Flash Report - California! Or, "Funfaler on Fire!"

[Fred]

     After midnight in California. First day of the April 19th Project Appleseed is behind us.

     About 63 showed up.

     It was the usual good Appleseed, even with the extras not counted (the Broadside, the red AQTs, the National Minuteman Museum brochure, the flags of the Revolution on display, and the new proto banner by atticus, which really looked nice).

     Highlight of the day for me was the 2 PM simultaneous, coast-to-coast shooting of the redcoat target.

     It was over way too fast - barely time for it to sink in that it was a historic first in the history of this country.

     But long enough for me to hear, faintly in the distance, the 3rd guy from the right on the firing line at the Harvard, MA Appleseed who was banging out hyper-velocity .22 rimfire in a steady, measured cadence.

     And, while it was not easy, I could also pick up some echoes of shots fired in NC, GA, FL (in two locations), UT, IN (two locations), IL, IA, TX, CO, and yep - Arizona!

     It's not everyday you get to be part of something coast-to-coast - nor something that is a historic first.

     But that's what the 4/19 Project is (or was).

     funfaler took over a 25+ line and somehow got in touch with the "inner instructor" and started the preliminary molding of riflemen - this after a stirring "Second Strike of the Match" story.

     He ran those poor unlucky souls on his line all day long, promising them that anyone who didn't make rifleman by Sunday PM would get a free extra day - on Monday!

     The weather was (is) beautiful; the hills green, gold, and purple with lush new growth - man, if every Appleseed was like this!

     Looking forward to a bunch of new riflemen tomorrow...

[Fred]

     As I rise from my comfortable bed, at 10 o'clock (Eastern!), I step outside my motel room to pick some oranges for breakfast...yes, California!

     We may have set a record yesterday for the oldest Appleseeder - a gentleman (from Wisconsin!) who was 87 years young.

     funfaler got a great night's sleep, totally passed out from the unaccustomed demands of getting out from behind his computer keyboard and out on the RWVA firing line.

     I remember he asked increduously "Is it always this dirty out here?" to which an Appleseeder responded, "Hey, you were on the 'green' range, not on my range, which was mostly bare dirt!"  

     Yes, the nickname for the range I was on was "Dirty Bottoms", though I never learned who coined the expression, or even when. Due to basic geometry, our firing line at one end extended across the dirt range access road! (Fortunately, traffic was light!)

[luv_k31s]

This was my first Appleseed and it was a great experience for my son, my brother, my nephew and of course me! First course of fire was the "red coats" target, 13 rounds into 5 different targets (3+3+3+3+1), I didn't do too well, didn't get 3 shots in any one target, did manage 2 into one target, so didn't even qualify as a 100 yd rifleman. However, as the instructional sessions that alternated with firing line time continued, I got better and better. Same thing was happening to my son, brother and nephew. Hmm, this marksmanship training seems to be working. Group size was going down and once that happened I was able to make some slight click adjustments to the sights.

We were called to the line at 1:45PM to get ready for the 2PM (Pacific time) nationwide simultaneous shoot. This time I put all 3 into the 400 yd target, big time improvement.

There were lots of instructors, they ran the line efficiently and always emphasized safety at all times.  There was a lot of material to cover and we did a lot of shooting that day. I had been shooting many time before this but had never seen the 6 steps of firing put together and presented as one complete lesson. Plus they went over it again and again which helped us remember the steps. It really helped.

I do have a suggestion, could there be more pictures of what proper sight alignment and sight picture looks like, as well as improper sight picture and why it is improper? Explaining where the target, front post, rabbit hears, rear aperture all belong in relationship to each other would be excellent. Maybe one big sight picture per 8.5x11 sheet of paper so the students could all see exactly what proper sight looks like.

We could only attend the Saturday class but we are already talking about going to the next one! This time the full 2 days.

[socalserf]

Thanks for the reports!
luv-k31s- I'll see you and your kin at Ridgecrest!

Now how about the rest of you Californians?
I sitting at work dying of suspense!

I still can't believe Fred came to "The Heart of Darkness".
I missed it ALL!

[SavageShootr]

Hi All,
Serf, you were missed. We had a great weekend. I'm sure you will hear all about it. Yes, Fred in Ca. awesome. The history this time was a little bit more enhanced. I am very happy to have been able to participate in this April 19th, coast to coast event, on the anniversary of that day. There is no better way to honor the men who died so I would not have to type this with a silly british accent.    

luv-k31s, glad you all could be there for the instructions and on the historical date.
There are some instructors that use a notebook which has a drawing of the "sight picture"  That is a good idea to suggest that all the instructors have one. I know a fella that used to just draw one in the dirt if that is all that was around. 

I also want to THANK all the instructors for their great instructions. You were all so nice patient with us. Thank You.
Koolaid, Thanks for helping my granddaughter, you made her weekend.
Holly, you were awesome, keep practicing.
Fred, Thanks for the tips, they were most helpful.
Funfaler, Thanks for running an excellent line, I enjoyed having you here. I'm looking forward to next April 19th.

[HollywoodMarine]

I just wanted to say thank you to all those people who came out this weekend. I had a great time and hope you did to. It was quite a learning experience. Hope that you all take what you learned and use it to become better shooters as well as better Americans.  

I do have a suggestion, could there be more pictures of what proper sight alignment and sight picture looks like, as well as improper sight picture and why it is improper? Explaining where the target, front post, rabbit hears, rear aperture all belong in relationship to each other would be excellent. Maybe one big sight picture per 8.5x11 sheet of paper so the students could all see exactly what proper sight looks like.

Luv that is a great suggestion, I am already working on it for Ridgecrest as well as a few others things people brought up. Hope to see you there.

[funfaler]

Wow, what a life of Riley you folks have, the get to "just" Instruct!

Travel the country, fresh fruit in the mornings, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, moments on the beach....

Then to lounge in pool of marksmanship and Heritage....It is any wonder that any behind the scenes work gets done around here!

Day 2 in Piru saw us putting the last rounds of the April 19th Project, down range....and what a range! 

Piru will become a "must see" location on the Appleseed trail, who would have thought.  California?......Hello, is this thing on?  California!

There is some fire out in these parts folks, it is being shaded some, but it is here and it is hot!  We have some great "rumblings" going on in California, and it ain't no earthquake, more like a ground swell.

Bob 210, Koolaid, and the California crew have establishes a Beach Head in this land, once thought to be a loss to the cause of Liberty and Heritage in today's America.   Through the magic and miricle of Appleseed, they are fanning the embers of Hope here!  Truth be told, it seems more like a lava flow....sure it may be still underground and moving slowly to the untrained eye, but these fellas out here have just the right ticket to get it flowing faster and on the surface.

There is some exciting things brewing here folks!

I for one would not want to be away from the computer the next couple of days, to miss a national Appleseed announcement, relating to Piru.

[luv_k31s]

Just to clarify, one sight picture per 8.5x11 piece of paper, big enough that people can see all the detail in the picture from 10 -15 feet away since a crowd of 25 or so people, like we had on range A, really can't all get close enough to see it if the picture is too small.

[slim]

This worked very well in Freedom over the weekend. The guys had one (complete with ramp/post sight and an aperture ring/post sight) that they held up over an 8.5X11 paper (may have even been a little bigger) with a target on it. They demonstrated the center of target and 6 O'clock holds, and what an improper sight alignment looked like. Definitely a good training aid. They actually had a big visual aid for all six steps. This should be something standardized for Appleseeds since it's so helpful.

[Fred]

     Yep, understand, and expect that if we can ever settle down in this program, and have time for all "the loose ends", it shall be done, as a matter of course.

     We were talking last night about the Piru weekend, and noting how easy it would be, with that storage building right there by the firing line, to come up with a giant over-sized "see it from any distance" sight pic demonstrator made out of wood, and keep it stored right there, at the range.

     luv, just think, if you come to the next Piru Appleseed - or even Ridgecrest in a couple of weeks, you can bring with you a prototype made out of cardboard to show everyone what is needed - and we'll break it in at that Appleseed! (And what a good feeling it will be, to contribute to the program like that - all we need is a front sight post, a rear open notch, a rear 'peep', and a target - and then we show people how they all line up - right?)

[Skyhook023]

  Great stuff! Man did i learn alot this weekend in both marksmanship and history....im so glad i woke up and
and was part of this great event...im also glad that it was a great success this country NEEDS this...i didnt get a chance to work with all the instructors but Fred and Hollywood were great help on the line and kool aid realy bailed me out with shiming up my front sight that i shot loose the first day...with all the great help i was able to score within 10pts of rifleman on a couple of targets! and Fred, Funfaler and Bob210 gave great stories of history and of what the program is all about....i got so much out of this event and cant wait to get to some more Appleseeds here in the near future!

[didactic]

Such pictures do exist!  I'm too dinosaurish to know how to put it in "link" form, but go to instructor section, resources, J. B. & Hog's cheat sheets.   Apparently the shoot boss there just didn't have them handy, or perhaps didn't know.  No need to re-invent in this case.

But this isn't to say that some bigger ones wouldn't be great, if somebody has the means to store them or haul them from place to place.

[Spatulaman]

NRA Instructor pack has training aids of the sort discussed here. WHether they can be reproduced or acquired w/o Instructor staus is unknown. I'll find out.

[bob 210]

We are looking into taking JB and HOG's cheet sheets and making big plywood cut-outs to be able to do just this. Will let you know how it goes.....

Bob 210

[Junior Birdman]

Nuther hijack? 

[bob 210]

Somebody had to hijack this thread before anybody posted the fact that we had a total of 75 folks show up to Piru on April 19th! Not to mention we have a big suprise coming from CA.....but I digress. I'm gonna let the Boss make the announcement......your up Fred!

[funfaler]

Piru update.

As Fred and I revisited the range on Monday, before we left, we passed through Piru.  They have been filming a movie there staring "The Rock".  When Fred and I were enjoying our ice cream cones next to the set, a frantic, over active woman grabbed Fred by the arm, started tugging him toward the set yelling 'Rock, Rock! your scene is next!  You have to get on the set!"....I bet it took us 15 minutes to convince her that "The Rock" is just a flawed imitator of Fred, but that Fred is not "The Rock".....

Fred was made for Hollywood no doubt.....just imagine, get him to move to CA and step right into the Governor's mansion, that would fix that state, but I would say that Bob 210 and his crew are well on their way with that process anyway.

[Scout]

Funny you should mention thhis, because when we were at the Prairie Rose in Grandfield, Fred was misidentified as a recently deceased star there. I can still hear the words echoing across the room...."Is that you John Wayne...."