Macon, Georgia AS March 17-18

[DrJohn]

The inaugural Appleseed event at Marion Road Gun Club in Macon was successful and pleasant beyond all expectations. The club facilities were spacious and meticulously maintained and the club extended Appleseed every consideration, from helping set up the range Friday afternoon to providing a hot lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs Saturday. They provided a newly purchased canopy for the administration table and assisted in the registration of students and any other help that was needed. They even coordinated a golf cart shuttle between the auxiliary parking lot and the Appleseed firing line, to assure a smoothly run event. Our deepest thanks to Mike C., Jerry B., Ernie C., Kyle T., Karen F., and all the other numerous club members who contributed so much to a fine experience for all concerned.

Our 22 students Saturday were especially enthusiastic and eager to learn. We saw a fairly large number of .22 rifles of rather old vintage and a good number of students who had very limited prior firearms experience. After our Welcome and Safety Briefing, we heard the first part of the Story of April 19, 1775, the First Strike. Then we shot out first Hits Count! target and covered the three fundamentals of rifle marksmanship, the Steady Hold Factors in prone, Natural Point of Aim, and the Six Steps. We then had an instructor card each student's sights before we began the numerous squares target drills. We learned Rifleman's Cadence before lunch, and heard the Second Strike during lunch. Then we went on to Talking Targets and Inches-Minutes-Clicks, the Sitting-Kneeling positions, and Standing or Offhand. We fired one AQT before our very fatigued students heard the Third Strike and then shot their afternoon Hits Count target and we had our benediction.

Sunday saw a rapid review of all the previous day's fundamentals before we did Ball and Dummy Drill. We heard a fine rendition of Dangerous Old Men, Brave Women, and Gallant Children during our lunch break, then had a few squares drills as dictated by our students' talking targets, before we began the afternoon's "AQT grind". Mid-afternoon we covered the fundamentals of Actual Distance before getting back to the "AQT grind". By the time of our final Hits Count! target, all our remaining students were fatigued but much progress in their marksmanship had been made.

The capstone to the event was after the Sunday benediction, when club member Kyle T. brought his precious .36 caliber custom flintlock rifle to the line and gave a demo how it worked and fired. He then let any students who wished fire the rifle. It was an especially fitting conclusion to a wonderful weekend.

This instructor has never seen a more persistent and dedicated group of students.  It would be superfluous to recognize individual examples, but our gallant students persisted through  painful conditions such as ruptured elbow blisters (a first aid kit was on hand but declined) , arthritic joints, cataracts, and the like without a single complaint. It was a great inspiration to this instructor as well as to us all, and we were amply repaid for our efforts. Any number of students approached us after the event was over to extend their thanks and to tell us how they enjoyed and appreciated the history and heritage most especially. It was a grand weekend and Appleseed is hopeful that we can establish a long and happy relationship with Marion Road Gun Club and the gallant students and Patriots it was our pleasure to get to know last weekend. Huzza!

[brianf31]

An outstanding shoot! As DrJohn said, the club support and hospitality were phenomenal. Thanks to Marion Road Gun Club for being such a gracious host.

It's always a joy to instruct when the students are attentive and eager to learn. The students at this shoot certainly fit that description as they listened to the history and soaked up the instruction. They were persistent, too, shooting right on through a bunch of squares and AQTs with nary a complaint.
This one was very worthwhile for students and instructors alike!

[Morpheus]

What a great shoot!! The weather was nearly perfect, the range was exceptional (as were the range hosts) and the shooters were extremely receptive to the riflemanship instruction and the history as well.

We saw a lot of shooters go from not on paper to consistent, noticeable groups. Some were obviously well on their way on their rifleman journey. Remember shooters, Rifleman persist!!! Dryfire! and  then dryfire some more! I believe every attendee at this shoot has that Rifleman potential.

Speaking of Riflemen:  Well done Ross!! Shooting a fine AQT score even with sweat in your eyes on Sunday. And then taking an Orange Hat to top it off! Thank you for stepping up and Huzzah! to you sir! I hope to see you on the AS trail soon.

Also, a special thank you to brianf31 for his role in enabling Appleseed to walk through the gates at Marion Road Gun Club. Outstanding facilities with a great, welcoming group of members to receive us. Thank you to you all! As DrJohn said, hopefully this is just the beginning of a great AS relationship with this club and its members.

Steve

[Roswell]

Speaking of Riflemen:  Well done Ross!! Shooting a fine AQT score even with sweat in your eyes on Sunday. And then taking an Orange Hat to top it off! Thank you for stepping up and Huzzah! to you sir! I hope to see you on the AS trail soon.

Steve

Thank you, I can honestly say I have never drank as much water in a short period of time as I did this weekend. Also, I don't think I mentioned it, but I think it is so awesome that your whole family is involved.  I will definitely be seeing you on the AS trail as I'd like to get involved as much as possible.

A huge thank you to all the Instructors for their assistance, patience and inspiration. A special thank you for working with my wife, father and nephew. And to the Marion Road Gun Club for their hospitality. I grew up in Macon and was never even aware of the MRGC until Appleseed and will definitely check them out as my wallet permits and recommend them to others.

It truly is an honor to become a Rifleman and an even greater one to be allowed to wear the orange hat. I look forward to helping others learn more about Liberty and honing their rifle skills. I am humbled to be in the ranks of such great patriots.