It was a fantastic week at the Rifleman Boot Camp in Calera (4-16!), Alabama.
Students traveled all the way Michigan, Alaska, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Missouri. Of course, we had local students, too, but Ramblin' Wreck and I were blown away at the response!
Most of our shooters arrived Saturday evening and we fired up the grill. Sunday morning came quick, and we jumped into learning both history and marksmanship. For the first two days, we focused on fundamentals. Dmitri shot his Rifleman score and then followed up with a couple more! ^:)^
Tuesday was April 19th! We packed up the rimfire rifles and broke out centerfire rifles. We spent about half the day in the classroom learning the Three Tasks of a Rifleman in preparation for our KD day. Then, we moved out to the range to zero the centerfire rifles, do some drills, and participate in the Patriots Day Memorial Volley. That evening, we cooked out and had a bonfire to celebrate Patriots Day!
Wednesday we traveled from Calera (4-16!) to Talladega so we could take advantage of the CMP facilities for the day. While there, we did practical exercises of the Three Tasks of a Rifleman, including some Target Detection and Range Estimation. It was fantastic to see Dmitri & Holly earn their KD rockers. Nick earned his Rifleman patch and KD rocker at the same time! Huzzah!!!
We spent most of Thursday & Friday focused on the art of teaching marksmanship. Because a couple of students needed to depart Friday morning, we bumped graduation forward a bit. Steve and his son Malachi brought commemorative medals they made for the graduating class - thank you so much for your generosity!
I appreciate everyone who came out, students and instructors alike. I'd like to give a special HUZZAH to the range owners Butch and Kim! They are awesome and do everything they can to make sure we're comfortable during our stays!
Next year's RBC is on the books Calera 4-17!! (https://appleseedinfo.org/search-states-location.php?locationid=556&id_event=4702)
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160421_081121_zpsinrwxa4n.jpg)
P.S. I've got some pictures below, but most of them can be found here (http://s24.photobucket.com/user/rusty-appleseed/library/2016-04_CaleraRBC).
Some pictures...
Shooters on the line in Calera.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160418_105016_zpspycpmvxf.jpg)
Instructors & our hosts at the Patriots Day BBQ!
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160419_181117_zpsiaoh48bj.jpg)
Checking targets at 25m.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160417_131250_zpsoytzo7wn.jpg)
FreedomDefender giving the morning safety brief!
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160418_090359_zpsam8mhw6a.jpg)
Old school at the 100y range at Talladega!
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_103521_zpsqxlgqdyi.jpg)
Shooters on the line for Target Detection & Range Estimation.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_161712_zpsjfnt7aed.jpg)
Our KD qualifiers.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_170347_zps5lckrfwl.jpg)
Morpheus sharing his stirring rendition of Patrick Henry's speech.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_170533_zpstgzo1wao.jpg)
My poor photography doesn't do this medal justice.
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160422_105757-1_zpsqdq0sjsn.jpg)
Speaking of target detection...
This target isn't so hard to see, right? ;)
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_075901_zpseger9yjo.jpg)
Oh well, maybe... ???
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_075931_zpsxzvamelg.jpg)
Where did it go? :wb:
(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c25/rusty-appleseed/2016-04_CaleraRBC/20160420_080007_zpskexzsa2u.jpg)
Thanks to Morpheus and Wreck for helping set up the challenging Target Detection / Range Estimation field!
What a great week with dedicated Patriots. The time spent getting to know students after shooting was over every day was worth the trip for me. I was glad to see a few folks who came to Calera in 2015. I'll be looking for them again next year as well.
"proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" - Leviticus 25:10 KJV
See you next year for Calera 2017.
Wreck
It was a glorious event. The shooters were great and the facilities superb. I had a fantastic time contributing to this educational endeavor and watching the amazing improvement in marksmanship of the students. I can't wait to come back next year.
Doc