Annapolis, MD - May 25-26 2019 - AAR

[Catch-10-22]

What a great weekend of shooting in Annapolis, MD at the excellent rimfire range at Anne Arundel Fish and Game. AAFG is sort of the home range for Maryland Appleseed and we couldn't ask for a more ideal location.

While cookouts and pool openings may get most Americans excited about Memorial Day Weekend, these fine patriots honored our fallen through history and marksmanship. Will A was shooting his second Appleseed and was joined by his brother Ben who was shooting a firearm for the first time. Jonathan H is a long time shooter with the Army and was excited to experience his first Appleseed as well with his iron sighted 10/22. A friend who went to sniper school had a Rifleman patch on his gear and Jonathan wanted to see what this Appleseed thing was all about.

Saturday provided perfect Spring weather - 75F and sunny with low humidity - and we took full advantage of it. After the first Redcoats showed what a challenge our shooters had ahead of them, we launched into instruction and squares - zeroing rifles, applying steady hold factors, the six steps to firing a shot, and NPOA. We saw significant improvement in group sizes and moved to Grenadier targets (greens) to practice new positions.

The first un-timed AQT was a huge success - Will A shot a 221 from his bipoded loaner, earning a Sons of Liberty patch - Huzzah! On the second AQT of Saturday, Jonathan shot a 222 to earn his Rifleman patch! He talked about what a difference moving his belt buckle made in the prone positions and we saw a lot more of that from all of the shooters through the weekend. Saturday wrapped up with a Red Coat and we saw significant improvement from all shooters, with Jonathan clearing it.

Saturday also saw us get through the first and second strikes of the match. While the weekend is focused on rifle marksmanship, we passed around the 16-inch long bayonet to emphasize what trials the colonists faced that day which made a strong impression on our young shooters.

How do you follow-up on such a perfect Saturday? Well Sunday dawned with a significant uptick in temperatures and humidity - from Spring right to Maryland summer as we peaked at 92F, high humidity, and bright sun. We emphasized hydration at every possible moment and tore through a 32 pack of water bottles.

Redcoats on Sunday morning were better than Saturday but the shingle proved elusive and no one cleared the target. And so we began the AQT grind.

Will switched from bipod to sling and practiced seated and prone positions, picking up lessons in each. We saw significant improvement at times, good shifts, and tight groups, but then would see some drift from trigger control, support elbow placement, and sling tension. Rifleman is a journey Will - it takes practice to earn that patch. But we are excited to see you on your way!

Ben stayed with the bipod all weekend and despite this being his first time shooting a firearm, also saw significant improvement. His best target from the bipod was in the 180s! Keep practicing what you learned and you will be on the road to Rifleman as well.

Jonathan re-qualified with a 224 on the first AQT of the day, but wasn't finished yet, knocking out two Distinguished scores with his iron-sighted 10/22 including a high of 237! That is some fine shooting and he now has bragging rights over his friend who "only" earned a Rifleman patch. And since he cleared his Red Coat on Saturday, he earned the Maryland Distinguished Front Sight Patch as well. It was wonderful to have such a great, but teachable, shooter on the line. He hopes to bring some other folks from his National Guard unit to a future shoot and we would be honored to teach them.

Thanks to Beswift for joining me on Saturday and taking on DOM and some very strong instruction for Will and Ben. And thanks to Fred for bringing his sons out - we're glad you got to shoot a couple rounds of AQTs as well and really appreciated the help with pictures and coaching throughout the weekend.

Pictures are available on our Maryland Appleseed Facebook Page and in this Google Album .

Hope to see you on the line next time!