Fenton, MI Indoor Pistol Clinic November 4-5, 2023

[Rangerat67]

  Pictures can be viewed via the link on the bottom of this post!

The group of shooters and instructors at the Appleseed Pistol Clinic held at the Fenton Lakes Sportsman's Club in Fenton MI on November 4-5th are the embodiment of patriots.  They worked hard to improve their marksmanship and absorbed the history.

The student's attentiveness, attitude, and perseverance make events like these a great experience for all in attendance.  The instructors crew of number 6, Pookie, Fidget, and Mr. Zeke kept the event running smoothly and safely while presenting fascinating history stories about the events of April 19th, 1775 along with the story of Sam & Sam.

Saturday morning was a cool crisp early November day in Michigan.  Of course, the cool temperature did not bother anyone as we were shooting indoors!  As far as I know, this is the first indoor Appleseed Event ever held in Michigan.  Many thanks to our club host, Pistoleer™ John G., for making this event happen!
 
The event started with the story of the 1st Strike presented by Pookie followed by the safety rules.  The students then moved from the classroom to the firing line.  The shooting started with the Hits Count target.  One student placed all four rounds on the medium sized tombstone, three placed all four rounds on the largest tombstone, and one hit Major Pitcairn's Button. (Admittedly by mistake.)  The instruction began and this group of students "Teachable Attitudes" were exceptional.  Number 6 and Fidget covered the 2nd and 3rd Strikes along with a moving summary of Lydia Mulliken's vigil for her fiancé Dr. Samuel Prescott.  Lydia never gave up hope but unfortunately, what she did not know was Samuel had suffered terribly and died on board a prison ship during the early days of the war.

Throughout the day, while on the firing line, the students worked on their shooting.  By the end of the day, the Hits Count target improved to two shooters placing all four rounds on the smallest tombstone, three had all four on the medium tombstone, and one placed all four on the largest tombstone.  Congratulations to Donna for hitting Major Pitcairn's button on purpose and clearing the Saturday afternoon Hits Count Target! 

The day ended with eight exhausted students and four exhausted instructors.

Sunday started with a "bang" and the group quickly worked through the grip, stance, six steps, NPOA, and several drills.  Sunday afternoon was spent shooting PQT's with skill improvement drills and fun shoots mixed into the afternoon schedule.  Mixed in was history talks including the story of Sam & Sam presented by Mr. Zeke. 

It was a pleasure for the instructors to spend our weekends with such a great group.  Six out of the nine students achieved a score greater than 190!  All of you had great attitudes, persevered, and most importantly were safe.

George scored a high of 191 on a Sunday PQT.  On this PQT, he focused on his left-handed shooting and focused on technique over score.  He then scored a 92 on the final stage and had to wonder what if…

Scott was one hole away from Pistoleer™ status with a high score of 208.  Scott had four PQT's in the 200's!  Hang in there, as you will almost certainly receive a patch at your next event.

Dan made great progress with technique, persisted with his M&P, and boosted his score to a 151.  It was interesting to see how the shooters did with Dan's pistol during the "Pistol Conga Line".

Earl, an Appleseed Rifle Instructors, joined us to work on his pistol skills.  A 192 is an accomplishment!

Aaron had to leave early Saturday for a Red Wings Game where he cheered them on to victory.  I hope to see you again at a future event.

Donna, aka Jammer, cleared two Hits Count targets and achieved a high score of 202 on a PQT.  If only your pistol(s) could get through 40 rounds without a jam!
 
Luke worked with both a 22 and a 45.  Three PQT's surpassed 190 with a high score of 197.  You are knocking on the door and at your next event, be sure to bring your hat!

Walt was our speed shooter of the weekend!  Your Stage 1 groups were excellent and lead the way to a high score of 164.  Keep working on grip, stance, and the six steps and good results will follow.

The key to earning a Pistoleer™ Patch is persistence.  It is not easy, and it takes a mastery of grip, stance, NPOA, and the six steps.  Congratulations to John for earning his first Pistoleer™ Patch on the final PQT of the weekend.  Nice job staying focused on the fundamentals, maintaining the right mental toughness, conquering the exhaustion and doubt and ending the weekend with a 214! 

Congratulations to our fun shoot winners!  John and Luke dominated the 7 X 7 X 7 event, and they called a truce after the fourth round.  George, John, and Earl were the victors of the Team 7 X 7 X 7 fun shoot.  John won the "Know Your Limits" shoot as he cleared the target.  This is the first time this has occurred in any of my events, in fact no one has come close.  The Browning Buckmark won the Pistol Conga Line while Dan showed it might be the gun after all.

Three Huzzahs to Fidget, Pookie, number 6, and Mr. Zeke for volunteering to help at this event!  They ran this event like a well-oiled pistol slide.  This was only the seventh event in Michigan.  The instructors brought their "A Game" and the students brought the right attitude, attentiveness, and desire to learn.  In addition, Fenton Lakes Sportsman's Club set the bar high as a great place to shoot.  If you are not already a member, consider joining and working on your skills at the indoor pistol range!   

It was great to see some familiar faces and make new acquaintances!  Hopefully, the shooters enjoyed the weekend as much as I did, and we will see you again at a future event.

Huzzah!
Rangerat67

A link to pictures!
https://imgur.com/a/ttqOMYf

[T. WOLF]

Awesome, Bravo!    Bummed I missed this one.