AAR Ramseur,NC 9/4-9/6/10 AS

[7.62BBQ]

This was an Appleseed in the heart of Carolina on a beautiful Labor Day weekend. We had 13 shooters on Saturday, 9 on Sunday and 11 on Monday. After the welcome speech and safety briefing we had the shooters bring their rifles down to the firing line. The first half of the day was dedicated to one Redcoat target and 5 sighter squares. We covered the web sling, prone position, 6 steps to firing the shot, natural point of aim, inches-minutes-clicks, Rifleman's cadence, and ball and dummy drill. We took the lunch break and Lawrence gave the first 2 strikes of the match(the 4/19/1775 history). Robert told the 3rd strike and the fire was lit!

  During the second half of the afternoon we demonstrated the standing and sitting positions with transitions from standing to sitting/prone. Only one AQT was fired and then the last Redcoat target. I gave a heart felt benediction asking everyone to bring someone out to the range and reminded them of what our ancestors gave us on that day 235 years ago.

  Hawkeye ran his M1 class in the clubhouse on Sunday giving a cleaning and basic care lesson. At noon we started shooting on the 25 yard range with a couple of shooters going to the 500 yard range. We ran multiple AQT's with scores improving all day but no Rifleman patches earned. The shooters were told to persevere and come back on Labor Day to continue the quest for that PATCH. More Advil and H2O....

  The 11 shooters that showed up for the third day were starting to show some fatigue but they had the 'eye of the tiger'(if you know what I mean).Robert held a 10/22 break down class before we got the AS going as many shooters had started to have FTF's and general malfunctions. Most of the shooters stayed on the 25yard  range shooting AQT's. And then it happened, the first Rifleman score of the weekend. This young woman had never fired a rifle before this weekend but she landed a score of 215! Just goes to show you what an open mind and teachable attitude can accomplish. This is why I instruct with Appleseed. Seeing that smile, the sense of accomplishment. I know she'll be teaching others the skills of the Rifleman. Pass the tradition on! Mac got his patch on the next AQT with Gavin and Mrs. Hawkeye getting theirs next. Ola shot well all weekend and I know she'll be dry firing and hittin the range soon. Keep at it, don't quit, get the patch and then grab that Orange Hat.

  I'd like to thank Fred,Wildman,Hawkeye, Law Man, len1459, Lawrence, The Kid, SgtMace, Bonden, sear and our brand new Orange Hat Toshbar.

[hawkeye]

My wife made Rifleman after two Appleseeds and some instruction at home. I was on the upper range and I heard some hooting and hollering on the 25 yard range ,then I saw Kevin running up the hill. I thought something bad happened but he said Mrs hawkeye shot rifleman! Made my day, which was already an excellent day. My son law man then shot rifleman with a 1917 bolt gun which takes some work loading and working the bolt. We had I believe four others shoot a rifleman score too. The weather was perfect all three days with a perfect Carolina blue sky. The wildlife at the home range has a lot of confidante in our shooting as the deer grazed on the part of the range we weren't using and the ground hog stood on the berm and watched us forge new rifleman. A great weekend and a great program! Thank you too all the folks that came out to share their time with us.

[Mac]

Woke up this morning with raw elbows but it was well worth it. After having to leave our first Appleseed early the wife and I decided to come back. We took off work and headed down to Ramseur to camp for the weekend.  It was nice to have some instructors remember us from the first time.  We received top notch instruction and got a chance to fire our new 10/22, which I failed to clean after I bought it (lesson learned).  After a good scrub I shot better and got my patch. Luckily this was a three day shoot because I got my high score on day three. Ola went from a score of 117 to 190, which I think is pretty good. All in all a memorable experience and definitely not our last Appleseed. Hopefully next time we'll bring some folks with us.

We would like to thank everyone there. Very patient, pleasant, and knowledgable.

Our main objective was to improve our marksmanship and galvanize our commitment to liberty by hearing the stories of those who sacrificed everything for those fleeting liberties. Both objectives were achieved and more.

-Mac

[gray]

I just wanted to thank all the folks involved in making this happen.  This was my first Appleseed, and I have to say that the entire experience was fantastic.  The instruction (shooting and history) was top notch, well presented, and very informative, but the quality of the people involved is what impressed me the most.  To a man they were some of the most friendly, helpful, genuine people I have ever met.  You could tell from the start that they all believed in what they were doing there, and it made the experience that much better.  Thank you again.

Overall I think the weekend went well.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, and scores continued to improve across the board.  I had a rifle that was failing to eject on a regular basis, but got it straightened out when one of the instructors volunteered to come in an hour early on the last day to show me how to give it a good cleaning.  Like I said before, this program is filled with quality people.  Anyway, thanks to his help my rifle functioned near flawlessly the last day, and I was one of the four who managed to get the rifleman badge.  Going in I thought I had a good chance at making rifleman, but after the first few targets on day one I wasn't quite so confident.  The instructors never doubted however, and with their encouragement and instruction I managed to persevere.

The icing on the cake was being able to head up to the 'big' range and get some trigger time on my ar.  The skills transferred easily and I was able to consistently make hits on a target at 200 yards.  We decided to try some 500 yard shots, and I figured why not.  I shot 10 times and managed to get 5 hits on the paper with 2 or 3 in the black.  That pretty much sold me.  I thought about it when I got home, and I'm still not sure I was supposed to be able to do that with an ar 15 using only iron sights.  It's only 223, has a short sight radius, and only has a 16" barrel.  Good thing I wasn't thinking about all that when I was making those shots.

Anyway, I will be back.  I have quite a few friends interested already, and my 9 year old daughter is raring to go.

Thanks again everybody.

Gavin

[Old Triumph]

This was our first Appleseed and we really enjoyed it. You could not have
ordered better weather! We would like to thank "Fred" for his foresight and
commitment. The instructors are certainly to be commended for their efforts
and dedication.

Heather had no rifle experience when we arrived and a new rifle as well, yet left
with her Rifleman patch. This would not have happened without the guidance and
persistence of the instructors. In addition a special thanks to Robert for the loan
of his rifle.

Thanks!
Bill

[BeaucoupBob]

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The instructors were very patient and extremely helpful. What a great bunch of folks! After fighting through some crazy ancient ammo, my AR settled down and started to punch round holes . Unfortunately, I was too tired to focus on Monday, so I'll just have to come back and get my patch in October  (I can dream, right?). What a fantastic program, I can't wait to return. Congrats to all the new "riflemen"! 

[sgtmace]

America is a better place now that there is a few more Rifleman. We all know it's not good to have too many cooks in the kitchen. Likewise for the instructor corp- we had a great time. It fills our hearts with pride at our fellow Americans when they come and not just receive the patch, but embrace the heritage of our great nation. Absolute great job folks! Thank you for the privilege to meet you and I hope to see you all again soon.

[mmcginnis]

Thanks for taking the time to put these shoots together!

Anthony, Emerson, and I had a great time and much was learned by all. I wish we could've stayed for the whole weekend. But I'm hopefully bringing the rest of the family in November to the Gaston, SC shoot.

'Till then...

Mike

[Toshbar]

Ahhhh.....

Awesome weekend!  I picked up an orange hat on Saturday afternoon and began a new journey.  I learned a bunch more instructing and helping on the line.  I also got to shoot my Garand out to 500 yards for the first time. I put 40 rounds through my M44 Mosin at 200 yards and my shoulder thanked me for the rest of the week.

[Old Triumph]

Hello! Everyone.

I would like to thank all the volunteers that helped me and the other shooters for a great weekend.
This was my first time ever I had shot a rifle and I think with the help of others I made "Rifleman".
I started with a 125 on sunday am and ended up with a 215 at noon on monday. Thank god for the instructors Esp.
Kevin who told me to shoot the AQT instead of a red coat even though I just adjusted the sights that am.

I'm glad that we had three more people shoot "Rifleman" that afternoon.

I truely liked the history lessons given that weekend and I'm to share it with others back home.
Agian I'd like to thank Robert for lending his rifle to me for sun. and mon.

Stay safe and shoot well..   Heather