Dulzura, CA December 29-30, 2012

[George Hacker]

Wow!  What a wonderful way to end the year - spending the weekend with some patriots (and potential riflemen) at an Appleseed shoot at the southern edge of California.  The weather may have been crazy (a mixture of sun, rain, wind, and lightning), but that didn't deter these folks in any way.  No summer soldiers here.  Everyone stayed the course and persisted in their quest to gain rifle marksmanship skills and to learn about the birth of America.

First, I'd like to thank South Bay Rod and Gun Club for their gracious hospitality to an out-of-state instructor.  They had club board members available when I arrived and that helped me get my feet on the ground and prepare the range for our event.  Hopefully some of the attendees of our event will consider joining the range.

Congratulations to our new riflemen - Ryan and Jeff.  Well done!

There were many others who were knocking at the door.  Sean and Andy - you are both very close.  You just need to fine tune your skills.

Others were held back due to equipment issues.  Extractors weren't extracting.  Rounds weren't chambering.  Standard Ruger 10-22 sights leave much to be desired (not very easy to adjust).  Those who fought with their equipment vowed to come back.

This event featured many families.  There were many couples who attended together and some of them brought their children.  Thank you, Olivia and Tessa, for being BIG helpers by passing out targets and picking up brass.  All of the children were very attentive and had great attitudes.  Luther Blanchard Patriot Patches were well deserved.

All of the California instructors made me feel at home.  Thank you!  You did a great job working the shoot and keeping things safe.  I hope you get an opportunity to border raid somewhere in the Northwest Region.

Huzzah!  Huzzah!  Huzzah!  May you all have a blessed New Year!

ShadowMan

[Athena 1775]

I second that thanks to the South Bay Rod and Gun Club - you guys were great, and the facility was fantastic.  We were particularly grateful for the covered area when the rain hit us midday Sunday!  (See photo below for a "weather report" from one of our youngest shooters - Thanks, Tessa!)

To all of our shooters - you guys were fantastic.  Everyone brought a teachable attitude and made safety a priority... we couldn't ask for more.  As ShadowMan pointed out, there were a lot of equipment issues, but everyone persisted and made it through with a smile on their face.  We saw some remarkable improvements in marksmanship, shared a lot of history, and ate a lot of Redcoat Cookies.

Special thanks to our young shooters for having great attitudes, and for doing their part to keep our event safe.  Ryan had the Safety Rules and Safe Rifle Dance memorized and Sam was loading her tube-fed rifle like a pro by the end of the weekend (and she gave me her hand warmers when she was done with them on Sunday, for which I will be forever grateful).  Olivia and Tessa handed out countless targets, and picked up their own weight in brass.  And Joey handled a myriad of rifle issues (sights and jams) like a champ.

I wish you all a great 2013!

Jen (Athena 1775)