My hat is off to the wonderful group of Patriots who assembled on the firing line in Fenton last weekend. Shooters and Instructors alike - it was an awesome crew. We had a couple of chilly mornings but skated away with two days of beautiful shooting weather that we are lucky to get in Michigan this time of the year. Am I the only one who came home with a sunburned face on Sunday?
It was very rewarding to see everyone's marksmanship skills improving drastically as our points of instruction sunk in. And we had a nice spread of AR's on the line with capable, responsible shooters behind them - very refreshing. Mike - congrats on getting your Rifleman patch at your first event, man - that is nothing to sneeze at. Ben, you showed amazing upward progression on your AQT scores and it was a real treat having you and your dad on the line with us. Thanks for being so attentive. Anna - you too - keep working on your seated position until you find what works for YOU.
My advice to all of the shooters is the same advice I got at my first Appleseed a few years ago - practice at home. Practice dry firing in your basement - use a laser boresighter if it helps - but practice transitioning from standing to prone and from standing to seated, and make friends with your NPOA (Natural Point of Aim). As far as I'm concerned, you are all Riflemen, you just need to find your personal rhythm and it takes practice. Hope to see you back at another Appleseed soon!
Without further ado... Pictures:
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T Wolf, thank you to you and all of the other instructors for all of your instruction and help and the great pics. Ben had a great time and we will be back again.
Mark
You got it, Mark. I hope this is the start of an engaging hobby for Ben. I love that you are building 'life experiences' for him - so important for our younger generations these days.
Garand's, and AR's and rimfire's oh my!
Thanks to all our shooters who made this a wonderful Patriots weekend. Even with the morning chill spirits were high and scores improved. Not only were there a number of new to Appleseed students, but also a few students who never handled a rifle before. By the end of the first day you would never have known.
Everyone on the line had the teachable attitude we instructors look for and it was truly a pleasure working with you all.
Special thanks to Neumann for bringing his M1D sniper rifle to the line for our students to shoot on Sunday. The smiles on the faces of the shooters after hearing the "Ping of Freedom" when the clips ejected was really something to see.
As T. Wolf said, there are a number of things you can practice at home that will help you on the line. Practice your transitions, mag changes, trigger control, and building your nest, whenever you have time and remember the cardinal rule: slow is smooth and smooth is fast. The few seconds you pick up by working at home can be the difference between becoming a Rifleman, and not.
Remember "talking targets" and look at yours when you have time. They will not lie to you. Look for both the things you might need to work on (like holding the trigger back, or taking breaks during standing) AND for the things that you did well. They are all there on your targets waiting for you review.
Thank you all for making this an easy weekend to be an instructor and I look forward to seeing you on the line again soon.
MrSurplus
Had a great time and looking forward to June. Thanks for being great instructors and I'll be damned if I don't make Riflemen next time around (will not be using a 10# rifle next time lol).