With a nearby buffalo herd and a stiff breeze, no trees for miles to interfere with the view, and the expanses of the Colorado Rifle Club, what more could a person ask for? Why, how about holding another Appleseed! That would improve everything. In the hot and humid SouthEast, Super Bowl Sunday and Mothers Day are the kiss of death for Appleseed events but not so in Colorado -- at least not Byers.
Delta got the Shoot Boss there, and only 4hrs late too, but BrassBucket Alice had things well in hand. So solid that this was one of the safest shoots this traveling Shoot Boss has ever seen. 11 shooters were registered, 3 cancelled, 4 first-time Appleseed shooters attended both days. Applecore Sheep Puncher brought a laser trainer, and each shooter got to find NPOA and move it from one square to another square, just like we've been talkin' bout.
A lot of these people have shot rifles for decades, yet were amazed at the BrassBucket Inches-Minutes-Clicks presentation. Questions like: You mean it's really that simple? Every time? Well, yep. So far, anyway . . .
Henry is 9yrs old, and was shooting a full-size 10/22 without the tiniest sign of complaint or discouragement all day Saturday. We put him on a double-rolled shooting mat Sunday as a rifle rest, and he started hitting! All the adults were looking at one another, thinking about that little guy out-shooting them . . . even his dad Matthew!
As it turned out, we spent a lot of Sunday breaking down the seated Stage 2 into its component pieces, shot them all, then began drawing them back together. Practiced Magazine Drill, and Rifleman's Cadence. Shot an AQT with no time limits, and people finished Stage 2 with time to spare, no more fumbling. Hmmm . . . By the end of Sunday, Matthew earned a Rifleman badge, and Corey scored Rifleman for the second time and took up the awesome responsibility that comes with the orange IIT cap. Other shooters -- Luigi (new to rifles), Rob, Bill, Nathan, and Michele (despite mysterious magazine challenges) doubled their scores. What do we mean by that? Well, Saturday morning no 400yd shooters, no 300yd shooters either. Come Sunday evening, four 400yd shooters, one 300yd shooter, one 200yd shooter, three shooters hit Morgan's Shingle, and two shooters cleaned the entire Redcoat (Henry was in there too!). The histories were good; the company superb; and we were all there in the cozy brotherhood when it was over. Huh.
Okay, why is it we're doing this?
Side notes: A lot of Denver area folks seem to think Byers is in Kansas. It isn't, but Limon is -- I think -- and if you're shooting at Byers but bunking in Limon, please note the sole grocery store closes early. Probably because of the wind. But dawn is extraordinary on the Southern Plains, practically the biggest event of the day. Until the wind arrives . . .