AAR Shreveport, LA June 26-27

[spmcpeek]

I'll try to type this up when I'm home from work later.

[spitstickler]

My second trip to LA, and I am glad I was finally able to get back over there. We had a great group of shooters persist through the high temps, sweat and sunscreen in the eye, and those dang little bees that couldn't seem to stop biting everyone. I love the attitude of the folks from Louisiana. They always have a smile on their face, and are always ready to shoot another target and keep learning and improving no matter what the weather happens to be doing.

We had four new Riflemen emerge through the weekend as well as three junior shooters who I was very proud of. They were all very safe with their rifles and improved a great deal throughout the weekend. Great job, and congratulations to you all.

[K98Al]

Great Shoot! I'll have to second Spit's comments - the shooters again showed great attitudes and and showed improvement as the weekend progressed. There were a couple of active-duty guys, they could only shoot Saturday, but they were doing very well, and I hope they work on the six steps in their off time - and then return to Appleseed with friends!

This is also one of the nicest ranges around, and the guys that run it are really nice. You folks around Shreveport have a great opportunity there.

[GarandPa]

I attended the June 26th AS at Shreveport and was so impressed by the organization and dedication of the Instructors. They REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT.

I came to Appleseed, due to Fred's challenging articles in Shotgun News, Massad Ayoob's February '10 article and a deep concern about losing the story of our roots - the struggle, sacrifice and wisdom of our founders to provide a Constitutional Republic, "if we can keep it". I wanted to connect to the heritage of our fighting forefathers, strive to earn a rifleman's patch, and pass the word to others to learn shooting and our heritage and to pass the word and "bail". I don't like to cook.

Having watched my son go through NRA Service Rifle training and getting an NRA level 1 Rifle coach certification, I had a lot of HEAD knowledge, but little practical skill. The course of fire and training is so good, I feel any AS rifleman could move into NRA High Power or Smallbore without a hitch. AS training  is memorization, focus and repetition. Sounds simple, but it took me to the 5th or 6th AQT shoot on a hot Sunday afternoon before it really started to click.  Thanks to the great instruction at Shreveport I finally qualified after hovering near it much of the day. I calculate that I drank at least 200 oz of liquid on Saturday and still was dehydrated.  My Sunday morning mental focus was lousy (residual dehydration effects?) but sharpened up after noon. I even switched to my AR15 to shoot redcoats and did surprisingly well (I had not previously shot the AR very well)

I was also impressed by the determination of the other shooters on the line. It was HOT (cover your gun or get burned) and the sweat bees were annoying.  All levels of expertise were on the line. New shooters, new guns(LOTS of Ruger 10/22), experts that shot CLEAN on the recoats, a qualification score of 240 (Wow!), a few .30 calibers and ARs . Everyone fought the conditions and clock to keep improving. To you shooters: Stephen, Evan, Shmannah(nice purple badge!), John and Patricia, the young boys and everyone else - HUZZAH!

If I was suffering, the instructors had it worse, staying on the line after we shooters could head for the shade, then "Talking Targets". Real sacrifice. They came from all over - Texas, OK, and Louisiana. All VOLUNTEERS to give a weekend (plus lots of prep time) to spread the word. They KNEW our NAMES when we arrived! They explained what to do, showed us pictures, they demonstrated, they reinforced it on the line (especially SAFETY). They analyzed our targets and made suggestions. To Steve(Shoot Boss), and you instructors  Pop, Kirk, Johnny, Al, and Don - HUZZAH!

Heritage - Most of us have enough problem just focusing on the needs of the day. OLD history about a bunch of dead people does not interest very many. At Appleseed the focus is on April 19th, 1775 as the match that lit the fire of the revolution, leading to the founding of America as this "new experiment". The founders left us with a Constitutional Republic that has weathered many storms. It cannot weather apathy, nor the sacrifice of freedoms for "security". Tyrants are always ready to take control. The instructors presented April 19th  with true feeling  (even choking up at times) for the lives of people JUST LIKE US who made a huge sacrifice for freedom. The patriots did not know how the story would end. Death on a green, at a bridge, on their front porch, or hanging from a tree/gallows. What would happen to your family if you die, or are on a prison ship for 8 years? Injuries often lead to amputation or death. The sacrifices were much more than just a little time and money - lives, goods and sacred honor were on the line, with an eye toward future generations. Everyone played a part - Men and women. Children and the aged. Many races and creeds.  We ALL need to study and know our history; spread the word; preserve our freedoms.

[spitstickler]

some more pics....

[ItsanSKS]

GarandPa-

It is obvious from your comments that you "get it"-  that you understand the righteousness of our cause, the innate responsibility that the Freedoms and Liberties bring with them.  Even if you've already made Rifleman, I counsel you to continue planting these 'Appleseeds' of Freedom; spread the word far and wide- we need to reach many more folks in this country if we are indeed to 'keep' our Republic.  

The words of Samuel Adams ring ever true in this regard: "We do not need a majority to prevail, but an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting the brushfires of Freedom in the Hearts and Minds of men."

At an Appleseed, you are handed a torch, how it is used is up to you...

In Liberty,

ItsanSKS

[K98Al]

I believe he did make Rifleman.

[Johnny]

We had an Appleseed that I'll never forget! I feel it was an AS that will, in all likelie-hood, help to fill the line for future Shoots. First, I talked to two men that are working toward their Phd's at LSUS, and have shot at Devilla in the past and will be shooting here in Shv in the future. (Sorry Scout, but they just showed up here) Now that they know about AS here and that Don and I frequent the Bodcau Range, they want to receive additional instruction on the weekends and will spread the word at LSU! Second, USAF Major Kim Leba from Barksdale showed up Sat and shot. He learned of AS from Don and the Major will be with us on weekends also and is promoting AS in many ways on the Base. Third, Paul, a Crew Chief on Barksdale, who is close to Rifleman, is also promoting on the Base. He and I speak the same language...CREW CHIEF! Forth, Evan and Vanessa, back again! Evan, having never fired a shot until the April AS, was in the 180's, with only one thing holding him back...Respiratory Pause! Work on it Evan and you'll have that Patch! Vanessa, Evan's mom, say's, "We went from zero guns to 5 rifles in one week after our first AS!" They are VERY serious about Appleseed! 5th, John and Patrica, both working VERY hard and VERY persistant. They have a passion for our Heritage and the future of America. 6th, John Sherred, who I talked with on Sat was going to be at the next AS, but instead showed up on Sunday and shot with us. He too has people to talk to about AS and he has a nice collection of Garands! 7th, Mike, the Marine who shot 240 then shot a 201 with his Rem 700 loading one rd. at a time. He moves in shooting circles and I'm sure he has something to say about Appleseed to other shooters he meets. My son's Joshua and Ethan and Don's son's Miki and Brice now have Patches they are eager to show off and talk about. There are others I'm probably missing, but all told we made some good contacts in many directions in the community to promote. We have more time between shoots now, so we should fill the line at the next 2 shoots. To Hannah, I'm so happy you received your "Yanatins Rangers Patch". I apologise for walking away during part of the presentation, but I had a hard time holding back the tears. To AJ, my friend, my Aikido student, I knew you could do it, so I wasn't surprised, but VERY PROUD!  You persisted, you over came and you adapted. I know the physical problems you have and am proud of you for working through them. Now get all those bikers, car salesmen, parts dealers, and your family to an AS! Thanks to everyone for a very good event!  Johnny.

[Shmannah]

All in all a good weekend.  There were a lot of really dedicated shooters out there and it was obvious that each and every one was determined to make improvements, and they did so.  The heat and those darn ant-bee-whatevers were no fun, of course, but no one was complaining.  We had a great group and everyone was more worried about getting out there and doing some more shooting than they were about petty little things like the weather.  Gotta love that Rifleman's Bubble!

As always it makes me so happy to see the younger folks out there learning and having a good time.  I know for a fact that some of you were making great improvements (Evan, you are so so close!), and I'm always so impressed by the good and especially SAFE behavior we see from kids at Appleseed.  Bravo, boys!

Four new Riflemen and one of them my very own boyfriend!  Woohoo!  He finally caught up to me and I have to stop giving him a hard time now (drat!), but in all seriousness I'm very proud of him, and of all the other gentlemen who put in such hard work this weekend to earn their patches.  That 240 still has me baffled.  Wow.  And I watched Mr. Steve to my left struggling around the 2-0-somethings for the longest time and finally qualify!  Great work, sir, and HUZZAH to you!

I also want to say a huge thank you to Pop and Stephen McPeek for getting and presenting the Yotnottin Ranger patch to me.  I took some time to read the letters that came along with it and they're absolutely beautiful.  I'm proud to wear Madame Yotnottin's patch and honor her name.  I only hope I can live up to her example.  I greatly appreciate the efforts Pop and Stephen made to make that available for me.  Thank you!  And of course, thanks to everyone who has congratulated me on this as well.

Thanks so much for all the great pictures, Kirk.  And, as always, thanks to all the orange and red hats who volunteered their time to be out there with us over the weekend.  You all did a great job, and we all appreciate your time and efforts.  And a special note to Don and Johnny, I've seen you guys a few times before and I want to say how nice it was to meet your kids out there.  They all seemed to be having a really good time and they were so polite and well-behaved, especially Bryce calling me ma'am, HAH! I felt so old, but I appreciated the great manners all the same.

I think that's about all I have to say about this weekend, but I do want to put one little reminder out there.  For future shoots, ESPECIALLY in this hot weather, make sure you STAY HYDRATED!  I'm all better now, but trips to the doctor for IV fluids are nonono fun, as I can now tell you.  Drink, drink, drink, even if you don't think you need to, and make sure your fellow shooters are doing the same.  Keeping everyone safe and healthy is the most important thing at Appleseed, and keeping hydrated is one of the highest priorities on that list, especially the way the weather's been around here.

That's all I've got for now, and I'm already looking forward to the next shoot (should have my dad coming out to join us next time, YAY!)!  Hope to see everyone soon!

-Shmannah

[JARHEAD MIKE]

I had a blast(literally) on sunday! It was fun to get back to position shooting and shooting against the clock. I will be back, work permitting. I'd like to thank Don for bringing AS to my attention. I normally keep to myself at the range and concentrate on shooting tiny groups on paper from the bench. It was nice to see a group of people shooting for accuracy and not how many pieces of brass that they could get in the air at the same time. My cover is off to the Instructor Corps, you presented yourselves in a professional manner at all times. Your marksmanship instruction is very close to the basics taught to every Marine. I commend all of you on an excellent program and what you are doing to make this country a better place.
          I was a Primary Marksmanship Instructor in the Marine Corps and qualified Expert Rifleman every year i was in the corps with the M-16/AR-15 platform. So if anybody is interested on upping your scores with this weapons system hit me up at the next shoot and i'll help you to the best of my ability. I always pack plenty of bullets with my AR, so if you want to give it a try just let me know.    --Mike

[voortrekker]

WOW!! 

Considering y'all had a small group of shooters attend and four Riflemen patches were earned, it looks like Lousiana has launched a terrific Appleseed program in LA.


Strong work ALL.


Very happy to see Hannah with her well earned Yottnottin patch too!!   Awesome!


Attendees that were present that worked hard and persisted, but did not shoot expert, Keep going at it.  It takes some time for the information that you were given to sink in.  Keep persisting, YOU WILL earn that Rifleman's patch too if you really want it.


To all that scored Riflemen, the next step is to do it with your centerfire rifle.

The gentleman that scored the 240, outstanding!!!!  The target in the picture posted tells me you did it with a centerfire.   If so, very, very well done.

Gentleman240, consider becoming a RWVA Instructor.   In addition, THANK YOU for your service as a US Marine.


In summary, Lousiana, thanks for a well done AAR and a very successfull shoot.  Keep going, don't stop, your friendly neighbor, Texas is watching and helping.


Successful shoots are a result of a determined Shoot Boss and a good Instructor Team.


THANK YOU Steve for doing such a kick A$$ job as SB!!!


THANK YOU RWVA Instructors that were BOTG forging Riflemen for this shoot!!!



Brett out.

[Johnny]

Thanks for coming out Mike. I hope to see you at the Bodcau Range and the Sherburne Range when Don and I get down that way for the next AS. I also would like to say thanks for loaning your AR to AJ. Now I beleive he will spend the money to buy a lower for the upper I sold him yrs ago, and shoot with me more often. His new goal is to shoot 241  I enjoyed shareing war stories with you..it's surprising how much stuff  military types can get into , just doing our jobs!   See you at the range sometime.

[spmcpeek]

Another excellent shoot in Louisiana!

Congratulations to our four new riflemen.
Also, congratulations to Hannah.  You earned that purple patch.

My thanks go out to Pop and the rest of the instructor corps for helping me all weekend, especially during my late arrival.

My Friday night drive (and Stephen and Hannah's) was quite an adventure. It started with a ladder in the middle of the interstate and ended back at home, after one spare tire and a tow truck ride.  We finally arrived at lunch on Saturday and were able to listen to Spitstickler tell the second strike.  I missed K98AL tell the first strike, but I am told he did an excellent job.  Shooting continued after lunch and I told the third strike during a much needed break. 

Thanks to all the shooters for their persistence, even through very hot conditions.  I look forward to seeing all of you again.

[JARHEAD MIKE]

Thanks Johnny, I'm out at bodcau every other saturday. I guess my new goal is a 245 AQT..... wink! wink! I'm looking forward to the shoot in august. Think i can bring a few more shooters with me, one of which will probably give me a run for my money. I'm going give my bolt gun a work out again too.

[ajopenmind]

Johnny finally got on, enjoyed shooting on sunday. thanks to all the instructors for baring with me. mike thanks for barowing the AR and the amo.looking forward to seeing you at the range. ill try to keep up.

[JARHEAD MIKE]

It was my pleasure AJ. That AR is turning out to be a "rifleman's rifle" it seems. Glad you earned your patch with it. Holler at me next time you see me at the range. I'm always playing with a new "toy" out there.

[Don71047]

Well I had a great time as usual, both of my boys loved shooting all weekend and 4 new riflemen! Thanks to all who came and made the shoot happen. Glad you came out and shot with us Mike, kinda figured you would like it, now just need to convince Jerome to come try it. A special thank you goes out to all of the out of town shooters and instructors, we enjoyed having you come and visit our home and we hope you had a good time. I am looking forward to the next shoots in August & October, hopefully we can fill the line up! Maybe it will be cooler in August than it was this past weekend . We are going to set the line up so that the shooters gear will be under the shade so during clearing the line the shooters will at least have a little shade. Congrats AJ, Stephen, Mike, Steve, & Hannah on making Rifleman and Riflewoman. I hope to see all the military guys back out and hopefully they can bring a friend or 2 with them, I know we had a few shooters knocking on the door but just ran out of time. Keep practicing what you have learned and come back in August I know a few of you will score Rifleman next time for sure! Again I want to say thank you to all involved, if we as Americans can keep passing on our heritage to future generations (and the current generation) , we can get this ship back on course, until then keep bailing!

[spitstickler]

... a few more pics

Stephen, one thing I thought of for your stock when I was looking back through the pics was using some of that 3M wrap that sticks to itself to help maintain your cheek weld. A couple wraps of that around the buttstock and you should be good to go.  http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=66666UuZjcFSLXTtlXM2mxz6EV76EbHSHVs6EVs6E666666--