Corona, CA - Nov 19-20, 2011

[Mr Pete]

Hey All,

I know RocketMan is on the road so I just wanted to kick this off so people could comment.  I've been waiting all day to comment since it was such a great shoot.  We had a great time in the cool and rain of a California winter.  Fantastic students and fun all around. 

I'll write more later but just wanted to send a shout out to Aaron who provided Sunday's entertainment...Pumpkin carving the Appleseed way!

-Pete

[Rocket Man]

Well, well, well...  November Appleseed, one last chance before Thanksgiving to get in some shootin', and to thank the people who preserved our liberty to give us this great nation, all those years ago.

The clouds sure were ominous, but we still had a dozen students come out to Raahague's Shooting Park, eager to drink from the firehose of Appleseed instruction.  Those who made the trip were rewarded with a great day all round.  With us were returning Appleseeder Choy, and credentialled Riflewoman May, plus ten new friends.  On the instructing side we had a gaggle of Appleseed's finest from all over Southern California, namely Mr. Pete, Biscuit, Psych Doc, Penny's Dad, Leonidas, Jshoebot, and Rick who needs a clever screen name!  We couldn't possibly fail.

The shooters jumped right into the thick of things, and we sped through our course of fire without a blip.  New shooter Michael went from not knowing what he was getting into to a solid Marksman score, not bad for one day's work.  Linda and Greg and Sam had a few equipment issues but worked through them quickly.  Pretty much everybody's targets had stopped giggling, and were now saying "ouch!" like they're supposed to.  But the real heartbreaker was Choy, who shot a solid 209 on the day's last AQT.  I know what you're thinking, "give him a break, you mean Shoot Boss!", but rules is rules.  We waited to see what Sunday would bring.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, but by lunchtime the ominous clouds turned to precipitous pelting.  We were bolstered by the Yanaga family, all shooting together and shooting well, but after Storytime and the lessons of our forefathers and foremothers, the day turned downright muddy.  Nonetheless, everyone persisted, and scores continued to climb.

We had a brief spot of fun when new shooter Aaron brought a pumpkin for the group to "Carve."  Carve we did...  We may have to make the Appleseed Pumpkin Carving Contest a regular thing.  Only I forgot to tell everyone that the contest was scored on the basis of speed, not artistry...   

By about 3 o'clock, it was getting too wet to see through our sights and too wet to post targets.  But before then, in the rain and muck, persistence paid off.  May affirmed her Riflewoman status with a solid 211, and would probably have had a 220 later except she had some unneeded help...     Choy, so close on Saturday, broke through the last mental barrier to turn in a solid 215, rain and all.  And Jake astounded all of us, scoring a 220, then a 227, then 219 even as the storm continued to build.  How 'bout them apples?   

All in all, it was a great 'Seed.  Hope everyone had a safe drive home.  I'll see you and your friends at the next one!

[Rocket Man]

Here's some pictures from the shoot.  If anyone else has any, feel free to post them here.


Everyone awaiting the Line Boss's command...


Everyone focused on their target and taking care of business


IIT Biscuit helps out Aaron with his rifle


Choy takes a moment to focus his thoughts...  hey, it worked!


The official Appleseed Pumpkin.  6 MOA eyes, 4 MOA mouth/teeth, and a 300 yd D-target nose.  Result:  Pumpkin Soup!


Yeah, it's getting a little damp...  Mr. Pete introduces Aaron to the M1 Garand, which doesn't care about the rain either


Aaron receives the Luther Blanchard youth achievement award, with proud papa Greg

Success!  Choy joins the roll of California Riflemen


And so does Jake!  Congratulations!

[lkraven]

Just wanted to thank Rocket Man and the rest of the crew for putting on an excellent shoot.  I learned a lot and had a great time, even shooting prone in a puddle of mud that used to be my shooting mat.

Sorry about the pumpkin.  It reacted rather badly to my .223 round... 

I intend to get my rifleman's badge next time you guys are in town.

And thanks for breaking out the M1, Mr. Pete.  Nothing warms you up faster than large caliber rounds in inclement weather!

LK

[Foppish Dandy]

I can't even begin to say how much fun I had! I'm amazed at how much I approved and how much I learned. All of the instructors were super-helpful and I completely agree with your statement at the shoot that "you meet the absolute BEST people at Appleseeds".

Thanks to the instructors for allowing Jake, James and I to tag along for dinner. I'd also like to second that thanks to Mr. Pete for bringing out the M1 Garand... I'm glad I got to make use of that second pumpkin that we didn't "carve".

I think I've finally cleared up my scope issues that I was having the second day and I'm looking forward to adding another 28+ points to my 182 from the first day... I'm already signed up for the Corona shoot in December and hope to be bringing friends! ... Step #7, right?

Hope to see you all again at the next shoot!

[Foppish Dandy]

* ... and by "how much I approved", I mean "how much I improved".

[pookaroo]

Thanks so much to the Appleseed guys for two great days of shooting and storytelling!  I very much appreciate all of your help and patience with my equipment issues and my scope issues as well as your help with improving my form.  This was the first time I shot a rifle and it was a special treat to be able to shoot the M1.  Thank you, Mr. Pete, Sir    I will certainly be back to another shoot, and I intend to get my badge also.  RocketMan, you mentioned that there were about 500 riflemen with badges in California.  Do you know how many of those happen to be riflewomen?

Thanks again, and Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

[Rocket Man]

I think I've finally cleared up my scope issues that I was having the second day and I'm looking forward to adding another 28+ points to my 182 from the first day... I'm already signed up for the Corona shoot in December and hope to be bringing friends! ... Step #7, right?

7th Step, you got it.  Going from 182 to 210 at one Appleseed is very doable.  Make sure you practice in the meantime.  Get your body stretched into those positions and practice your NPOA.  Make sure rifle is UNLOADED if you do this at home.  I keep all ammo in a completely different room when I stretch out, just in case.

Thanks so much to the Appleseed guys for two great days of shooting and storytelling!  I very much appreciate all of your help and patience with my equipment issues and my scope issues as well as your help with improving my form.  This was the first time I shot a rifle and it was a special treat to be able to shoot the M1.  Thank you, Mr. Pete, Sir    I will certainly be back to another shoot, and I intend to get my badge also.  RocketMan, you mentioned that there were about 500 riflemen with badges in California.  Do you know how many of those happen to be riflewomen?

bob210 is the keeper of the list.  The most up-to-date count is 473 if I'm reading it right.  A lot of the names are Forum names so it's hard to tell (Appleseed is open to all), but at a guess I'd say between 40 and 50.  Several of our best instructors are women.  And some of the best shots, too.

[Jake00002]

Had a great time at Appleseed.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but last weekend blew my expectations out of the water.

I would like to thank all the instructors for their hard work.  I didn't come into the weekend all that good of a shot, and never expected to shoot a rifleman score in my first weekend.  You guys taught me well and I'm looking forward to making it out with my brother James again and help him work on his skills.  I'll try to scrounge up a few more Appleseed newbies for next time too

See you all next time!

(Pics to follow once I get them uploaded)

[Mr Pete]

I can't think of a better way to spend the weekend...or a better way to catch pneumonia .  What a great bunch of students!  Everybody brought that open attitude and can-do spirit as shown by the number that stuck around through the rain and the vast improvement in skill.

Highlights for me:
Aaron, a polite fine young man who is on his way to being a great shot.  Greg you should be very proud.  When the founders talked to their Posterity...it was to us, and it is for him. 

Pookaroo getting to know that Aimpoint really well...at least you always had good groups to calculate adjustments.  Zero to 100mph in just a weekend!

Hosting the M1 Garand appreciation club.

A thought as you're 7th stepping:
Once you've been to two Appleseeds you're eligible to join us.  The Appleseed instructor program is a minimum 120 hour apprenticeship where we teach you how to teach.  One of the requirements is that you can also hit that expert score on the AQT.  From what I saw this weekend it is a foregone conclusion.  Many women hit their score, finish the apprenticeship and go on to instruct.  Some go even further to learn how to host their own shoots like RocketMan.  Project Appleseed also hosts "Ladyseeds", shoots staffed by women for women students.  We teach, "Living history" in schools and volunteer our time in numerous other ways.  If any of this interests you feel free to contact us!

-Peter

ps.  Thanks lkraven for letting me shoot that fine, fine rifle of yours!

[Johnnyappleseed]

Great shoot California

Welcome to new forum members and congratulations to new Rifleman !

[Jake00002]

The photos

[Jake00002]

Mr. Pete, thank you for letting me fire your M1 on Sunday and letting James use your loaner 10/22 all weekend!

[Mr Pete]

Jake,

My pleasure!  Bringing out the Garand is always a fun time and I'm glad people enjoyed it.

I always love the Appleseed community and you and James were definitely a part of it.  You yourself contributed by loaning that mag to Aaron so he could do his AQTs.  Can't wait to see y'all back on the line and he is definitely welcome to use it whenever I'm around.

Great pics and nice score.  Hope I see you guys at the next shoot!
-Peter

[rrhartley]

I had a great time also. I had to admire the perseverance of the group especially on Sunday with the wet weather and the mud. As for the pumpkin carving, the pumpkin didn't stand a chance with you marksmen shooting at it. Hope to see all of you soon. Rick

[Foppish Dandy]

Hey RocketMan... will you be running this upcoming Corona shoot? Do we know who's all going to be there as far as orange/red hats? I'm hoping to see everyone again (along with meeting all sorts of awesome new people)!

[rrhartley]

I plan to be there so I can do my IIT1.

Rick

[asminuteman]

Bezon Corona Crew,     (old shawnee for hello)

Your SB for the coming Dec Corona shoot is "Freemen".
I spoke to Chris just last night, Do me, Him and AS a favor and PM him and IS if you are coming out,  even IF its only for a day, or an hour!


Have a wonderful shoot......and Merry Christmas Team IE
your humble and obedient servant
-ken

wohdoh nah

[Rocket Man]

Hey RocketMan... will you be running this upcoming Corona shoot? Do we know who's all going to be there as far as orange/red hats? I'm hoping to see everyone again (along with meeting all sorts of awesome new people)!

Hey Sam,

Most likely I'll be at Angeles that weekend working another shoot, unless I'm needed more at Corona.  But you'll be in great hands with Chris.

Heck, you should try to meet all the Appleseed instructors.  Not one bad Apple in the bunch.   

[Foppish Dandy]

Thanks all! Can't wait!