Palm Bay, FL (PMRPC) - April 1-2, 2017

[Guntuckian]

A truly wonderful weekend with an excellent group of 14 patriotic shooters.  The Appleseed staffing was superb, too, with enough Instructors to provide one-on-one instruction to all the shooters present, and getting down on the firing line beside shooters. We started with a Safety Briefing followed by an introduction by all the Instructors. The Four Questions were quickly introduced, followed by the BIG QUESTION of "What is the American Revolution", so necessary for framing our planned journey for this two-day Appleseed.

The Saturday morning Red Coat soon followed, which showed we had 6 shooters effective at 100 yards, 2 effective at 200 yards, and one shooter that was effective at 400 yards.  We also had 2 shooters who showed themselves capable of passing Morgan's Shingle Shot test. This merely showed that we had plenty of opportunity for all to benefit from the fire-hose of marksmanship instruction.

We checked shooters for eye dominance, and jumped immediately into sling usage, with the Hasty-Hasty, Hasty, and Loop sling usages. This was followed by introducing the first 3 steps of the Six Steps to Firing a Shot. NPOA with a laser rifle came next, and the use of the first 3 Steps to establish and verify one's NPOA was then explained and demonstrated. Steady Hold Factors for the prone position followed, and a dry fire exercise followed that, to master the first 3 steps of the Six Steps to firing a shot. We then went into the last 3 steps of the Six Steps to Firing a Shot, using a ball point pen to demonstrate the concept of trigger reset. The need to avoid Dragging Wood was presented. We then did a dry fire exercise of the Six Steps to Firing a Shot while in prone, after first learning the trigger reset of each loaner rifle. How many EEEEEEE's are there in Trigger Squeeeeeeeze? A bunch!

The concept of Talking Targets came next.  One shooter had a diagonal linear group, and after listening to our targets talk to us, this shooter then had a turn with the laser rifle, and we all learned the necessity of getting our support elbow under the rifle enough to avoid having a diagonal group.

Our next course of fire was LUNCH, and Malabar brought to life the story of the first events of that morning of April 19, 1775, just 242 years ago.

Our first mission of the day accomplished, in getting from Boston to Lexington, we resumed our adventure in marksmanship instruction with more sighter groups, and the groups tightened noticeably, quickly. Numerous shooters now had all 5 of their rounds within the size of the sighter target square. Inches, Minutes, and Clicks was obviously the next step, and TheMenace presented the methods of learning the simple mechanical adjustments necessary to move these tight groups of shots into the black target square. With the adjustments made, the next 5 shots showed numerous shooters with all 5 shots within the black target squares. Our shared journey to becoming Rifleman-qualified was proceeding nicely!

The GreenCoat targets went up next, and the movement of one's NPOA under live fire for Stage 2, with 10 rounds loaded into but one magazine, was then done. We then repeated the exercise, but with two magazines loaded with 2 and 8 rounds, to add the step of switching magazines and additionally switching one's NPOA.

Next came the Standing to Prone Transition instruction, followed by live fire with 2 magazines, to add just one additional step.

Stopping for a water break, TheMenace then took us from Lexington to Concord, with the telling of the Second Strike.

With the events of the North Bridge behind us, we resumed our marksmanship instruction with the Sitting Position. We also learned the standing to sitting transition, and practiced it with another live fire exercise.

The traditional American shooting position, Standing, came next, and we finished the GreenCoat target. The Third Strike came next, with Guntuckian taking us on the journey from Concord back to Boston. Having pushed the Redcoats back to Boston, the famed AQT came next. This was followed by the re-shooting of the morning's Red Coat targets.

On day one, Saturday, Dylan showed he was a young man who definitely knew what he was about, scoring the first Rifleman score of the weekend, with a score of 218.  The Saturday afternoon's Red Coat similarly showed considerable improvement. We still had 6 shooters who were effective at 100 yards, but we now had 3 effective to 200 yards, and 3 that were effective to 300 yards. Everyone's effective range with a rifle was improving greatly. Two shooters showed they were able to achieve the Morgan Shingle Shot requirement, and one shooter cleared the Red Coat. The fire-hose of instruction was definitely paying off!

On day two, Sunday, we had an enthusiastic group of shooters who SHOWED UP EARLY.  So, instead of starting at 8:30 AM, as planned, we began at 8:10 AM!  No late sleeping or ten o' clock scholar patriots, these shooters!  A safety briefing followed, and rifles were brought back to the line.  In response to the 4 Questions posed on Saturday, the shooters now showed that they had soaked up the knowledge from the Three Strikes told on Saturday, and that they now KNEW all the answers to the 4 Questions!  No dozing Patriots, these shooters!

The Red Coats on Sunday morning followed, and we quickly reviewed our sling usages, the six steps to firing a shot, and NPOA.  Unlike on Saturday, two laser rifles were now brought out, and EVERY shooter now had an opportunity to learn the importance for themselves of having their support elbow fully under the rifle, and reviewing exactly how to establish and verify their NPOA.  They were polishing their NPOA skills first learned on Saturday!  We reviewed IMC, and final sight adjustments were made. 

The seated position was re-introduced, but through the concept of Rifleman's Yoga, with TheMenace leading us through the steps of getting into the seated position, with all the shooters seated around a Circle of Instruction.  Steady Hold Factors in the seated position were next reviewed, while also seated around a Circle of Instruction.

The story of the prowess of the riflemen marching to Boston from the frontier over 21 days, while putting on shooting exhibitions when stopped at towns, traveling in response to General George Washington's call for riflemen from the frontier, was told.  Newspaper articles of the day provided the details of the skill levels they exhibited.  A special target was then brought out and issued, to see if any of the shooters present could hit a shingle between their paper target brother's knees, without injuring their paper target brother.  (We did this during our Ball & Dummy drill.)  Dylan, our first Rifleman from Saturday, showed he was shooting at the same skill level as was demonstrated on that 21 day march to Boston by frontiersmen riflemen. His paper target brother was the sole brother target to escape unscathed! (See the great photo below!)

We then started our AQTs, getting one AQT in before lunch.

Lunch followed, where we heard stories of the Gray-Haired Messenger of Mortality, Hezekiah Wyman; Samuel Whittemore; David Lamson; Mother Ruth Batherick; and Nancy Morgan Hart. 

We did a second AQT, and then broke for another water break, where a Known Distance presentation was given by Guntuckian.

We did a third AQT, and then broke for a short water break and oral history stories, while hidden targets were placed 6 MOA from a small black square on the targets on the target line.  The oral history story of "The Shot  Not Taken", involving a British Rifleman, Captain Patrick Ferguson, was told.  The oral history story of Major General Benedict Arnold, Colonel Daniel Morgan, and of known Rifleman Sgt. Timothy Murphy, at the Second Battle of Saratoga, was told. Sometimes, Riflemen make history for what they don't do;  sometimes, Riflemen make history for what they actually do!

The shooters were then broken into 4 teams of 3 shooters each (Team John Parker, Team Isaac Davis, Team Samuel Whittemore, and Team Hezekiah Wyman), and a team shoot followed, with each shooter firing 10 rounds each.  The covered, hidden, targets were easily hit. Multiple times. One Rifleman can do much, but a knot of Rifleman can do so much more!  With our spirits refreshed, we then resumed shooting AQTs, getting in 5 AQTs altogether on Sunday.  Over both days, 6 AQTs altogether were accomplished!

Being this was our Patriots Days shoot this year, we then began preparing for the nationwide Patriots Day volley.   Coming up close on the national volley at 4:00 PM on Sunday for Patriots Day, the backdrop of the day's events on April 19, 1775 was quickly told.  Then, at the stroke of 4:00 PM, we began our volley fire on the final Red Coat of the day, while the line boss read off a name of a brave American who gave his all on April 19, 1775.

ROBERT MONROE....AIM....FIRE; JONAS PARKER, AIM, FIRE, ...!  (A few shooters apparently got some dust in their eye during the memorial volley.  Or, so it appeared.)

Patriots Day patches were then presented to all shooters present, as well as to the Appleseed Staff present.  The Appleseed Staff also were presented with an April 19, 1775 rocker, too, for working a Patriots Day Appleseed event.

The Benediction followed, and the Concept of Seventh Stepping was presented.

With the 5 AQTs of the day graded, they were then brought forth and presented to shooters.  Scores climbed greatly for each shooter, over the course of Sunday's shooting.  And, two-re-qualifying Riflemen showed that we had shooters present who knew what they were about!  Dan hit a new high of 216, and Dylan bested his Saturday's score, hitting a new high of 222!  And, our Shoot Boss in Training (SBIT) Guntuckian was  also presented with his Shoot Boss hats by Malabar, having successfully run 3 Appleseeds.  (See photos below.)

Now, several shooters missed scoring a Rifleman's score and earning a patch by only 1, 2, or 3 shots.  Numerous Sharpshooter and Marksman scores were achieved, too.  If this is where you fell this Appleseed, just shy of a Rifleman's score, do not despair!  A Rifleman has persistence and perseverance!  Remember, do your dry fire practice before your next Appleseed and this will greatly improve all of your Steady Hold Factors necessary to earn YOUR Rifleman's patch next time.  The necessary skills are now in your tool box of mental knowledge;  you have but to apply them, and perfect them.  Only perfect practice permits precision progression!  Keep your dry fire practice short in each session, no more than 10 minutes each session.  It is better to do 10 precisely executed dry fire "shots" than 100 poorly executed dry fire "shots".  Remember, too, to remove all ammunition from any room in which you are doing dry fire practice.

In grand Appleseed fashion, we cleared the line, and we all pitched in and left the host range cleaner than when we arrived for our journey back to April 19, 1775 this weekend. 

Kudos to the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club for so graciously providing us a range for the weekend without any range fees!

All in all, this was a glorious weekend in the company of fellow patriots, in celebration of Patriots Day 2017. HUZZAH!

(Pictures to follow. I know other pictures were taken, so post 'em if you got 'em.)

[Guntuckian]

Pictures!

[Guntuckian]

Can you demonstrate the same level of skill with your paper target brother, and hit the shingle while doing Ball and Dummy, as those frontier Riflemen did with their Kentucky Long Rifles?  Can you?  And, not hit your paper target brother?

Dylan can!   

[Guntuckian]

In March 2011, I had major surgery, and spent 10 days in the ICU.  Then, 3 months on short term disability, living with drains, sutures, bandages, etc., before being allowed to return to work.  Then, two years with numerous restrictions before the surgeons finally released me to resume shooting a rifle.

The next month, 2 years and a month after surgery, a month after getting an OK to resume shooting a rifle, I attended my first Appleseed, in April 2013.  It then took me 7 Appleseeds before I finally could shoot the score, repeatedly.  But, I did it.  And, after two shoots repeatedly shooting the score, I accepted the Orange Hat.

Appleseed had long been continuously on my bucket list, since 2005, all while reading Fred's monthly writings in Shotgun News. I had even started shooting on a bench at Fred's targets, but the public range would only allow me to shoot off a bench.   But, I only realized while in the ICU, back in 2011, that Bucket Lists are meant to be done.  Not simply made, and left on a "to do" list.

Without the help of SLY223, Bill o Rites, Mr. Pete, Malabar, PHenry, Alkeford, HeidiHeidi, Heidi Rose, TheMenace, Fred, dond, DrRichP, ITB, ThreeOEight, StoneKnives, and so many, many more in Appleseed, and the support of my wife, Christine, and my son, Jimmy, my journey would likely not have led me to take up the Green.

Thanks, everyone, for your patience, tutoring, and general encouragement!  Liberty forever!  HUZZAH!

[Guntuckian]

More Pictures!

[Guntuckian]

More Pictures!