AAR: Oxford, Kansas April 30th-May 1st

[gpbbiker]

The Oxford Kansas Appleseed got off to a Glorious Spring day in Kansas!  We had 13 shooters on the line 8 of them being under 20. Let me tell you, these kids did great! They listened, they followed instruction, and they followed through posting some Impressive scores.  The day started out cool and breezy, which is ok because I'll take 15-20 mph Breezy over the WINDY; 20-30mph sustained with 50+mph gusts that has been the hallmark of this spring in Kansas. It warmed up by mid afternoon and more than just a few of the shooters discovered that Sun Screen really might be useful.
Sunday; Started out cool; almost 40 degrees off the high of Saturday.  Cloud cover had thickened and Rain was threatened in the forecast. This is OK because most of the State is in Drought. We had 12 shooters return to the line and we worked our way through the Redcoat, and some sighter squares and we began to hammer it out on AQTS. It stayed cool and about 1:00 the rain hit. We had been hoping and praying for rain and we got it. But sad to say only .001% of the state, the range we were on got it!  It rain steadily for about an hour and a half and our shooters never slowed, never whimpered and Jad made rifleman in the rain. As the tarps on the ground began to fill with water, these troopers simply pulled the tarps back and shot on the wet grass and mud. But, a cold wet rain, slight cool breezes and air temps in the 50's make for dangerous conditions and when Hypothermia began to raise its ugly head, we slowed things down to get people warm and called it a day by mid afternoon, on Sunday.
Pairs of Father and son on the Line on Sunday:  5
You bet we pointed that out reviewing the fathers and sons of Lexington Green on Sunday!
Everyone had a good time and some discovered that they could do things they never thought they could and that is a good thing!

A lack of cameras and the affects of the rain slowed picture taking but if you have them, Post! Them.

[The ][rishman]

HA!  There was freezing rain comming down for a bit there.

Here is a Pic of Jad getting his patch.

Great Job Guys.  I hope to be able to post the article that was written by the VP of the Kansas State Rifle Association.    This is a great write up of a guy who has "been there, done that" and still found AS challenging to say the least.

][

[4bfox]

Looks like a fine shoot....great job! 

[The ][rishman]

Here is a link to the AAR of one of the students at Oxford, Kansas April 30th.

http://ksccw.com/showthread.php?t=27461

I think you can see this without a user account.

][

[ksuguy]

Wish I could have been out there.  Had to spend most of the weekend removing stumps and clearing brush instead.

[The ][rishman]

Okay I have been given permission to post this article by the author.  Terry is the VP of the Kansas State Rifle Association.




Terry L. McClure 
Member   Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: SE Kansas
Posts: 39 

AAR: 04/30 to 05/01 2011 Oxford Appleseed.

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A review of the Appleseed project.
Appleseed: I had read about Appleseed on the pages of Fred's M14 stocks, which are in every issue of the Shotgun News. I was intrigued by the concept of Appleseed, as described in these advertisements. For the past several years, every time that an Appleseed was scheduled near me, I was scheduled to teach a two day firearms class. I was interested in hearing about April 19th, 1775 and the events that took place on that day. I felt that this historic date was important and hoped to hear more than I had heard while in school. Below is my review of this event.
On Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st, 2011, I attended an Appleseed shoot on "the island", near Oxford, Kansas. I was truly looking forward to this, as I was also bringing my soon to be 17 year old son with me, who is planning on being a Navy S.E.A.L. Also in attendance, were approximately 6 adults, and approximately 10 children, ages estimated from 10 to 16. The weather on Saturday was warm, sunny, and as typical with Kansas, Windy! On Sunday, the day was overcast, cool and windy. It began raining at noon, which continued until the event ended at around 2:45pm, due to valid concerns about hypothermia.

A few things about myself:
In regard to my skills with a rifle, I had been taught how to shoot the rifle by the NRA, through their Law Enforcement Activities Division, as well as at Gunsite, when I attended there. I have been a Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor for 24 years. During that time, I had also put myself in position behind a Sniper rifle for a period of eight ( years, firing from distances out to 600 yards and sometimes at a greater distance, on a monthly basis, in all weather conditions, with each shot being logged. I had shot prairie dogs several times, with the greatest distance in which I had hit one of these small rodents being 775 yards. With semi-automatic rifles, I had logged in excess of 20,000 rounds through various AR-15s, M16s, M14s and Springfield M1A rifles. In essence, I believed that my rifle skills were pretty good. None the less, it was my goal to learn something from this event.

Equipment used:
To shoot this event, I used a Standard Ruger 10-22, in .22 Long Rifle, with aperture sights (Tech-sites) and 1 ¼ sling swivels that I had installed on the rifle earlier in the week. I also used a web M1 Garand sling and two standard 10 round 10-22 magazines. From a personal standpoint, after so many years behind the rifle fitted with a telescopic sight, I find iron sights not only more challenging, but sturdier, as there are no batteries to run out, get out of adjustment or glass to break! For Ammunition, I used Federal "Auto-match", which comes in a 325 round bulk pack, costing about $17.00 per box, at the local Wal-mart. This ammunition has proven, at least for me, to be accurate and reliable in the above rifle. As I do not currently own a shooting jacket, I wore a long sleeve sweatshirt both days.

Safety:
I can relate, in no uncertain terms, that the Appleseed event was very safe. Instructors provided an effective briefing on safety. The students were required to repeat back these safety rules several throughout the event. At the conclusion of each string of fire, the instructors physically checked each rifle to ensure that the shooter had left their rifle as follows: Magazine removed, bolt locked to the rear, safety on, chamber flag in the chamber, and the muzzle was pointed safely down range. Only after each and every rifle had been so inspected, were the shooters permitted to cross the firing to inspect their targets. It should be noted that the ONLY time that a participant can make a correction on their sights or other equipment is during the preparation period shooters are given before the beginning of the course of fire. This ensures that NO ONE is touching a rifle unless all spectators are behind the line of fire and that all shooters are actually ON the line.

The Instructors:
I found the instructors to be professional and highly competent. They know what they are about and they know their topics of instruction. They were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and patient. You will find that the instructors are taking an active role into assisting the students learn the rifle. In the event that they believe that a different rifle or different set equipment set up, (such as a sling) would benefit the shooter, they do their best to loan these items to the student so that their skills can begin to grow.


The Instruction:
The instruction given at an Appleseed is on the basic fundamentals of traditional rifle marksmanship.
The focus and proper utilization of these highly effective fundamentals enable one shooter, with one rifle (any rifle of serious caliber), surplus ammunition and a sling to make shots out to "the rifleman's quarter mile", which is approximately 500 yards. This is how our forefather's learned to shoot. As an example, our military, around the time of WWI, spent weeks at the rifle range, learning these basic fundamentals. Ever wonder why and how your grandfather could shoot so well?

I can attest, after personally attending numerous high speed/low drag schools of instruction, prior to attending Appleseed, that these skills are NOT contained in the curriculum of the vast majority of firearms training schools today. These schools teach the sling as a way to carry the rifle, not as a way to SHOOT the rifle. You see, due to changes in military training over the past 20 years, as well as more usage of the rifle in law enforcement, many schools teach the rifle as some form of "long range handgun", with little emphasis being placed on precision marksmanship, as precision marksmanship has been delegated as a role of the Sniper. However, when we speak of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, where the typical engagement STARTS at 500 yards, and our soldiers have not been taught how to be effective within the "rifleman's quarter mile", I believe the term "Houston, we have a problem", has some meaning,
Appleseed is the ONLY venue that I have found, that effectively teaches these traditional and I believe vital rifle marksmanship skills.

The History:
The opportunity to hear the history of April 19th, 1775 was something that I had looked forward to, as I have always been a student of history. I was not disappointed! As the instructors described the events of that day, in great detail, not only did I hear the history of the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War, I could FEEL it. That date has an even greater meaning to me now. No, I won't spoil it for you. You will need to go to an Appleseed yourself!

What I learned:
I learned the history as related above. I also learned that despite of the skill sets that I have developed over the years with the rifle, I was not as great of a rifle shot as I thought I was! I learned how to shoot effectively from the offhand position, using a Hasty sling. Offhand shooting has always been my weak point. I learned how to shoot effectively from the seated position. I learned how to effectively use the loop sling. I will be fitting every single rifle I own, that has the capability of having 1 ¼ inch sling swivels installed on them, with a sling. It is THAT important to accurate shooting. I learned that I can shoot 4 minutes of angle at 400 yards, without the aid of a telescopic sight, bi-pod, sandbags or a shooting bench. I can do all of that with only a sighted in rifle, a sling, decent ammunition (not match grade ammo), and me!
I found the Appleseed project to be so effective, that I will be attending the next on in my local area. I will be bringing my son, my daughter with me. I will be attending the one after that as well, hopefully as an instructor!

What should you learn from this?
It is my opinion that every American should hear the history of April 19th, 1775 and become more active in their community.
It is my opinion that the Appleseed project is the most effective means of teaching basic traditional rifle marksmanship techniques.
It is also my opinion that any person who owns a rifle and does not attend one of these events is truly missing out on the JOY of learning how to shoot their rifle accurately and to the best of their ability! Everyone should own a rifle and know how to use it effectively. Appleseed can do that for you!
What do you need to shoot an Appleseed event?
You need to have a rifle, with either telescopic sight or aperture sights, with a Military style sling (M1 Garand/M14 or a 1907 Leather sling), a ground mat, ammunition, and ear protection. Bring a sack lunch, water and $70.00 for the two day event. Also bring a willingness to learn. I am certain that you won't be sorry you came! Please see www.appleseedinfo.org for more information

[4bfox]

WOW! Doesn't get much better than this.... 

[AdamSelene]

I have attended one of Terry's pistol classes and he is a class act.  He knows very much what he is about with weapons and his is high praise indeed.