A. A. R. - PELHAM, AUG. 6-7, 2011

[Firewall99]

A glorious shoot!  Early concerns of a low turnout proved to be unwarranted as six shooters (Judy and her son Joey, the Kelly brothers, Ed and Martin, Ty, and Scott) showed up with great attitudes and a desire to improve.

Heartfelt thanks to Downrange (IIT3), who put aside his plan to brush hog his field to show up at the last minute to do a wonderful job instructing.

Lois, our beloved AppleCore volunteer, helped out by running the shoot administration.  She also used her time well, at great personal effort, to promote Appleseed by walking with her cane to the other bays on the range to hand out brochures and tell other shooters all about Appleseed.  Lois would never ask for recognition, but she deserves some sort of award for all she does for Appleseed.

Many thanks also go to Pelham Fish & Game.  They provided a large tent which helped shelter us from the elements.  It was sunny and hot Saturday, but everybody drank lots of liquids and protected themselves from the sun.  Sunday brought a welcome relief of a brief rain, and then it was sunny, hot, and this time humid.  These were a hardy bunch of New Hampshirites, though, and the weather never slowed us down.

In fact the rain helped.  We used it not only to finish the history early, but also to embellish several of the lessons with new material.  Downrange, bless his heart, found a footnote in Paul Revere's Ride written by the brother of Prudence Cummings Wright, the lady who took it upon herself to muster a group of women to patrol her town looking for loyalists, one of whom, it turns out, was her very own brother.  Downrange read to us a poem the brother wrote about his encounter with his sister on the road late one night.  Fascinating and humorous.  Look it up sometime.

The marksmanship education went well.  By the end of Saturday almost everyone was doing all things correctly.  In fact two shooters came up to me privately and congratulated me for the level of detail they were receiving.  I couldn't take credit, however.  One of the sliver linings of small shoots is that we now have time to give the shooters more individual attention.

Judy deserves special mention for her hardiness and perseverance.  She never gave up.  She displayed Positive Mental Attitude at all times.  Despite being in pain and having trouble getting into the full sitting position at first, she eventually managed to accomplish it.  Towards the end she was doing everything right, and her scores showed it. 

After 11-year-old Joey retired on Saturday, we had 5 shooters.  On Sunday, Scott made Rifleman.  He had complained that he couldn't see the bottom row with his iron sights, so I gave him a scoped LTR.  Bam!  Immediate improvement.  He shot a 220 on his second AQT.

If you are using iron sights and have good eyesight, that is the way to go.  You will be a better marksman because of it.

However, if you can't see the bottom row, then you have two choices.  The first choice is to use target detection to deduce where those fourth row targets are in reference to those you can see on the third row.  It's quite difficult, takes a lot of practice, but it can be done.  It worked for Rogers Rangers in 1776.  And Smithy, one of our instructors, does it all the time.

If you live in the modern world, are not a "scope Luddite," and masochism is not your forte, then the second choice is for you.  Treat yourself to the luxury of seeing both the target and the crosshairs by using a scope.

We ended the shoot with how the revolution was not the war, but what took place in the peoples' minds leading up to it.  We heard the famous speech of Patrick Henry, quotes of Benjamin Franklin ("...a Republic, if you can keep it") and John Adams ("Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom.  I hope you will make good use of it.  If you do not, I shall repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it.").

Then we discussed The Seventh Step, where we urge shooters to help Appleseed wake up America.  We gave the shooters their homework assignments.  First, tell people about your experience at Appleseed.  Word of mouth is our chief ally in the battle against complacency and ignorance.  Secondly (And if you are planning to come to an Appleseed shoot, this applies also to you.), bring TWO friends to your next Appleseed.  There is no better way to spread the word.

[The Old Guide]

I have put five Riflemen over the top who were hanging at the 190 to 200 level. As a certified "dangerous old man" I reminded them to focus on the front sight and focus their minds on keeping the front sight on the target. It is dangerously tempting to peek at the target to bring it into focus. Don't do that.

instead, focus on the front sight, but squint. That will bring the target much more into focus. My five Riflemen are very grateful for the tip. Old eyes need all the help they can get. I know. I was born before WWII.

First time I did this was at Bennington a year ago, then at Leyden, CT and at Columbia, Maine. I need to get to an Appleseed in NH. Maybe I could actually become an instructor.

[Firewall99]

The squinting idea is a good tip.  I will add it to my toolbox.  Thanks!

I would be honored to promote you to RH!  I sent you a PM.

[Riana]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, my first (and most certainly not last) Appleseed event.  Both my son and I learned a lot, and will continue to practice the skills we learned in preparation for our next Appleseed.  Everyone was very patient with us - the instructors and other shooters alike.  Definitely a fun, educational, and worthwhile event!