Project Appleseed

I've got to get to the day job, so there's no time to really capture how well this shoot went, marginal (OK, miserable) weather on Saturday afternoon notwithstanding. The quick summary - seven new Rifleman, including good friend of Appleseed and CT's Designated Red Coat, Ti. 

It was great to run a big shoot again - 26 or so, I'll post the final numbers later - and to have almost everyone return on Sunday, especially after the wet misery of Saturday. Finding that we actually had more shooters on Sunday was perhaps a bit like Capt. John Parker finding he had 150 men on Lexington Green rather than fewer than 70 like he expected. And I think the Spirit of '75 was there with us in other ways - having my sister-in-law Deb, the mother of two boys who were also on the line, end up with the playing card where there mother describes losing her two sons that day in 1775 was pretty poignant. Plain and simple - there are no coincidences. Deb - don't worry that you got choked up reading it for the group - anyone would bawled like a baby.

A big thanks to my wife for supplying lunch on Saturday - it must have been great because there wasn't much left over. She stuck around for the Volley for Liberty, too, which was great, and came back on Sunday to try a few more AQTs. And nobody needs to worry about my son, Tom. For those not lucky enough to be at this shoot, Tom got a really nasty Appleseed "Baptism by Brass" on Sunday afternoon. A casing from his cousin's rifle went behind Tom's glasses and got stuck between the lower rim of the frame and his lower eyelid. Despite the sizzling sound and the pain, Tom kept the muzzle under control and made his rifle safe, like the Rifleman that he is. It raised a blister shaped just like a .22LR casing - you can even see the rim! Don't worry, Tom - like I've always told you, chicks dig scars.

Alright, time to go remember what it is that I do to make money so I can keep doing Appleseeds. Pix when I can. Post away!!

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Yikes, I've seen that "brass behind the glass" before.  Makes for a great story, but it can't feel good.  Even with a baseball cap it can happen.  Maybe a  ball cap and some "wrap-arounds"?  Duct tape the top of the eyeglasses to the eyebrow?  Here's a use for my crazy old-man eyebrows - brass catchers.  Yikes.  I guess I know who's father must be proud, eh Log? 

See you guys in a couple months at the Calverton LadySeed. 

What a great event this was! Seven riflemen (four on Day 1, three on Day 2 and two first-time Appleseeders), many families on the line, all enjoying our great celebration and special tribute to April 19th, 1775. Couldn't have asked for a better event, IMO.

One of my favorite highlights was the perfect volley fire during the cadence drill and another great volley fire during the Volley for Liberty. If that doesn't give anyone goose bumps,  I don't know what will.

Congrats to all our new Riflemen. I'm especially proud of Ti and Peter whose persistence paid off with some Riflemen patches. I hope all our students have come away with a greater appreciation, recognition and understanding of those important events that started it all.

Many thanks to everyone involved in making this such a great event!

Some photos:

The Line


Freedomwon and Who_Me? demonstrate the Six Steps with their built-in visual aids


Jay Haich Teaching


Jay Haich teaching IMC


The Log and Who_Me? demonstrate sitting position


Rifleman Mike


Rifleman Ti


Rifleman Tom


Rifleman Dave


The Debonair Freedomwon


Freedomwon does some review on Day 2


Known Distance


POV of a Student


Taking down paper


A Sunny Line


Jay Haich doing what he does best


Another POV of a Student


Some centerfire fun


Rifleman Chuck


Rifleman Jim gets doused with his 210


Rifleman Jim


Rifleman Peter


Our Youth Students with youth Instructor Who_Me?

WOW - you guys did one heck of a fantastic job  - 7 Riflemen and a Patriot's Day recount that made me cry........

Make's me glad I'm part of the CT crew!

I really missed this weekend, thanks for posting the pics and describing it. I felt like I was there. If for nothing else this has given me extra motivation to get the house finished up so I can make it to the next events! 

Gah! Dangit! Ti *and* Peter both got Rifleman and I wasn't there!! 
I knew you two were gonna get over the line on your next try. Many congrats to you guys and all the new Rifleman!

My first April Appleseed was filled with many good memories:
Some of the folks took small steps as aspiring Riflemen (learnt to keep the finger off the trigger until sights were on target, ) and others took bigger steps; some even put it all together and got Patched. Congrats to all who made progress this weekend.
This was the first Seed where we had a shooting component to the KD instruction. It was great to measure the groups in MOA and show the students that they were shooting the same size (or better) group at 100 yards when compared to the 25 yard group.
The crew worked very well together and the Target Line was assembled in short order, moved quickly for the KD session and repaired well when the wind gusted strongly on Sun afternoon (no wonder they want to put a wind turbine on the hill behind the backstop!).
The only downside was the pools (lake?) of water on the range on Sun. From now on I will always have a 2nd set of boots (waterproof!!!!) as part of my Seed range bag.

See photo of the smallest of the puddles we had to deal with (ignore the time-stamp, my camera thinks it is still on vacation in South Africa):

Quote from: Glock23 on April 18, 2011, 09:52:58 PM
Gah! Dangit! Ti *and* Peter both got Rifleman and I wasn't there!! 

Don't forget Nicole in Lebanon! And here Orange Hat too - wish I'd been there for that one. But I guess I had my hands pretty full as it was.

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Not only did I learn to shoot much better but I got to meet some great people and be reminded of our heritage.  Still can't believe how helpful all of the instructors were.  They went far beyond what I expected in order to help me qualify.  Special thanks to Phil and James. Those two guys dragged me through   Thanks to all!!

To all the Appleseed instructors:  I had a GREAT time last weekend, and the instruction was right-on for every topic you guys covered!  I've been shooting highpower competition since 1987, including a stint on the Coast Guard Rifle Team, and have attended clinics put on by the Marine Corps rifle team.  I've also coached two junior rifle teams and at the Small Arms Firing School at Perry, and presented highpower clinics myself. 

You covered every key aspect of good rifle marksmanship thoroughly and correctly, and your methods agree with everything I've learned from years of competitive shooting, hunting, clinics, and coaching.  Every time you guys were doing a new topic, I'd be thinking "will they mention focus on the front sight?" or "will they mention how long you can hold your breath?" and every time you covered all of the key points.   

The preliminary warning about how fast the clinic moves was right-on.  I can see why it's done that way, with all the teaching topics crammed into the first day, but it certainly has to be mind-boggling for the new shooters. 

I liked the format of the clinic, where you presented one new topic and then gave the shooters a chance to try it before presenting something new.  The second-day format of focusing on reviewing and practicing the concepts was also an excellent approach.

To those of you who are (were) new shooters at this Appleseed: If you felt like you had brain overload, your best option is to try & remember every technique that was taught, and to try & work them into your shooting when practicing more back home, or at subsequent Appleseed shoots.  I encourage you to not get frustrated and give up, but to persist, practice, and try to gradually refine your shooting with the techniques that were taught.
 
There were a couple minor things that I would have dded to the instruction that was given: one instructor mentioned that NPOA isn't too useful in standing.  As you refine your shooting in the standing position, NPOA is very critical, as much so as in any other position.  It's a matter of a) holding the rifle the same way every time you put it up, b) putting it in the same spot on your shoulder every time, and c) not moving your feet around between shots.  Even with targets at 200 yds, if you get a good NPOA you can practically put your rifle in your shoulder, close your eyes, and draw down on the correct target number without looking.   

When covering sitting positions, someone said that crossed-ankle is less stable than crossed-leg.  That depends on body shape, and for some people (myself included), crossed-ankle is just as stable.  Plus, it has the advantage of controlling recoil much better when shooting .30-cal rifles.  The crossed-leg position doesn't handle a .30-cal well in sitting rapid fire, because the recoil gradually knocks you out of position w/ every shot.

The history talks were well-done, I enjoyed them as I'm a history buff myself. 

All in all, a great shooting clinic!!  The instructors were very knowledgeable and helpful.  I tried to get some co-workers and my nephew to come to this one but they passed.  I'm going to try & get some of them to sign up for one of the other Appleseeds at Colebrook this summer.   

My first Appleseed seemed to be doomed from the beginning.  The first day the weather turned miserable and rain fell like cats and dogs.  The instructors kept us interested in their teachings of proper shooting techniques and American History.  The second day had better weather and looked to produce more "Riflemen."  I want to first let everyone know that I have been an avid hunter and have been shooting recreationally for over 20 years.  I thought that I was a "good" shot before this class.  What I learned in this class was more than I had learned over 20 years.  After my first REDCOAT I realized that I wasn't as good as I had thought.  So, I listened to all the instructors give direction and specific techniques for shooting well.  I used their constructive criticism and their techniques to shoot a 219 and become a "RIFLEMAN" on the first day.   Eventhough the first day was rain filled, I met great people who became my friends.  I was able to learn from other students and also become the teacher at one point.  As only seven people became "RIFLEMEN" on this weekend I feel privileged to where the badge.  It is a great accomplishment and a great credit to the instructors who volunteer their time and knoweledge.  I would definitely reccommend Appleseed to anyone.  Not only did we learn how to shoot properly and about American History, but we all learned about each other and about helping each other.  I will never forget my weekend and I talk about the events whenever I can.  Thanks to all the instructors for their patience and professionalism.  I has a "BLAST!!"