New Florida Appleseeder

[ranger1968]

 Hey guys, I just wanted to stop in and say hi, and post a review of the Appleseed event that was held in Myakka at the Manatee Gun and Archery
Club This past weekend. Much thanks to our Instructors- Range Boss P. Henry, IIT's Sly.223, Heimdhal, and Ed, you guys made it a pleasure, and you guys are fine true patriots and fine Americans.

 have been wanting to go to go to an Appleseed event ever since I heard of them about two years ago, but I could not find one that was here in my half of Florida, or during a time when I could get off work....

 Last October, when I  was at a regional Shoot and BBQ for another gun board that I am on, I met two of our members here, Project  Appleseed and Heimdhal, both of whom are Appleseed instructors...I saw the way they worked with my 12 year old son Liam that day, with patience and dedication, and I was thoroughly impressed. After I spoke with them, I was more determined than ever to go to an Appleseed, and to to take Liam with me....more for him than for me, but make no mistake, I really wanted to go to one. I am mostly a handgun shooter, with alot of shotgun and a bit of rifle work thrown in; mostly, my rifle shooting is done from a rest, with a sandbag, or a bipod, or an optic, as with my PSL, or at the shorter ranges with irons, at chest sized steel targets or large hogs. The idea of going to a bare bones marksmanship clinic, with all the widgets stripped way and the fundamentals of marksmanship being stressed was appealing to me.  

 About two weeks ago, Heimdhal contacted me to let me know that this weekend (Jan 22 and 23) they would be doing a two day Appleseed event in Myakka, at the Manatee Gun and Archery Club, in the Bradenton area.As luck would have it, I was able to take the time off, and I told Liam about it...I also told my wife, Tracy, thinking she would have no interest...and when she learned that we would be camping out, she lost interest. But I knew that look, and I knew she was thinking about it, and I really wanted her to go sooooo....

I bit the bullet and said OK, no camping, we'll get a hotel...and that was it, she took the bait, and the next thing I knew she found an Econo Lodge that was giving a rate  for the Appleseed event of $40, and that there was a Cracker Barrel and an Outback right near the hotel, and we were booked for Friday night so we could get a good start Saturday, and lets pack the big cooler, and did we need to buy ammo?  

 These factors indicated to me that she really wanted to go, which made me very happy, as this would be a family trip.

 So, with all things lined up, we loaded the Bronco, and hit the Interstate for the 2 1/2 hour trip North. The hotel was older but nice (WAY nicer than I was expecting , especially for $40,) and the people that ran it were great. We checked in and hit the sack, with a 0600 wake up.

 The next morning, bright and early, we headed out and made the 20 mile drive to the range, which was 20 miles due East of our hotel, and in the middle of nowhere , which is my favorite kind of range...  The facility was very nice, with a number of different ranges, catering to every type of shooter from bench resters to cowboy action types. They had the Appleseed folks all the way in the back, in a very private 100 yard range that the sign proclaimed was "Area 51"

 We checked in with P.Henry, the Range Boss and Appleseed Regional Coordinator, and received a warm welcome. Soon the other students arrived, and we we started right on time. The day began with a history lesson about April 19, 1775, with the true story of Paul Reveres' Ride, and the Battles of Lexington and Concorde, where the colonists, primarily farmers and shopkeepers, used their superior marksmanship skills to send the better trained, better equipped British Regular Army troops running. We learned not just of Paul Revere, but of a number of other bit players in the event whose stories have largely been lost in time, but whose courage and fortitude are immortal, as they fought for their liberty and their lives.

 It was a good start to the day, and a reminder to us of the sacrifices made by these patriots so long ago to ensure the liberty we enjoy today...including the freedom to continue to bear arms, as we were doing this day. Throughout both days, true stories of the American Revolution were told, with great and personal detail that made the stories much more poignant....

 Soon it was time to shoot, and shoot we did. For the next two days, we shot with very little down time, stopping only to load and change targets. We took very short lunches, right there at the firing line, and during lunch we discussed marksmanship and history.....And then it was back to the shooting mats.

 We fired from a standing position, various sitting positions, and the prone position, using only our bodies and our slings to stabilize ourselves- no benches, bipods, or sandbags. out of the 9 of us shooting,everyone was shooting a.22. The most popular rifle there was the Ruger 10/22, with one or two exceptions...there two scopes, but every one else was shooting irons, with a mix of Tech Sights and open sights.  The shooters themselves were a mix; our family of three, another couple with their young son, two young men in their 20's and an retired gentlemen....a nice mix, and a cross section of our population.

 We shot about 500 rounds each (the three of us-Liam, Tracy, and myself, used 3 bricks of .22-more than 1500 rounds) mostly at Army Qualification Targets or AQT's, all of us showing improvement as the days went on, some of us rediscovering some basics that had been lost over the years by the use of gagetry and lack of practice, others discovering their talents for the first time, all of us having a good time . Tracy started with one of my 10/22's with open sights, and then switched to a loner rifle with tech Sights, which made a huge difference. Liam was shooting his M-1 Carbine 10/22 with Tech Sights, and I was shooting a T-6 stocked 10/22 with Tech Sights. We all improved as the days went on, Tracy more than any of us, qualifying as a Marksman; moreover, she had a blast, and wanted to know when we could come back and do another Appleseed....And would it be possible for me  to find a 10-22 for her?

 Of the 9 of us there, two of the shooters earned the coveted Rifleman Patch, scoring over 210 on the AQT course. The rest vowed to come back, and do even better next time; The newly patched Riflemen discovered that the patch was merely a start, and came to realize that if they were committed , a level of self satisfaction and preparedness  like few others awaited them.

 I do a lot of teaching, and most of it is firearms related. As a result, on the occasions that I get to be a student instead of an instructor,  I am a pretty tough judge of classes that I attend.

  All in all, I would give the program a 10 out of 10; our instructors- P.Henry, Sly.223 , Heimdhal, and Ed- were excellent. They kept things on track, and moving, and they were endlessly patient and helpful. The instructors are 100 % volunteers, who receive no pay, and cover their own expenses to attend the events and pass our heritage on to others. They are an excellent examples of what can be done through persistence and belief, and it was my honor to meet them and learn from them. It was great to be a student, and I learned a lot.

 Thanks guys, from all of us.

  For anyone reading this who has not yet attended, if you have been thinking of attending an Appleseed, DO IT.

  It is more than worth your time and the nominal fee  for this level of instruction, you will be glad you made it, and you will be back for more.   I hope this is of help to those of you who, like me, thought about it but haven't done it yet.....DO IT.

 We'll be back; Tracy is intent on getting her rifleman patch, and Liam is looking forward to improving his shooting and earning his patch as well, and I can't wait to improve my own skills further in this purest form of rifle marksmanship.

 PS- on our way home, we stopped at a Wal-Mart, and I bought Tracy her very own 10-22. Now to get those Tech Sights and  go to Fred's store for a couple of slings.......



 

[JustJeff]

 
It's amazing when the "Appleseed Spirit" hits, isn't it?

[ranger1968]

 You got THAT right, brother....

[PHenry]

Ranger,
U did a better AAR here than I did in AAR section! 

I will link this post, so others can see.
Thanks,
PH

[Sly223]

It was an honor working with everyone.
I would have never guessed Lee had not been born with a rifle in his hand.He took instruction exceptionally well, and seemed to apply it even better and he had a natural form in all the positions. I told him Sat. afternoon that the only thing holding him back and before I could say it, he pointed at his head. I quickly realized this guy is taking instruction very well, stood back and watched an amazing morph, into a true "RIFLEMAN".
We obviously had another Rifleman and it was also great to have a LEO present. Somehow it has been difficult at best to get Law enforcment involved for various reasons.
Olympic Arms is going to owe me some commision, Thats the fourth one Ive sold.

[PHenry]

Check out his sitting position!

[JustJeff]

Check out his sitting position!

Oh, to be so flexible again.......   

[PHenry]

When I began Appleseeding - I could still see well close up and I could near get my elbows on ground in sitting. Now I can't see well close or far and can't git elbows near as low on knees!

[ranger1968]

Somehow it has been difficult at best to get Law enforcement involved for various reasons.

  I was at work last night, and I was talking about the weekend shoot with a bunch of guys...I was telling them that it's a great program, and that it takes you back to fundamental marksmanship skills, and away from the gadgets that so many of us (me included  ) have come to rely on.  They seemed very interested, and I think we will be seeing some of them at an event soon... a couple of the guys were apprehensive about their wives coming, and said  that while their wives  would  would want to attend , but may be intimidated, as they are not shooters. I explained that that they would be fine, that the non-shooter is EXACTLY the sort of person that the program is aimed at, and that the instructors are endlessly patient.

  I'll be beating the Appleseed drum, I think it's a great program, and that a lot of folks who would truly benefit from it are missing out because they simply don't know about it....I'll see about doing my part here to change that.

[PHenry]

 

[Heimdhal]

Glad we got you to come out Ranger.  I was thrilled to see you get that riflemans patch, now we need to get you into that sitting position Lee does.   

[nukeofhazard]

It was an honor and a privilege to work with such an excellent group of shooters.  Ranger, congratulations again on your patch.  You and Tracy are raising a fine young man in Liam. He showed grit this weekend that will serve him well.

- Ed

[caseyblane]

Welcome, Ranger and family!

PM me a mailing address and I'll send you some Appleseed business cards and flyers to get you started spreading the word.

Follow the link in my signature to get signed up for the FL newsletter.
Casey

[9mm4545]

Welcome Ranger--and your family too!
I am so glad that you had a good time. The kind words and improvements are the pay that Appleseed instructors live on. Thanks! I look forward to seeing you at another event soon.