Project Appleseed

Another fine weekend at Dillon Sportsman Center in Newark, Ohio. Saturday dawned with beautiful weather and it held throughout the weekend. We began the event with a safety briefing, starting with the safety rules and how to make a rifle safe. After several other topics, it was time to bring rifles to the line and show what skills everyone had come with.

Our team of 21 showed that they had some who "Knew what they were about" by the look of the scores. We had 3 at 100 yards, 5 at 200, 4 at 300 and 5 at 400. We had 10 join Daniel Morgan and 2 managed to clear the entire target. Congrats to Drake and Jubilee!

It wasn't long before we began on building a solid foundation, including explaining the Steady-hold Factors, the Six Steps to Firing the Shot (who knew that there were four steps before you Sqeeeeeze the trigger) and then on to Natural Point of Aim. The team truly drank from the fire hose this weekend.

After working on shrinking  the groups, we learned adjustment of sighting systems by using Inches, Minutes and Clicks. It wasn't long before we were shooting the practice Green AQT target, then on to the timed events.

We ended the day after the final Redcoat and hearing the three strikes of the match. There was marked improvement in the overall scores, and Drake stepped up to the challenge that had been laid down by Scotty, clearing his second Redcoat and earning the "Double for a Day" patch, donated by Scotty.

Sunday was just as nice, and we had the addition of 2 shooters to the line. A safety briefing, led by the instructor team, opened the day, followed by a couple of sighters (to check and adjust sights) and on to the Sunday morning Redcoat. A couple of drills later (Calling the Shot and Ball and Dummy), we were ready to take on a day of AQTs.

By mid-afternoon, many were getting a little tired, so we broke up the strings of AQTs by splitting up and having a little team competition. Out of a possible 50 points that could be awarded, Team 3 won the event with a score of 49. Our runner-up teams were at 48.75 and 48.0, not bad shooting!!

Not to outdone by Saturday, we also had three shooters step up to Scotty's "Double for a Day" challenge and take home another patch. Great shooting, Josh, Mike and Kelli (with an I).

By the end of the weekend, we added three new Riflemen for Ohio and two others requalified. Congrats go out to Scott, Drake, Josh, Mike and Jubilee.

Thanks, so much, to Dillon Sportsman Club, and Aaron, for making your range available to Appleseed. Without support from folks like you, our life would be a whole lot tougher.



And, what would an event be without a few pictures?

Here they come...

Saturday morning, getting ready to show what we came with...

Working on the basics, starting with prone...

A few more in prone

Moving on to seated...

A few more seated...

And, on to standing...

If anyone has additional pictures, please feel free to post them...cause   

Once again, thanks to all of our guests, instructors and especially, to Aaron at Dillon.

Hope to see you all down the trail.

Texas T (tom)

It always astounds me that Project Appleseed is ran by an all volunteer force. These individuals sacrifice their time and effort to ensure American heritage and marksmanship continue to get passed down. And I appreciate the fact this is done in a non-partisan way. Appleseed doesn't push any backgrounds away - they pull you in. They do not seek to drive a value system - simply relay the information, let you make your own assumptions/opinions, and conclude with a call to action to get involved in various government processes, especially at the local level. We get so caught up on what is being reported on the national news that we forget what impacts us most is likely occurring at the state/municipal/school board level.

Corvette is sorely missed. He was a magnificent story teller. However, Tom has readily filled those shoes in our area; and he runs a TIGHT ship, emphasizing efficiency so students get the most amount of range time. The whole instructor cadre stayed on top of each other to ensure the line was safe at all times. It's easy for a student to start making safety mistakes when you're drowning in new information. Each and every time, there were enough orange hats to observe the line - enforcing muzzle awareness, checking for errant magazines, chambers, and safeties. Again, a testament to the Project Appleseed instructor curriculum - I have yet to meet an orange, red, or green hat that wasn't top notch. Additionally, they highlighted that everyone is a safety officer - don't be afraid to correct another shooter or call a cease fire if you suspect something is unsafe. Safety and learning/building on your skillset is way more coveted at these events than a Rifleman's patch. This is the only subliminal message Appleseed promulgates - if you see something off/wrong, SAY something.

Finally, Project Appleseed always pulls in an array of skill levels. There was Scotty - a seasoned veteran whose definition of "throwing a shot" was not putting his rounds in the same hole but still within the 4 MOA square. It was awesome to see so many youth shooters this weekend. They all threw up some amazing scores and took to the information like wild fire. Their ability to recall the facts and articulate college level concepts when the instructor posed a question had parents beaming. The future is bright!

Huzzah!!! to All,

Looks like a fantastic event at Dillon.  Glad all had success and that the event was full of great American Patriots. 

Corvette

PS:  Bubbles, thanks for the compliment.  It means a lot to me. Corvette

And, in addition, I forgot to add that Appleseed has grown a bit. David stepped forward and took a Blue Hat!!!  Thanks, David.

What a great event! It was great seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones on Saturday! Everyone worked really hard and didn't give up! Congratulations to our New and Requalified Rifleman! Looking forward to working with you all again! Thanks again TexasT for running a great event!

Pictures: Jubilee and Drake earning their Ohio Rockers; Reviewing the first AQT of the weekend; Saturday's Riflemen; David takes a Blue Hat

Thanks for the great weekend Texas T and instructors! We had perfect weather and a great group of shooters!

I am honored to join you as a blue hat, I always intended to join in some form and when Charley explained the differences between blue and orange hats the blue was perfect for where I'm at. I can't wait to help in the future!

Thanks to Skifire for taking pictures of me getting my blue hat!

Thanks to Corvette for inspiring me during my first appleseed!