Thirteen great Americans got up off the couch and came out to have some fun at the Anne Arundel Fish and Game (AAFG) Conservation Association in Annapolis, MD, for a 1-Day Project Appleseed Rifle Marksmanship Clinic. The group was comprised of some experienced Appleseeders (Ray, Jim, Gabriel, and Gunnar), and nine first-timers (Mostly Active-duty Marines! Ooh-rah!), braving the (very) cold day.
After the introductions, and safety brief, we started shooting the first Redcoat target, and results were pretty good! Next, we told them the real reason they were there - to hear the story of April 19th, 1775, and to try and understand the decisions our forefathers were faced with... beginning with the telling of the "First Strike" of the match. Then onto Prone Steady-Hold Factors (SHF) and putting sighters on the Squares target, the entire group was quickly grouping well. Impressive considering there were seven loaner rifles on the line. After some more history at lunch (Second Strike), we got back to marksmanship training . This being a One-day event, it was time to move right into Standing and Seated/Kneeling SHF, transitions, and we then moved into our first practice Appleseed Qualification Test (AQT)... and it started snowing! The Winterseed patch was in play!
Gunnar N. re-qualified with a 232, and repeat Appleseeder (but still seeking a Rifleman's patch) Jim T. put up a 213. After the practice AQT, we found time to get two more AQTs in. Gunnar N. backed up his score with an impressive 242! Great score. Jim T. backed up his with a 210, First time Appleseeders Mark A. and Floyd D. scored a 212 and 211 respectively. So three new Riflemen and one re-qual! They also get the much-coveted Winterseed patch! After the telling of the Third Strike and wrapping up the history, we then did our last Redcoat of the day (Mark cleaned his Redcoat!), framed the weekend, and cleaned up.
For those that didn't earn a Rifleman score yet:
A Rifleman Persists!
:snipersmi
Thank you very much to our host range, the Anne Arundel Fish and Game (AAFG) Conservation Association. Check out their website http://www.aafg.org
And last but not least, many thanks to my fellow instructors ABCgarand and Aninha.
Our Instructor's hard work, and professional demeanor made this a safe and fun shoot.
:F
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Excellent day of learning - history, marksmanship, persistence. Thanks to all of the instructors for braving the cold, snow, and freezing rain (again) - at least we got to focus on shooting for a bit. Couldn't have been prouder to earn my Winterseed patch!
Congrats to our new Riflemen!!!! Rifleman Roster on the MD section of the forums has been updated to reflect your achievement!
BeSwift