Project Appleseed

This was an exciting event as my first in Missouri.

Saturday started a little chilly, 1/8 inch ice on my windshield, but turned into a sunny day with temps in the high 60's. 35 students and 7 instructors began the day with safety rules, followed by an intro to history. Followed by Red coats and squares. At the end of the day, there were 2 riflemen made.

Sunday started out again a little chilly, and also turned out beautiful. Temps in the low 70's. Red Coats and squares began the day. Followed by lots of AQT's. At the end of the day we welcomed 5 more riflemen and riflewomen to the ranks. We had many shooters under 18, IIRC 11 or 12.

Please add you experience below.

Are you telling me that no one had any experiences here? Come on and post them!

Billings was a huge success. 35 shooters on the line several riflemen (women). Mornings started very cool but steadily warmed through the day making a perfect weekend. We saw a lot of shotgun patterns shrink down drastically and several were shooting 4 moa. Some are knocking at the door so keep practicing dryfire, NPOA, six steps, SHF, and rifleman's cadence.

It was great to work with instructors, colonial shooter, mutti, RNR, Ozark Settler, Iron Ty, Rodge, goose gun. It was a pleasure and look forward to working with you all again.

Thankyou to Sprinfield Benchrest Rifle Club for allowing us to use their facilities. This was our first ever event at this location and most likely will not be our last.

I almost forgot to give a big thankyou to dletsch and pletsch for stepping up and taking an OH. Look forward to working with you on the instructors side of the line. 

Thanks again to everyone who attended including instructors who came from Illinois and Iowa just to help with this event. It was truly a great weekend.

I'd like to thank all the instructors for an amazing time last weekend! 
My daughter (11) is brand new to shooting and thanks to Appleseed within 2 days she had a top score of 194 on her AQT, had a perfect group on one of her squares and made 2 Morgan shots!  Both my kids thoroughly enjoyed the history too. 
I'm hoping to participate myself along with my youngest girl next Nov when you're back in Billings.  Hope to see you all then, and thanks again for what you do!

Saturday started off a bit chilly. A thin layer of ice coated the ground, making the grass crunch. Colonial Shooter and GooseGun collaborated to gather the specifics needed for sign-in, while I waited at the front gate with Liability Forms. People started trickling in at around 7:50 am, usually multiple cars at a time. By the time everyone had checked in, the sun had finally made it out from behind the clouds and was warming things up. Introductions were made, the Safety rules were explained and repeated with an enthusiasm rarely come by early in the morning. After our morning safety briefing was given and Mutti had presented the Intro for history, our shooters were sent out for their rifles. Thankfully while sign-in was being performed, someone had the brilliant idea to send out Iron Ty and Ozark Settler to post targets, therefore saving us time. From the first squares onward everyone began showing improvement. In fact the change was so rapid that IMC was being taught by the third square! On our last two AQT''s we had two Rifleman!

Sunday the morning started off a little warmer, but not much. Still the weather held at around 70 through the weekend, waiting to rain until later. Although the occasional wind gust caused targets to flap a little, this was simply fixed with more staples. The only downfall that comes with such nice weather is that some of us forget to apply sunscreen on Saturday. Also I am pleased to say there was not a single staple injury. The whole day passed so quickly. The saying "Time will fly, when you are having fun" applies here. So many AQT's. Seven Riflemen (5 new and 2 re-qualifications)! Plus near the end, there was some empty spaces on the line, allowing a little trigger time for Instructors.

I would like to send out a BIG thank you to Springfield Benchrest Rifle Club! You have a beautiful range. I hope that SBRC and Appleseed continue to have a lasting and productive relationship.

I would also like to thank all of our dedicated instructors for making the trip to Billings. I learn something from each instructor I work with.

Colonial Shooter: You are such an open minded and thoughtful person. I learned from you that by listening more to what others have to say and keeping an open mind will make me a better instructor. 

Rodge: You are a quiet, laid back person. You taught me that we do not have to be loud to make an impression. I have a tendency to get so caught up in what I am doing sometimes that I forget that.

Connibear: You are one of the most dedicated instructors I have ever met. You remind me why I keep Appleseeding. For our families and their future we continue to protect them. Support them always.

Ozark Settler: You add just a touch of humor to every situation, keeping a smile on everyones face. You taught me to stay positive no matter what life throws my way. That a kind word or a simple smile can accomplish more than an hour of instruction.

Iron Ty: You are the kind of person who works and studies so hard to present your best. You reminded me of what it is like to be a brand new instructor. How it felt the very first time I ever watched someone I had worked with, drastically improve and enjoy themselves.

GooseGun: You kept all of us on our toes! Always there with targets or keeping an eye on our Shoot Boss. I believe you set an example for responsibility that  all of us should follow. I will always strive to be an instructor like you.

Mutti: You do your best to work with every shooter, you take care of all of us, and you inspire people. You put forward as much sweat and hard work as you can, yet you still seem to contain boundless energy.

There were so many people and I was never one for remembering names. However I will say the I would work with EVERY one of you guys again in a heartbeat. You sure showed us Illinois Instructors a good time. How can we not love Appleseed? Spending an entire weekend with like minded individuals, helping to improve our communities, making you safer? That in itself is worth a 5 ½ hr drive and a funny looking sunburn any day!

If any of you shooters or Instructors have family or friends over here in Illinois there are several shoots here with plenty of open spaces. Please try and make sure the can take advantage of the opportunity!

Sparta Illinois April 18th and 19th have 30 spots open: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sparta-il-appleseed-april-18-19-2014-frisat-tickets-9660479755

Marion Illinois April 26th and 27th still have 24 tickets:http://www.eventbrite.com/e/marion-il-appleseed-april-26-27-2014-tickets-9399876283

Thank you so much for a great weekend and I cannot wait to see everyone else's posts.
See you guys on the Trail,

RiflesnReins
-Pictures to follow

One of my most favorite shoots in MO, the instructors and the shooters made it even more fun. Thanks to the instructor corp for the encouragement and the support.

See y'all on the trail 

GooseGun over and out 

Hello! Can you say "Wish I could do this weekend over exactly the same?" - I sure can. What's more to like than this:



Unless it's seeing something like this:



Turn into this (and a 194 at her highest?):



Each and everyone of these Americans shared their precious time with us learning History :



Heritage:



and Marksmanship.



Until these guys made us go home (just kidding):




Looking forward to hearing from those who attended, seeing your photos and meeting you all again on the Trail. To those 7 who made Rifleman - Huzzah. To those who were soooo close - Huzzah. To those working on the Fundamental Skills Needed - Huzzah

Please remember April 19, 2014 Project Appleseed Clinics will be having our Patriot's Volley across this Nation - we'd love to have you join us for this very special day.

Mutti 

Work in Progress so come back to see the rest:
Billings, MO Flickr Set