ISRA (Bonfield) Oct 3-4 AAR

[EEL]

We arrived at the Illinois State Rifle Assn Range in early evening to begin setting up the target line, in a drizzle!    Pappy had everything organized and the line was up in short order.  Then it was time for the camp site.  About this time others began to roll in, GumballHead, Gopher Boy, Boba Fett, Castle Mtn & Patriot Gal, and a few shooters.  It was quickly beginning to look like "Tent City"    Camping, if allowed, at an Appleseed is a lot of fun.  No need to hurry on the drive home, eat, relax, get some buddies to come over and chat around a fire, etc.....you're already there !     Garand69 snuck in somewhere around oh-dark-thirty and slept on a picnic table.

A surprise visit from our wayward friend and fellow Shoot Boss, Sheep Dog rounded out our morning.  Our shooters were prompt and prepared.  So was the rain!     It didn't really affect us too much.  The facilities at ISRA are top notch.  Close in parking, covered shooting area for the firing line and the equipment line, and a concrete pad to shoot from!  The only time our shooters got wet was when they couldn't dodge the rain drops on the way down to post or score targets.   

The safety brief started at 0900 sharp, targets were posted, rifles retrieved from vehicles, and we were off and running.  We quickly worked our way through all the positions, NPOA, how to correctly fire the shot, and other little tricks to make you a better shot.  The shooters drank form the hose, took it in, and then applied the instruction during the next course of fire.

During the history discussions, I saw a lot of heads nodding in agreement.  Gopher Boy, Pappy, and (yes!) even Garand69 told of how common people, just like us, chose to make a difference that day.  Choices, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant at the time, made a huge difference when combined with the efforts of sooo many others.

Sunday found us a few shooters less and a bright sunny day.  We found 2 new Riflemen in our midst, Derek and Spike.  Congratulations to both of you.  Had a few others knocking on the door.  Right Ken?  Hopefully, they will persist and persevere on their journey and see us again.  Dry fire practice is you friend...and he's a cheap date!     

One of our consumate Orange Hats finally took a huge step forward.  Sheep Dog was given the honors of making Pappy a full-fledged Red Hat Instructor!  (Garand, you're next up!)  We also had Cliff, our friend and contact for Chillicothe Range, and Patriot Gal step up and put on the Orange Hat.  Nice to see Americans dedicated to making this country a better place to live.  Congrats to all of you.  You have all earned it!   

Sadly, each Appleseed comes to a close Sunday night.  People that had never met before, leave as friends.  There is talk of "See you at the next one" and "Let's meet up and shoot at the range".  These are perishable skills learned this weekend.  We need to stay on top of it or they will fade away.


On behalf of your entire Instructor Corps:  Sheep Dog, Pappy, Garand69, Boba Fett, Gopher Boy, GumballHead, Patriot Gal, and Klippefurt (Cliff),  Thanks to all the shooters for comming out, working through the discomfort and pain, and persisting.   It was an honor to be associated with you folks this past weekend.  I hope we can meet up again soon.

EEL
Shoot Boss

[Gumballhead]

Hi Everyone,

Another GREAT event  , at a stellar facility!  .  IRSA is truly a top-notch facility, and really makes an Appleseed a "luxury" event, no matter what the conditions!  I mean seriously - where else can you ahve wireless internet, while CAMPING?? 

A big thank you to all of our shooters.  Thank you for making the effort to join us, and hear some history about our great country.  You are what makes these events,and I'm humbled each time by the enthusiasm and willingness to learn.  There is so much to take in from an Appleseed, and EVERYONE made a significant improvement from day one, to the end of the weekend.  Congratulations to our newest Riflemen, and to those knocking on the door, keep practicing those Steady Hold Factors & NPOA.  A Rifleman perseveres, and does not give up!

Finally I wanted to say thank you to all of you who stayed to help us clean the range each day.  We make a habit of leaving the range as clean, or cleaner than how we found it.  You all did a great job policing brass, and moving benches back into position!

Again, great shoot, and I hope to see you all on the trail!

[Deacon]

CONGRATS PAPPY!


Sounds like you had a great shoot down there!  I was "Voluntold" to be at a wedding in Minneapolis or I would have been there.

Congrats to the new Rifleman and the new Orange Hats!
I have met the two new Orange Hats and I know that they both will do a fantastic job!
Maybe Cliff can bring along to a shoot anyone of his THREE grandaughters who are all Rifleman!
And that Patriot Girl..........everytime I have seen her shoot, there are tiny little groups in the paper!

I will try and put ISRA on the schedule next year!

-Deacon

[Prairie Dog]

Just wanted to say thanks for an outstanding weekend, the instruction and organization was top notch. As a beginner/novice a tip of the cap goes out to papa for his time spent making sure everything was done correctly. EEL, gopher boy, sheep dog and the rest OUTSTANDING keep up the good work.

[Garand69]

An incredible bunch of shooters who persevereed and persisited! Everyone was shooting better at the end of each day and everyone was very attentive during the all important History segments. Thankyou for making our jobs easier!!

For the couple of walk ons that wanted to get a small taste, thanks for stopping by. I think you see how much we can help bail out Illinois' section of the sinking ship, and I'm sure you will be back (with freinds and family to enjoy a full event!!

SHEEPDOG IN THE HOUSE!!!!! (Pappy, you do still have him hogtied in the trunk of the Lincoln right?)

Great to see you again Brother! Sad to say it won't be often enough that our paths will cross again, but I'm sure you are already working on a few TBX's for your new home State of Colorado!

Pappy, Pappy, Pappy, what am I gonna do with ya! I thought we were Blood Terminal Orange Hat Brothers........and then you go and jump over to the Red side!!!!!!!! Congrats Pappy, well deserved and well earned!!! Get that cannon of yours ready!

And for the rest of the fine instructor team (you too EEL ), Great work! and nice working with you all. Thanks for stepping up and helping us bail out the ship!!!!

See you all on the trail, pictures to follow.

Garand69
(IL/SC and the last remaining Terminal Orange Hat of IL!!)

[LayloPro]

Well, say now!!

Pappy has finally joined the "Brotherhood of the Red Hats"....Congratulations, lil' bro'!! You have certainly earned it!! 

And even Garand is feeling that internal pressure of having the last "old" orange hat.....as is said out here in the West...."Betta' get yo' game on!" 

Seriously, great shoot, awesome shooters, good advancements, and a state that is stepping up to the challenges of "odd regulations", & even odder politicians....you guys have got it going on......

I'm looking forward to seeing you in a few months......

Be safe, be good, and git 'er dun!!

LLP

[Greg in MO]

Congrats Pappy!  We finally got greybeard and Rebel Yell to get their Reds, so I'm glad to see you with one too.

As for Garand, we are taking bets that Wetfoot will have his hat before his Dad...   

Greg

[LayloPro]

As for Garand, we are taking bets that Wetfoot will have his hat before his Dad...   

<

[Deacon]

As for Garand, we are taking bets that Wetfoot will have his hat before his Dad...   

But Wetfoot isnt a level four Barista!  And why do we want Garand to be a Redhat anyway?  Someone has to make breakfast!

[Boba Fett]

Second that on the Breakfast. Garand is really good for that. Someone ought to promote him to "Cook Boss" and give him a yellow hat or something. Wait....  I guess his orange hat has faded enough already to qualify for some other "Level". But hey... at least it's not "Salmon" colored.  Honestly though, he makes the best eggs, bacon and fried taters and ALWAYS has the coffee going. I'll bet a dollar he owns stock in Folgers.

[Pappy]

Hello Group; Wow what a event, The ISRA range is by far the best location for a Appleseed here in Illinois.
Many new faces and now, many new friends. There are going to be many new Riflemen who heard the call this past weekend. Those who are just knocking at the door and those who will hone their skillls to a fine edge by using the six steps during (DRY FIRE) practice at home across the basement or down the hall where ever!!!! Take the time to make the time.  It's up to you.  Sure you can shoot better than you could last Friday. IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH??? I hope not.  YES, we push the bar up. I hope each one of you has been affected by the SPIRIT of the RIFLEMAN to do what it takes to become the Living Proof of the American Rifleman.

Yes Grand69 the Cannon is ready, and when the day comes I will be there to fire your fadded pumpkin colored hat into Appleseed history!!!!! Brother the only reason we stayed orange hats so long is because we were so busy waking those sleeping Americans who will take our place as IITs!!!!!!! Let em have it they can take it and together we will awaken those who have yet to hear our call.  Appleseed Always     Pappy

[Earl]

Sounds like y'all had a great time at a great range, but no pictures. I am trying to get lots of exposure for Appleseed and the family fun, safe and sound shooting, and some folks are visual learners. Still, thanks for being there and sharing.

[Boba Fett]

Sounds like y'all had a great time at a great range, but no pictures. I am trying to get lots of exposure for Appleseed and the family fun, safe and sound shooting, and some folks are visual learners. Still, thanks for being there and sharing.

I will submit a full post soon along with lots of pictures.

BF

[EEL]

Garand just left from my Firehouse.  I know he has pics too.  He just needs some time to post 'em up.  Keep an eye on this thread...They'll pop up soon 

EEL

[Patriot Gal]

What a GREAT weekend!  This was the best AS for me thus far.  Excellent instruction and organization.  EEL did an exemplary job as per usual.  Was great to see all the shooters improve throughout the weekend.  I was so pleased that my neighbor's son Derek achieved Rifleman after starting out with difficulty with his rifle which could've been ruinous for the weekend.  (Always good to have an extra rifle on hand  

Congrats to you, Derek and Spike on becoming Riflemen and a part of our country's tradition!!  

Congrats to Pappy for stepping up to a Red hat!!!! Congrats to Cliff for taking the orange hat of an IIT and to the other IITs who moved up in their training.  It was great to meet and work with y'all.  Such dedication is inspiring!!!     

I'll miss you, Sheep Dog.  Hope you have a great new Appleseed family in Colorado.  If there's nothing where you live, you can get something started!!!

Thank you, Fred for starting Appleseed.  So important and so necessary!   And thanks for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it all.

So here's to all the future Appleseed Shoots and Riflemen who can make a difference in our country's future. 
See you at the range and around the campfire.  <

Patriot Gal 

[Boba Fett]

Hello Everyone,
This shoot was such a great time I don't know where to begin. I arrived Friday night just before dark and manged to get a new tent I had never set up before (in the rain) in fairly short order. It worked great and I stayed dry throughout the rain all night Friday. Between the tent, the covered pavilion and the covered firing line, staying dry was a relatively easy task so the rain did not put any significant damper on the weekend (at least for me). I'm sure it kept a few potential walk-on's from coming out, but for everyone else who stepped up anyway a great time was had by all.

I learned so much this weekend from what works and what doesn't camping wise, to really great  senior Instructor's who willingly gave us IIT's a chance to step up and try our hand at new things. I really enjoyed calling the line on Sunday morning  . For me it was a real confidence builder that carried through to everything else I did the rest of the day.

We had a really nice bunch of shooters to work with and that makes all the difference for me as an IIT. Spending the weekend teaching complete strangers and walking away with new friends you know you'll see again at another Appleseed is extremely rewarding.

I want to personally thank Gopher Boy for his hospitality, generosity and willingness to pour what he had to offer into me this weekend. Thanks for the study tips and DOM material.

Thanks to EEL for much of the same. I'm swimming in all the stuff you dumped on my computer for me. It's really awesome and I'm soaking it in as fast as possible.

Pappy, thanks for your wonderful wisdom and for cluing me into so many things. I so wish I could have been one of your boy scouts when I was younger.

Sheepdog... Great to see you again. But now I get to have my heart torn out all over again when you head back to Colorado. I meant what I said when I said I will carry your card in my wallet for the rest of my life. Remember that small token and that sometimes little things mean a lot. You just never know how you'll affect someone and what they will do as a result. Like I said at the Sunday meeting it's because of You, EEL, and Pappy that I'm here as an IIT.

This was without a doubt the best Appleseed I've been to (rain and all). The facilities were incredible. I couldn't believe we even had high speed wireless internet. 

Gumballhead.... It was great getting to know you and your "Lasers".     Now all you need is a Mini-Gumbalhead and you can hold the world ransom for 1 milleeeeeooooonn dollars.  I predict you will definitely end up being a DOM someday. 

And I can't forget my new friend Garand69. You cook a mean breakfast and you make pretty decent cup of coffee too. Thanks for sharing and for filling me in on all the dirt about EEL and Pappy.  You did a fine job on the history. I know you'll be a Red Hat someday. What day that may be....  eh...  couldn't say.  But everything comes to an end at some point right? I hope I can be there when pappy shoots that thing out of the cannon. Maybe he can tape it to an incendiary round and shoot it into a 55 gallon drum of diesel fuel.  :~THAT WOULD BE COOL !!!!   

Congrats to Pappy on the Red Hat. I really looks good on you brother!

Thanks also to Patriot Gal and Klipplefurt for joining the instructor corp and more specifically "Team Illinois". Every new IIT means that Illinoi(Sucks) just a little less than it did before.

To everyone else who came out and persevered and persisted through both days this weekend. Thank you. Congrats to out two new Rifleman!!!  Don't stop now. Keep shooting and pass it on. I hope to see you all again someday out on the Appleseed Trail. It truly is a very special place to be.

Pictures to follow soon.

BF

[Boba Fett]

Here's some pics in relatively chronological order.

Part 1

[Boba Fett]

Pictures Part #2

BF

[Boba Fett]

Pictures Part #3

BF

[Sheepdog]

Weighing in....although a bit late. Great shoot well run by EEL. All facets went smoothly. Folks stepped into all colors of hats and that pride of our heritage was thick. Thanks to everyone for their contributions. See you on the trail.
Mike

[colycat]

Congratulations to Pappy on the new hat.  You earned it, times two.  Garand, I think you still have enough shoots left in ILL this year to get yours

Coly

[TreadCarefully]

Coly's quite the optimist now isn't he.....

[dragonfly]

Congratulations to Pappy on getting your Red hat. Well deserved. Congrats to all the new Riflemen looks like it was a great shoot.

Remember Garand; you have to pace yourself.

BTW

D-fly

[Pappy]

Well; just so ya know, there will be a cannon at the Nov 7-8 Appleseed in Ottawa just in case we need to shoot a punkin colored hat. My bets are on the ole boy!!!!! < < Pappy