After Action Report 14/15 Jan 2017
Winterseed in Wyoming! The thermometer in Dan's truck said 9F when we met at the Laramie Rifle Club Saturday morning in the midst of an icy fog. By the time we had gotten initial paperwork out of the way, the fog had lifted, making it a lot more pleasant. At the start, we knew we only had one student, Tessa. Out of the blue -or was it grey- Rick appeared and then Ben. Rick and Tessa had previously attended Appleseeds, but Ben had not. By noon all three were getting good groups, then Tessa and Rick started having equipment problems and Tessa had to leave early -a shame because she knows what to do & will do it next time.
At noon we repaired to the clubhouse for lunch and The First Strike. Pretty nice inside with heat & indoor plumbing! About 1400 the targets seemed to be getting a little blurry - looked over my shoulder and the whole valley had filled with ice fog. We carried on and got in three AQTs, Ben and Rick using loaners.
With only two students, Instructors were able to try for the elusive Winterseed patch. Rasputin shot a 222 score to be the first to do so. We broke up the afternoon with the Second Strike and finally quit about 1700 when the fog rolled in again.
Sunday dawned even cooler at 5F but the flag was not even fluttering and the sun came out. Could not ask for nicer weather for January in Wyoming! Rick was having equipment issues again and went back to a loaner, which was unfortunate because he was shooting very well with his until scope issues took over. If memory serves, he did shoot in the 150's, well under his capabilities. Tessa showed up again at noon, not to shoot, but to bring her world famous (well, at least north Laramie famous) stew for everyone. We did the Third Strike and a couple of DOM stories, and then went back to AQTs. Ben was still using the Marlin with Tech Sights that rasputin had used to earn his first Rifleman in Sheridan. A lot of AQTs were shot and Mr Aufbau shot a 210. He showed his character by stripping off his jacket and shirt and taking a nice snow bath! Pewpewpew shot a 206 with his AR. SO CLOSE... Ben did shoot a 195, which for a first time Appleseeder, with a borrowed rifle with iron sights was excellent. I'll bet he turns up the next time with his own Marlin, and I'll also bet that Rick will solve his scope issues and that they will both earn their patches. They both kept trying until the light failed and by then it was pretty cool out there. By the time we'd cleaned up the range, the sun was down. Had to use a flashlight to set the gate lock.
Thanks to Tom and Rex for the use of Laramie Rifle Club facilities. A great range and those close to Laramie should take advantage of it and JOIN.
Thanks to Cabela's for their donation of a bucket of Remington .22s. Much appreciated.
Thanks to pewpewpew, rasputin & Mr Aufbau. It's always a pleasure to see and work with you all.
Congratulations to Steve. He is our newest Shoot Boss. Well done, pew.
Finally, thank you, Tessa, Rick and Ben. You know what to do: DRYFIRE. You persevered through a tough weekend. Keep that attitude and I look forward to seeing you earn Rifleman next time. You are what keeps the program alive. Thank you.
A great event, thanks to everyone who attended! A little late, but here are some pictures (and a short video of the event).
https://youtu.be/f1W5dJMcseA
Thanks for the video, that's great!