Last weekend the rest of the nation was mired in the usual politics and scandals of the deep state. Then there was the usual weekend televised spitting contests between the various voting blocs and their identity groups.
On paper this looks like high horsepower, but it is in reality, low output.
Apparently, at least to them, this somehow promotes liberty.
For a Nation that was founded on the principles of effective marksmanship, let's hope no one ever says this of modern "gun owners":
One of our weakest points, is now our deplorable marksmanship, poor fire discipline, failure to zero rifles periodically and insufficient time on ranges.-Cpt. Michael Ekman, Company Commander, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vietnam 1967
The new guy in town has caused all the various patriot groups to go back to sleep as evidenced by the decrease in many freedom oriented classes and tools designed to preserve or defend liberty.
This was not the case at the NRA Whittington Center here in Raton, NM where 12 patriotic Americans turned out for one our most popular courses, our Unknown Distance Shoot.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/00a5kT.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pl00a5kTp)
From Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico they traveled to learn.
Both instructors and non-instructors attended this shoot. Men and women who if were transported back in time would strike fear in Lord Percy and King George III such that they would reconsider even letting their "Regulars" leave the safety of Boston.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/pVrFxj.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnpVrFxjp)
Or as the Bradford Brothers warned King George III in the London Chronicle in 1775, "This colony has raised over a thousand Riflemen, the worst who can put a ball in a man's head at 200 yards. Tell your officers to have their affairs settled before departing England."
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/uZUrsz.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmuZUrszp)
"Make no mistake, when you cheer for the people of the American Revolution, you are cheering for traitors and criminals. They broke the law, because freedom is always illegal. Larken Rose
We spent 2 days of acting out and learning the traditional duties of the Rifleman.
In a nut shell this involves find it, range it and shoot it. The raison d'être of a Rifleman.
There is no better place to learn rifle skills than at the NRA WC. It is a true Rifleman's paradise on 33,000 acres.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/jtCCOA.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnjtCCOAp)
Shooters greet the new day with this kind of sunrise:
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/x7inUi.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/pox7inUip)
A Rifleman is a man/woman who can make first round hits at unknown distances, under unknown conditions, on demand and against the clock.-Jeff Cooper.
We warm up and zero at 25 yards, then shoot/zero at 300 yards (Battle Sight Zero). Then on to the hidden/not so hidden steel targets.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/PYbGgW.png) (https://imageshack.com/i/plPYbGgWp)
You are what you do, not what you say you are. Be the master of your own destiny.
Learn to shoot long distance as step one.
This group also had 4 young folks among the 12 shooters. We got a family of 4 from Colorado take on 3 Orange Hats and one Blue Hat.
Double Huzzah!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/i1PcDQ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmi1PcDQj)
More later, pics to follow as BlueFeather and I are just rollin' in...
Sir, in a world where most folks' abilities are gauged in "crawl, walk, run," you and BlueFeather FLY. :bow: :bow:
Your shoots are amazing, and someday, I swear, I'll experience one firsthand!
Great looking venue. I look forward to seeing it soon.
Wreck
They're out there. They're everywhere. Can you spot them? Most of our steel targets are well hidden but in plain view.
Ranges are 325-940 yards.
Fred sez..."Your job as a Rifleman involves target detection, range estimation and firing an accurate shot-in
that order of difficulty.
If you can't see the target, you as a Rifleman can still hit it, but if you don't detect it, you never fire the shot."
Below shooters do exercises to gather data for Target Detection and Range Estimation.
Later, these targets will be found again under different light conditions and shot!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/7A8FyR.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/po7A8FyRj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/PrjSMl.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmPrjSMlj)
As Master Gunnery Sgt. of the 1st Marine Div., Guadacanal 1942 said
"Teach them to look in the air and trees and to learn where the enemy likely will be."
Present day doufous americana has little experience looking for anything except a remote.
It is no wonder many of the best shots in the military came from folks who grew up hunting and exploring the woods...vs today's cyberspace warriors. Our rural life of field and woods experience as handed down from father to son peaked by the Viet Nam war.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/tWvJma.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmtWvJmaj)
Those "dirty redcoats". This target was at 640 yards and well hidden from the firing line.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/DkBnx4.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmDkBnx4j)
High gale force winds roared thru the WC this past weekend. 40-45 MPH at times.
Fortunately, wind values were low as it was from behind.
Fortunately on day 2 it was a simple 10-15 MPH wind.
A few of the huge target frames literally snapped off at the base and required immediate fixing/replacing.
This while doing our 300 yard sight in. One backer went to the base of Willow Canyon where we spotted it 2 days later.
Thanks to all the shooters who jumped in and helped us! We hauled pallets down and put large boulders in them for ballast.
We do not cancel events due to weather at the WC unless it becomes a safety issue.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/EjUnCH.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poEjUnCHj)
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/ToSXQS.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/poToSXQSj)
The Coors Range building offered a quiet place over the strong winds for lunch, instruction and story telling.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/Rsl9pO.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmRsl9pOj)
Below is 11 year old Megan, Project Appleseed's newest Apple Core volunteer and Rifleman!
She gave a compelling story on young Andrew Jackson.
Huzzah Megan!
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/RHxNoq.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmRHxNoqj)
Some of the targets we used....
Some are small...
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/HT0DBo.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnHT0DBoj)
Some are well hidden....
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/yJkOen.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnyJkOenj)
This one is a 12" circle at exactly 601 yards.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/JnZDL7.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnJnZDL7j)
Howdy All,
Congratulations to all of our new Riflemen/Riflewomen! :snipersmi
Thanks to our newest family of Appleseed Instructor Cadre IIT's and our new Blue hat. ^:)^
Thank you Dan and Gill. You are an inspiration to us all! :bow: :bow: :bow:
"till we meet again"' Happy Trails,
Jerry :)
This is what we strive for at the initial warm up and sight in:
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/3qrvBJ.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pl3qrvBJj)
Which gives these results on the downrange steel.
The Redcoats never have a good day at Project Appleseed.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/jUkUha.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pnjUkUhaj)
Thanks to all my instructor crew for their great effort in these trying conditions.
Thanks to Dave for bringing hot dogs each day for lunch!
And a hearty thanks to the NRA WC staff for their continued support of Project Appleseed.
The sun sets on another fantastic event on the most beautiful range in the world.
Until we meet again...
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/VgyAea.jpg) (https://imageshack.com/i/pmVgyAeaj)
Pic above is along the exact spot of the Santa Fe Trail on the WC property
Great shoot!
Sure, the wind messed with the schedule, but all the information was both presented and exercised. My hat's off to the hardworking Appleseed staff who made it happen.
For those who haven't been, the UKD is an essential step in the progression of rifleman skills begun in the 2 day Appleseed clinic, which are 95% of Appleseed's shoots. If you're looking to progress past the most foundational marksmanship skills, don't forget about the other 5%; rimfire KDs (in Colorado, and now Wyoming), the centerfire KDs (nationwide),Rifleman Boot Camps (nationwide),Rifleman Boot Camps (nationwide), and the UKDs (New Mexico and Arizona, that I'm aware of).
Additional thanks to the great folks at Whittington Center for their hospitality. This is the first time I overnight-ed on the premises (versus a motel in town), and got a record amount of sleep for it. Always beautiful scenery (year-around), wonderful people from all over, and plenty of wildlife, up close.
Their library is also a great resource, and their abandoned mining town of Van Houten is worth an extra day's stay to get out on foot and explore.
TaosGlock - Nice job on your AARs.
We struggle to have UKDs in our region, maybe we'll have to fly down and join you sometime!