Chugiak, AK April 15/16 2023

[ItsanSKS]

WHAT AN AMAZING EVENT!!

Shortly before dawn on April 15th, 2023, five individuals donned their respective caps, rolled up their sleeves, and prepared to devote 110% of themselves for the next 32 hours.
Their mission?  To reawaken the passion for liberty within the hearts and minds of their fellow Americans- to instill within them the martial skills of rifle marksmanship, and to inform them of the price paid by so few, so that so many could live in Freedom.
Your Shoot Boss for this event was: ItsanSKS (Eric)
Your instructors this past weekend were: OldMikey (Mike), AK-84 (Barry),  AgentOrange (Nick), and AK-CWeezey (Cydney).

Saturday morning, 20 fine patriots showed up to honor our founding fathers on this Patriots Day weekend.  Quite a few arrived nearly an hour early, obviously eager to begin.  A few familiar faces were seen throughout the crowd, but many more were fresh to the Appleseed Experience. 

After introductions were made, an in-depth safety briefing made sure that everyone was on the same page.  With an obviously eager group of folks before them, the instructors introduced themselves and delved right in- first up was AgentOrange, with a flawless recitation of the "Four Safety Rules".  After ensuring that his charges were fully aware of the ramifications inherent to the use of a rifle, Mike stepped up to the plate, and informed his students of the various line commands that they would be hearing for the rest of the weekend.  I then fired the first salvo of the three-part history lesson called the "Three Strikes".  With the audience fully captivated, I began recounting for them the dire circumstances our founding generation found themselves in on the morning of April 19th- vastly outnumbered, yet unafraid, the men of Lexington stood shoulder to shoulder, determined to stand against tyranny and oppression.

Freshly educated in what challenges some men are willing to face, these twenty students determined to face their own challenges, and challenges they would face, indeed!
For once, the weather cooperated, for the most part.  It's hard to guess what the weather in April is going to be like in Alaska; everything's on the table- sleet, snow, rain, wind…  This weekend we were treated to morning temperatures just below freezing, but the days warmed up to a near-balmy low 40's. 

The Saturday AM Redcoat (Hits Count!) target showed that there was great potential, with one of our shooters clearing it on his first attempt.  (to be fair, this wasn't his first engagement with the Redcoats) Others, though, proved that there was much work to be done, and the instruction began at a furious pace.  From how to use a sling, to the steady hold factors for each of the standing, sitting/kneeling and prone positions, the instruction was first-rate, delivered in a professional manner.
In just a few short hours, our students had made significant progress; groups that had been roughly backer-sized were now coalescing around the little 1" square, and groups that started off at 5-9 minute of angle were now consistently punching the center out of the square. 

That level of improvement, across the board, is no accident.  While I'd love to take credit, the reality is that the students deserve all the credit, as they brought the most important thing to their Appleseed - A Teachable Attitude.

With the days' marksmanship instruction concluded, it was determined that the youngsters in our midst deserved recognition for their dedication and temerity.  Nearly 25% of the line were under the age of majority, with all too young to be driving.  The ideals that this nation was founded upon are being taken to heart by the generation that follows, and if this event was any indication, those ideals have found fertile soil, and will blossom into a tree whose fruits will be shared by all.

After some brief closing remarks, our patriots were thanked for their participation in this historic event, and were advised that all were welcome to return for Sunday, at 8:30am sharp.   Many hearty handshakes and thank-you's were given all around, and it was obvious that many new friendships had been forged on the firing line, with shooters unwilling, or unable, to leave without getting each others contact info.   You always meet such great people at an Appleseed, and this event was certainly no exception.

Sunday morning found only 13 shooters returning to be steeped in the heritage and traditions of our founding generation, with prior obligations keeping others away.  With most of our attendees showing obvious signs of distress from the preceding day's exertion, it were decided to 'go easy on them' for the beginning instruction, and a nice, leisurely pace was set. 

After our competent Instructors-In-Training gave a complete and thorough recap of the preceding days' instruction, shooters were given a fresh opportunity to ensure that their rifles were properly zeroed for 25m.  Then, to their surprise, all were given an opportunity to find out first-hand what being an Instructor was like, with the Ball-and-Dummy drill.  Shooters were paired off, with each taking turns shooting, while the other critiqued their students position and mechanics.  This one-on-one instruction paid off, with many shooters showing drastically improved groups.  One shooter, who had previously been shooting at an 8 MOA standard, discovered that his group during this exercise had shrunk dramatically, to a 5-shot cloverleaf that could barely be covered by a nickle!  Way to go!

After taking a brief break for lunch, many of our shooters were eager to begin the "AQT Grind".  While our previous Rifleman all proved that their scores from previous events weren't just a fluke, and most of the other shooters were getting dangerously close, by 2PM no other Rifleman had decided to show themselves.

After examining their AQT's, it was recognized that nearly everyone was having difficulty with Stage 2; it seems that the transition to seated just wasn't working.  So, rather than just try to struggle through it, the students opted to do a few drills that would hone their transitioning skills.  Enter the One Shot Drill.  Our students were given a grand total of 14 seconds to transition from standing with an unloaded rifle, to a seated position, load their rifle, and engage the 200yd silhouette with a single round. 
Making an accurate shot in such an abbreviated time is certainly no easy feat, and better than half of our line were unable to succeed on their first attempt.  Run it again!  And again!  3rd time's the charm, so they say, and it seemed to hold true for this drill; with a couple of practice transitions under their belt, a large percentage of the firing line was able to successfully engage the target in less than 14 seconds- thus holding to the Rifleman Standard, at least for one shot..  But would they be able to pull it off?

SUCCESS!  First-time Appleseeders Mario and Brandon were both able to achieve Rifleman scores, with a 212 and 221, respectively.  Our repeat Riflemen were Jeff L.(244), Nels N. (224), Stephen T. (223), Steve W. (226), Brent Y. (243), and Darrin D. with a (226).  Phenomenal shooting, one and all! 

While much emphasis has been placed on whether or not a shooter can 'make the grade' by shooting 210 or better on the AQT, I feel that ALL of our attendees deserve recognition, as they all proved that they were cut from a tougher cloth. This class may be simple, but it sure isn't easy!
There were a couple of students who I believe deserve special recognition:
•   David (8 yrs old)
David had an *enormous* supply of energy, and yet still did a very good job obeying the safety rules.  His Ruger 10/22 was a bit too big for him, and so he became our ‘designated marksman' for the weekend, and after some one-on-one coaching, was doing very well at keeping his rounds on target.  Best quote from the weekend, when asked if he had a good time-  "I had a GREAT time!"

•   Masey (10 yrs old)
Masey used a .22lr "Cricket" at this event, and it was the perfect size for her.  It was obvious that this event wasn't the first time she had held that rifle, and the way she operated the bolt was a sight to behold. 

•   Alex (11)
Alex discovered that he is cross-eye dominant at this event.  It is a rude thing to learn, as it makes shooting a rifle a very difficult endeavor, until you become aware of the situation, and the various potential work-arounds.  Alex persevered through his own special level of adversity, and kept a great attitude through it all.     

I'm sure that the Patriots of April 19th 1775 were quite pleased with their modern contemporaries, as all of our attendees showed that they had the grit, determination, and persistence required to struggle through such a demanding course, and nary a complaint was heard.  Such a 'never say die' attitude is hard to find in today's America, and it is refreshing to be surrounded by such men, women, and children for an entire weekend.

My grey hat is off to you all, and many thanks for making this such an enjoyable weekend

Eric "ItsanSKS" McCabe


PS- I'll add some pictures later, but in the meantime, please add any that you were able to take this weekend.

[ItsanSKS]

Now for Pictures!

View of the Saturday morning target line:


Learning Sling Use and Prone Position:


Masey Learning the Hasty Sling:


Masey practicing using the sling in Prone:


Talking Targets & IMC:


AgentOrange presents the 3rd Strike:


AgentOrange gets his M1 Garand zeroed for 25m:


Engaging the Redcoats (Saturday PM):


Mario engaging the Redcoats in Prone (Saturday PM):


Stephen with his Rifleman Patch and a Cleared Redcoat!



I know there were a ton more pictures taken, please post them up!

[Gus]

Hi Guys!

Miss you all

1.  Great after action report
2.  Old Mikey distinguished as always!
3.  Brent you look good in the bibbies!

Lot of snow this year at Chugiak. Holy cow it has been a long winter there.

Looks like you had a good clinic this year for Patriot's Day. Happy to see that. I'll be in attendance at the clinic in Parma, ID this weekend. Look for my post next week!

Congratulations to Alaska's riflemen over this past weekend!

Gus

[Oldmikey]

It would be hard to have improved on that shoot. Great facility, wonderful weather, teachable inspired shooters and a handful of excellent instructors. I saw some excellent shooting and some great progress made. The history was inspiring. Hard to beat

[AK-84]

It was an awesome weekend with everyone. ItsanSKS is such an asset for Alaska and us Instructors. I am greatful for all that he does.

[Scout308]

It was a great weekend!  Good to see so many new shooters.  Thank you to the instructors for all your hard work.  I look forward to the next time!

[Agent Orange]

I couldn't have been happier with the shoot! Lots of great students who were just as into the shooting as the history! Even had someone stop me after and say "Now I understand the ‘why' of Appleseed"

Thanks for making the trip to Chugiak Ak84 and Oldmikey!