Miamisburg, Ohio Dec. 03/04, 2011

[slim]

It wouldn't be Miamisburg without rain!

Day 1 found us out on the range in wonderful December weather. My shoot box arrived with blue Winterseed Patches but it also contained the mild North Carolina weather I'd ordered. Mid-50s with clear skies and a generally pleasant day overall. Four great Americans stood on the green in support of the cause of liberty. They came ready to better their skills as marksmen and wake up that inner-American.

Group sizes shrank to about 1/2 of what they were in the morning and by the afternoon 1/2 of our shooters were Riflemen! HUZZAH!!!

It was awesome to see a shooter persist and persist and persist through several evnts and then finally put it all together to earn that patch. With a bolt, no less. Taking the Orange Hat extends that persistence. This man's dedication to the marksmanship has been an epic journey thus far. I can't wait to stand with Kevin (Garand) as he applies that same dedication to the heritage and passes on the skills that he's mastered.

Our other Rifleman, Chris, showed up "not really ever having shot much" and put the lessons to good use. By early afternoon his targets looked like they'd been shot by one of our instructors and he consistently scored Rifleman for the rest of the event. I have no doubt this young man will take the 7th Step to heart as well, returning with friends, family and neighbors. I look forward to shooting together again soon. (Pass those finals first!)

The remaining two shooters will, undoubtedly, be Riflemen in short order. Barbie had awesome scores right up until that one bullet would get jammed in the action and stop the whole operation dead in it's tracks. Anthony seemed to get "one more thing" every string of fire and even though he was using someone else's rifle (and swimming while shooting!) he still managed to get the basics down and get his scores up. Once those equipment issues are worked out and practice, practice, practice is applied at home, the patch will be theirs in no time at all!

Sunday found us shooting in a light but steady rain. By early afternoon, we were soaked and the targets were starting to come apart. The shooters persisted and shot right through the water like it wasn't even there. Now that's dedication! AQT after AQT, star drills, Parker's Revenge.... HUZZAH! I believe everyone had to open up that second (or third!) box of ammo. Now this is fun! Bring on the rain!

I wanna say special thanks to DGMilty for coming out on Saturday to give us a hand (and save my bacon with the cardboard) because the shooters had, quite literally, twice the instruction they would've had from me alone and they were set up well to shoot the rest of the weekend.

Sometimes these small events don't look so good on paper. But to the folks who were there... these are the good ones! It was awesome getting back to the grassroots of the program and having that small, intimate feel of a group of friends shooting together and enjoying a wonderful, albeit wet, weekend of celebrating our heritage of marksmanship. I'll see you out on the line again soon. HUZZAH!!!

[DGMilty]

I don't know how I missed Slim's initial plea for help, but after a PM and a return phone call on Friday, I was on the last minute schedule for Saturday!

The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL for a early December day, although the range was a bit wet. 

Persistence is the key!  Congrats to Kevin, multiple Rifleman scores, and with a bolt-action rifle!  I've seen him progress at the Appleseeds, and I'm happy to welcome him aboard!

As I mentioned at lunch, all I wanted to see on the AQT scores was improvement, and I did!  Chris also scored Rifleman on Saturday.  Hopefully he continued to refine the lessons from Saturday and shot some even better scores.

Barbie...what can I say...You were shooting GREAT until the malfunctions stopped you.  I'm sure you'll get that ironed out!

Anthony...persistence is the key.  I saw the groups really tighten up as the day progressed!  Keep on practicing!  Dry firing is the key!

Sorry I couldn't attend Sunday, but I hope that each and every one of you left the weekend learning something.

[Barbie]

It sure didn't feel like December this weekend!  The weather was beautiful Saturday, and even though we were all pretty much "pigs rolling in the mud" on Sunday, it was still a blast.  I wish AS had a patch for being a pro at removing jams... I would have earned that sucker no problem  .  The issues cleared up more on Sunday, and even if I had a jam on the AQT, I was able to get her out, and continue on in the alloted time    It was frustrating having those technical issues, but after it was all said and done, I'm kinda glad it happened b/c now I know what to do if that happens again to me or another persons rifle.  Congrats to Kevin & Chris on earning their rifleman's patch! Ya'll did great!  Thanks to the instructors too, we all definetely got some good one on one training this weekend, and sure went through A LOT of AMMO!  (Always a sign of a good weekend). As soon as I get my rifle sighted back in and a free weekend I'll be back out... Maybe next time it'll snow instead of rain!   

[Garand]

It was a great shoot. I think that was the first time I shot more than 500 round at an Appleseed. The event was, to quote the title of one of Patrick F. McManus's books, "a fine and pleasant misery."

[empty.fortune]

This was my first "official" appleseed, and it was a great time. i attended a known distance one day event earlier this year, but this was a much more satisfying event and i learned much more.

i was very surprised to have gone through an entire box of ammo. i also began to incorporate a ton of technique tips, and those were a great help.  i had a lot of bad  habits to try to drop (frustrating), and sometimes felt like i was hitting a brick wall

my prone targets in AQT were never  quite where i wanted thm, but mu grouping improved.

many thanks to slim and dgmilty for the awesome instruction, and awesome weekend. flick, thanks a ton for the loaner and the opportunity, and for introducing me to apple seed. i picked up some pamphlets from and business cards from slim and dgmilty, which i am going to pass along as soon as the break is over.

great appleseed, great people.