RBC Ramah CO, July 24-29, 2011

[Long Rifle]

Despite the very hot conditions 2 Americans (and one Brit) came to the Colorado Plains to improve their long range marksmanship skills. Over the 6 days we had together we discussed the events of April 19 and it's consequences for our country past and future.

We also discussed and practiced shooting to the Riflemans to 500 yards, target detection, range estimation, wind estimation, and wind correction. Somedays the conditions were perfect for getting no wind zeros and the next day we would be trying to correct for the famous Colorado wind. Everyone left with a good solid understanding of the fundamentals of distance shooting and some new found knowledge about the founders.

Thanks to the Ben Lomond Gun Club for hosting this event and making available the less than primitive accommodations. It saved getting carried away by the mosquitos in the evenings. This was a great venue for an RBC.

I had a great time with everyone. Thanks for hanging in there through the hot days. I look forward to seeing all of you at a future Appleseed.

(If anyone is interested, there is a condensed RBC Sept. 7-9 at this same location. Check out the details at http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=23788.0)

[BulletEngineer]

I definitely felt that it was worth worth my time to attend this RBC.

Some high points for me included:
- Lots of one-on-one time to work rifle fit.  My groups tightened up every day as my positions/steady hold factors and rifle fit continually improved.  I felt like I came away with tools appropriate for making each of my rifles fit "right".
- I had prior knowledge of the theory of known distance shooting, but having it taught and demonstrated with immediate opportunity to apply it was great.  To see that topics like 6 steps, IMC, and come-ups actually work in the "real world" was worth every minute and every penny I spent.
- The morning spent on Target Detection and Range Estimation was eye-opening in and of itself.  I find myself occasionally "ranging" things in my everyday life for practice.

Things that worked well:
1.  The small class size meant that the curriculum could be tailored to whatever we needed most with slightly less formality.
2. Steel hung at the farther distances was a great opportunity to sharpen/practice skills without the downtime of scoring/pasting targets.

Things that could have been better:
1.  KD range sharing arrangements could have been better.  I don't think we were planned to share at all, but it all worked out - a Rifleman perseveres, after all.

Alan, thanks for sharing skills and knowledge with us, even when it meant staying a little late!  I know I had a great time and would recommend it to anyone looking to move beyond the weekend Appleseed or explore the potential of their rifle.