AAR: Rocky Creek Ranch, FL - November 2011

[ItsanSKS]

Man, what a great weekend to be at the range!  Fall weather in Florida never ceases to amaze, and the scenery at Rocky Creek Ranch is hard to beat.

Arriving Friday afternoon to get set up, I was quickly joined by Appleseed veterans Bill and Tony, who were committed to 'making the grade'.  Not long after we got started assembling the target line and our covered firing line, an Appleseed newbie showed up to give us a hand.  Scotty, a close friend of the Baden family (our hosts for the weekend) kept us all in stitches, recounting stories that are better left for another time.  Before long, we were joined by Rich and Mike, two more veterans of the Appleseed Trail. 

I could already tell that this was going to be an event to be remembered- over 12 hours until the official start of our class, and already we had 5 students on-location!

As we finished getting everything set up, we returned to the campground to get settled in, enjoy dinner and a campfire that roared on late into the night.  I found the camaraderie at Appleseed events to be palpable, and this event was no different; though I had known some of these folks for but a few hours, sitting around that camp fire, it felt as if we were all old friends.

As the sun began to cut through the heavy fog, those students who weren't staying on-site trickled in, first a few here and there, and then a mad rush as the time crept on toward our official start time of 9:00am- nobody wanted to be late!

All told, eleven students had checked in and were ready to begin two full days of intense Rifle Marksmanship instruction.  With experience levels ranging from never-held-a-rifle-before to I've-almost-scored-Rifleman, this was a *very* diverse group of students, but all had at least one thing in common- an interest in the heritage of our Founding Generation; a desire to become marksman of few peers. 

Their instructors?  Five altogether.  Sly223, Airplanejoe, Bill o' Rites, Brown Bess, and myself all joined together to attempt the herculean task of breaking these students out of bad habits, and instilling within them the skills of the Rifleman.

At the beginning of every Appleseed event, our students are administered a pop quiz, in the form of the "Hits Count!" target, affectionately referred to as the Red Coat target.  Utilizing only 13 rounds, this target allows the instructors to evaluate our students abilities, triaging them for one-on-one instruction.  As is usually the case, the Red Coats told us what we instructors have come to expect; our students were in rough shape, marksmanship-wise.  With less than 40% of our students qualifying at a minimum of 100 yards, we knew that we would have our work cut out for us, but, a Rifleman Persists!  There are no problems, only obstacles to be overcome; adversity is a means by which we are able to improve our failing character

Inspired by the grit, determination and persistence of our forefathers, we instructors began the arduous task of passing on the knowledge and skills of our Rifleman forebears. 

Beginning with the Prone Position, our students were introduced to the fundamentals of marksmanship - Achieving a solid position, establishing Natural Point Of Aim, and Executing the Six Steps to firing the shot.  For more than half the day, our students worked through various issues, not the least of which being stiffening joints.  The announcement of a lunch break was a welcome relief; as our students gathered their food and other accouterments, the instructors briefly discussed how the event was going- to our amazement, these students were already showing marked improvement. 

As everyone finished up with their food, Bill o' Rites presented what we call the Second Strike of the Match; the story of the Battle of Concorde MA, on April 19th, 1775.  These history lessons are given to remind our students of the many sacrifices of our founding generation; no other country on Earth has such a defining date in its history- a time that its inhabitants can point to and say "This is when our forefathers became Citizens, instead of Subjects." 

After lunch, we returned to the firing line to tackle the remainder of the instruction points.  Covering the various seated positions, standing/offhand position, as well as transitions, or as I like to call them, Riflemans Calisthenics.

After a few arduous (torturous?) hours of instruction, it was finally time for their final exam, the AQT- Appleseed Qualification Test.  Mimicking its predecessor, the Army Qualification Test, the AQT requires a mastery of the fundamentals in order to pass.  Unfortunately, no student was able to 'make the grade' on Saturday, though their final Hits Count! target showed dramatic improvement, with nearly a half of our students qualifying at 200 yards or beyond.

Exhausted, hungry, and ready for a hot shower, our students reluctantly gathered their gear and headed for the hospitality of our gracious host.  Enjoying the camaraderie of an evening bonfire, conversations lasted late into the night.

Once again, the morning sun shown brightly through a veil of heavy fog, a foretelling of the pleasant day ahead.

A few of our students were unable to return on Sunday, owing to other obligations, but we were delighted to be joined by Mary Ann, an Appleseed Graduate, coming back to prove that her previous Rifleman score was not merely a matter of luck.  She brought her husband John with her, also an Appleseed Grad, for moral support and mag-prepping duties. 

After a brief review of the fundamentals, our students were introduced to a few new exercises, such as a magazine change drill, transition drill, and more. 

These drills, while tough, certainly worked- students who had once experienced difficulty changing magazines now did so like a machine; students who found hardship in engaging multiple targets during transition stages began showing alacrity of motion, with first rounds down range moving from the 20-25 second range to 10-15 seconds.  Dramatic improvement indeed!

As we broke for lunch, Sly223, Brown Bess and Bill o' Rites regaled us all with stories of individual courage and heroism; our students learned of the exploits of Hezekiah Wyman, David Lamson, Samuel Whittemore, Elizabeth Zane, Prudence Wright, Temperance Wick, and many more, in a presentation known as Dangerous Old Men, and Brave Women. 

Perhaps inspired by these stories, our students declared themselves ready- they wanted an opportunity to redeem themselves for their previous performance on the AQT. 

Knowing of no better person to oversee the administration of the "AQT Grind" than our very own Brown Bess, I handed over the reigns, with the simple instruction- "lets get some Riflemen!".

With nary a moment lost, our students were pushed hard, churning out target after target.  Furiously prepping magazines, quickly preparing both physically and mentally for the next course of fire, our students became lost in the moment.  They had entered the Riflemans Bubble; hot brass was no match for their level of concentration- those targets must get perforated! 

As the hours rapidly vanished, ammo boxes discarded in haste began to pile up, leaving our equipment line looking quite disheveled. 

With students starting to show the effects of exhaustion, targets were tallied and reviewed. 

All of our students deserve recognition for their accomplishments this past weekend.  Each of them showed a level of determination and persistence that isn't frequently encountered in our fellow Americans.  I am honored to have been able to assist these fine folks in their endeavor to become not only better rifle shots, but better Americans.

I'd like to give special recognition to those student who passed their exams, and proving themselves as Riflemen.

Jim, who had started out Saturday with a bolt action CZ rifle, accepted the offer of an iron-sighted LTR on Sunday, and pulled out a no-alibis 214.  With a little practice, I am positive that he will be able to repeat this feat with his own rifle.

Tony brought out a .223 on Sunday, and scored multiple qualifying scores.

Mary Ann repeated her past performance, walking away with a Desert Tan patch this time. 

Sophie, a first-time Appleseed student, walked away with an impressive 191, which is an outstanding score for someone who had never before used a rifle.  If she sticks with it, she'll have a patch in no time!

There are many others who deserve their time in the spotlight, but as it is getting late, and my recollection of names (or lack thereof) will get me in trouble, I'll leave it to my fellow instructors to give them their proper due.

In the meantime, how about some PICTURES!!!!

Group photo, taken Sunday, in front of the Guest Lodge at Rocky Creek Ranch:


Just a glimpse of the beauty that is to be found at Rocky Creek Ranch:


Tony, engaging Stage 2 of the AQT:


Tony, satisfied with his performance on Stage 4:


Tony, accepting his much-deserved Rifleman patch:


Jim, engaging Stage 2 of the AQT:


Jim, engaging stage 4 of the AQT:


Jim, making short work of the Hits Count! target, he was the only one to clear it this weekend:


Jim, accepting his Rifleman patch, after attending a SINGLE Appleseed:


Mary Ann, who won the "Biggest scope on a .22" award, shows us a picture-perfect prone position:


Mary Ann, thankful for the opportunity to prove that her previous score was no fluke:


Sophie and Scotty showing off their proper crossed-legged seated positions:




I know that there wasn't a whole lot of time for picture taking, but if any of you were able to snap a few pics when I wasn't looking, please post them up!

Until next time,

-ItsanSKS

[Sly223]

A short quick thanx to all,
I now have a rekindled spirit, due to the fact that it was such a great event in all ways.
I now have a dozen more Brothers and sisters in Liberty!

[airplanejoe]

WOW!! What an event. First the weather, after this past summer heat, downpours, hordes of love bugs and other hostile bugs, nature gave us a sample of what almost perfect weather is.

Second, and this is a trick question: How do you stuff 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound bag? Appleseed doesn't have prerequisites at all. I think there have been instances of folks that borrow a rifle to attend. This Appleseed exemplified that. As ItsanSKS posted: "..., eleven students..  With experience levels ranging from never-held-a-rifle-before to I've-almost-scored-Rifleman, ..." In other words, how do you structure an event where the very inexperienced shooters don't feel overwhelmed yet the almost-scored-Rifleman doesn't feel the event is too basic for their skill level (read: boring). Not an easy task, but I feel the SB and LB did a superb job. IMHO everyone was challenged to their level and nobody was left behind. Shooters, please comment on this!!! Your comments are the best way to implement changes which will inprove the program.
Last, repeat customers are always welcome, I guarantee you will always learn something.

Airplanejoe
 

[wcontratto]

I had a great time at Rocky Creek Ranch. Could not ask for a better venue.


I already told Eric one thing to ad to his program when we were around the campfire the first night. You should at least demo a transition from standing to prone before doing an AQT. I'm not sure the inexperienced shooters knew how to do that.

Thanks to all the instructors.  You gave me a couple of things to think about to make my shooting more consistent. Don't know what I was doing wrong. Went to the range yesterday and cleaned a couple of redcoats. Could have been I was fatigued. I'm not as old as Scotty, but I'm no spring chicken either. I also shot that Kidd setup Tony used the first day. It felt nearly like cheating. Couldn't even feel the trigger relase on the first round. Can't understand why he didn't get his patch the first day. Can't say that for the trigger group he had on the AR though. It is a heavy mother. And he still shot good scores. If he hadn't pulled the head shot he would have shot a clean redcoat too. 

And to Paul. Lisa said she does remember her dancing partner from the '09 event at Bradford Sportsmen's Farm.  She remembers it the same way you do 

[PHenry]

 

[RookieShooter]

The two day Appleseed was a great experience!  I've been reading about Appleseed for years in Shotgun News, and I'm really glad I made the commitment to attend one.

I have very limited experience shooting rifles, and my local ranges won't let us shoot prone or with a sling.  [They might let us use on while standing, but they won't let us get into position using the Appleseed method where you tighten the sling.]  Therefore, most of what I learned at Appleseed was completely new to me.  That applies both to shooting skills and the Revolutionary War history.

Saturday - First and foremost, I want to again thank every one of the instructors.  They were all excellent and worked very well as a team.  I was very impressed with their emphasis on safety.  They had a difficult task since the attendees had varied levels of experience - several had been to an Appleseed before (and even shot Expert level) all the way down the line to someone who never shot a rifle.  The instructors did an admirable job of reviewing the material for the veterans and then giving extra help to the rookies.  The one area where I could have benefited from more assistance was the adjustment of the sling.  It was the first time I ever used a sling, and my struggles to get it adjusted carried over into day two.   On several strings, I effectively shot them without using the sling since it wasn't adjusted correctly.  An extra 10-15 minutes on day one would have allowed me to get past that issue and focus more on the other steps.  The other issue was that the two instructors who were helping me with the sling on Saturday were adjusting it in slightly different ways that contradicted each other.  I finally figured that out on day two, and things went a little easier with the sling after that.  We were tired and sore on Saturday night, and I realized too late that I should have been more diligent with my hat and sunscreen. 

Sunday - The instructors did a great job reviewing the lessons from Saturday and then it was right back to shooting.  My only complaint was the pacing on Sunday afternoon was too quick.  After the first or second AQT, the almost non-stop pace made it difficult to concentrate on the steps to taking the shot.  It became much more about physical stamina than shooting skill.  I totally understand the reasoning behind the fast pacing, but as a first timer I thought it was counter-productive.  I'm sure the Appleseed veterans were okay with it since they wanted to squeeze in as many AQT's as possible in a quest for the 210.  My personal opinion is that it would have been better to leave out one round of AQT's and then give an extra 30 seconds or so to load mags between stages.

Progress Summary - I didn't do real well on the first Redcoat target on Saturday, and my first AQT was a 91.  I did not clear my last Redcoat on Sunday [but got the headshot].  My AQT scores on day 2 varied from 112 to 154, with most above 140.   That was entirely due to the fine instruction.  I also came away with a different perspective on the founding of our country.  I also came away with sore muscles and what I think was a bruised rib.

I will definitely be back to another Appleseed next year to get my patch.  Until then, there will be lots of dry-firing and practice getting into position.  I'm determined to do it with iron sights, even though my eyes are showing their age. 

We're still trying to find a range in South Florida, but it sounds like Clewiston is the next best option.  We remain hopeful that will come through in the spring.

Thanks again to the instructors!!  Your sacrifice and assistance is much appreciated.   See you next year.