New Bremen, NY April 17-18th AAR

[boltgun71]

Wow, what a great shoot.  We had a great weekend with 10 shooters on the line Saturday and 9 on Sunday.  

Saturday was kicked off with the usual welcome brief, the first and second strikes, safety, and then to the firing line for Redcoats, Squares, and instruction!  Of the 10 shooters on Saturday, 4 had been to an Appleseed previously and 6 where new to Appleseed but not new to shooting.  Having experienced shooters all around lead this shoot to be one of the smoothest shoots I have done yet.  The shooters brought teachable attitudes and the targets showed it.  After lunch we delved into the standing and sitting/kneeling positions, ball and dummy, carding the sights, and transition drills with magazine changes.  By 3pm we were ready for the first AQT, the result? Two new Riflemen!  Congratulations to Curt and Joe on shooting Rifleman on their first ever AQT!  After the first AQT we prepared for the International Volley Fire in honor of the heroes that gave their lives on April 10, 1775 for the freedom we all share today, and what an experience that was.  At exactly 4pm EST I was calling out the first name of our fallen heroes, Aim, and Fire! The Red Coat targets down range paid dearly with each volley fired in unison as each heroes name was called aloud.  Once the Volley was complete and we circled up and reflected on the importance of it and what each of those fallen heroes had done for us and how important it is that we don't forget them and what they did for us, it was time to get back to the AQT.  We squeezed two more AQT's in before calling it a day and these lead us to another new Rifleman, Dan! Congratulations!  So we had a total of 3 new Rifleman on day 1, all of which this was their first Appleseed.  After the final AQT and a final Redcoat we hurried inside the clubhouse to get out of the wind and rain and talk.  I covered the 3rd Strike, spoke of the importance of the Rifleman patch, and presented 3 new patches to our 3 new Riflemen.  We touched on the highlights of the day and sent everyone home to prepare for another wonderful day.  We also held a raffle for several items provided by Project Appleseed such as "Pual Revere's Ride", 2 Appleseed gift certificates, and a challenge coin.  Congratulations to Joe who got the book, Terry got a gift certificate (sorry cant remeber who got the other one), and Evelyn got the challenge coin.  Though the weather wasn't perfect and Saturday especially was cold and rainy everyone persevered and I couldn't of asked for a smoother first day.

Sunday brought us sunshine and 9 eager Appleseeders!  The day began with a quick refresher of the previous days instruction followed by a class on ballistics and environmental factors in preparation for shooting Full Distance which was planned for after lunch.  Jack Patterson the head of the New Bremen club stopped by with a Brown Bess Musket as well so I could show the Appleseeders what our forefathers faced on April 19th, not only the ball but the long gleaming bayonet.  After the class it was back to the firing line for the grueling AQT grind which continued to lunch.  Everyone opted for a short lunch so they could get back to shooting.  So while the Appleseeders ate quickly, the Full Distance range was set-up and AQT targets from the grind were scored.  This brought us another new Rifleman, Kayla, with an honest 210.  After lunch Kayla was presented with her PURPLE Rifleman patch in honor of one of Appleseed's Florida instructors that had passed away.  Then it was back to shooting with two shooters at a time going to the Full Distance range while everyone else went back to the 25m AQT grind.  For those that don't know, New Bremen is one of the few clubs in upstate NY with a 400yd range.  Therefore every shooter going to the Full Distance lane had the opportunity to confirm Battle Sight Zero at 200 or 300yds with the 25m zero and then use their come-ups and get zeroes at actual distance all the way out to 400yds.  Few Appleseed ranges provide this opportunity, and let me tell you the shooters really enjoyed it.  What did they get out of it besides the fun?  They confirmed that BSZ works, the come-ups of 2-2-3-3 work and put everyone on target out to 400yds, and they saw how their 3, 4, or 5 MOA groups at 25m translated into 3, 4, or 5 MOA groups at actual distance!  It was all fundamentally the same.  Most of the shooters here had never had the opportunity to shoot beyond 100yds before with their rifles so they really liked this opportunity I thought.  Meanwhile back at the 25m line being run by USCavalryman, the AQT grind produced yet another Rifleman, Evelyn, Kayla's mom while Kayla also shot another 210 on the AQT herself.  Around 3:30 we wrapped up the shooting for the day and went back into the club house to wrap the weekend up.  Evelyn was presented her PURPLE Rifleman patch, we talked about the 7th Step, the importance of April 19th and how we can all make a difference just like each one of our forefathers did on April 19th.  I also showed the Appleseeders a flintlock rifle based on a 1770's pattern and told them how this was the tool of the Rifleman back then and how they could hit the Redcoats out to 400yds and make that "headshot" that eluded so many of them over the weekend with this simple flintlock and how now with all of our modern rifles and equipment there is no reason why we can't do the same.  It just takes perseverance, discipline, hard work, and humility and we can all do it.

Overall we had a great shoot and I want to thank all the shooters who came out and made this a special weekend.

A special thanks goes out to Jack Patterson and USCavalryman for providing rain fly's to cover the 25m line throughout the weekend.  I know all the shooters appreciated this on Saturday.  Another thanks goes to Jack Patterson and the New Bremen Fish and Game club for allowing us to host Appleseed at this great club with a full 400yd range, use of the clubhouse, and they even closed to range down to the public for the weekend so the shoot went undisturbed without any issues.  Thank you everyone.

Feel free to add comments, I'm sure I have missed things, and pics are soon to follow!

[boltgun71]

[boltgun71]

Our Riflemen!

[boltgun71]

Some close-ups.

[boltgun71]

Our Full Distance Range.

[Oscarwhiskey2]

 My first but not last Appleseed, I am not new to rifle marksmanship however, boltgun71 is quite the instructor; his delivery of fundamentals was spot on and a pleasure to follow along. I have attended many different types of rifle events and competitions both civilian and military, I have not had this much fun in quite some time, driving 3+ hours home I think I had a smile on my face the whole way.

What Appleseed did for me was get me back to the beginning, positional shooting and use a sling, something folks shy away from, I think primarily because it is WORK! The history lesson had me thinking a lot, heard/studied it before but giving honor to those in this way just added to the day. The name call volley of fire had me holding harder than during my qual target, thinking damn I surly do not want to pull a shot here and dishonor any of these men!

Attending this event and having course of fire after course of fire requiring you to get into position was refreshing, yet I must say the next day sore and borderline painful, pass the Advil please!
My next step is to become an instructor for the project. I will be pursuing the IIT very soon.

Thanks,
Curt

[Another D.O.M.]

Looks like you folks had a fabulous weekend - with FIVE rifleman patches awarded.  Fantastic!

I'd like to personally thank all of the instructors who worked this event - your dedication and instruction are instrumental in our bailing efforts; and thank you to the shooters who attended for increasing the ranks of those who are bailing.

Keep up the great work - I'm looking forward to meeting each of you along The Appleseed Trail!

[U.S.Cavalryman]

It felt good to be back on the Trail. Everyone at the shoot was easily instructed and safe. I watched groups go from Wow    to WOW!     and to be part of the Volley shoot was Awesome.
Now, back to work for me too 

[independentrider1]

I know I had a awesome weekend and Boltgun71 and U.S. Calvaryman are great instructors. I really enjoyed the history lesson we all recieved and I am looking forward to my next Appleseed. Independentrider1