Hot Springs, AR Oct. 28-29, 2017

[9mm4545]

I cannot find words to describe what an incredible event we enjoyed at the Mountain Valley Sportsman Association range this weekend. This was absolutely amazing group of some twenty students. The results of their dedication, perseverance, and sheer determination are very clear in the results: 9 new Riflemen and one re-qualification! Fifty percent of the attendees shot the score. It was AWESOME! The shoot was sold out yet we managed to accommodate three walk-on shooters. By running 2 relays of shooters we managed to get a lot of shooters onto a fairly short line with room to spare. I have to say it worked far better than anticipated. There were several familiar faces in the group and it was thrilling to see the great strides in their marksmanship since I last saw them. This has become my new favorite place for Appleseeds. I will let others fill in their impressions and hopefully a few photographs. For now, all I can say is Wow! What a shoot!

[B.C.]

Golly, that's good!! 

[9mm4545]

I was too tired last night to add that we also gained four new Orange Hats and promoted two Red Hats. It was truly a magical shoot. I am promised that photos are on the way...

[rambo granny]

 

Here is a VIDEO link of the shoot
https://vimeo.com/240536240

If needed, password sneakpeek007...would like feedback if you need to use it or not as this is new territory for me to try

[Nashville Stage]

Here is a VIDEO link of the shoot

Not a bad job!
Yes, the password was needed, but it worked just fine.

[Cable___Guy]

Great Job 

[PaleRider]

Cool video! Miss ya, Sticks! See you at Tac-Con! Congrats on all of the Riflemen!
Tim

[stoneknives]

Great Video....

[KPUC]

Like Bruce said, this was an epic shoot.  I have never seen so many people gel into Riflemen at the same time.  Many of them shot more than one qualifying AQT, demonstrating how repeatable these skills are.  I love seeing people struggle with that long, lonesome journey between head, hand and heart that it takes to shoot a course of fire well, and then seeing it all come together.  The smiles coming back from the target line were worth all the tears.

Many thanks to Bruce and Janet for taking time out to bring their expertise and experience to us.  Running an A and B relay really seemed to work out well for the number of shooters that we had on the line, allowing everyone to get some effective coaching and interaction without being crowded. 

Arkansas is a funny place, we had weather near freezing in the morning and bright and sunny all afternoon.  Many thanks to our host range at the MVSA.  It was a terrific place to hold an Appleseed.  Their facility is wonderful, clean and safe.  The burgers and hot dogs weren't too bad either. 

I hope to see this program grow with the new "orange hats."  I can't wait to shoot up your hats the way you retired Kyle's and mine. 

[44automag]

This was my first Appleseed, but definitely won't be my last.  I was probably the worst shooter in the group, but that means I probably learned the most.  I can't wait to practice all that I learned last weekend.  Thanks to all of the guys and gals who put this great event on. 

[bright1]

Fantastic!  This was my first event but not the last! Thanks again to the instructors and all that helped make this a successful shoot!  I learned much and can now properly prepare for the next event in the spring.  In addition to the actual time spent on the range, I really enjoyed the education presented as to our heritage as Americans. Congratulations to the new Red Hats!   Well done!   (and thanks for posting the video!)

[rambo granny]

44automag & bright1...
So very awesome to hear your comments. Thanks! You both really beat the socks off what I did on my first day at Appleseeds! Please do your perfect dry practice regularly!

[joelbud]

This was my 2nd Appleseed event at MVSA.  Had so much fun a the 1st one with Bruce, Janet, Sticks and company it was hard to believe they could out do themselves, but they did.  I brought my son and one of his friends (both age 13) with me and I was impressed and truly appreciated how much time the staff spent with both boys.  I managed to get my Rifleman patch this time (woo-hoo!).  Neither boy did.  However, both improved greatly since the last event and their scores went up with each AQT attempt so I'm sure it wont be long until they earn their patch too! Enjoyed the camaraderie all around0-both with the staff and other shooters.  Will definitely bring all back at the earliest opportunity!   

[rambo granny]

Here's a great pic just located that needs to be shared. Mindy was a great student & one fantastic rifle-woman!
Her first appleseed plus great score!
Shoot like a girl!

[rambo granny]

Joel bud,
You & the boys were awesome to work with. It is very exciting to see such well behaved, committed, young Americans on the line working to attain the skills our founders revered. That is what truly gives me hope for preserving  Liberty!
Keep up the PERFECT dry practice & I know we will see the boys join you in earning their patches.

[Buddy Love]

The Hot Springs Appleseed events are amazing! MVSA does an excellent job of supporting the events and the facilities worked out perfectly for us. I especially liked the burgers and dogs for lunch so we could could continue to build the camaraderie while we took a break for lunch. All of our shooters made great strides this weekend from becoming more familiar with how to safely handle a rifle to all of our new Riflemen, IITs, and Instructors. It was truly rewarding meeting some new Appleseeders and watching many of my friends that I compete with earn the coveted Rifleman patch. Great work everybody!

I think the relays enabled the shooters to be much more comfortable and enjoy a much needed break from the grind while they prepped magazines for the next course of fire. It gave instructors enough room to get down on the mats and have some quality training opportunities with the shooters.

Thank you Bruce and Janet for making the journey all the way from Florida to run the event. I always love listening to the way you tell the history and appreciate all the tips you offered on how to improve as an instructor. I learned a lot this weekend from the shooters and the other instructors. I appreciate everyone coming out this weekend and enjoyed seeing those smiles as you came back from your targets.

Special shout out to our younger shooters for their excellent safe handling of the rifles. Erin, our blue hat, did an excellent job of keeping KPUC and me inline and helping with the shoot.

I will be posting a link shortly for pictures from the event.

[minnesotarabit]

Amazing results on the shoot! Congrats to all the new riflemen and women and all the new orange and red hats, we need you to help spread the word of Liberty. Now I just have to get up there sometime to help after hearing all this good stuff from RG and 9mm!

[Pumpkinseed]

    I really enjoyed my time at the shoot. I think that we all learned something new. I learned some new history and got better at shooting my new semi automatic. There were many new orange hats and 2 new red hats. We used some style in retiring the old orange hats. The range was amazing but not very warm.  I would like to thank the shoot boss and all of the other rifleman that helped us organize this shoot. I would also like to thank the people who made lunch.  I hoping that I will be able to shoot a rifleman's score next time. For sure next time! 

[Buddy Love]

Here are some pictures from the event.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/46hhb8t0tx58ake/AADrEreEByCTUpJmKVwjYt8pa?dl=0

[Rev.357]

The Hot Springs team has really hit their stride.  New recruits and a lot of excitement.  Keep up the good work. 

[minnesotarabit]

RG love the video!! Great AA report! Felt for that 210 rifleman in that weather!