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Davilla, TEXAS Jan 2008

Started by tower59, January 06, 2008, 08:49:33 PM

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tower59

I only could spend a little while out at the shoot, so I'm looking forward to a proper after action report. I did get a few pictures. Thanks to those who let me "shoot" them while they shot for real!
-Skip



SGTCap

Any chance of a whos who in the pictures?  I'd really like to put some names and faces together.


BTW outstanding photography.

voortrekker

#2
Hello Everyone,

I JUST got back from the FIRST Appleseed of 2008, held in Davilla, TEXAS.

Regarding the OUTSTANDING photography, those depicted:

They all look like Constitution loving Americans exercising the 2nd Amendment, an American birth right.



Thank you Skip for the pics.

I hope you will join us in February to shoot and take more of these AWESOME pics!!!!!
If YOU are thinking, WE are winning.

Fred


    OK, it's Monday morning, and still no AAR from TX, with rumors swirling that only three showed up. ;D

    And that two of them left, after seeing how they did on the redcoat target... ;D ;D

    Does anyone have the 'official' numbers, so we can scotch these dirty rumors?
"Ready to eat dirt and sweat bore solvent?" - Ask me how to become an RWVA volunteer!

      "...but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman alike..."   Paine

     "If you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War veteran" - Anon.

     "We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - Thomas Paine

     What about it, do-nothings? You heard the man, jump on in...

funfaler


The dips in your couch will go away if you get up and take the Seventh Step!

LabRat

#5
I didn't get an exact headcount, since my AQT stage scores kept intruding in my brain when I tried, "7...8...9...43, 42x2..." but it was more than three, Fred, so don't be poking us Texans with a stick so much in SGN, wouldja? ;D

Seriously, though, it was my second AS and a great shoot. Fewer folks than last time, :( but still a good turnout of some good folks. It was nice also to put names (and forum names) to faces again, as it takes me at least twice to have them stick and the first shoot I was too busy learning anything but the six steps to even try, but a big thanks to all the instructors who were there: Dean, Brett, Mark, Dennis, (edit: Steve, too!!) Scout for being a gracious host yet again, Greg, not only for the coffee since I forgot my stove, but also for the opportunity to try out his M1A (quick capsule review: excellent rifle and I have to get my grubby paws on one ASAP) and everyone else whose names I haven't been able to get into my thick head yet.

Saturday started out a little cool and cloudy and a lot windy, directly from astern, which went on both days, covering everything and everyone with a nice layer of Scout's genuine red Texas grit. That didn't stop Scout from giving an excellent rendition of the "Three strikes of the match" which was just as good the second time and had some details I hadn't heard the first time around.

The first redcoat of the day said I hadn't been dry-firing enough. No matter, learned my lesson on that and warmed up soon enough. The instructors did an excellent job of balancing the teaching parts and the shooting parts, without letting people get too bogged down on theory, but not so much firing that you wouldn't get feedback in time to improve your shooting. The sighters were fun and that's when I tried out Greg's Springfield. Grouped pretty well with my SA surplus for my first time ever firing one, once I made a couple of small sight adjustments (two clicks up and one left to get it back where you had it, Greg! ;D). Back to the poodle shooter for practicing the positions and the AQTs. The wind made the shooters on the line into sails and made the standing stage more "fun" I guess you could say. Oh well, y'all know what Fred always says about riflemen and persistence. When I was on, I was on. I had the cadence down and was making hits by the numbers, but my inconsistency meant I wouldn't be able to hold it together for the whole AQT, lowering my scores. At least I know where I need to focus my practice...prone work and keeping the dang front sight in focus and not trying to see the stage 4 tiny targets instead, as tempting as it is to try.

Day 2 started a little cooler and cloudier, but with the same amount of wind and grit, so we didn't miss out on a chance to thrive on adversity. Nice. Scout continued with strike 2 of the match, and we were back to positions and AQTs. Dean (didactic) ran the line the second half of the day and wow, he ran it like a machine! I found myself filling mags if I had any time left on the stages so as not to cut into my precious prep period between stages. All for the good, though, as we were able to get in at least four AQTs during the second half of the day and made another rifleman. Monroe (??? not sure how he spells it) said that he'd been doing the AQT at home and it showed. He turned in rifleman score with his 10/22 in no time. Finished up the day with the last Redcoat target (a lot better on this one!) and the last strike of the match. Went home grimy and tired, but satisfied nonetheless, since both the rifle and I managed to digest all the grit without malfunction. I find I have a taste for that grit now, so I guess that means I'll be there for AS #3.

That's my "quick, before I disremember" impression. I'm sure there are still a thousand other things I forgot to mention, but a great shoot and a great group. I look forward to seeing everyone again in February as an IIT. Does my ear protection in the picture makes me look fat? LOL.

P.S. The free hot chow was excellent, too. didactic's "whatcha got?" soup was a welcome hot meal at the end of day 1. Don't bother asking him for the recipe. It changes every time. ;D
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

Thomas Paine

Fred


    VERY nice report - thanks!

QuoteFewer folks than last time...

    Yep, believe that shows we've probably already drained the pond in Texas, and time to move on, to a real state... ;D ;D ;D

QuoteI need to focus my practice...prone work and keeping the dang front sight in focus and not trying to see the stage 4 tiny targets instead, as tempting as it is to try.

    The old guy in WI last year - believe he said he was 59 - and was shooting iron sights - has the answer for you LabRat. Asked how he shot a PERFECT score on the Stage 4 targets, he answered, "you just put the front sight on the same spot on the blur each time." It works - as his perfect score proves!
"Ready to eat dirt and sweat bore solvent?" - Ask me how to become an RWVA volunteer!

      "...but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman alike..."   Paine

     "If you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War veteran" - Anon.

     "We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - Thomas Paine

     What about it, do-nothings? You heard the man, jump on in...

LabRat

QuoteYep, believe that shows we've probably already drained the pond in Texas, and time to move on, to a real state...

I knew you couldn't resist. ;D You've got that stick all nice and sharp, so you're thinking it would be a waste not to poke us with it!

QuoteThe old guy in WI last year - believe he said he was 59 - and was shooting iron sights - has the answer for you LabRat. Asked how he shot a PERFECT score on the Stage 4 targets, he answered, "you just put the front sight on the same spot on the blur each time." It works - as his perfect score proves!

That's what I do, but for some reason, those little 400s just throw me off a little. I guess it's the ghost grey you've made the targets. You mean real targets aren't neon orange for nice contrast? Still working on it, though. And working, and working. LOL. I'll get it.
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

Thomas Paine

Scout

Hello All!
We had a great Appleseed to start the year off. There were 23 shooters and nine instructors. Munroe Flippin, who had attended the Saturday portion of the last Appleseed, came on Sunday this time and scored Rifleman, but many shooters were only five or less points from making Rifleman, and scores were high overall.

This despite wind that ran up to 40 mile an hour gusts and stayed at around 20-25 most of the time. If you let go of a target on the way to stapling it up, that was the last you would see of it. Instead of rain, it was a constant mist of coarse red grit. Look at the pictures of the flag and you will see it can not get any straighter. Luckily it was from our 5:30 O'clock so the net effect was not much at 25 meters although it made a steady hold very difficuly, especially in the first stage standing. I am sure the Arizona shooters understand this effect. The wind pulled the target fence posts out of the ground and they had to be hammered back in on Saturday midday.

The shooters were a good bunch of men and women. Smart and strong and courteous, like all Appleseeders, they are the best folks in the world! They listened to the instruction and put it to use, and not a one left without a marked improvement in ther ability to fire the shot, and they all wanted to know when the next event would be held. (Despite the fact that I pulled a SoM and did not give them a single break in the instruction except a 30 minute lunch all day Saturday). I let them know Feb. 9-10 was comng and they all pledged to return
and bring a friend or co-workker.

The day ended very nicely for the worn out Appleseed attendees at around four thirty or so on Sunday, they had been running at breakneck speed for two days and were very happily worn out, but had smiles on their faces and with a strong dose of "The Story", and a renewed committement to working toward protecting their freedoms and supporting the Appleseed Program.

After they left, the instructors got down on the line for our own shoot. All the instructors shot the AQT until about 6:30, having to shoot the second AQT in reverse order since it was almost pitch dark by the final stage. Then we took down all the range equipment and cleaned up the site and said our goodbyes until Feb. I think the last car finally left about 8:45 PM or so.

I have some pictures coming, but my computer is really loading slow today, so give me a little while to get them uploaded.

Thanks to all who attended, and a huge thanks to the IITs who came and are continuing on their trip to Appleseed Instructors. They did an outstanding job on Saturday and Sunday "Hammering out Rifle on the anvil of the AQT"

"God watch over you and I will see you on the beach!"
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

Scout

Quote from: LabRat on January 07, 2008, 12:59:30 PM
QuoteYep, believe that shows we've probably already drained the pond in Texas, and time to move on, to a real state...

I knew you couldn't resist. ;D You've got that stick all nice and sharp, so you're thinking it would be a waste not to poke us with it!


I have to tell you, it was almost a lynch mob mentality toward Fred at the introduction portion until I explained his tactics. I think a lot of the people maybe came just because they thought Fred might be there and they could bum rush him and tar and feather him for his Texas-Bashing. So maybe your tactics are working Fred ;D, if not for the right reasons... ;) :D ;D ;D ;D ;D
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

LabRat

Tar and feathers a tad harsh.

Maybe we could just toss him in the stock tank a couple of times?
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.

Thomas Paine

Scout

Here are some pictures. If you look at the Colonial Flag you will see it flew at a flat straight pull all day both days. I expected it to tear apart, but that flag has had strength embedded in it for the last 200 plus years.

Harris County Deputy Mark A. who is an IIT brought two of his friends, two great guys and his friend Deputy F. demonstraited a new standing position. It is a strong position and also looks very intimidating ;D. Deputy F. did very well and will most certainly shoot Rifleman in Feb. They are both on the Harris County Special Response Team.

If you look closely at one of the pics, you will see a fellow shooting the AQT with his Martini Henry single shot .22. He was a little slow with it at first but was warming up and almost completeing every stage on time by the end of the day on Sunday.

We had four young minors attend and they all did well. The pace was a bit fast for a couple of them who had never handled a rifle before, but they hung in there. I ended up letting one of the youngest ones use a rest and to fire the COF in prone because he wqas just to small for all the rifle he had. Dean brought two LTRs and lent the kids the rifles and ammo to shoot.

The father had just brought one rifle, an AR and was going to share it among the three, but Dean saved the day and all three were able to fire the whole day side by side. He stayed with the young men and yelled at them all day in his inimitable Dean style. (He was not really yelling, it just sounds like that since he was wearing his hearing protection all day and was talking loiud enough to hear himself instruct them ;D)

Mr. Hunt was still using his "different" sling, and getting it to turn in some great strings in standing and sitting, but the prone was killing him with his sling. Plus we all had eye fatigue from 48 hours of high wind with sand in it.

There were a lot of new shooters this time and they were very excited about the shoot. I did "The Story" both days, but in Feb. I told the IITs we are going to split it up among them and they are going to tell it both days.

Dean brought some "mystery" soup, and made enough that he brought my wife a pot of it and we fed our whole family for two days with it. He has promised to bring another pot in Feb. there is a burn ban on, and the wind was too strong for a campfire, but we will have one in Feb. weather permitting.

The IITs are going to come early on Friday and we are going to have a "Ramseur" style shoot for the Friday people. Including team shooting.

I guess I will start looking for some pop up machines to put in with the KD range.
We invite anyone who would like to come early and shoot to come on friday morning and participate.

Maybe Fred will be able to demonstrate how he prods his team into first place every time with the bayonet on his M-14 ;) ;D
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

Groundhog

First few pic names (screen names only)

Scout
LabRat
Voortrekker
LabRat
Didactic
Don't know screen name for next fella, and we'll stop here.
Greg Miller

"You know what?...  Just shut up..."
Overheard at the Big Texan in Amarillo, became most used line at shoot...

Fred

#13
    Glad to see another great Appleseed! Especially since it was the first to kick off the Great Appleseed Year of '08! Four Thousand Appleseeders this year! But only if YOU come!

    Still and all, you folks reading this have to read between the lines, a little.

    These Texans LOVE it when Fred gets on their case. And they wail because they know the more they wail, the more attention they get from Fred. >:( ;D

     And so when the number at this Appleseed is reported as "23", we all know they're setting Fred up, as how can he resist saying:

     "23?

     "TWENTY-THREE?!?


     "That means ONE OUT OF A MILLION Texans MADE A MAJOR EFFORT AND GOT OUT OF BED (or some off the couch, where they no doubt permanently reside, night and day) and showed up to take part in and learn an American tradition.

      "Now, that's GREAT progress!

     "Texas-size progress!

     "Since 'most' of them are 'NEW', that means most of the prior attendees used up all their energy in order to come to one Appleseed, in the past - and once back on the couch, are breathing a sigh of relief - 'it's all past me now, ma, I've done my duty, and now I can relax' - as the little lady is vacuuming around the couch while waiting for the wash to dry..."

     See, guys, see how they know how to push Fred's buttons? And do?

     No wonder he complains "it's not fair!" - Not because he wants to sound like everyone else, but because he really believes it.  ;D

     I will try to make the Feb Davilla shoot, so maybe we can get a hundred there. Who's bringing the rope? ;D
"Ready to eat dirt and sweat bore solvent?" - Ask me how to become an RWVA volunteer!

      "...but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman alike..."   Paine

     "If you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War veteran" - Anon.

     "We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - Thomas Paine

     What about it, do-nothings? You heard the man, jump on in...

Scout

I loaded up 15 pictures last time but only one took I guess. I will try again.


I think they all had ropes Fred.... ;) :D ;D
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

Scout

One more time.... ;)
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

alonso1

Hello Y'all

The first AS of the year was a hoot.  I was glad to see some shooters returned from the November AS and it was nice meeting new folks as well.  Scout is right about the overall performance of the shooters, many were so close to getting Rifleman.

I worked the right side of the firing line both days; I remember seeing Munroe's Rifleman Target when he had completed the 3rd stage.  I thought to myself, "Somebody is getting a patch."  Sure enough, Munroe nailed the 4th stage and secured his Rifleman status.

Mr. Hunt seems to be well on his way to Rifleman status as does his friend who shot a 208(sorry, I'm bad with names).  Another person I had a chance to work with was a fellow names Ron.  The rear sight on his 10/22 was damaged, but despite that he had continued the AS with a great attitude.  Austin was fun to work with as well as everyone else I came in contact with.

I think what made this AS such a great experience was the fact that people were willing to learn and try what may be new shooting methods to them.  Like all schools, take what works and keep the rest in your toolbox.

This AS I brought along my brother "Fig" and Paul who is a friend of ours.  They had a good time.  Paul said this was about the 5th time ever shooting and the other times he shot were simply to zero a rifle for deer season.  On the drive home, Fig was already talking about going to a boot camp.

Now for the instructors.  If I'm not mistaking, Scout was the only full instructor there, the rest of us were IIT's.  I heard a lot of communication between the IIT's and the shooters.  During the November boot camp,  BIRDMAN said instructors may need to get right up on some shooters, lying next to them to ensure they are applying the 6 steps and check their position.  I saw plenty of that happening.  One of my fellow IIT's stands out and I must say he really impressed me, that was Dennis.

Dennis was very involved; he instructed several portions of the class, he spoke clearly, correctly and with confidence.  Even his AS manual put my "cut and paste" AS manual to shame.  WELL DONE DENNIS!

What more can be said about Scout.  Think about it, he makes a national invitation to anyone who wants to learn how to shoot.  All these people are coming to his land with guns and plenty of ammo, and he treats everyone like family.  God bless you Scout and thanks again.

See y'all in February.

Fred


    Good report!

    Ditto, re Scout - he's one Texan that is without peer!!!

     (One out of 23 million! ::))
"Ready to eat dirt and sweat bore solvent?" - Ask me how to become an RWVA volunteer!

      "...but he that stands it now, deserves the thanks of man and woman alike..."   Paine

     "If you can read this without a silly British accent, thank a Revolutionary War veteran" - Anon.

     "We have it in our power to begin the world over again" - Thomas Paine

     What about it, do-nothings? You heard the man, jump on in...

Groundhog

Cold, Windy, Fun, and Instructional.

That sums up this Appleseed in few words.  Fireteam Groundhog was at 50% manning for this mission.  For some strange reason, the youngest daughter decided that camping out in January was crazy.  I think she may have had a point there.  ;D  The eldest daughter wanted to come but had caught the crud and was just not up to it.  So, it was just the wife and I.  This did have the unintended effect of making our tent a luxurious mansion instead of a cramped sleeping quarters.  I want an RV though.  ;)  At any rate, Sniper team Groundhog arrived at the unholy hour of somewhere around 1AM Friday morning after trying to no avail to get gone from our house at a reasonable hour and fighting Austin construction traffic.  I have a new route now though so that won't happen again.  The temperature was probably a few degrees below freezing upon our arrival.  We pitched modest camp and were in the sack by 2:30.  At approximately the crack of dawn, I found my back getting cold and realized that our giant queen sized air mattress had partly deflated.  After spending an hour trying to make sure my petite wife did not go into hypothermia, I did not relish the idea of having to get up but I did.  Now, you have to picture this.  I'm obviously the heavyweight of us.  My torso is the heaviest part of me, so all the weight is concentrated on one corner of this mattress.  My feet are going up at a 45 degree angle and the wife is squished next to me at other various odd angles.  It was something like climbing out of a pit with a straight jacket on.  While doing so I proceeded to knock my glasses to the tent floor, and then put my knee on them.  This bent the frame and popped out a lens.  So now we're both out of bed, cold, cranky and trying to fill this air mattress up.  Do you know what happens to normally pliable plastic when subjected to below freezing temperatures?  It gets very stiff and not so flexible, that's what!  Just as the stinkin' thing filled it blew up!  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I just shut up, put the wife in both sleeping bags, and got dressed and watched the sun rise.  I'd prefer not to do that on 3 hours sleep but it was beautiful and Scouts land is awesome.
     After that inglorious start, Friday morning got slowly started.  One of the other instructors arrived and then after the previous evening's fiasco's, we all decided to go to town for breakfast and resupply.  Temple has a bunch of nice stores and we got two cots that had no inflatable parts as well as a warmer sleeping bag for my frozen better half.  By the time we arrived back at camp, several other instructors had arrived and everything was already set to go for the 'seed in the morning.  Didactic showed up as promised with his "Watcha got" minestrone soup.  A progressive chow line developed that went on into the evening.  I pestered Scout for some hunting time and got a spot off in a field waiting for hogs.  They were on to me though and didn't show.  This theme followed me for the next couple of hunts also, with the exception of one deer that showed me it's butt end as it trotted away after sun set.  Back at camp, we got a prep briefing and then it was into the tent for some group study/prep time on commands and curriculum.  The missus and I slept very well that night. :)
     Saturday morning started early for me with some nature watching.  You could certainly not call it hunting.  :D  Once back at camp, both students and instructors were still arriving.  LabRat gave a pretty good synopsis of how things basically went.  I either taught concepts and courses of fire, or watched my part of the line.  I had three impressive students who all improved mightily throughout the seed.  By the second day, two were "knocking on the door".  208 is not a shabby score for only two days of shooting!  Instructing does teach you as you teach others and I was picking up just as many pointers as I was giving.  Scout does a pretty mean history lesson too.  That must be mentioned!  When the instruction for the day was done, off I headed to do more "nature watching"...  Cows and grass, that's all I can say...  ::) ;D
     Sunday morning got off to a faster pace.  The line ran smoother, the shooters were sharper, and the wind was even stronger if you can believe that.  I can't wait for March.  Both days at least had much nicer temps than the evening I arrived.  More concepts were taught and AQT practice sessions were run repeatedly.  We still were not able to cram everything in the syllabus into the two days but what couldn't be officially presented was given in one on one tips via the 3 to 1 student to instructor ratio during line time.  It's much nicer trying to help 3 people than 10!  Over all I'd say this 'seed was a well attended success and I look forward to February's.  That'll be 'seed number 3 for me!  At the end of the day on Sunday we welcomed one more individual among us "who knows what he's about."  We know a few more will most certainly by the next one.  After we said our good bye's, the instructors gathered to see how sharp we still were.  I didn't score Rifleman.  With a high of 199 I felt I could easily have with a few more practice runs, but the idea was to practice at home so you could come and just DO it.  Many of us noticed that our sharpness was a bit dull.  As any knife will dull without regular sharpening, so will your Rifleman skill.  This has now been brought home to me in a very real way.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend and the junior members of Fireteam Groundhog flat missed out!
Greg Miller

"You know what?...  Just shut up..."
Overheard at the Big Texan in Amarillo, became most used line at shoot...

DragonWood

Hi everyone!
I am sorry that I was not able to attend the Appleseed. I knew Scout was in good hands will all the IIT's! ;D
Glad to hear that you guys listened to JB and got down next to some shooters to help them along. I recall at BC that after I while I just had to walk up next to a shooter and voila, their finger would curl and no more dragging wood! Instruction does make you a better shooter, but we probably forgot to mention that once you become an instructor, you never get to shoot again! :o
I am hoping to make it back to another Davilla Appleseed. I have one in Feb, March and April. Not sure when I will actually get to see my house for more than a day or two!
Sounds like the Appleseed was a great success. Keep up the great work!
DW
Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages. (George Washington)

Scout

We missed you and JB DW. Yes we had a great Appleseed, but we would sure have liked it if you guys would have been there. I know you both are stretched thin. I had to sign on to the Wyoming Appleseed to get a chance of meeting up with JB again ;D.

I guess I will have to do the same thing with you now. I am sure this was part of Fred's plan. Get the instructors to become friends and then get them working so much that the only way they would be able to see one another would be to sign on to an Appleseed that the other one was working ;).

Well, I pledged to do ten more here this year, so I guess you might have another chance to meet up here. Maybe you can make it for the Nov. RBC.

BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

didactic

 ;)
Hey, all, gimmie a break on the AAR deadline!  I got home at 8:30 last night, and had to be at the day-job desk at 7 am today.  (I know, I can sleep when I'm an old man.  But I am almost an old man already!)

One minor correction - those were Dennis/3HOLEPETE's extra LTR's, and they sure improved the day for Joe and Jacob.

And, well, my rash predictions for the weather ALMOST came true.  It was dry and moderately warm, although the wind was stronger than forecast and made the first couple of hours each morning more than a bit "bracing."

Soup and biscuits and cornbread were well received, so I'll do the same thing next month.  FREE CHOW FRIDAY EVENING AT DAVILLA IN FEBRUARY!  And if there's any left over, it'll be available for lunch Saturday.  BTW, there is a recipe, PM me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.  It's just that I never follow it exactly myself.
"If not us, who?  If not now, when?"  Ronald W. Reagan

didactic

 :-[
Post script:  I think we had 17 shooters on the line Saturday, and 12 on Sunday.  Scout might need to correct that, but it's close.  And besides Scout, redhat Doug T., from Victoria (TEXAS!!), was there.  Plus seven IiT's, it was almost a November bootcamp reunion.
"If not us, who?  If not now, when?"  Ronald W. Reagan

Grin Reaper

Sounds like I missed a Good Thing, darn it.

QuoteThe wind pulled the target fence posts out of the ground and they had to be hammered back in on Saturday midday.
:o

QuoteI recall at BC that after I while I just had to walk up next to a shooter and voila, their finger would curl and no more dragging wood!
Fred has the ability to cast his shadow in any direction he likes, and has found that when he casts said shadow over a wood-dragger, the shooter's technique magically improves!

So, I take it there were no takers for the Texas Challenge?  [That's okay, Texans, I can't get any takers in GA, either.]
"There's gotta be a few umlauts laying around somewhere." JB

monroef

Hello,

I was able to make it down to Scout's place on Sunday with my brother for the second half of this Appleseed.  It was quite an experience.  Shooting the standing stage in that wind was definitely and eye opener.  Here are some things that I learned:

1.  There is no substitute for live instruction.  Having those instructors standing over you pointing out things to work on helped me tremendously.

2.  Don't drag wood.

3.  Follow through.  This is a big one for me.  Almost all of my AQT shooting has been with a Tech-Sighted 10/22.  I had been popping my finger off the trigger as soon as the shot broke and not even realizing it. (See #1.)  Fast forward to the Appleseed and I was shooting my new (1942 vintage) CMP Garand.  While not an issue with the .22, when I let off the Garand trigger too fast I would inadvertently pull the trigger again as it came down out of recoil.  Not good for scores or my state of mind.  I plan to work on this with plenty of dry fire practice with the Garand.

4.  I have developed a flinch with the Garand even after the relatively few rounds I have fired through it.  I think this is partly due to the problem described above and partly because of inexperience with big bore gas guns.  I never thought I would say this because I have wanted a Garand for so long, but I was actually glad to see that sucker go back in the case.  It ate my lunch all day long.  I plan to work on this with lots of dry fire practice and ball and dummy drill at the range.  My friendship with ol' John C. Garand is just beginning, we just kinda got off on the wrong foot.

5.  Ear muffs over plugs help A LOT.  I had read this on the forum before but of course I had to learn the hard way.  One stage between a Garand and an M1A was all it took.

This list could go on and on.  I would like to thank all of the instructors for their patient tutelage and for giving their time to help people improve their marksmanship skills.

Finally, a big thanks to Scout for the use of his place and his extreme dedication to the Appleseed program.  Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

I look forward to seeing everyone again in February for the next Davilla shoot.  I hope to bring a few more with me then.

Monroe


Scout

Thank you Munroe.

Thanks for coming back and bringing some one back with you.

Thanks for working and fighting through #1, 2,3 ,4 and 5.

You forgot to tell folks that you persevered and made Rifleman. ;) 

So thanks to you, and we will see you in Feb. with either another family member or another friend. ;) :D ;D  right?
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

53vortec

Had a great time and want to say "thanks" to everyone out there!

It was amazing how much I learned in just two short (but intense!) days. Thanks to all the *extremely helpful* instructors and Scout for all the time and resources he dedicated to hosting this event.

See y'all out there next time!

-53vortec

didactic

Captions for the first set of pictures, I THINK I have these all right.

#'s 1 and 10 are Scout, probably the most ambitious host in the system.

2 and 4 are Lab Rat.

3 is Voortrekker.

5 is yours truly, I'm without hearing protection so I must have been acting as training dummy and demo-ing sitting position.

6,7,8,9,11,12 are 3HOLEPETE and Joe, 13 y/o first-time Appleseeder.

13,14,15 are (I'm pretty sure of this) Mike, experienced shooter but first-time Appleseeder, father of Joe and Jacob, another first-timer but not in this picture set.
"If not us, who?  If not now, when?"  Ronald W. Reagan

Scout

Quote from: didactic on January 07, 2008, 11:15:20 PM
:-[
Post script:  I think we had 17 shooters on the line Saturday, and 12 on Sunday.  Scout might need to correct that, but it's close.  And besides Scout, redhat Doug T., from Victoria (TEXAS!!), was there.  Plus seven IiT's, it was almost a November bootcamp reunion.

Yes, we lost several of the Saturday shooters as one day shooters, but gained five more on Sunday, some of the two day shooters had to leave early on Sunday, but we had a total of 23 shooters.

Dean did a great job on Sunday callling the line. Thanks!
BattleRoadUSA.com

"Who wants Ice Cream?" Fred

Sixty seconds is way too long for a minute, I am cutting it down to thirty seven seconds- SoM

"You can shout it, you can preach it, but no matter how many times you repeat it, NEVER believe your own bullSh*t." (as told to me by Grin Reaper)

Sir Not Appearing In This Film

#29
Great AAR's everyone! Not much I can add, other than saying it was windy ;D. It was great seeing most of the Boot Camp crew return to the line again. Thanks again to Scout for making it happen!

Sleepy Joe has some photos. I'll be getting with him to show him how to post them.

Looking forward to February!
Ladyseed Man Slave

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." - Theodore Roosevelt

Attitudes are contagious. I hope mine is worth catching.