St. Augustine, FL Dec. 8-9

[9mm4545]

On a gray overcast foggy Saturday morning in December a group of Floridians came to St. Augustine to learn marksmanship, to learn about their American heritage, and to learn about themselves. As cars began to arrive one after another it was clear that this would be a very full and very long line of shooters. Having sold out weeks before, we were prepared with additional instructors and additional target backers but even so, it was tight on the firing line as our shooters became packed into place. Leading with an introduction and statement of purpose, we were onto the safety rules and line commands. After shooting the first target of the day, the Hits Count! target (also known as the Redcoat), it was apparent that improvements could be made. We quickly began with the teaching of how to achieve a solid prone position using a sling to aid in that process. The essential Six Steps to firing the shot were taught and Natural Point of Aim was brought into play. The groups began shrinking to the point where Inches-Minutes-Clicks could be introduced and sight adjustments were made. By this point people were getting rifles set up with a proper sling, sighted in, tweaked and adjusted to fit, and the shots just kept on better and better. At lunchtime we heard how the Patriots of 1775 valued liberty enough to face the world's most powerful professional army as we told the events of an early morning in spring 237 years ago. Our telling of the story of that single day in history was to focus on a single idea, Liberty. Rested and refreshed after lunch, it was time to move on with introductions to positions other than prone: standing and sitting along with the dreaded transitions. The time monkey started showing its face as rapid fire and moving with alacrity became essential to success. With the fire hose of information going full blast, it was soon time for another break and we moved along to the events of Concord and how Isaac Davis admonished us to "take good care of the children" as he walked off to meet his destiny. The role of marksmanship was also apparent when the smoke cleared at the North Bridge and the Redcoats were sent running. Finally it was time for the "final exam", the AQT. Alas, no new Riflemen were revealed on Saturday but by all appearances that was to change as it was clear that the lessons were sinking home and all that was needed was a bit of polish and practice. Our day ended with the rest of the story as the Third Strike of the Match ignited a War for Independence and the world was changed forever.

Sunday morning began much as on Saturday with a heavy fog and overcast. A bit of rain during the early review failed to dampen spirits and our shooters were eager to send rounds downrange. With shooters ranging in age from seven to nearly seventy, mats were placed on the line, targets posted, and the process of self-improvement was begun. By eleven o'clock we were shooting the first AQT of the day as the polishing and perfecting continued. The spent brass pile grew as AQT after AQT was hammered out and the scores showed steady increases. Our shooters were introduced to Hezakiah Wyman, Samuel Whittemore, David Lamson, Timothy Murphy, and Prudence Cummings Wright over the lunch break as we told of individual efforts for the cause of freedom. During the afternoon we saw the anvil of the AQT hammer out 5 new Riflemen: Rusty, Doug, and Matt with respectable scores of 213; Julie with multiple qualifications and a best score of 225, and finally the high score of the day from Eric with an outstanding 236. Huzzah!! Everyone showed much improvement and our instructors felt they were well paid for their efforts over the weekend. With a final word to go forth and spread the word, persist and dry fire, and to become involved in their country and community, we broke down the firing line and target line and packed up, knowing that while others talk we actually did something to help out Lady Liberty. Thanks to all for attending and thanks to our excellent instructors for giving of your time.

[Rokkyt]

A big thanks to all of the instructors - Natalie & I had a great time & learned an incredible amount.  Again, thanks for all of your hard work & effort & we hope to see you at the next Appleseed very soon!

[DeadEyeRed]

  Let it be known...instructors were HIGHLY paid this event. What an awesome bunch of AMERICANS !!! From Ethan hitting consistantly on the 200 yd target to Eric making the highest score of the event. Julie ,( what can I say but) YOU GO GIRL! We were blessed with folks who made huge improvemnets and truely know what they are about. I am proud of EACH of you.Stacy, Bonnie, Laura, Diana, Patricia --your persistence and drive would have made Hannah Davis proud! Katy ,I hope that as you travel on your new path...you remember to come home to your appleseed family from time to time. your improvement was wonderful. So many wonderful people, and I can't hog the page. As for instructors, I always learn several new things from each of you. THANK you for your help and encoragement! you are all a special bunch. TONY..THANK YOU for letting me shoot your NEw Mosin -Naguant!!!  What a RUSH!    teresa

[2-Fat]

I learn more everytime I come to one of these, as I incrementally inch my way up to a Rifleman score.  I may have to break down one of these days and move up from my bolt gun to a Ruger or a Marlin semi-auto, but not quite yet.  I will be back for future Appleseeds, in any event.

[Contra]

The syopsis above is spot on!  This was one of the most inspiring weekends of my life, and I thank everyone who was there! 

[9mm4545]

I learn more everytime I come to one of these, as I incrementally inch my way up to a Rifleman score.  I may have to break down one of these days and move up from my bolt gun to a Ruger or a Marlin semi-auto, but not quite yet.  I will be back for future Appleseeds, in any event.

Just think of how satisfying it will be when you earn the patch with that old bolt gun. Hang in there and practice perfectly. 10 perfect by-the-numbers dry fire shots a day for one month is my prescription. May be repeated as necessary. I look forward to handing you a well earned Rifleman patch--and an orange hat to go with it!

[9mm4545]

By the way, did I mention that one of our new Rifleman has volunteered for the Appleseed Project.  Thank you Eric. I will be in touch with you very soon to let you know what you have volunteered for. 

[ToneDef]

By the way, did I mention that one of our new Rifleman has volunteered for the Appleseed Project.  Thank you Eric. I will be in touch with you very soon to let you know what you have volunteered for. 

HUZZAH!!! I look forward to working with all the instructors again and seeing many of you on the trail! Pics to come very soon!

[ToneDef]

Lots of Pics!!!

[ToneDef]

Congrats to all our newly revealed Riflemen (and Woman!). Your next mission, should you choose to accept it, is to tell everyone you know about their extraordinary history and invite them to learn more at the next Appleseed.


Reminder: The holidays are upon us and Appleseed Gift Cards are available on the RWVA home page. I know what a bunch of my friends are getting for Christmas!


Finally, if you want to show off how much fun you had this weekend and these pics are not enough, I have posted my raw photostream (every pic I took this weekend) to my flickr account here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28678720@N08/sets/72157632223377366/

[Prof. C.J.]

Red has it exactly right -- instructors were VERY well paid at this shoot!

Personally, I don't think I've ever attended another shoot (either as shooter or instructor) where so many new Riflemen were revealed.  And even amongst those who did not shoot the score this time, there was TREMENDOUS improvement, and all the shooters displayed admirable amounts of grit in the face of wildly varying weather, especially on Sunday.  (As we St. Augustinians say, if you don't like the weather here, wait 5 minutes...)

A heartfelt "HUZZAH" from me to all the shooters who attended!

[EJ70]

Thanks to everyone for the great weekend!  HUZZAH!

[Riflemama]

I want to thank everyone for all their patience and support. You guys rock! Daniel and I are planning already for the January shoot. A new scope is on my shopping list. Can't wait. Still out their beating the drum to get new people to come out! Any suggestions for a scope?

[ToneDef]

Riflemama,


The scope I used was bought on cdnninvestments.com for about $35 and works just fine. It's a 4X. Now, for a modest increase in price you can jump to Tech-Sights, which have their own advantages (like they're much harder to break!). Just my 2 cents. Glad to hear you sounding the muster drum! The more paople hear this message, the sooner we can bring about more positive change in the form of Liberty in this nation!

[Johnnyappleseed]

I want to thank everyone for all their patience and support. You guys rock! Daniel and I are planning already for the January shoot. A new scope is on my shopping list. Can't wait. Still out their beating the drum to get new people to come out! Any suggestions for a scope?

Boston T Party says you will buy many scopes before you buy a Leupold , he suggests you start with a Leupold and skip all the others.
I believe a Leupold has a lifetime guarentee, even if you do not have a reciept.
Although I'm no expert ,a fixed 4 power has served me well.

Nice shoot Florida ^5

[9mm4545]

I want to thank everyone for all their patience and support. You guys rock! Daniel and I are planning already for the January shoot. A new scope is on my shopping list. Can't wait. Still out their beating the drum to get new people to come out! Any suggestions for a scope?

Boston T Party says you will buy many scopes before you buy a Leupold , he suggests you start with a Leupold and skip all the others.
I believe a Leupold has a lifetime guarentee, even if you do not have a reciept.
Although I'm no expert ,a fixed 4 power has served me well.

Nice shoot Florida ^5

With scopes, like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. Scopes being the delicate creatures that they are, it pays to invest some money and buy quality. Leupold is quality. A scope failure is not all that uncommon and cheap scopes fail more often than expensive scopes. For Appleseed you don't need high power, extra large objective lenses, or fancy reticles. A simple quality 4x will suffice. Get it properly mounted using good rings on a good rail and with proper eye relief and you will have a tool that will last a very long time and perform well.

[Prof. C.J.]

I want to thank everyone for all their patience and support. You guys rock! Daniel and I are planning already for the January shoot. A new scope is on my shopping list. Can't wait. Still out their beating the drum to get new people to come out! Any suggestions for a scope?

Riflemama:

If you're talking about a scope for a 22, I highly recommend the Nikon 4x scope in their Prostaff line.  It runs a little over $100 most places.  Mine's taken a beating through years of use (including many Appleseeds) and held up perfectly -- good optics, holds zero, and consistent click adjustments, too.  The Leupold equivalent (4x rimfire scope) runs about twice as much (well over $200), and is probably technically "better" than the Nikon, but I don't think it's twice as good -- and even if it is, I don't think it'll matter on a 22.  (The $100 you save by buying the Nikon can get you a heckuvalotta Federal Auto Match 22 LR ammo.)

On centerfires, my two favorite brands are Leupold and Burris -- Burris in my experience is as good as Leupold, when you compare the equivalent lines from the two companies (ie, budget line to budget line, mid-priced line to mid-priced line, etc.)

I look forward to seeing you at the January St. Aug shoot!