New Smyrna Beach, FL February 22-23, 2014

[9mm4545]

AAR New Smyrna Beach, FL, FEB 22-23, 2014

It is unusual to see the majority of shooters on the line all experienced former Appleseed attendees but this is what we had at this event. On a cool foggy Saturday morning, five out our seven shooters were returning for another go at the coveted Rifleman patch;  the lessons they had previously learned were apparent from the first Redcoat target on Saturday morning. Still, as is the usual case, improvements could be made so the fire hose was turned on and the hard work of marksmanship improvement was begun. The holy trinity of NPOA, solid position, and Six Steps was taught and the groups, which were not all that bad to start with, steadily improved. For the most part rifle issues were minimal and the morning progressed quickly. After an excellent telling of the First Strike of the Match by FLawyer at lunchtime, we were back to the fundamentals of position shooting with an emphasis on Rifleman's cadence as the pace quickened. By day's end we saw two new Riflemen: Kevin earned the Rifleman's patch with some solid shooting. This is a man who knows well what he is about. Kevin brought his 11 year old son Trevor with him. Trevor initially was just going to observe but we convinced him that shooting would be much more fun so, with a loaner rifle and using a rest, Trevor proceeded to do quite well on his targets. He was a delight to work with and his attitude was exceptional. The other Rifleman was Dixon (aka: Dix), who may well have the honor of being Florida's newest--and oldest--Rifleman, at the tender age of 71. His perseverance and dedication is something to behold and I feel proud to have been the one to award him his Patch.

The forecast on Sunday was a bit less optimistic than for Saturday but with an early start and willing students, we got a major amount of shooting done before the weather finally shut us down. During the afternoon Florida gained yet another new Rifleman: Joel, on a Rapid Fire AQT--and the last AQT before the weather caused us to run for cover.  Just to show that the previous day's qualification by Kevin and Dix were not flukes, they both easily re-qualified with centerfire rifles. Kevin used a fine AR-15 and Dix shook the ground with his M1A. It was nice to hear the sound of Liberty echoing throughout the range.

Allyson, I see you giving your husband Benjamin a very hard race to be the first Rifleman in your family. Ben could only attend on Sunday but he showed remarkable improvement and both he and Allyson will no doubt be sporting matching Rifleman patches before long. Dry fire will lead to consistency and consistency is what is needed for you both.

Jim, you were an inspiration working that bolt gun. I hope the loan of my Green Rifle has not ruined you forever! Your work on the Redcoat Challenge fun target was scary good. Now, have a cookie! (I will bring sugar-free next time...)

Charles, if you can tweak that scope mount to allow for a more relaxed head position, I think achieving a more solid position with less neck soreness will be possible for you. You were showing some great form despite a rifle that did not quite fit you.

About an hour before we had planned on ending for the day a strong cold storm gust, coupled with a quick glance at the sky, clearly said that trouble was rapidly approaching. Reports of tornado activity, severe thunderstorms, and a truly frightening radar picture were convincing: we closed down early and managed to pack everything up just before the onslaught of weather not fit for man nor beast. I trust that everyone made it home safely; for me it was, well, "interesting".

Big thanks go to FLawyer, Rambo Granny, and TomM1Thumb for their very capable and expert assistance. Lady Liberty thanks you as well. To everyone, thanks for coming out and I look forward to seeing you all again.

[Grunt]

Bruce, thanks for the kind words.  Reference our conversation about becoming a Blue Hat, I am interested.  I plan to attend, (pending unanticipated conflicts) the following events, Bunnell Mar 15-16, St Aug May 17-18, St aug Aug 9-10, Palm Bay KD Aug 30-31, Bunnell Oct 4-5,  and possibly a Nov or Dec shoot?  I intend to shoot the M14 with iron sights at Bunnell and keep on until I get the score ala the "hard Way".  My Ph is 386 439 2602, email is plumcat3@att.net, mailing address is 11 Lakeside PL N, Flagler Beach, FL 32136.  Feel free to contact me using any means.
Thank you,
Dix
AMAT VICTORIA CURAM