Canton, GA 25m event for Woodstock Boy Scout Troop 625 on Sept 23-24, 2023 AAR

[Roswell]

What a great weekend! As always, BIG shout out to Sheriff Frank Reynolds and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office for being such gracious hosts. This was a private event for Boy Scout Troop 625 and was a special one indeed.  We began bright and early with 14 scouts, 4 chaperones, 4 Instructors, and 1 amazing story. Using the Standard Course of Fire, we opened up with the First Strike of the Match to frame the weekend. Then we went over Safety before proceeding further. Thanks Gator! (Shown Below)





After going over the 4 Safety Rules and Safe Rifle, we got the rifles to the line and assigned targets. We had quite a few loaner rifles on the line so, it took a while to get the additional paperwork done and get everyone situated. Especially, since we set up for Relays to give the boys as much 1 on 1 time as possible. Once done though we jumped right into Ammo Difficulties, Line Commands, and finally... putting rounds down range on the morning Red Coat target! 

(Below is the Red Coat being introduced. Apologies for no action shots of the scouts. We were too busy. Hoping the chaperones and my fellow Instructors got a few.)


The Red Coat target showed we had a lot of work to do (targets, never lie to you, right boys?). So, we got down to it.  After framing things we did an eye dominance test, Sling Demo, The first 3 Steps of firing a shot, NPOA, Prone Position and A LOT of rifle fitting with foam and vet wrap. Satisfied we went to lunch. The boys had camped out the night before and I have it on good authority that they were "starving".

During lunch, we went over steps 4-6 of Firing a Shot and listened to Strike two of the match, refreshed ourselves, and got back at it.  We did some Dry Fire and then we got down to shooting squares. Did Talking Targets. Shot a Square. Did Inches, Minutes and Clicks and shot another square. Then we did the combined Rifleman's Cadence and Carding The Sights Drill. By then, it was time to head back to the classroom where we heard the Third Strike of the match.



The day was getting late and the Scouts had to make it back to camp so, we had the William Diamond/ Youth Patch ceremony and held the benediction where the scouts heard about Timothy Murphy and how one person can make a difference.



Sunday, we started at 10 because the scouts had to cook breakfast and clean up their camp site. We began with some history from 1776 and then jumped into review. Sling Use, NPOA, and Prone Class.



We flowed right into some new topics. 4 Seated Positions, Standing Position with variations. And back into more review of 6 Steps, Talking Targets, IMC (Inches, Minutes, and Clicks), and  then Safety before we headed to the line. We had spent a lot of time assigning and fitting rifles the day before so, we made sure each rifle got back to the same scout. It paid off in spades. We first shot the Red Coat target and saw marked improvement from the day before. Guy even cleared the target and was awarded a Project Appleseed sticker. Well done young man! 

We shot a square to get back into the groove. Then we did the magazine change exercise. By then it was time for lunch. At lunch we regaled the scouts with stories of Dangerous Old Men, Brave Women, and Gallant Children. While gathered, we also went over Rifleman's Bubble and Rifleman's Dance. After lunch we cleaned up and headed out to do some shooting! 

The scouts stayed prone, the most stable shooting position, and sank their teeth into an AQT (Appleseed Qualification Test). Grayson was our first rifleman with a 212 and earned a Project Appleseed Sticker!  Eagerly, the scouts cranked out another AQT before we went inside the classroom. Several Instructors (God Bless them!) scored targets while the scouts learned about the 3 Tasks of the Rifleman. When all scores were totaled, Grayson topped his previous score and got a 213. Guy stepped up and scored 221. And Robert showed us all how it was done with a 248!!!  All got a Project Appleseed Sticker. Lastly, the scouts heard the story of Ephraim Brank and again the message of how one person can make a difference. They can make a difference.

Thank you to all the scouts and to my courageous Instructors! I hoe to see you all on the line again soon.

In Liberty,
Roswell