Project Appleseed

Welcome to the Appleseed team.  Thanks for stepping up and taking an Orange hat.

Cactus Jack

Eighteen shooters filled the Piqua line on Saturday morning. All went according to plan until it didn’t! Heavy rains moved in a little after 10:00 AM, forcing us to case rifles and move to shelter. We tried to tell some history, but about half way through the first strike the rain became so heavy on the tin roof we couldn’t hear!  Radar showed it to be a large system so we decided to yield to the forces of nature and postponed the shoot until nearly 3:00 in the afternoon.  Then instruction resumed and we covered quite a bit of information, quitting at around 6:00.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to shoot an AQT.

The Sunday morning schedule got bumped up with a little earlier start, and we completed the three strikes before uncasing rifles. All eighteen shooters returned for Sunday’s festivities. While forced to skip some of the fun stuff (like the 100 yard shoot), it still was a very successful weekend with about six AQT’s shot. The June sun and heat was intense, but shooters took it like true riflemen and adapted to the conditions.

We had one new Rifleman, congratulations to Ken E. scoring a 223. We also had a rifleman reconfirming with a 245, which earned Dan S., the Distinguished Rifleman rocker.  Also on the line reconfirming was Zach R., with 225 and 210, Jim S., with 223 and 234, Naga, with 224, 223 and 222, and Manik, shooting a 220, 214 and 217; congratulations to all!

Thanks go to the awesome instructor’s crew of Coyote 217, Doc Willi, purple_patch, Haley Beth, Shadow 870, ChiefLane and WildBillCody.

Also, thanks go to Naga and Manik for joining Project Appleseed as Instructors In Training. We’re thrilled to have you both on the team!

Please join me in welcoming Naga (a Distinguished Riflemen) to the Ohio instructor’s team.  He took an orange hat at Piqua on June 28th.  We’re excited to have him become part of Project Appleseed!

On a bright day so "sunshiny" laying out bread could make toast, we rolled into Riverton for what I believe was our first shoot here.

Jason, our sponsor from Wyoming Tactical, was there to let me in and available for consultation throughout the weekend. The Riverton Shooting Club is a nice little range tucked behind the Fire Academy, and very convenient to Riverton's main drag.

Showing up to brave the 95f heat were one shooter, JT, and one IIT, Ridge Walker.

JT was a veteran of two previous Appleseeds, and an enthusiastic supporter of the program. As with any clinic, we started from the beginning. JT's rifle seemed to have some issues, so we put in some time with it, and ended the day with some major improvement in the redcoat.

Ridge Walker was challenging his PC3 and PC4, so had his hands full for the weekend with leadership and teaching. His coaching was superb throughout, as were all other tasks performed.

Sunday came with a few surprises weatherwise. The weather was much cooler, with highs in the upper 60s, overcast, and sporadic rain. The wind was also pretty intense throughout the day, causing us to take down our canopy and put away some gear.

Our other pre-registered shooter, Ethan, showed up. Saturday, he had to go into work and could not join us. While feeling bad about it, I asked him to reschedule, as he had missed all of the instruction until now. He cheerfully agreed, and I look forward to seeing him later this summer.

One of Ridge Walker's friends, Ron, showed up during lunch. Ridge Walker was actively recruiting him, but he couldn't do the shoot due to a pre-existing commitment.

JT's rifle was still a little wonky, confirmed by his excellent (<4MOA) performance with two loaners (irons & optics respectively). Nonetheless, this rifleman-to-be showed great persistence, wanting to qualify with his own rifle. This did not happen, though again his redcoat improved.

Ridge Walker again performed admirably, demonstrating that his promotion was long overdue.

Throughout the weekend, liberty was frequently discussed whenever marksmanship wasn't. JT came to Wyoming from California, so liberty was a topic near to JT's heart.

JT will also be attending another 2-day clinic this summer, work schedule permitting, and good Lord willing leave with a Rifleman patch and an orange hat.

With Ridge Walker's promotion, we now have a much bigger footprint in western Wyoming than we did. I'm looking forward to numbers on the line increasing out here.

This was a nice ending to a fun weekend, with scenery and exploration to look forward to on my drive home.

Welcome to the family,  MileHi!