AAR: Ararat Farm, Jonesville, VA 20-21 MAY 2017

[Guardian]

Ararat Farm hosted the second Appleseed event at their facility this weekend. Many thanks to the Watson family for the hospitality! I cannot adequately convey my appreciation for not only hosting the shoot, but providing lodging and meals for the Instructors, also! The scenery at the range is such that few places can compete. It is a truly beautiful venue!

Saturday morning, 11 Patriots turned out to learn a bit about Marksmanship, LIBERTY, and our unique Heritage. We began with an introduction, safety protocols, and then turned on the FIRE HOSE of information. We covered prone, sitting/kneeling, and standing positions; the six steps of firing the shot; the Three Strikes of the Match; and more. It was long, HOT day. We were all tired by the end of it, but confessed we'd all learned something.

Sunday, we woke up to light rain. Seven shooters returned for a second day! We started the day by awarding HazMatt1 with his Red Hat in recognition of his efforts to become a full Instructor!  We then began reviewing information and got into AQTs early. The day ended early as three of our shooters had a 9 hour drive home (that's commitment, right there!) and the rest had other obligations.

We had several shooters that were knocking on the door of Rifleman with scores of 190 to 204. Others saw dramatic improvement on the Redcoat targets!  Most importantly, the message of LIBERTY was heard!

Jason, I hope you are able to make it back to see us.

Jesse, You are an outstanding shooter. Dry firing will get you those last couple of points you need for the patch.

Bedford and Isom, You are both excellent shooters, particularly given your youth! You are both very mature young men and were a pleasure to have on the line. I hope to see you at future events. Continue to work on steady hold factors and the 6 steps and the groups will continue to shrink with those ARs! I also want to commend you for bringing your centerfires! Appleseed is all about the Rifleman's Quarter Mile, and it takes a centerfire to do it!

Carter, you were knocking on the door, HARD! Dry fire by the numbers and working on smoothness will get you to your patch! It was a pleasure to have you on the line again.

Stan, you persevered through several challenges. 1903 slings are awesome, but take a bit to master. Your commitment to getting the most you could out of the weekend is commendable! By the end of the event, you'd made great strides in minimizing movement while working the bolt. It's a little tougher to tie all the instruction together with a bolt rifle, but it is certainly achievable.

John, you made great progress through the event! I hope you were able to see that. Continue to work on smoothness with bolt operation and mag changes.

Ed, Thanks for your teachable attitude and willingness to use a loaner rifle. There's nothing wrong with a tube fed lever rifle, but I believe the use of the loaner rifle with provisions for a sling greatly increased your learning through the weekend. Dry firing will help the positions feel more natural.

Christian, Caleb, and Elisha, y'all are forces to be reckoned with! All three of you shoot very well! Dry firing will help you find your true NPOA and once you feel it one time, you'll know it from then on. Focus on smoothness and the speed will come.

To all, I hope to see you on the line again at Ararat Farm or another venue! Remember 25M events are just a gateway to actual distance events and we hope you all make the move from 22 to centerfire. The feeling of elation that comes from hitting a target 500 yards away cannot be adequately described!

If you have pics, feel free to post them!

[HazMatt1]

A huge thanks to Guardian for coming and being Shoot Boss again at Ararat Farm Range. Thanks to all the shooters for taking the time and effort to come out (some of yall pretty far) to attend and educate yourselves about our heritage of liberty. I greatly enjoyed this event and look forward to seeing some of yall at future events!

[The Wolfhound]

Thanks from the Virginia Corps to Guardian and HazMatt1.  To Guardian, thanks for coming over the border to make it work. To HazMatt1, thanks for hosting on your property, proving "If you hold it, they will come."  If an Appleseed is not close enough, hold your own.  I tell people that Appleseed is portable and you prove it.