and patriotism cannot be beat or measured.
I truly appreciate this program and the instructors present. Go grab a rifle and some one from another generation and experience this together - you will not be disappointed.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I had a similar experience four years ago. Me, my father in law, and my two daughters went to our first... we had a mish mash of 22's that we begged borrowed and pleaded to get... including a bolt action 22 that was so old it didn't have a serial number. We had the best time of our lives.
Thanks for the wonderful post!!
It was great to have you all out there. I'm very glad you enjoyed the event!
Can't wait to see you all again!
Laurie
HUZZAH!
O0