AAR: Dulzura CA - Oct 30-31, 2010

[Francis Marion]

This was a great weekend for America.  Passinthru and FM formed the core of the apple, camping out at the range with two other shooters, Danny and Zach.  Danny ships off to Army basic in a few months, and this was his third Appleseed.  We missed Mark who got sick- Not to worry, there will be many more events to come!  Thanks for 'enlisting' to begin with.

The shooters arrived early.    

A mother and son.  Pairs of buddies.  People who came alone but who left knowing that good people live near them, more than they had realized.  

With persistence, Riflemen emerged:  

Joseph,  Hunter, and Greg represented the Marine Corps and the Navy, and their aim did not err.  I expect that Hunter will eventually begin a carreer in civilian law enforcement; the town where he works will be well served indeed.  Greg shared good tips and insights all day long, on topics ranging from rifle shooting to history.  Joseph, may you have a long and interesting life in US service, and thank you for choosing to do so.  

A hearty 'oo-rah!' and 'anchors aweigh' to all three.

John earned a patch to match his son's.  John's family tradition has added a new pursuit, I think- the skilled use of a rifle- with which our country and future are made more secure, and which they are well able to pass along.

Our shooters brought grit and focus to the range.  Despite equipment problems, like Kim's errant red dot, or Ren's AR sights; passinthru coached Kim onto paper and onto the AQT.  And thanks to the good old USMC M16 manual, from which Ren received sight adjusting information, a frustrating day changed to triumph: point of impact 2 MOA above point of aim.  Ren will puch up the AQT from here on out, and gained some confidence which comes naturally from gaining tool-relevant knowledge.  

Barbara shot along with her husband Kurt, a Marine and Vietnam veteran.  They persisted all day long, both days, in rain and in wind.  

A Coast Guard shooter persisted both days; I hope he'll return for a patch.  

Rob and Jason shot both days, all day; Jason seventh-stepped and brought his friend Rob.  When your nose is on the charging handle, it's right. (secret message to Rob.)

Thanks also to Casey, Josh, Fred, Bill H., and our out of state shooter, Fuzzy from NV.  Fuzzy shared good info and pocket-sized US Constitutions with us.  

I hope I didn't forget anybody.  It was an honor to meet you all.  

Shoot straight,
-FM





 

[passinthru]

 
     I echo FM's above statements.  A lot of this  went on and not a lot of this  .
We had Saturday weather challenges with mist/heavy mist/rain/wind combinations.  And, of course, the wind blew the moisture into the shooters faces so the overhead protection let the first 3 to 4 feet of the mats get wet and All of the rifles. 
     I will try to post some pictures..................steve

[passinthru]

Forgot to mention our Saturday morning flag salute was timed just right for a HELICOPTER FLYOVER  !!!!
More pics.

[passinthru]

 
More pics.

[Leonidas]

Francis and Passinthru,

Thank you guys for an absolutely awesome shoot. Sorry I couldn't make it both days but at least with your expert coaching I was able to get rifleman on Saturday. Hope to see you guys very soon at another Appleseed. Keep up the good work.

[passinthru]

More pics;
.....John, you got rotated into an upright position.......heheHHhh.........s.

[passinthru]

This Dulzura Appleseed was at the South Bay Rod and Gun Club.  It is located in an extreme southern portion of
San Diego County.  The club president, Tom Fox, informed me that we were approximately 3 miles from the Mexican/U.S.A. border, with open land between us filled with numerous well traveled trails.  There was a large Border Patrol presence.  The helicopter that flew over us at Saturday morning Flag salute was probably associated with the Border Patrol.  I had to stop at a Border Patrol check station on the way home to north San Diego County.
While I was stopped immediately outside the range property to stow things for the trip home, I witnessed some illegal aliens (my assumption) being transferred from a Border Patrol truck into a larger Border Patrol van.  I am going into some detail for our friends in the heartland and eastern portions of our country who might not be aware of the foreign invasion occuring here in the southwest.
I am looking forward to the next Appleseed at Dulzura in January 2011..........................steve

[Johnnyappleseed]

Nice shoot guy's ---
FM -- I borrowed your opening question " Did anyone ask permission of a govt official to attend here today ?" TY for that wisdom
Welcome aboard Menelaus 
Semper Fidelis , Marines !

[MadMamaBear]

Many thanks to Francis and Steve for helping me transition from CQB to precision.  It was not an easy process, and I hope I didn't take out any of my frustration on you!     It was nice of you to say there was not very much  even though that was not true in my case.  I'm glad I hung in there because shooting precision is only going to help me shoot CQB even better.   

Many thanks to my fellow shooters who were safe, helpful, and fun to hang out with.   

I look forward to the next class!   


P.S.  Fuzzy's EoTech failed twice upon recoil while I was firing from the offhand standing position.  The batteries got discombobulated and lost their contact.  Other than that, the EoTech worked like a charm!

[jg]

Francis and Steve, thanks for the capable instruction, enjoyable history, and well-run weekend.  I enjoyed the shooting and conversation (and will pay closer attention to the weather forecast, and dress more warmly, next time!).

I'm former Navy, so between Greg and me, we tied the USMC contingent of Hunter and Joseph on Rifleman; good to see 'squids' catching up and tieing with the Leathernecks.

Thanks for your tips, which put me (barely!) over the top for Rifleman; I'm slow, but I'm glad that I finally caught up with my son, who earned his Rifleman patch back in June '09.

Thanks for the fun photos, Steve, and thanks to you both for sacrificing your weekend to instruct us; I appreciate it.

Sincerely,
John

[GMoney]

Thanks for the great weekend! My frustration (feeding problems) at the corona appleseed last spring (it sure felt like summer) kept me from rifleman. I told johnnyappleseed before Jamie (Sar_Squid_79?) and I left that I would nail it at dulzura and I sure did. It was great to meet Francis Marion and Steve, 2 great guys. I look forward to passing on my knowledge and seeing everybody again, but next time I'll most likely be wearing an orange hat.

With that being said, let me know what I have to do so I can be part of this great program.

Take it easy everybody, Greg.

P.S. My favorite picture is the one where we are all shooting the red coat targets and Hunter and I are the only ones standing. Classic. I won't let him forget that I nailed the head shot that round as well.

[passinthru]

FM is a great SB/Historian, my goal too.  Marines tie Navy / Navy tie Marines???  Good natured rivalries are fine, enhancing the 'mental game' of marksmanship.
I related this to a few of you, so now for everyone. 
President Ronald Reagan often said re. the Soviets,  "Trust but Verify";  we can use the same two words, but reverse them.
VERIFY YOUR NPOA,   then  TRUST IT !!

A few more pics, might be some already posted......................................steve