Project Appleseed

           
I can only speak for myself, but I can state that I had a great time during the May 18-19th Appleseed Pistol Clinic held at the Marlette Sportsman's Association in Kingston MI!  Based on the feedback from the students, I was not the only one that felt this way. 

The students worked hard to improve their marksmanship and absorbed the history.  The student's attentiveness, attitude, and perseverance make events like these a great experience for not just the students, but the instructors as well.

This event was comprised of seven shooters.  Three were attending their very first Appleseed event.  Five of seven were attending their first pistol clinic.  The students can be proud of the progress they made.  Only two received the coveted Pistoleer™ Patch, but several missed by just a single bullet hole.  The average of each students best Pistol Qualification Test (PQT) Score for the seven shooters was 206!  (You get statistics like this if your Shoot Boss likes math.) 

Earning a patch is not easy and a small percentage of students reach this milestone, especially when attending their first event.  Randy H., attending his first pistol clinic, on the weekend's first PQT, earned a patch with a 241!  Randy, shooting a Beretta 92FS, followed this score up with a second 241 and then back-to-back 248's!
 
The key to earning a Pistoleer™ Patch for most students is persistence.  It is not easy, and it takes a mastery of grip, stance, NPOA, and the six steps.  You must focus on the fundamentals, maintain the right mental toughness, and conquer exhaustion and doubt.  George S. persisted, and at his third event earned a Pistoleer™ Patch with a 216!  Congratulations George!

Tim C., attending his first Appleseed event, scored a 208!  Scoring this target was a challenge.  Two holes in the fifth "points count double" stage were just a hair off from the five ring.  If either shot was to the left a 1/16", a patch would have been awarded.

Thomas S. scored a 206 and like Tim, was just two shots from a Pistoleer™ Patch. Travis W., loose sight and all, scored a personal best of 202.  John D. was consistently in the 180's and scored a personal best of 186.  Don D. had a finicky 22 but still scored twin 176's.  Even though five shooters fell short of the Pistoleer™ Patch, all five of these students are "knocking on the door" of earning one at their next event!  As a testament to the solid mastery of the basics, all seven shooters managed to hit a "fun shoot" target at 100 yards, some several times, with their pistols! 
     
Three Huzzahs to Pookie, number6, and Homerange for making this event a success!  Also to Travis, a great Appleseed rifle instructor who attended as a student to work on his pistol skills, but still found time to present history and take pictures.

Three Huzzahs to the Marlette Sportsman Association for allowing this event to be held in Kingston MI.  Appleseed is a great program but cannot exist without supportive ranges.
 
Finally, three huzzahs for the students.  The attitudes and active participation of this group was outstanding.  Hopefully, the shooters enjoyed the weekend as much as I did, and we will see you again at a future event.  Please share your experiences with your friends and family and help get the word out regarding the quality of the Appleseed program!
 
Huzzah!

Rangerat67

A link to pictures!

https://imgur.com/a/nszZJU3

This was the first Project Appleseed event I ever attended and I was thoroughly impressed.  The level of instruction, attention to safety and topic presentation were first rate.  Shoot Boss Rick did an outstanding job as did his assistant instructors.

I learned much and now have things to work on at my local range to improve my pistol shooting skills.  Perhaps even return at a later date to attempt getting the coveted Pistoleer™ Patch.  I have already mentioned Project Appleseed to a few of my fellow shooting enthusiasts with the hopes that they get involved with an event.  It is well worth the effort!

It was a great experience to be able to step back onto the firing line as a shooter.  Thank you Rangerat and Homerange for hosting this event, and there's nothing better than camping at Marlette Sportsman's club - love the hospitality and the peaceful rural setting out there... it was a treat for Pookie and I to escape from Detroit for the weekend.

I was hoping to qualify with a 210 at this event, but it eluded me.  I learned so much - not just from the instructors, but all of the shooters around me as well.  I felt very comfortable with everyone's attention to safety and knowledge of their own firearms.  I won't rest until Randy is wearing an Orange Hat.

It took me six events to qualify on the AQT with my rifle, and it seems the PQT will require the same level of persistence.  I'm reinspired to practice my dry-firing at home. And I might make a couple of tweaks to my pistol setup 

I'll admit, I'm not sure which should be my next goal.
A second rifleman patch, or a Pistoleer™ patch.
 The upside of trying is you get better each time. If you never try, you will never succeed