Project Appleseed

The 3-4 May Pistol Clinic at Fernan Rod & Gun Club in Coeur d'Alene was definitely a success!  We had excellent weather, although the alternating sunny/cloudy skies in our narrow little mountain valley helped us to appreciate layered clothing.  We even got a few raindrops on Saturday afternoon, but nothing that interfered with our shooting.  Most of the time it was warm enough for comfort but still too cool for yellowjackets to become a problem, although we were well-prepared for those based on past experience.

Our group of seven students were very attentive and we observed the results through steadily improving scores through the weekend.  They were also very safety-conscious, which we all appreciate very much as it makes our jobs as instructors much more enjoyable, allowing us to focus on instruction and coaching.

Out of our seven students, four of them achieved qualifying Pistoleer™™ scores on the first afternoon!  We only shot two PQT targets that first day, and those were in the afternoon after a long day of instruction.  Congratulations to Jake, Shane, Matt H., and Grant on qualifying as Pistoleer™™s!  Not only did Grant qualify as a Pistoleer™™ on Saturday, but his score of 233 with iron sights also earned him a "Distinguished Pistol Shooter" patch. Huzzah!

Midway through the afternoon we used a "Big Dot Little Dot" target as the basis for some friendly competition, and two students went home with a deck of Project Appleseed playing cards. The individual stories on those cards just begin to scratch the surface of the choices made and actions taken to secure our Liberty.

The second day of review and practice was also very productive, with multiple re-qualifying Pistoleer™™ scores and another Distinguished PQT by Grant, all of which demonstrates admirable consistency.  The other three shooters showed marked progress in their scores, including Steve who is "knocking at the door" of Pistoleer™™ with scores of 186, 194, and 198.  You'll make it next time - a Pistoleer™™ persists!

Many thanks to instructors Mr. Clean, Snow Snake, Wagon, and ARGunner, who made it possible for me to run my first event since having had major surgery - without your help I could never have done the work to make it happen.

Between the various instructional and practice drills and nine PQT's, we fired a total of 775 rounds per shooter over the weekend.  By 1500 Sunday afternoon we were all ready to shoot the Hits Count target and call it a day.  Speaking of which, congratulations on clearing your Hits Count targets to Jake (Saturday) and ARGunner (Sunday), as well as the one other shooter whose name I failed to record.  Next time let's see you clear all four!   

Brad and his gang of instructors did an excellent job of teaching and pistol instruction.
On the trip back to Seattle, we were discussing why we don't shoot more. We have a nice range we belong to. Our plan is to get together to shoot 2x per month. Keep the skills we learned and hopefully get even better. I have my eye on the distinguished patch!  We are also going to bring up Appleseed to our local club Cascade shooting range. I think we could get some interest. I also bought the book Paul Revere's Ride and will be reading that shortly. It was a great shoot and we had a great group of guys. You instructors taught me a lot. The history lesson is worth the admission, BUT, it is always great to improve your shooting skills.
Shane