Silver Springs, FL May 15,16 2010

[ItsanSKS]

Another great event in the history books!

This event, as all I have ever attended, was an astounding success.   With beautiful (if warm) weather, the superb location, and the six instructors who came out to spread the heritage, this event was destined to be an event to remember.

I would first like to thank Justin and Allan Gwinn, the land owners who made this event possible.  Their foresight and patriotism enabled 25 Americans to be steeped in the Heritage and Traditions of our Founding Generation.   I foresee a great Appleseed venue in the works here.

Next, I would like to thank my fellow Instructors (and Instructors-In-Training) who helped make this event what it was- I couldn't have done it on my own!

Your Shoot Boss for this event was: ItsanSKS
Your instructors this past weekend were:
ThaiFighter (Wiley), Douglas34474(Doug), Clinnon, LibertysDaughter(Stephanie), and Echodog (Terry)

Saturday morning, the sun rose on a beautiful day, with the morning dew glistening in the sunlight.  Eager attendees started showing up near 8:00am, though some stragglers arrived a little late. 

After introductions were made, an in-depth safety briefing made sure that every one was on the same page.  With the formalities out of the way, attendees were released to their vehicles to retrieve their rifles- an eclectic mix, featuring everything from a M1A, an M1 Garand, a few AR variants, and the ever-present Ruger 10/22'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.  Others, though, proved that there was much work to be done, and the instruction began at a furious pace.  From the six steps, 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.

By the time we started preparing for the first AQT of the weekend, many of our attendees had progressed tremendously, and I had high hopes- there were some groups that could be covered with a dime, and everyone was given a few minutes to rest and prepare mentally for the task at hand. 

Though many had scores in the high 100's, only one Rifleman had decided to show himself; Carl clicked off a qualifying score, which was no surprise, as he had excelled throughout the entire day.  His good friend Paul was only a few points behind, and I'm sure there will be some good-natured ribbing involved.

With the day drawing to an end, a few of our Saturday-only attendees decided to stay after-hours to get some one-on-one instruction and retake the AQT.  Bruce, having overcome equipment malfunctions and finally getting a grasp of "that whole NPOA thing", pulled off a 213, then backed it up with an astonishing 247, only dropping 3 points in stage 2!  Congratulations Bruce, those third and fourth stages looked awesome!

Sunday dawned with light cloud cover, and a slight breeze in the air, providing a welcome respite from the blazing Florida sun. 

Many of our attendees decided that one day in the Florida heat had been too much, leaving us with nearly half the expected turnout.  No matter though, 12 attendees are better than none, and all points of instruction were reinforced.  A few squares targets to verify zero's, and the AQT grind began. 

All of our shooters seemed on the brink of qualifying, but various equipment-related malfunctions, intolerance for the Florida sun, and general exhaustion seemed to doom our chances of churning out Riflemen... Then Jimmy stepped up and made the grade, saving my Red Hat. 

At about 2:30pm, the line took a short break while I discussed the finer points of actual distance shooting.  We then proceeded to move the entire target line back an additional 75 yards, so that everyone present could get an opportunity to try their hand at some KD (Known Distance) shooting.

Some of our shooters seemed to do MUCH better at KD than they had at 25m, which took both them, and me, by surprise.  All students found that while their group size may have opened up in Inches, the size of their group in MOA remained the same, reinforcing that what we do at 25m has a direct impact on how well we perform at full distance.

After a few sighter squares to establish 100yd zeros, we decided to try our hand at the 100m "D" target- Stage 1 of the AQT.  Many scores in the mid-to-high 40's proved that our students had indeed taken the instruction to heart, and so we posted the reduced scale 100m stage 1 target at 100yds, simulating a man-sized target at 400yds.  That target started to look awfully small, but our students were given ample time to find their NPOA and verify it.

Having started to run out of daylight, and upon hearing word that a significant thunderstorm was headed toward us from the south, it were decided to call it a day.  Nearly everyone stayed late to help break down the target line, and help pack things away, which enabled me to be ready to leave in just over an hour- it has to be a record!  I want to thank everyone who assisted in the breakdown of the target line and the canopies that kept us in the shade for most of the weekend; without your help, I would have been stuck pulling up stakes in the midst of a gusher. 

Here's some Pictures from the event:  (if you have some, please post them up for all to enjoy!

Saturday Group Photo:


History Time!:


After-Hours AQT attempts:


And the result of all that perseverance:


A closer look at Bruce's 247/250 target:


An even closer look at stages 3 & 4: (I think he figured out that "whole NPOA thing"



Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments.  Share any pictures you may have, as I surely did not have much time to take them!

Thanks so much to all involved in making this event as successful and fun as it was.  I look forward to seeing you all again very soon!

-ItsanSKS

[caseyblane]

Looks like a pretty place and a beautiful target by Bruce. I look forward to going there in the future.

[9mm4545]

Yup, that NPOA stuff really does work. I truly do appreciate all the dedication and hard work of the fine instructors of Appleseed. This was my second time at an Appleseed, having missed making Rifleman the first time by one point (arrrgh!). Since I could only attend on Saturday due to prior commitments, I was determined to succeed no matter how long it took. On the last AQT of the day as the light was failing, it all came together and all the patient teaching, coaching, and encouragement paid off with a 247. The homework and dry firing between Appleseed events probably also had something to do with it as well. There will be a return to another Appleseed to try for a repeat with a centerfire, iron sighted rifle. Besides the marksmanship training, Appleseed has awakened my interest in the remarkable events of April, 1775. We do owe a huge debt which must never be forgotten. Bruce

[TomM1Thumb]

Silver Springs was My First Appleseed, and I think I did Just about everything Wrong from not sighting in My Rifles, to waiting to put on My elbow pads. I finally got one Rifle sighted in after hours on Saturday, and the second by late sunday afternoon.

Even thru all this I and My Girlfriend Teresa will be attending another Appleseed event some time soon.

Thank You Eric and Wiley for putting up with Us!

Tom

[AdobeWalls]

Bruce!  Trail Marker!  What a target!

[ItsanSKS]

Received an AAR via email:

I'd like to address this letter to Eric McCabe, Lead Instructor of the Appleseed Shoot on May 15th and 16th.

 

Eric asked that I write concerning my opinion on the various activities during the day I attended. I believe I can sum it up in few words by saying; My buddy and I attended on Saturday the 15th and was obligated to attend a gun show in Orlando on Sunday. When we arrived, we were cordially received by Ms. Clinnon who got us signed up and assisted us in getting comfortable. During the first hour, my buddy and I whispered to each other, "Are we going to get our fifty dollars worth at this event?" By lunch time we excitedly commented to each other that we had indeed got our fifty dollars worth. To our delight the activities continued to the evening hours. My buddy and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, learning a great deal from Eric and his fellow instructors. The recitals concerning April 19th, 1775 were wonderful, inspiring us to invite our friends and relatives to accompany us the next time we go. I want to thank all those involved in making the RWVA and the Appleseed shoot a great activity that I can look forward to.



P.S. I'd like to relate to you a little bit about myself. I'm an F.D.L.E. certified Firearms Instructor of eight years experience, teaching for the Santa Fe Community College, Institute of Public Safety as well as the Central Florida Community College, Criminal Justice Institute. During our classes we try to communicate to the students that no matter how much experience they have with firearms, they can always learn something new as long as they keep an open mind. Our classes are geared initially toward square one and building the students from that point. Many of the students have considerable experience with firearms however, they too always learn something new. Such was the frame of mind that I had when enjoying the activities on May 15th. Thanks to Eric and his cadre of wonderful instructors, I learned a lot and look forward to the next time.



God bless you all.

[WoodyTreadnaught]

Well, to all of you I missed seeing, I am so sorry as I have been laid out lately, Congrates Bruce on that 247 score, I really wish I could have been there to Congratulate you...That is the best score I have seen in Florida......and it was done at the end of the day too...Outstanding.....till later


Woody