Gainesville, TX AAR - Pistol Clinic - March 25-26 2023

[AF5US]

I say this a lot but I mean it every time . . .

What a fantastic event!  I genuinely believe that this was our best pistol clinic at this range ever!
(The best pistol clinic at this range SO FAR    )

Between a wave of students and a volunteer or two . . . or three . . . or four on the line, we had TWENTY fine patriots working to develop their skills this weekend.  And what excellent participants they were!  Unprompted by any of the fine volunteers (no, really - we didn't ask this), several of the participants have been online in various places leaving positive reviews of the range.  These reviews are well deserved - Paul Goin puts in a lot of work to ensure that Project Appleseed can complete 25 meter rifle events, AND our pistol events, AND our KD events.  It seems that these Project Appleseed reviews are generating additional interest in the range, and Paul is VERY happy with Project Appleseed.  I love it when a plan is mutually beneficial!

Both days started a bit nippy in the low 40s, but ended in the mid 80s with sunny skies.  Even with a couple of canopies on the line we were seeing a few sunburns start to develop; summer must be coming soon in Texas.  After a good safety briefing and a hits count target to get an idea of starting abilities we immediately rolled into our Points of Instruction.  Everyone was very engaged and asked good questions around stance, grip, NPOA, single handed shooting & malfunction clearing.  As this is an outdoor range with a good backstop, the range owner was perfectly happy to allow participants to practice double taps with the controlled pairs.  Paul REALLY is awesome.  And of course our fantastic instructors offered a healthy heaping serving of history with the Three Strikes of the Match throughout the day.

Our twenty souls on the line came with a range of experience.  Some significant, some middling and some pretty new.  We managed one PQT by the end of the first day and four - count them FOUR - people scored Pistoleer™!  Project Appleseed's very own "Joe Bauers" requested - and was granted - a chance at a PQT after hours, as he had been busy working the line.  And wouldn't you know it - "Joe Bauers" earned his first Pistoleer™ score!  Maaaaaaaaaaybe it's worth mentioning that he successfully abandoned that orange hat for a nifty red full-instructor literally ONE week earlier.  Quite the month for you sir, huzzah!   

After a quick check-in on day 02, the shoot boss took the liberty of reciting an excerpt from Patrick Henry's Liberty or Death speech.  Only a couple of days earlier it was the 248th anniversary of the original speech, so the timing felt right.  The participants certainly seemed engaged.

Our fearless volunteers reviewed the points of instruction from day 01 (hey - everyone had slept since then) and after a few practice drills to ensure that the information stuck, it was on to the (in)famous Big Dot Little Dot target.  A chance for participants to balance speed with accuracy.  HINT: Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast    It seems that the winner of this friendly little competition believes that smooth can be accomplished in 32 seconds!  Then it was on to the first PQT of the day, before breaking for lunch.  Of course no Appleseed lunch is correct unless it's a WORKING lunch, and participants were treated to the story of Sam & Sam.  This story is a particular point of pride for our local area, as it features the Texas Rangers    If you've heard this story and would like to know more, might we recommend the book "Empire of the Summer Moon" ?

After lunch it was on to another PQT.  We alternated between PQTs and review questions / practice drills for much of the rest of the afternoon.  We had an excellent break as the shoot boss discussed some basic rules of thumb around what to look for in a good pistol and a good holster.  The newer participants were actively asking questions and the more experienced participants were nodding their heads in agreement, so he must not have gone too far afield 

By the end of the second day there were no additional new Pistoleer™s, although several people from the first day re-qualified.  I am exceedingly grateful to the instructor crew, who did an excellent job of coaching our newer shooters while not neglecting those that arrived with more experience.  Some people learned that they had mechanical issues that need to be addressed.  I think everyone left with better skills than they arrived, and perhaps more importantly with an understanding of what they can practice to reach that next level - whatever that next level happens to be.  Even the shoot boss had a chance to jump in for one PQT and beat his previous high score by 5 points, for a new high score of 229 and some good ideas on what to practice next.  Always striving for excellence - the American way!    With smiles, handshakes and promises of future events it was time to wrap up with the Onion of Self Defense, and maybe just ONE (okay, okay - it was two) more stories about American persistence in the face of adversity, and the importance of civic engagement.  I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll see many of these fine people back on the line soon.

I can't wait.