AAR: Colebrook, CT July 30-31, 2011

[The Log]

Another great weekend for Appleseed at Northwest CT Sportsman's Association. And possible our last appearance on the rifle range there for a while, as excavation should soon begin at the end of the range. Once it's done, hopefully by the time of our April shoot, we'll be able to shoot out to 400 yards

Until that happy day, we'll just content ourselves with the fact that 15 great Americans turned out over the two days of this Appleseed, and left better Americans for the effort. The weather was unusually clement for Colebrook - no sideways snow or gale-force winds - with highs around 90 both days and nothing but bright sunshine, with a little wind on Saturday. The shooters were motivated, persistent despite the heat, and very open to instruction, and it showed on their group sizes.

We managed to bang out a couple of RFAQTs on Saturday, and although we saw plenty of Rifleman potential, none were to be had the first day. We reconvened on Sunday, having lost one shooter but winning back one originally scheduled for Saturday only (once Appleseed gets its hooks into you...) as well as two Sunday-only walk-ons. Once we got to AQTs, our walk-on Craig managed a 229 with a bolt action Savage Scout to become our first Rifleman of the weekend. BTW, Craig busted this AQT with a bolt-action .30 cal as a SxS while everyone was doing RFAQTs.

We spent the rest of Sunday working on The Grind, and we got tantalizingly close with Andy's 207. Charles put in a personal-best and oh-so-close 199, Deb continued to improve after her switch to lefty, and Dan and Will were justifiably proud of their Marksman scores. And everybody participated in a little fun shoot mid-afternoon on Sunday to celebrate youth shooter and Appleseed stalwart Will, who chose to spend his 11th birthday on the line at an Appleseed! In honor of that, we "blew out his  candles" Appleseed-style.  Pictures to follow.

And let's not forget that Will's father Chuck deciding to cross the line and don the Orange Hat of Insanity, thereby joining the CT crew and surrendering what's left of his inconsiderable spare time to the Cause. Congratulations, Chuck, and thank you from a grateful nation.

Day-job time <<grumble>> More later, with pix. Thanks everyone - post away!!

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[Glock23]

And now, to prove it happened:

The Log giving the 1st Strike


TOMINCT


Who_Me? demos a stable prone position as freedomwon narrates


AQTs!


3rd Strike


Old Ironsights takes an Orange Hat!!! Huzzah!



And then it happened...a majestic dragonfly, flittering to and fro landed upon the front sight of a delighted shooter. Much ooing and ahhing ensued. Cameras flashed. A sign of good luck? The mark of a Rifleman? Mayhaps........but then.......


....it flittered down the line and landed on the flash suppressor of a Springfield M1A. It refused to move. The FIRE command was given...and the dragonfly ceased to exist. Vaporized into the great beyond. There was no carnage, no wings scattered to the wind. It was simply there, and then it wasn't. Goodnight sweet dragonfly, goodnight.

[The Log]

Gotta say the dragonfly thing was the funniest thing I've seen at an Appleseed since the disappearing pumpkins at Blue Trail Range last October. 

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[George Hacker]

ROFLOL about the dragonfly story.  Epic.

- ShadowMan

[Who_Me?]

Ah, poor dragonfly, we hardly knew thee

[The Log]

I case we have to qualify our standard "no one has ever been shot at an Appleseed" with "except for when we vaporized a dragonfly."

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[The Log]

A few more pictures I just downloaded:


We celebrated Will's birthday by blowing out his "candles" Appleseed style. Shooter Marc - or is that Bruce (note to self: don't EVER forget the duct tape again) did the best job of bowing out the candles with 10 rounds.


Andy sporting his field-expedient paracord sling, also known as a "tourniquet." Adapt, improvise, overcome.


Denise showing off her picture-perfect prone while shrinking those group sizes dramatically.


The view downrange - but with all that blue stuff in the sky, this must be a photo of someplace other than Colebrook.