Harvard, MA "Captain Parker for MVP" April 17-18 2010

[crak]

AARs below! 

[dwarven1]

OK, here's one instructor's take on the shoot:

AAR - Harvard, MA 4/17/2010

SB - Crak
Instructors - Dwarven1, Fred, JJ-22, TominCT
IITs - BEELyons and BEELyons. (Crak has the list)

Weather - sucked. Rainy & cold. Sometimes it came down in buckets, and a couple of times the sun actually came out. For 10 minutes or so, anyway. Typical New England spring weather. No surprises.

Pre-Reg count: 90. Actual attendees Saturday: 57
Pre-reg Sunday (not sure) Attendees Sunday: 40.

LTRs loaned out - two on my (Dwarven1's) line of 13 new and novice shooters on Saturday.

Round count on the novice line: Sat - 134 - slow day. Sun - somewhere in the 7-800 range. We did a LOT of  RFAQTs and this is where the Riflemen were made. I did lose count of exactly how many AQTs were done, so that's why the approximate count. Note that this was the NOVICE line and they specifically requested this line so that they could "go slow". Slow we did... on Saturday. Sunday... we were never rushed yet we got a LOT of shooting done and a lot of tightened groups were seen.

Rifles on the line: A lot of 10/22s, one M&P15-22, one scoped Henry AR-7, one 10/22 Compact. Many scopes, many iron sights, one new 10/22 that still had the factory sights. (I handed that shooter my LTR and his group sizes immediately shrunk. Thank you, Tech-Sights!)

Summary of the event
Great shoot - overall the shooters were enthusiastic AND prepared for the weather, thanks to copious discussion of the weather beforehand on Northeastshooters.com. Many Riflemen were made, and several of them took orange hats. The shoot was separated into four lines due to the layout of the host club (Harvard Sportsman's Club). We met up at specific times for the history portions at the line with the largest shelter, delivered by Crak in his own inimitable style.

This was run in four lines, one RH and 2+ IITs/line. Crak kind of floated around supervising on Saturday and Fred did that on Sunday. We put the centerfire rifles on one line (couple of AR-15s and an M1A, IIRC), and the novices on another.

Setup was on Friday and went fast. We tried out a new system for putting the line up, using "W" posts and wire. We had about 30' between posts and tightened the wire with ratchets designed for fencing. We then hung the cardboard backers suspended between the two wires with duct tape on Saturday morning (so as to not have the backers in the rain overnight Friday). Since we also purchased a T post driver, the combination of the right tool and fewer posts made setup MUCH faster. (We used to put a post up every 8' and screw 1x2s to the posts and staple the backers to the wood). Setup crew on Friday was Crak, Dwarven1, Luv2Bfree and Sprocket (his help was invaluable - he was the only one with experience in setting up wire fences - we learned a LOT from him).

(The rest will be observations from my line only)
Saturday, the first rounds went downrange around 10AM. On my line, we had a mix of shooters who knew their rifles but wanted to go slowly, shooters who hadn't shot in 40 years, experienced pistol shooters who had never had instruction at all in rifles, and shooters who'd never shot before at all and needed more hand-holding. We also had a few shooters with physical limitations (hernia surgery limiting mobility, a shooter with a VERY bad knee) and the weather - cold and rainy - didn't help these folks out at all. We worked with them to try and find what we could do to work around them as best we could.

We did get in all the instruction in the first day, but we only got one AQT done on Saturday. We were plagued by a few rifles that seemed resistant to being sighted in, so Sunday we started off with some more one inch squares and beat them into submission. And the rest of Sunday was taken up by AQTs with a brief intermission for a "happy finger" drill to try and keep shooters from jumping off the triggers. It worked, because two of our "happy finger" dancers erased that habit well enough to shoot Rifleman: Lupis42 and JBH. Lupis42 promptly took an orange hat (we ran out, so I passed on my my old one which was in my car) and called the line for the rest of the day!

The size of the line, plus having three instructors meant that we could give individual attention to the shooters who needed it. JBH at one point complained about how heavy his rifle was in the standing position and that his arm was getting tired. All three of us looked at each other and you could see the lightbulbs going off over our heads. His sling was tightened up and voila! No more "heavy rifle". (although his rifle WAS a beast - it was a heavy-barreled 10/22 with a Hogue stock and a pretty decent sized scope on it with a big compensator on the muzzle... but once his sling was set up right, all the weight was on his bones and not his muscles!). Another shooter, who had great trigger control but large group sizes was discovered (once we stood by him and watched him for an entire AQT) to be squeezing off his shots while he was still exhaling. It's all in the details...

The Bad:
We had warned the shooters to bring tarps to put under their shooting mats, and most did. The ranges at Harvard are all bare dirt, which mixed with the April rains to make a wonderful mud slurry. We had issues later in the day Saturday and on Sunday with magazines (mostly the Ruger rotary mags) jamming up due to mud in them. I personally ripped more than one apart on the line and cleaned them out as quickly as I could to get the shooters back and running. We still haven't come up with a good solution for this. Perhaps recommending to the shooters to bring a Tupperware bowl to drop their mags in after each mag is emptied, rather than dropping them on the tarp? Might work...

Staples on wet cardboard backers suspended between two wires leave something to be desired. Perhaps pushpins would work better...

We had at least one hit on a line support wire (on one of the other lines), and Jj-22's line had a hit on a post which made the post fold. Repairs were needed quickly and a new post was driven in... Still not sure if this is better than using firring strips between the W posts or not, but it sure is faster to set up. Perhaps I'm being too hidebound here.

Unfortunately, the food vendor thought it was a ONE day shoot and didn't show on Sunday, only Saturday.

We had one ND on Sunday; premature firing before the command to fire was given. The rifle was pointed downrange (and was on target); shooter thought she heard the command to fire. This was someone who'd been struggling with equipment issues for a while in the morning. Cleaning out her magazines (it was a 10/22) cured the equipment problems and calmed her down.


The Good
W post drivers made Friday setup faster by at least a factor of three over using sledgehammers.

Made two riflemen, one of which was using a new-to-him rifle, AND fighting mags that wouldn't drop free all day. That was out of 13 shooters on the novice line. Given the initial group sizes, these guys ALL made tremendous progress.

Luv2Bfree did a good job instructing (Yeah, I threw her in the deep end) and edmorseiii did a good job calling the line. Lupis42 took over on Sunday afternoon  calling the line. We will work on getting him to project more. Kaisha (who also just got her orange hat Sunday) came over and assisted a bit, too.

Saturday food was GREAT - had an outside vendor come in.

I noticed that the S&W M&P15-22 chugged along all day in the rain and the mud and didn't choke once that I saw. Looks like that is a good LTR.

Conclusion -- the final flavor of the event.
New England shooters are awesome; many of them don't seem to care about the weather. These guys and girls just soldiered on in crummy weather and didn't hesitate to get down prone even when they were lying in puddles. It ranged from "Kee-RIST it's cold!" to "Hey, the sun's out and I'm getting warm" all weekend - they either put on more clothes or took them off as needed.

Fred's presence was definitely welcomed as he brings a different regional point of view to the shoot. I wonder if we would benefit from a concerted effort to "cross-pollinate" instructors to other regions. Not only for differences in style (RFAQT vs staged AQT seems to be a regional thing) but for the outlook. New England is used to hearing about Paul Revere and the Ride, since we grew up hearing it. Folks in other areas of the country are "who's Paul Revere?". This may be something to talk about more. It's easy to say "they walked from Lechmere to Concord" but those of us who live here KNOW how far it is and can bring that personal flavor to it. Acton? Isaac Davis? Sure - it's the next town north. His grave is under a big obelisk in the center of town, along with Abner Hosmer. Again, who knows that outside of New England?

Anyway, just a thought.

[Buzzworth]

Staples on wet cardboard backers suspended between two wires leave something to be desired. Perhaps pushpins would work better...

Yup, I used push pins and they work very well 5 on each target one pin in each corner and one in the middle with extras pinned way over on the backer out of the way 
Only had one pin shot

I was lucky to get a car port type 10X20 sort of portable tent type thing (used for family reunion last year)
it is kind of a pain to set up (it is now marked much better) put it is a very robust and held up in high winds and heavy rain and thunder storm http://www.walmart.com/ip/Caravan-Canopy-10x20-Carport/11007577 $118.00
it will last a long time because I do not leave it up 24x7x365

GOOD JOB ROSS! 

[edmorseiii]

Setup was on Friday and went fast. We tried out a new system for putting the line up, using "W" posts and wire. We had about 30' between posts and tightened the wire with ratchets designed for fencing. We then hung the cardboard backers suspended between the two wires with duct tape on Saturday morning (so as to not have the backers in the rain overnight Friday). Since we also purchased a T post driver, the combination of the right tool and fewer posts made setup MUCH faster. (We used to put a post up every 8' and screw 1x2s to the posts and staple the backers to the wood). Setup crew on Friday was Crak, Dwarven1, Luv2Bfree and Sprocket (his help was invaluable - he was the only one with experience in setting up wire fences - we learned a LOT from him).

/

I noticed that the S&W M&P15-22 chugged along all day in the rain and the mud and didn't choke once that I saw. Looks like that is a good LTR.

If I could add to this, the way the lines were set up with the steel line and fence posts also made for a very easy and quick take down Sunday afternoon as well.

The M&P15-22 is on my want list for cheap training after watching Eric work it all weekend.

[dwarven1]

If I could add to this, the way the lines were set up with the steel line and fence posts also made for a very easy and quick take down Sunday afternoon as well.

The M&P15-22 is on my want list for cheap training after watching Eric work it all weekend.

Believe it or not, the posts & 1x2s usually go down pretty quick, too, when the takedown team is aided by screwguns. But it sounds like post & wire is in our future.

Just gotta remember to leave a spare post or two on each range, along with some spare wire to repair the inevitable breaks. (We used this method at Throop last year, and sure enough, someone DID hit the wire.   )

[crak]

These were Z posts, I thought.

[dwarven1]

Hey, you grumped at me when I said I got a "T post driver" and that we had "U posts" "W posts" or whatever they are. All I know is that they're steel, green and sorta look like an Omega with straight sides if you look at it from above.

edit -
Apparently, a T post is something different, according to wikipedia. Lowes shows what we have as a "Garden Zone  Utility Fencing Heavy-Duty Steel Fence Post".

http://www.lowes.com/pd_92065-16418-100005_0_?productId=3160791&Ntt=t post&Ntk=i_products

[crak]

I think I heard somebody say "F'n post!" when one got shot down.

Potato Potahto.

[crak]

Out of 90 pre-regs, 56 shooters came and shot in "New England's cruel second winter" on Saturday, and 43 on Sunday.  It wasn't really that cold or that wet out but I guess it looked like it might be.  Heck, it was probably like a day at a Hawaiian resort for Cathy but one of the BOD members passing through shook his head laughing, "You guys and the weather."  Sadly, this was enough to go from five bays down to four.  Ten Riflemen were forged, and so many took orange hats and immediately began working (seven, I think) that I ran out of hats again.

Yes, I did float around the bays on Saturday poking my head into Jon, Ross and TOM's business.  I got smarter Sunday and told Fred he should do all that running around.  I half expected him to disappear to the Bloody Angle for the re-enactment but all reports indicate he stayed on the range cracking the whip.  Can't wait for the instructors in the other bays to post about the stuff I didn't get to see.

When the only "Oh bleep!" moment is when the lunch truck thought it was a one day shoot, it's probably a pretty smooth Appleseed.  Cindy and Alex: You are directly responsible for Rifleman Dan who, upon eating three of your peanut butter sandwiches, found the will... the resolve... the strength... to eat a fourth sandwich.  And then went and got a 210.  All of America thanks you!

Actually somebody on one of the other bays shot down an R post.  That probably was an "Oh bleep!" moment too.  

This being the Jacqui Welles memorial Appleseed, Fred had the excellent idea of calling her as the 15th name in the volley and putting an extra round down range for her.  Since the New England Appleseed motto is "WE SHOOT MORE BETTER!" I was happy to oblige and called on the full might of the U.S. space program to get all our watches synchronized.  What impressed me most about Jacqui Welles was putting down her rifle immediately after scoring The Score and helping the people around her.  That's someone who really gets it.  Kaisha, despite months suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous Ed, did the same exact thing, only pausing to tell Ed to go make her a sandwich.  To those of you trapped in one-Rifleman relationships, there is Hope and maybe even Change around the corner... only an Appleseed away!  In fact, I heard a story about a guy in CT who finally got to stop hearing "Mr. Caitlin" this weekend!

Kaisha wasn't the only rifleman to put down the rifle and help their fellow Americans immediately.  Larry and Matt also spent almost all day Sunday instructing.  

Most IITs at their first shoot are shy, hesitant speakers who have to work hard to come out of their shells.  Todd doesn't have this problem.  And boy can this guy work.  He was the center of events from Friday to Sunday.  And I'm real happy he's not stopping at making two more riflemen. (You're not stopping, right, Todd?)  And all this while under the judgemental eye of Fred's car horn...

The coolest Appleseed family I've met got even bigger this weekend with Izzy, and I'll leave it to Larry to post about what a good team they made.  Next appleseed this crew shows up at is not over until one of them makes Rifleman.  

I wish I had enough time to write about every shooter in this Appleseed, but you'll all forgive me if I use up the rest of the shoot AAR on Ted.  This guy rolled up in a wheelchair and spent Saturday finding the best ways to shoot out of it.  Sunday, he decided that wouldn't be accurate enough and found the best way to shoot with his elbows on the ground.  He would've toughed it out in that spot all day no matter what the weather.  If his rifle and scope weren't finding new ways to break all the time, he would've been shooting way over 210.  Ted: Get the scope settled in, work on dry firing with a good follow through, and we'll get her done in Leyden in a few weeks.

Before I send shooters to their last AQT I ask what we've been harping on them to fix lately to make sure they understand what they have to bring home with them to think about individually.  I ask the Riflemen and instructors what the last thing they fixed was.  Fred's was: "There's only two things all of you need to do.  Relax and do what you're told!"

A number of our attendees (instructors and shooters, past and present) proceeded to hop on a bus to DC for the Second Amendment March without even stopping home.  Hell yeah!  

I somehow managed to wake up and make it to Lexington at dawn on Monday.  Felt a little out of place with a watery eye in a crowd of inanely chattering teenagers, but that's what we're trying to change here, right?  After the battle three guys came running from the street with WWF style signs:

"BOIL THE LOBSTAH"
"WHO WANTS TO BE A REGULAR?  NOBODY!"
"CAPTAIN PARKER FOR MVP"

They came down the hill, yelling "Better luck next year, boys!"  

We met another Appleseeder at the North Bridge from Texas who was one of the originals.  This guy must've been tough, 'cause Fred didn't make any Texas jokes around him.  Acton, Westford, and Sudbury, and Bedford (at least) march from their towns to the North Bridge for the parade.  A Bedford Minuteman died that morning marching... his name was Neil Hill.  We tried to catch up to the Middlesex County Volunteers so Fred could hit on CortJestir's wife, but they either heard he was coming or had another gig because not a single one was to be found at the end of the parade eating balogna sandwiches.  Anybody up for marching in this parade with an RWVA banner and some M1A's next year?  

Colonel Barrett's farm was open to the public for a rare open house during restoration.  We checked out the muster room where the militia met, the kitchen (at least I guessed it was the kitchen) where Mrs. B cooked breakfast, and the attic where kegs of lead ball were missed by a rather triumphant looking grenadier if the photograph was correct... that breakfast must've really hit the spot.

The Concord Museum had Abner Hosmer's powder horn (still with the strap!), Amos Barrett's powder horn, Nathaniel Barrett's sword, Major Buttrick's pistols, Joseph Hosmer's furniture, one of the two signal lanterns from the Old North Church, and an original Paul Revere engraving of the Boston Massacre.  Fred found some colonial ladies in Hartwell's tavern to sarge, but he needs a better pickup line than "Did you know Paul Revere was responsible for the deaths at Lexington?"  Maybe KoolAid and HollywoodMarine can help him out with that...

All in all, no casualties except an Ω post.  10 Riflemen, 7 IITs, going up and down Battle Road four times in 8 days with 13 different people...  Not too shabby!  Too bad we didn't have 30 more people to teach.

[CortJestir]

^^ This AAR was full of awesome. 

Mrs. CortJestir tells me MCV skedaddled to Lexington for their parade - don't think they stayed for the sandwiches. But my wife did get wind of Fred's plans and decided to stay in CT to go to work that day! 

[Buzzworth]

Nice AAR
I am so glad to have gone to the holy ground of Lexington Green and the North bridge last week with my 11 year old Son and other Appleseed folks 
he is still talking about it 
It helps so much when I talk heritage now 
the power horns still around, wow! just think how many charges have gone through them and burned in the direction of Regulars... for us   

[Sprocket]

"(his help was invaluable - he was the only one with experience in setting up wire fences - we learned a LOT from him)" Ross

Um, so, uh - I've never seen that combination of ingredients before Friday and we pointed them correctly - score one for the new guy!  Honestly I like working with my hands and this was just some stakes, a ratchet strap type gizmo and some wire - the duct tape only made it more Tim Taylor like.

My personal AAR (I sent it to Crak via PM to help him write his official report):

AAR - Harvard MA April 17 & 18 2010

Fred & Chris's Pit

I was given the opportunity to work with both Fred & Chris for the weekend - weather was typical of Harvard - Messy.  I think the Staff mentioned it more than the shooters, I see this as a good thing.  I saw more than one shooter shivering and struggling into position despite the adverse conditions - it was if they understood intuitively the spirit of a Rifleman.

We started with 19 shooters and groups were wide to start the day - by day's end groups were much smaller.  The younger shooters absorbed the information quickly and were soon able to recite the 6 steps verbatim, or at least reasonably close.  Progress in the afternoon had scores averaging above the 150 mark.  One Rifleman was made before lunch, the next day he was wearing orange.

Some noteworthy points about our line include:
•   7 women on Saturday, 8 on Sunday
•   Ages ranging from (approximately) 14 to 50 - the youngest shooter came with zero experience who is a very nice young lady who is much closer to becoming a "dangerous old woman" than when she started.  The oldest shooter may have been a ringer.
•   One man shot the whole first day sitting, the next prone - he is paraplegic and the only negative words he spoke were aimed at a malfunctioning rifle. I dare say he had the largest smile of the day only challenge by the youngest lady on the line.
•   A wonderful family of 4 - Dad & his Girls

The volleys fired at 4pm were spectacular - the rhythmic song of a name, aim, fire and 19 rifles sounding as one really raised the spirit of Liberty.

Day two saw 3 more Riflemen made on the line with 2 quickly donning orange hats and picking up the duties instructing others around them.  Many AQT's later progress increased but no other Rifleman were made on our line.  I'm sure those shooters will be back to try again - many insured us that they would do their homework and return with friends.

From a safety standpoint there were very few concerns and the shooters all did an excellent job of practicing Safety Rule #4.

At the end, all the tired Shooters left with the tools needed to become a Rifleman - I see this as a success of the Appleseed Mission - They all understand the techniques of shooting a rifle and more importantly they have been awakened to reason why they need to practice their Liberties - as many as possible, and each with passion.

Personally, I was fortunate to make mistakes and be corrected by the Red Hats on the line - by the end of day two I was adjusted with less frequency and felt more comfortable running the line.  I chalk it up as part of the learning curve but I wish we could have made more Riflemen.

I'm always watching the crowd during the telling of the three strikes and it's always interesting to watch folks go from merely lingering about to listening intently as the story progresses.  Hearing the Heritage for the first time seems so long ago in my personal Appleseed Trail but even though I know the story hearing it always gives me the shivers.

I'm fortunate to live here in the Boston are where it actually happened - I've visited the Battle Road and stood on or near the spots where it all happened - Walking the Green across from the very tavern building, standing at the capture site or sitting on the stone wall at Meriam's Corner, crossing the river and walking up the hill marched upon by Isaac Davis and the other Militiamen, attending rehearsals for reenactments where the Events took place 235 years ago is a privilege to which I stumbled upon rather than having them thrust upon me like a typical local 5th grader.

No photo can replicate the sound and smell and feel of yelling, musket fire and wet wool on soft ground, of the drums sounding a muster or the sound of 19 rifles firing in unison as they salute those who merely saw a job that needed doing and did it.

Now, with "Appleseed Eyes", I have an appreciation that most of the sleeping American public needs to see - a message they need to hear - so they do not take for granted the sacrifices our Founders made to create this wonderful Republic.

Working as an instructor instead of participating as a shooter has given me yet another set of "Appleseed Eyes" - ones acclimated to spotting a sleeping American and a body not adjusting their NPOA rather than those of an already awake American intent on hitting 1" squares and calculating IMC.

When I finished my first shoot as a shooter I said the same thing I say now; when's the next one?

[Boondoggle]

Harvard Pictures for Your Enjoyment!

Boondoggle, standing by on 69!

http://s940.photobucket.com/albums/ad244/briangct/

[crak]

Thanks Brian!

Where are we going to see your crew next?

[Boondoggle]

Just got off the phone with my wife and she was asking when and where the next Appleseed Shoot was so we could sign up. Looks like I will have the check the schedule!

[CortJestir]

That's the spirit! In southern New England? Leyden, MA - May 22-23, Chaplin, CT - June 19-20, Colebrook, CT - July 31 - Aug 1... I'm sure there are more in VT and NH as well, but those are off the top of my head...

[crak]

That Leyden one's going to be reeeal nice.  Maybe Buzzworth will come down and you'll all find out why Cortjestir talks so funny...

[Buzzworth]

That Leyden one's going to be reeeal nice.  Maybe Buzzworth will come down and you'll all find out why Cortjestir talks so funny...

no can do my daughter has a thing on Saturday in Brattleboro
maybe Sunday and I will bring her and my son too
need to check with the Boss (I would bring her too but she has to work on Saturday)

[CaptMac]

To those of you trapped in one-Rifleman relationships, there is Hope and maybe even Change around the corner... only an Appleseed away!  In fact, I heard a story about a guy in CT who finally got to stop hearing "Mr. Caitlin" this weekend!

I never heard anybody say anything of the sort.  I have but a vague memory to a reference to a "consort of a riflewoman."  All I know is who is now the master of my domain.

[crak]

That must've been some other Mr. Caitlin then! 

[luv2Bfree]

That Leyden one's going to be reeeal nice.  Maybe Buzzworth will come down and you'll all find out why Cortjestir talks so funny...

And... do that little dance while making those rifles safe... rifles on the mat... please step back... noooone touchinggg rrrifllles!

[crak]

Good news! 

I'm putting in the paperwork right now for us to march in the Concord Parade next year!  I'm actually going to try to get us in to march with some M14's and Garands!

I got a fife... anybody got a drum?

[edmorseiii]

Good news! 

I'm putting in the paperwork right now for us to march in the Concord Parade next year!  I'm actually going to try to get us in to march with some M14's and Garands!

I got a fife... anybody got a drum?

No drum, but have M1 will march! 

[CortJestir]

And... do that little dance while making those rifles safe... rifles on the mat... please step back... noooone touchinggg rrrifllles!

Isn't that what this emoticon is?  

Good news!

I'm putting in the paperwork right now for us to march in the Concord Parade next year!  I'm actually going to try to get us in to march with some M14's and Garands!

I got a fife... anybody got a drum?

Awesome news, crak. I'm down to march. I'm pretty sure I can find a drum layin' around my house. Lord knows there's a fife every where I look... If not, I'll definitely bring my Garand and my Bedford Flag 

[TOMINCT]

 Another AAR for Harvard? Yeah, a little late but here it is. We started on the 3rd range with the tube/bolt/not enough mags folks and got underway. IIT's were mike93lx and Lakevillain. 12 shooters started with a redcoat and 3 100 yard shooters. A fter the six steps and shooting squares everyone slowly got things together. Not marksmanship issues, just not sighted in issues. This took a while. After getting things going with NPOA drills we managed a couple AQT's before the final redcoat. Several folks had to leave early but the remainig came out with 2 100 yard, 1 200 yard and 1 300 yard riflemen. Not bad at all.
Sunday started a lot better as the tube fed shooters remaining had changed over to semi's and everyone had enough mags. After lunch we had the help of Fred to get everyone started on the B&D drill and ran AQT's for the rest of the day.
This was another great shoot even with the weather as there were a dad with 2 sons and 2 dads with daughter. Everyone progressed thru the weekend with varying degrees of sucess at different times. A few experienced shooters pushed it hard with 180 to low 200's on sunday. Remember, a rifleman persists. Regards, Tom.