Marion, Ohio June 29 & 30th, 2013

[Corvette]

I arrived Firday evening at Meeker Sportsman Center in Marion, Ohio full of excitement as Appleseed was returning to Meeker, my home range.  The line was setup and the flags were hung on the back side of the shoot house.  Registration was set up and camp was pitched.  We were all setup for what looked to be a great Appleseed weekend. We had fifteen pre-regs with a strong family focus.  We had a Boy Scout leader and three lads from his troop, two father and son/sons groups, a husband/wife and two children and several returning Appleseeders including Zach who I had the pleasure to work with two weeks ago in Miamisburg.  We had Dougum, ChevyShooter and Ratchett set to help on the line and we were ready to go.

Saturday dawned clear and cool.  Perfect Appleseed weather.  After a camp breakfast of sausage, eggs, sweet rolls and coffee, we were ready for the shooters.  After registration in the clubhouse, we moved to the range where the intro and safety briefings were held and we embarked on our first Red Coat of the weekend.  Our Boy Scout troop leader, Louis, set the bar high with the first of four clean Red Coats (with a bolt gun no less).  Instructions began, squares were shot and more instructions followed.  Before long we were at lunch and the first strike.  Then, the weather turned from what had been a perfect morning into a pretty unsettled situation.  Storms surrounded us first to the North, then to the South and then to the East.  IPhones were fired up to the weather and it didn't look promising at all.  However, Ratchett just kept saying "have faith" and sure enough each rain cell just moved around us and we were generally dry for the remainder of the afternoon.   Green Coats, Practice AQTs and our first timed AQT rounded out the day.   Louis continued to display his skills re-qualifying as a Rifleman yet again on his first AQT with a bolt gun.  However, Zach also got over the hump and became our first new rifleman of the weekend completing a journey that started in Miamisburg two weeks ago.  The final red coat was shot, improvement was shown up and down the line and Saturday came to an end.

Zach was camping with us at the range and he joined me and the rest of the instructors for some extra work on the line that evening  Zach and I worked with my Springfield 1903A4 to show that a 25M zero really is also a 200 yard zero.  Zach had never fired a 30-06 nor a Springfield before but he stepped right up, confirmed zero at 25M with three fives and then moved out to the 200 yard targets we had set up.  His first shot was an Xring five and three of the next four were in the black.  And, HE CALLED his flyer.  Wow, in one and a half Appleseeds, he's banging on the black at 200 yards with a rifle he had never shot before and calling his misses.  After his shots at 200, Zach looked up and all he could say was "Wow, Dude, Cool".  Somewhere in there is a forum handle I'll bet. 

Sunday dawned dark and rainy.  We had intermittent showers all day which played havoc with the schedule but the rest of the history was presented, AQTs were shot, KD lesson was given during one of the heavier showers, DOM during another heavy shower and Sunday moved on in spite of the weather.  Louis continued to re-qualify with just about every AQT and  Zach re-qualified twice on Sunday.  One score was a 210 so when he took his Orange hat he also got the traditional baptism of water from the North Bridge and a second patch.  A wild turkey wandered onto the range and interrupted one of our AQTs after lunch.  Dougum was sent to chase it away but only after he promised not to shoot it.  One of our father/son teams, Chuck and Ben, were quietly working hard on their skills and the results were showing Sunday afternoon as their scores just kept advancing.  Ben was up in the 190's and Chuck delivered the goods with a 215 in our last AQT becoming our second new Rifleman of the weekend.  Chuck's comment to me after getting his patch was, "you guys are amazing, I have never been able to hit the broad side of a barn off-hand my entire life until this weekend".  One more Appleseed and I bet son Ben will make it as well.

The weekend ended with some KD work at 100 yards for the 22 shooters and 200, 300,  and 400 yard work for the centerfire rifles.  The boy scouts were introduced to the M1 Garand by Louis and our instructors. We even were able to give our instructors a little bit of trigger time before the end of the day.  All in all, a great Appleseed.  We made two new Riflemen, one of which took an Orange hat, Louis took a Blue hat joining our Apple Core of volunteers and we had budding rifle men and women up and down the line.  The scores on the final Red Coat proved that as a group, great progress was made. 

Pictures and additional posts to follow.  Big thank you's to Meeker Sportsman Center for hosting us and to Dougum, Ratchett and Chevyshooter for joining us on the line for the weekend.

Respectfully submitted, Corvette, Shoot Boss, Marion, Ohio   

[Ratchett]

You can find a few pictures here...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ohio-Appleseed-Project/130486700324325


Was a great weekend! Wiil add more later. Congratulations to Chuck (Corvette I need pictures!) Zach, and Louie for those Rifleman scores. Mary was knocking on the door with a 201...it will not be long!!

Thank you to all the shooters for your time, learning attitudes, but more importantly your love of country and liberty!!! Stand the line...

[DGMilty]

Sounds like a great weekend!  Congrats to the Riflemen and new IIT.

I'm sure I'll be seeing you all some time on the Trail!!!

[Corvette]

DG, we are counting on it.  Corvette

[Corvette]

Here are some pictures from last weekend.....enjoy.....and add your own.  Corvette

[Dudeman]

Some good looking pictures right there! Thanks Corvette & Ratchet.