Freedom IN

[ornell]

Liquid sunshine was in abundance here in Freedom Indiana, and the rain did seem to effect the turn out. It cut the number down to 62. 
The shooters ranged in age from 8 to 80, you just have to love those old guys shooting the center out of 4 moa squares with their AR15's.
New shooters were in abundance, all determined to make good on the pledge to be a Rifleman. Sunday promises to be an equal or greater turn out. More to follow.
Ornell Out

[DaveD]

  My first Appleseed  Ornell, it was a  challange and great fun. History lessons never learned in school topped off a fantastic weekend.

A thank you to all who made it happen (sorry I don't remember all your names!).  Tracerfire thanks for the encouragement and instruction! (he was working my end of the line today)

usafe7ret

P.S.  Now for the Red Hat 

[hawkhavn]

Hear ye, hear ye!

usafe7ret kicked down the door on the last AQT of the day at Freedom! If I remember correctly with a 239!
First time Appleseeder but certainly a man to reckon with.

Also a crititcal part of the pre-Freedom publicity blitz!

Thanks to everyone who beat the muster drum for Freedom!

hawkhavn

[socalserf]

usafe7ret,
CONGATULATIONS!!!!
239 is some mighty fine shooting, well done sir!

And thanks for getting the word out. That was another exellent turn-out for Indianna, keep up the good work.

[DaveD]

hawkhavn,

A special thanks to you and your club for sponsoring this shoot.  May we expect more Appleseeds there?  Hope, Hope, Hope   

usafe7ret

[ornell]

Yes, the Freedom IN shoot was a great success. 5 Rifleman patches were handed out. A hearty huzzah to each one.
I am sure we will have another shoot in Freedom. Afterall, it is a nice range, there were great people there and how can Project Appleseed pass up having shoots in a place called Freedom?

[Siderite]

My first appleseed as well.  I'd read some of the stuff online, but it doesn't come close to an actual appleseed.  To put it another way, I didn't know what I didn't know from reading, and the feedback from the instructors helped me tighten groups by a factor of two (leaving me tantalizingly close to rifleman territory with a 197).  I wish I could have stayed for the second day (my NPOA needs work), but schoolwork has to come first.

I'd like to thank all the instructors (especially Ed and Rusty, who were working the beginner's line where I was) for putting together a great experience.  They also convinced me to stop lurking and register and start posting.

I'll be practicing and hope to make rifleman at the Wabash appleseed later this summer.  Thanks!

[socalserf]

Welcome to the Forum!
I'm glad you enjoyed your first AS. 197 is mighty good for one day.
Visit us often, and become part of the family.

[slim]

What an awesome weekend! To be part of such a historic event, the coast-to-coast Red Coat shoot at 5:00 EST, was a real treat for a first time Appleseeder. With so many participants, even Washington is going to "hear the drum." And the challenge was laid out there for us; bring just one guy to next year's Patriot's Day Appleseed, and we've doubled our numbers. Bring more, and we're that much further along!

I was impressed with the level of professionalism and safety at which the Appleseed was conducted. The instructors and staff did an excellent job of conducting a very safe shoot and some very good training. Everyone was shooting well by the end of the day(s) and group size had improved dramatically. It was even pointed out how some were achieving better groups on the second and subsequent targets of the same relay! Folks just got better and better as the Appleseed training sunk in deeper and deeper.

And hats off to our new Riflemen! I'm going to save my huzzah shot though because as told in the history lesson, you may just wish you had that extra ammo! Very interesting stuff, I'll be doing some research and a lot of reading. The Revolution is just a blip in most textbooks now, and they're darn sure not teaching marksmanship at schools anymore. Way to illustrate the importance of our history.

Great weekend all around, and if you're looking for some really good marksmanship training at a great price, the RWVA Appleseeds are the way to go. 

Now, for the meat and potatoes of the AAR, the Lessons Learned -

- Arrive early. If you're late, you'll miss some of the history and it's one of the most important parts of an Appleseed.

- Be prepared for the entire weekend. It rained off-and-on the whole first day. The second day, there was 20 minutes of direct sunlight that poked through between the clouds and I now have pink arms. Should've brought some sunscreen despite the clouds. Even though it didn't rain really hard, the ground was wet. Have a waterproof ground cover to place under your shooting mat and something waterproof to place over your gear. (Tarps or ponchos work well for this.)

- Bring a staple gun. It says it's suggested on the list, but if you don't have one, invest in one.

- Bring a pen or small marker to mark your shots. Some of the targets are used again later and it's nice to be able to see your improvements.

- If you're like me and shoot other peoples' targets sometimes, bring something to mark your target. Spray paint should work just fine or post your old target above/below your new one so you have more targets hanging than everyone else. "Shoot the one with the extra targets hanging up."

- Pay attention to the guys whose targets look really nice. All the guys who shot Rifleman in Freedom had consistently shrinking groups and all were helping those around them. Listen to those guys. The instructors can't be everywhere at once, and where do you think the instructors came from?

- Practice with your equipment. I shot well into the 180s, but it's awfully hard to get Rifleman when several of your rounds are laying on the ground by your feet due to equipment malfunctions or not being able to squeeze shots off in time after being unable to load new mags.

-Practice immediate action drills and know which mags you should use. By the end of the day I had a few extra mags loaded by my feet (in front of me for prone).

- Ensure you can safely and quickly clear a double feed or stovepipe (failure to eject all the way).

- Acquire a G.I. sling. It will improve your marksmanship by leaps and bounds.

- There were all kinds of hardware set ups at this Appleseed. Everything from LTR .22s to M-1 Garands, my little brother even used a tube-fed, lever action .22 Henry repeater. (And shot quite well, I might add!) There was also a range of sights from factory posts to Tech Sites to pretty nice optics. Don't worry about what you have, just come out! You'll see once you shoot the course a few times what you need to do to improve your scores.

Time to start preparing for the next Appleseed. If/when Freedom is on the list again, I'll do my best to be there. Very nice range and great place for an Appleseed. (Note that in Freedom the range has an agreement with the local churches so there's no shooting until 1:00 PM on Sunday. Kind of nice to catch an extra few hours of sleep before heading to the range.)

Great job done by all. Appleseed really works. See you at the next event!

[Old Dog]

I've pointed this out before and feel I need to continue...232 years ago the churches (in New England anyway) believed that being able to use your fire arms to defend yourself and you family was very important.  Often the ministers practices with the rest of the militia, the churches were often a fortified building in the town where extra powder and ball was stored for the community, another expectation was that men took their firearms with them where they went whether that was to the field to work, to town on business, or to church for worship services. 

The very man to show up at the North Bridge at Concord wth his fire arm was the Rev. William Emerson.

I don't understand why the churches today shy away from firearms and the belief that their members should not be ready, willing and able to defend themselves, their families and their neighbors from the lawless.

[slim]

It seems that more than just churches have shied away from accepting firearms and beliefs about firearms, and that's just too bad.

One of the biggest obstacles I've run into in trying to get people involved in Appleseed is their own beliefs about firearms and marksmanship. Although most people are not against it, they tend to think that not everyone should have a firearm and/or marksmanship training. They're in the camp that believes Riflemen don't have a place in our modern society. I'll bet if they just went to one Appleseed....

In Freedom, there was a church group that prepared an excellent lunch and post-shoot snack for us. They had quite a spread on the second day as well. Seems they don't have an aversion to shooting and firearms, only to the sound of over 60 rifles firing interrupting their services. (Thanks again to that church for the awesome spread. The pecan pie was great!)

[jrturbo]

Great shoot!  Everything ran very smoothly due to the up-front work by Hawkhaven, Ornell and several others who don't get enough credit for what they contribute.  Also thanks to PT6, sur+rifle and TracerFire.

We were able to run 2 lines allowing those who would benefit from additional attention to be on a shorter line while the big line provided an opportunity to participate in a large coordinated firing line and "drink from the marksmanship fire hose" with 45+ fellow riflery students. 

I apologize as this is kind of selfish.  As an IIT (instructor in training) I am much obliged to each of the students because there is no way that they could have received more from this weekend from me or any of the other instructors than I received from each of the students!  To see the improvements on the targets, the looks on the faces when a principal was learned and put to use, and to see those with obstacles adapt and over come.  Well.... I don't think you can quantify that.

I couldn't possibly put all of my recollections here due to the length (I've been told I talk too much) but here are a few:

1) The "old guys with ARs" and other dangerous old men!  Please don't take offence fellas! I'm not politically correct you see. However, you all warm my heart to see each one of you persist in your heritage and attend an Appleseed.  It's my wish that each of you would pass your enthusiasm on to the young people in your lives.  You sure had an impact on me this weekend! I hope that you found the event to be worthwhile and will consider further commitment in what ever capacity you are able. 

2) The young ladies that have the big the grins on their faces.  There were several young ladies ranging from 12-16 that were immersing themselves in the pool of marksmanship with their family members.  I can't describe how rewarding it was to see them light up when they put the instruction into action and see the immediate results.  For all of you thinking of becoming an instructor.... if you want to erase every shred of garbage that you carried with you through the week, just catch one of these youngsters doing a good job and tell them.  The boss could have been a jerk, the dog may have bitten you, and the neighbor could have kept you up all night again with his racket.....  all gone with one smile. 

3) The young men working on their high power competition skills.  The groups shrunk, migrated towards the "V" ring and the students understood why each improvement in technique caused the desired effect.  Sure it was a drink from the fire hose, No it didn't translate on every string of fire.  But if they only take back part of what they learned, they will most likely improve their skill and therefore their scores.  Hang in there guys you're doing well... really well.

4) And last...but not least.  The return Appleseeder.  Both those that have their rifleman patch and desire the experience of participating on a firing line and those in pursuit of their first rifleman score. You recognize them at the target line.  They are the ones that are diagnosing their errors using the "talking targets."  They are the ones helping that friend that they brought figure out why the holes are stacked up like the Mississippi dividing the east from the west.  You are the ones who have decided to use Appleseed as a vehicle to hone your skills and pass the torch.  You are doing something for your country and your countrymen.  Sure, we could use you as an instructor, but until that time you are doing something, where many would do nothing. 

See there.... I told you I talk too much.

Again, I selfishly thank all of you who attended the Freedom Appleseed for making my life richer than before.

Todd - ( AKA: JR, jrturbo, turbo, House.... Whatever.)

[Hooters Billy]

Hi Everyone,

I had a great time down in Freedom.

The best part- I was able to bring 8 other people down that have never been to an Appleseed or any other formal training. I'm pretty sure they all loved it and will attend others. I really can't say how thankful I am that they where all able to come down to learn History, Marksmanship, and have the campfire chats late into the night with me.

Second best part- I was able to run into a few people from my first One I took last Oct. It was good to see Sur+, Hawhavn, an a couple other folks from before. It was just like old times, except I was always popping my head up and looking around for The Guy thinking "OMG!?!?!?, I hope he didn't see me do that wrong. Oh wait, he's at a different one." LMAO, guess that just means I remembered all those little kicks, compliments, and complaints that I got last time which helped me grab my Patch first time round. Except this time around I didn't "cheat" with my ACOG to get it. I did it with irons for a 225. Now he can't give me a hard time about it. LOL. Can't wait to see him in June or Oct for Evansville.

Third best part- found out my tent does not leak! LOL.

[chaad]

I ended up only being able to make it to the abbreviated Sunday shoot, but Sur+ took all of us latecomers aside and made incredible progress in shrinking groups.  I have been shooting 30 years, and there has not been a 5 year period in which my marksmanship improved like it did in the 5 hours at Appleseed.  Hats off to Ornell and Hawkhavn for a first-class event.  I hope to make another one before the summer is out, and have my rifle visit another in the hands of another shooter.

Most significantly, I was amazed at the way the instructors adapted to the changing instructional needs and got help to who needed it, all the time maintaining what was easily one of the safest firing lines I have ever seen (doubly so considering the number of relatively new shooters).  I have had the headaches of organizing events before, and appreciate what they were able to accomplish. 

[BloodEclipse]

What a great program.
Having first read about Project Appleseed in the Shotgun News and then further from the website, I got the feeling that this was something I wanted to try and to share with my daughter. From other forums I had heard others say "If you get a chance make sure you get to an Appleseed". So I expected something that would be fun.
What we didn't expect was the detail of the history. We both enjoyed this very much because of the personal level it was conveyed.
It is apparent that all the Instructors are there because they believe in the message of the Appleseed and are taking it upon themselves to make sure that we never forget our Heritage.
We were amazed by both the level of instruction and the professionalism and helpfulness of the instructors.
I enjoyed watching my daughter apply her newly learned skills more than actually shooting.
After the first day of rain, we left a little sore but I couldn't think of a much better way to have spent a day.
As proof that the the instruction was beneficial my daughter went from a first AQT of 134 to a final of 175.
My final was 205 and I'll get rifleman next time.
I wish to send my thanks to all the Instructors and hopefully we will catch you again at another time.

[techres]

Wished I could have made both days, but could only make Sunday.

In addition to the great history teaching, and marksmanship coaching, two other vital parts to an Appleseed are:

1. Camaraderie:  Just being with 50-60 other people who feel as serious about firearms and skill as I do.  Nothing as heartening as the sound of 60 rifles all working away at 2/reload/8 (with a few *PING*'s in there for those Garand guys).

2. Testing equipment and preparation:  You can have all the wrong gear in your drag along box and miss the few things you actually needed, or you can spend half of your day tracking a sight problem, or... or... or...  An unexpected example this time was when one of the grandma's serving up the chili gave herself a very nasty 2nd degree burn across three fingers.  She got the ice and I got the emergency kit.  Wasn't completely sure what I had, but indeed there was burn goo and gauze to get her all bandaged up.  You just never know what will happen, and now I know exactly what is in my first aid kit.

So even though my best was a 204 for the day, I walked away with a better sighted AR and the satisfaction of having the tools to help someone when they needed it.

Now, if only I had taken the need for suntan oil seriously!  (I got burned too)

Specific thanks:

1. To the range officers who let me move positions part way through the shoot so I could hear the instructions better and so that they could check the line better.

2. All the fellow shooters who helped sort brass so that everyone got back what they shot.

3. To the RO whose math is far, far better than mine.

4. To the trainers who were as frustrated at 196, 200, & 204 scores as I was. 

5. To the Sycamore range for hosting us.

Suggestions for the next time:

1. The 1 pm shoot start time for Sunday needed to be posted on the site.  5 of us showed at 8:30 am and had nothing to do for hours but enjoy each other's company (which was nice, but I could have used the sleep). 

2. Make sure all RO's have liability waiver forms?  The 5 early shooters could have done a bunch of training with positions and unloaded weapons early on Sunday but the liability forms were offsite until 11:30 or so.  Some training time was missed there, so at least it is something to consider.

3. Run the latter AQT's faster and without checking the targets between each string.  Now this is really hard with a ton of people, but the main slowdown is with getting the shooters to wander up and the back from the targets.  By the last few AQT's I wonder if the benefit of checking between all strings is not as useful as running more AQT's.  Also something to consider.

Again everyone, great shoot, and will see you next time!

[ornell]

Suggestions noted. Next time at freedom we are going to start @ 9:00am with registration, history, some rifle maintenance demos and the like.

[blackenedman]

First time Appleseeder, myself.  First and foremost, this is a fantastic event.  Anyone and everyone should attend at least one, if for no other reason, to gain some perspective.  We seem to be losing sight of what is important in America, both from the past and present.

My most sincere thanks to all the Instructors, Range Officers, SVGC, RWVA, and all other Appleseed attendees.  I was thoroughly impressed with the number of students in attendance, as well as the professionalism and safety exhibited by everyone.  I couldn't think of a better shoot-boss than Ornell, as it is apparent to me that his desire to teach just oozes from each of his pores.  I found Ed to be a very patient man, and I can only imagine the hoops he jumped through in order to host this event at the SVGC.

As every other poster has noted, the instruction received is top shelf.  Previously, I had never had any rifle training so this was an intense learning environment for me.  I learned the proper shooting fundamentals, as well as what limitations may arise with my hardware.  My groups certainly improved over the weekend, leaving me just short of my Rifleman patch. (fly'ers that do not score will do that. ) 

I feel I could gush on and on about this program, but will leave that for those that have not attended.  I will certainly be spreading the seeds, and look forward to attending more Appleseed shoots with old and new friends alike.
Steve

[Prometheus]

What a great weekend.  I'd heard a lot about the appleseed program and I wasn't disappointed.  It lived up to all the hype!

Thanks so much to all the instructors and the range that hosted us.  I plan on making another Appleseed shoot this year and earning that Rifleman patch this time!

*I'll leave this pics fullsize for a day or two in case anyone from RWVA HQ wants to save them, then I'll shrink them down to fit the screen better.

[johniim]

O.K. so I'm a little late to the party but I would like to thank all the instructors for the high quality training especialy Ornell for loaning me his Garand for the final redcoat shoot on Saturday and for repairing my rifle on Sunday morning so I could continue the event. The one thing that I realy appreciated was the hands on aplication of the fundamentals. Every shooter has heard or read the fundamentals before but I don't think I was ever taught the application of those skills.

[neptune9]

Hello all, My son and I attended the appleseed in Freedom IN on April 19(greatest day in U.S. history). Just wanted to give thanks to all the instructors for doing such an outstanding job. Hawkhaven, Ornell, Surplus, probably forgot some names but thanks for the good instruction. Special thanks to Rusty for working with my 14 year old.(loop sling)! Got to meet some great people and learned alot too! Need to keep working towards that Rifleman patch. We both got some great tips on shooting and we'll be using them back home on the nearest shooting range. Can't wait for our next Appleseed, hopefully with another family member along. Great program and great people. Thanks for the experience!

[LibertyWriterHH]

Thanks for yet ANOTHER awesome Appleseed! This makes the 3rd for me and my friend, and we can't wait for another! Thanks to all the instructors for their professionalism (as always)! The weather was quite unpredictable and uncooperative most of the time BUT, that's what makes it intresting! Hope so see you guys at the 3 Appleseeds we have hosted in Wabash, In 1 IBC and 2 Appleseed to be exact! Looking forwad to meet a few more TRUE Patriots! You guys ARE a God send!