Wilmington, OH CCFSA 21-22 July 2018

[Longrifleman]

They all looked at me like I was crazy. Turns out I couldn't have been more right!

All I said was something like "There's a special providence for drunkards, little children, the United States of America, and Appleseed at CCFSA." I was referring to the weather 'cause there was only 100% chance of rain every hour all weekend. But I've seen this act before. Hype, hype, hype! That's all they feed us! Just because it's a big, unseasonable Nor-easter and feet of rain fell in some places doesn't mean that Heaven won't smile down on us when we all get together for the cause of LIBERTY!

Not only did the rain stay away but the cloud cover and wonderful temps made this an Appleseed to remember. Mix in the great bunch of awake and ready, patriotic Americans and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

Everyone knows the drill by now- Start with The Pledge, cover the all-important safety rules, blow some holes in a Redcoat and open up the fire hydrant! This crew soaked it up like a parched desert in monsoon season. Sixteen shooters in all took to the line and we pounded out all the instruction necessary to forge some new Riflemen!

The little rain we got even held off until it was time to hear the amazing story of our fight for independence from tyrannical rule. And, just like the mysterious coincidence of those shots from Lexington just when Mr. Revere needed them, we were treated to a jaw-dropping fly-by consisting of no less than FIVE U.S military helicopters just as the First Strike climaxed. Don't believe me? See the pictures! (I, of course, took credit for arranging the whole thing - being the all-powerful Shoot Boss.)

By the end of the first day an old friend who snuck in at the last minute (anybody remember RifleBen?) showed us how's it's done with a Rifleman re-qualify to go along with his TWO cleared Redcoats. Trinity also cleared her first Redcoat in the AM and Natalia laid one out in the PM. Little did we know this was only the beginning of the fantastic shooting we would all witness before it was said and done.

Sunday's skies looked threatening as well but we weren't concerned a bit (providence, ya know!) But, just in case, we got right to it! RifleBen and Trinity cleared the AM Redcoat again and before lunch time we saw Trinity and (Little) Ben H. earn the ultimate Appleseed goal of Rifleman! Shortly after lunch, Jake nailed his high score as well making three new Riflemen forged at CCFSA! The whole time RifleBen was lurking in the shadows crunching out Rifleman scores each time he tried.

The day culminated with a feat of unparalleled Redcoat destruction. RifleBen, Trinity, Little Ben, and Jake all cleared Redcoats (That's 5 shooters out of 16 clearing Redcoats for the weekend!) and someone realized that RifleBen had steadily achieved an impressive feat that has to be among the rarest of all Appleseed achievements- A Perfect Appleseed! He was able to clear all 4 Redcoats and shoot Rifleman score on every AQT he shot. He even just missed "Distinguished" status with a 239 on one attempt. (At least he has a reason to come back!) NICE WORK Ben!

Sunday afternoon also featured our soon-to-be-famous Triple Threat Redcoat Team Drill! Four teams of 3 shooters stepped up to the plate and when the smoke cleared the team of Kenzie, Trinity, and Natalia embarrassed the other 3 (all men) teams and claimed the prize package of all time- a free reach into the Appleseed Prize Bucket!

What a weekend it was!

I want to thank all our shooters for their persistence and attention to safety. I also wish to encourage every one of you guys to stick with it! Use dry-fire practice to improve your skills for next time. Some of you were so close! I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

[Longrifleman]

Like I said...

[RedLeg]

What a fantastic weekend! Despite the unstable weather forecast, we had a full line of eager shooters with great, teachable attitudes. For a July weekend in the Ohio River Valley, the weather actually turned out very well with just a little rain Saturday afternoon and overcast skies with cooler than average temps all weekend.

Congratulations to the two Bens, Trinity, and Jake on their Rifleman patches and cleared Redcoats!
Congratulations also go out to Natalia for clearing a couple Redcoats!
Congratulations to Ben for clearing all four Redcoats and shooting Rifleman scores on EVERY AQT this weekend with his first being a very impressive 239!

Matthew, Natalia, and several other shooters were knocking hard on the door with scores in the high 190s and low 200s.

Now, on to some pictures!


Our outstanding group of young shooters! Before the end of the weekend, two of them would be Rifleman!


Ben re-qualifying with a 239 on his first AQT of the weekend.


The second Ben to shoot Rifleman for the weekend.


Trinity earns her Rifleman patch.


Jake decides he wants in on the action and qualifies for his Rifleman patch.


Great group of shooters on the line during the slow fire phase of the AQT on Sunday.

Thanks again to all the shooters and the club for yet another great Appleseed weekend!

HUZZAH!

[goodoldfriend]

Looks like a wonderful event.
I am sorry I was not there but I answered the call and went to help in Newark.
I had a chance to shoot my bolt action .22 in a few AQTs. I was able to get off all my shots within the time limits and with some help from Corvette, I was able to improve my score but I did not make the mark.
Check the Newark AAR for an interesting photo about what can happen during an event. Thank goodness it happened at lunch.
I hope to see the crew and shooters in October!

[HammBone]

I will echo the "great weekend" comments above. Couldn't really have asked for better. A lot of firsts:

My first time under the Orange Hat. Got some great instruction and feedback from Longrifleman and DGMilty. On to IIT2 in Piqua!
My daughter Trinity (henceforth Trinchester on the forums) brought her friends Audrey and Natalia for their first Appleseed experience.
I got a nice round of applause after my presentation on my favorite Dangerous Old Man, Hezekiah Wyman.
Trinity cleared 3 of 4 Redcoats only missing the shingle by a finger's width on number 4.
Trinity shot her first Rifleman score and earned the patch.
Trinity accepted an Orange Hat and will most likely be working toward her IIT1 at Piqua alongside her very proud Dad (school comes first though).

Can't say enough good things about the CCFSA. They have a fabulous range, they cooked a hot lunch for us each day, and their people checked on us several times asking if we needed anything. Our resident Blue Hat (forgot his name) at the club even brought us a huge stack of extra shooting mats and a nice piece of astroturf he had scrounged from somewhere. He professed to being an inveterate dumpster diver. Thanks very much!

The final first: We stopped into a little antique shop near Fort Ancient on the way home Sunday. The first thing that caught my eye was a box of rifle flints. How often do you see that on the shelves these days?

[Palladius]

I don't have any pictures as I was too busy working to get my Rifleman score. Thanks to listening to the instructors we had, I was able to get it before the weekend ended! I can't thank the instructors enough for putting in the time and effort to give us a great event. Each one of them gave me help during the events that was key to getting my score where it needed to be. Now I just need to get it higher.

I am a lifelong shooter and spent many hours taking courses to improve my skills. This weekend took me to a level I haven't been at before with a rifle and I enjoyed every minute. Even the little bit of rain, getting too much sun, and brass burns. I've now sent pictures of my patch to my brothers and friends to push them to attend one.

Hopefully someone will post the picture of me getting my patch!

[Corvette]

Wow, what a fantastic event!!!

Multiple cleared Red Coats, no rain, new Orange Hats, fantastic job and big kuddo's to all the shooters. 

You are correct,  God loves Appleseed.  We had the exact same thing at Newark.  Storms all around the range both Sat and Sun but not a drop on us.  Just like the morning fog that protected Washington's retreat from New York, God blessed us with two dry days. 

Huzzah, my hat's off to the great shooters you assembled and the fantastic results they enjoyed. 

Corvette

[RedLeg]

Hopefully someone will post the picture of me getting my patch!

I believe I have captured all Rifleman photos in my post above.

Great to meet you this weekend and hope to see you out again!

[Palladius]

Hopefully someone will post the picture of me getting my patch!

I believe I have captured all Rifleman photos in my post above.

Great to meet you this weekend and hope to see you out again!

I saw your list but the pictures aren't showing up for me.

[RedLeg]

Hopefully someone will post the picture of me getting my patch!

I believe I have captured all Rifleman photos in my post above.

Great to meet you this weekend and hope to see you out again!

I saw your list but the pictures aren't showing up for me.

Hmmm...they definitely show up for me.  Let me try uploading them as opposed to posting them inline.

[Longrifleman]

The CCFSA Blue Hat is Rick. He's the man! If you can shoot at it, shoot from it or reload it he's saving it.

Thanks Rick!

[eagle717]

Thanks again to longrifleman, HammBone, RedLeg, DG, and Nelson (apologies for leaving anyone out) for a great weekend!  I submitted my membership application for CCSFA so I can practice on those 400m targets.  All I can say at this point is "I'll be back!"

[Double00Buckeye]

What an amazing group of patriots that came out for this weekend.  It was in honor to be a part of bringing the principles of marksmanship and history to this group of shooters.  I want to thank them all for coming out and ignoring the urge to put to much faith in the weather report.  The attention given to me as I attempted the 2nd strike was certainly appreciated.  I want to thank Longrifle and DG for their continued support and instruction as they help to guide me through the training process.

We could not have asked for a better group of shooters.  They were attentive at all times and you could see the flame of liberty had caught their attention as the were positioned behind the rifles.  Looking forward to the next opportunity to get out there and destroy some AQTs.  It was rough not being able to make day two and see the results of all their hard work pay off on Sunday.  What Ben was able to do to the redcoats and his AQTs was truly astounding, what an asset for the cause of liberty.  Stay safe up on the lakes my friend. Congrats to all the newly minted riflemen!!