The event was held on the Rockcastle Resort and Shooting Center. This is a fantastic facility which is situated on 2000 acres with several shooting ranges and a golf course. The hotel is huge and features a large dining area with a beautiful view of the countryside. And the managers were most accommodating. They were also very helpful while discussing possible dates for the following year.
Some shooters had looked forward to shooting at greater distances than usual, but upon arrival we were informed that we would not have access to the longer distance range after all. It was occupied because of preparations for their huge annual 3-Gun shoot. We were directed to a 600 yard range. However, due to the lay of the land we discovered that it was only possible to shoot 400 yards. As it turned out, this was entirely satisfactory for our purposes because of the material to be covered and the time it required. The original plan for longer distance shooting called for us to change ranges and set up targets again sometime Sunday for the longer distances. I feared from the beginning that there would not be enough time for us to do this and cover all the anticipated material. And this would certainly have been the case.
Nine shooters arrived Saturday for classroom instruction in preparation for the activities of the day. The range had been partially set up Friday and targets were installed Saturday upon arrival. History was given at lunch and two KD AQTs were finished before day's end. And three of the nine shooters were awarded their KD Patches.
Sunday morning's classroom session was devoted to Range Estimation. And incidentally, the Range Master attended both of the morning sessions. Upon arriving at the range, three objects were scattered at various distances for range estimation purposes. The shooters abilities to calculate the distances to these objects were phenomenal. For the closest object, two shooters estimates were within a foot of the correct value. For the second object, two shooters estimates were within 4 feet of the value. And for the third object, two shooters calculated it exactly, while another was only one foot off. The remaining shooters' estimates were not bad, and some were very good. History was again given at lunch and two more KD AQTs were engaged.
Before the day was over, one shooter eagerly accepted an Orange Hat and two others are contemplating it. It was a great weekend.
Sounds like a great weekend. Brings back recent memories of New Philadelphia, Ohio this past early summer. Looking forward to the next event of this type in our area.
Congrats to all of those who did so well, and especially our new Orange Hat. Thanks for stepping up.
And, Don, thanks for being such a great instructor. I haven't forgotten the things that you taught us. It made so much more sense to hear it first-hand than to read it out of a book.
It was a gorgeous weekend for a KD at Park City! The weather was perfect and the shooters seemed to be enjoying themselves.
I had a lot of fun working with everyone and look forward to seeing you all on the trail again soon.
A few more pics can be found here:
http://s483.photobucket.com/user/dianaappleseed/library/Park%20City%20KY%20Oct%202016?sort=3&page=1
It occurs to me that I have failed to give some credit where credit is certainly due. Because of some unforeseen circumstances we were short on instructors. Only Google and myself officially served in this capacity. And Google did an outstanding job. However, two of the shooters, little buddy and Charley, served double duty. They did an outstanding job as RSOs for the entire event at the end of every string of fire. Thank you, guys. O0 O0 O0
It pained me greatly in having to cancel being at this KD. But, when a Category 4 Hurricane is aimed at one's house, it becomes time to change one's plans.
So, instead of setting out on the drive on Wednesday, I was putting up shutters. It was the right decision. Peak winds hit about 115 mph. A last minute jog to the east put the storm a little further out to sea. And, Matthew dropped from a Category 4 to a Category 3. This was the difference in 135 mph winds vs. 115 mph winds.
No damage to my home. Minimal damage to trees and shrubs. Minor repairs to lead anchors after taking shutters down. Only had to replace 3.
While the power was out, though, I was mentally calculating my maximum windage capability for 100 mph full value sustained wind at 400 yards. The limit is about 60 mph with my set-up. Next time, I plan to be at this venue! With gentle 10 mph breezes!
Congrats to the new and requalifying Riflemen at this great facility! This was a fantastic fall KD. My apologies at having been " overcome by events", and not being able to assist dond, Google, Little Buddy, and Charley.
Next time!
-- Gary
What an amazing weekend working with dond and google! We both learned so much and had a great time! The light bulbs finally turned on for IMC and KD! Awesome group of shooters with very teachable attitudes. It was great meeting everyone and will see you on the trail again! We made it home in 6 1/2 hours...not too bad. Guntuckian- we're just glad to hear you're alright and made it through safe. We were talking about you Sunday because no one had heard from you. No worries, we understood :). Thanks again so much dond and google, we are already making plans for next year for Alabama and Park City ðŸ˜