##Raton, NM Feb 23-24, 2019 AAR NRA WC Precision Rifle Class##

[TaosGlock]

Four rugged Americans turned up for our first shoot of the year.  A Precision Rifle Course.

Due to horrendous weather the prior week and with road closures on I-25 Raton Pass and that due to the fact that
more grim conditions were predicted for the weekend of the class, we cancelled it for anyone traveling
more than a half day. It was a safety issue for our out of state shooters. 

As it was, Rick aka sleepy, got caught in a snow drift due to bad snow and whiteout conditions on Raton Pass.
Turns out, the pass was later closed on him while he was stranded.  Being from WY, he is no stranger to this weather.

Still we were running around the center making sure all shooters arrived safe and that class would be in the
Leupold Cabin till the storm broke.  Thanks to BlueFeather for calling and making sure we had contact with all our
traveling Appleseed brothers.

Huge drifts, rime ice and snow plastered the WC Founders cabins.




20-30 MPH gusts blew snow sideways. Normally this tree is full of hummingbirds.


BlueFeather and I did the POI inside while the blizzard raged on outdoors.

[TaosGlock]

By late noon, it started to clear so we drove to the Cooper Range. 2 foot drifts blocked the road and covered the firing line.
We set up the line on the road where the wind had scoured the snow away.
Captwa-Warren- had a nice propane heater to take off the chill in the cabin.
WC staff had two electric heaters to keep the edge off as well. A huge thanks to those folks!



Just beyond Battle Sight Zero, a huge herd of about 100 elk on the South Flats were not far from our range.

[TaosGlock]

The view from the Cooper Range to the SE is unmatched. Sierra Grande Pk is 8750' and covered in snow.


With a half day lost to the storm, we got caught up fast. We set the steel and backers in place the day before!


The target line with 4 MOA and 2 MOA steel set. This was day 2 and the warm NM sun melted much the snow downrange.
Paper was shot a 25 yards for warm up. Zeros were set at 100 yards and we shot a 500 yard group on paper as well.
The rest was all steel.

[Mercedes]

Awesome photos and congratulations on another successful event in NM!

Debbie

[TaosGlock]

Awesome photos and congratulations on another successful event in NM!

Debbie

Ya'll will have to come out and chill with us, literally, sometime!
...more pics to come!

[sleepy]

If there was ever a shoot worth getting stuck in a snowbank for, this was it.

Because of the weather, we weren't able to do everything planned, but what we did do was a lot. We learned new skills, and new ways to get more from our old skills. We shot farther out, and made smaller groups out of those shots. Man and rifle were tested.

Those who missed this shoot, for whatever reason, missed something worthwhile. And don't be afraid to come because your rig isn't some fancy magnum thing; add a bipod, and whatever works for a KD will work here.

Next time there's a precision rifle shoot, sign up early so someone else isn't enjoying your good time. Remember, there's a limit of ten shooters.

Thanks to Gill and Dan for their devotion to the cause of liberty. This shoot was truly a labor of love.

Good friends old & new, good shooting, good scenery & hospitality from NRA Whittington. And most important of all, good information to bring home and share. What more could anyone ask for?

[TaosGlock]

Liberty. It is all about Liberty. It always has been.  Witness the flags of the American Revolution. 

The flags we fly at Project Appleseed.  Liberty is pretty much the main word emblazioned in those seven letters. 

The founders knew it.  And they shed blood to preserve it so their posterity, us, could have Liberty.



Right now Liberty is in peril.
Today the states are destroying Liberty at a pace faster than the the usual culprits in the Federal Government. 
This is unprecedented on both the state and federal level since BlueFeather and I started the program in 2008. 

Like it or not we are at that stage in current history that emulates the period our Founders were in.

And that would be 1773-1775.  Roughly between the Boston Tea Party and the activities that precipitated
those famous six words coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson's grandson, "the shot heard round the world".
These words were coined after that famous short battle at the North Bridge of Concord on April 19,1775.
This was a turning point in American History.

Our state of New Mexico for instance has gone from being one of the most pro liberty in regards to firearms
to dangling on the precipiece of tyranny. The new Queen and her merry court in Santa Fe have assumed complete control.
There has been a righteous outrage of protest. Not unlike when the local populations turned out in colonial times
when the British Regulars stole powder and arms in what is known as the Powder Alarms.

The law abiding New Mexican populace with the help of the local Sheriffs have declared cities and towns as
Sanctuary Counties or Sanctuary City.  Meaning the new Queens laws mean nothing in regards to enforcement of this
tyranny or loss of Second Amendment rights.




"When law and morality contradict each other the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his sense of morality
or losing respect for the law". Fredick Bastiat



...more later as I get caught up.

[TaosGlock]

The Second Amendment is the supposed ‘final guarantee' of American Liberty.

It is routinely violated in jurisdictions across America. Meanwhile, many gunowners sit inert and stupefied by
a diet of alcohol, processed foods and hundreds of channels of infotainment and sportsball mired in despair at
their own dimly acknowledged impotence. It is this apathy that has enabled the oppressive State to stand glowering
over the entire world, morally and financially bankrupt.  It's omnisurveillance equipment recording all that is said and done.
It is supremely confident in it's ability to tolerate or destroy by remote any pittance of rebellion its pathetic citizens
might muster up.

Sadly, when all is said and done, more will be said than done, as talk is cheap because supply exceeds the demand.

There is hope, even in today's world of 24-hour news cycles, changing technologies, and push-button gratification. 
It is a challenge to stay connected to the values that our great country was built on. Ideals like integrity, commitment,
and personal responsibility are what our founding fathers relied on to win our independence and to then make America a great nation.
At Project Appleseed, we're dedicated to keeping these timeless values alive. We promote civic responsibility through the
teaching of colonial history and the American tradition of rifle marksmanship. Even after all of these years, there is much to be
learned from our forefathers' examples of perseverance, commitment, and civic virtue.

Keep in mind, there is more to civic responsibility than merely voting once every four years and flying a flag on holidays.

Remember:


And lastly, it is not over till we say it is over.
Project Appleseed aims to restore pride and confidence in all American citizens from all walks of life.

...more later.

[TaosGlock]

So back to the shooting....
We shot 300 yard 2 MOA steel to fine tune it from the 4 MOA steel at 300 yards.
All data was recorded.



Next day we kept the 300 yard zeros and warmed up at 100 yards. Note the normal and higher POI.
This was recorded. Group size hovered around 1 MOA. Great shooting guys!
The target on the left is from a 223, the one to the right is a 6.5 CM.
The latter is about a half minute flatter or about 1/10 mil. MOA's are a bit more precise than the mil system,
but not enough to worry about for Rifleman's standards. Mils are faster and more intuitive in many cases.




Next we shot steel 4 MOA steel at 500 yards, then fine tuned it on the 2 MOA steel.
Then we shot for group at 500 yards on actual paper! 
BlueFeather calls the line while we shoot at the Rifleman's Quarter Mile.



WOW look at the results.  The black square is 1 MOA. All shots in the black! Warren had a scoped AR!
The other shooters were just as good!  Didn't get any pics though.
All this at 500 yards! .




All groups were 1 MOA or a bit more!
Any adjustments were made and we re-shot this again.

Below, the shooter on the left has a mil-dot scope and a 6.5CM cartridge.
One mil at 500 yards subtends 18".
Divide this by 10 for the 1/10th click value and each click moves the group up 1.80"
Depending on a few factors, the target on the left will generally come up 1- 2 clicks to get it close to center.
A MOA based scope with 1/4 MOA click values will allow a finer adjustment of 1.25"

[TaosGlock]

It is the Rifleman who will answer the call and repeat those famous words of
Capt. Isaac Davis on April 19, 1775:
"I have not a man who is afraid to go".

This particular long range course was a blend and a variation of our already popular Unknown and Known Distance courses.

History is replete with examples to prove that:

"Mountainous terrain held by Riflemen who know what they are about 
cannot be militarily defeated"-Buppert's Law of Military Topography.

A Rifleman situated in the middle of a square mile can command all 4 compass directions
with about 880 yards each direction.

A Rifleman knows that to let down the next generation, is to also let down every
American generation which preceded him.  Those who bled and died to pass on Liberty, did so for naught, if he lets them down.

The solid group of Patriotic Riflemen below are:
Rob, Warren, Gillian, Rick and Frank

Note to the right of these Rifleman the 500 yard man size target with the head size center punch that swings open when hit!

[TaosGlock]

It is now time for our famous Battle Sight Zero Speed Shoot.  This particular COF is real world stuff! 

Normally BSZ is just talked about and/or used in KD shoots to 400 yards without any "knob twiddling". Thanks PHenry for that term!

In it's simplest terms, BSZ is the maximum distance you can hold COM on a deer or Redcoat
and still make an effective hit. All without touching your sights. With modern day ammo and rifles it is about 300 yards.

We start by dialing back to our 300 yard zero. Then one at a time, each shooter will shoot on the
2 MOA steel (6") at 300 yards to conform that we have  indeed dialed our DOPE correctly.
This will also verify the accuracy of the click mechanisms in your scope.

Then we explain some simple POI using our redneck style quick n dirty teaching aids.
The POI generally involves bullet trajectory and adjusted points of aim using one sight setting.
Also NPOA shifts are essential, even off a bipod!

Targets below are IDPAish size about same size as the man size steel at distance.

A generic set of come ups is supplied in MOA and MILS. YMMV. Due to the density altitude being much lower due to the cold air, we added another 1  1/2 MOA or half mil in some cases.




First we engage each distance with one shooter at a time to start with. First go around we shoot up to 5 rounds to
get a feel for the adjusted point of aim required.
The engaged targets will first be in this order on man sized steel at 200, 300 (BSZ), 400 and
500 (Rifleman's Quarter Mile) yards. Most shooters were on in a shot or two and the adjustment points were recorded.
The size of the target is also a known quantity in this case.

Next go around we shoot the actual COF. But engage targets in different order!
5 rounds for 5 targets. One shot each target.

"The most deadly weapon on any battlefield is the single well-aimed shot."
-Cpt. Jim Land, USMC Sniper School Instructor, Vietnam 1966

But we shoot one round on a target at 200, then 400, then 300 then 500, then back to 200 yards.
All using adjusted POA and NPOA shifts.
No sight adjustments permitted!
Only one shooter shoots at a time while the others spot their fellow Rifleman.
If we had more time we would have shot this for time to make it more realistic.
Or the line boss would simply call out a distance that differs from the aforementioned COF.

So what next? We were at 3:30 Sunday and pretty tired due to the conditions.
To go to distance would have been more time consuming but rewarding.

So to finish it off BlueFeather and I decided we would do adjusted holdovers on the 2 MOA steel!
The look on the shooters face was less than ideal.  This would indeed be a challenge.

Remember, in the real world, those pesky Redcoats may only present their head.
We know how how much holdover on the man sized size target.
So it was just visualizing where that would be on a smaller target.

So we again let one shooter shoot at a time to figure out where to hold. 
I spotted and called it out in terms of target size, 1 target low, half target too high, etc.
These shooters were amazing! 
It only required a couple shots to figure it out. 
Data for the 2 MOA steel target holdovers were recorded.
Outstanding job guys!!

Our illustrious Shoot Boss, BlueFeather at the 500 yard 2 MOA steel. It was originally painted yellow.
The shots look about a half minute or about 1/10th mil low.

...and yes it was still cold

[TaosGlock]

Here is another COF we did since this was a Precision Rifle Course.
Place the standard 25 yard AQT at 100 yards. In theory it represents
400, 800, 1200 and 1600 yards. In regards to the 6 steps to firing the shot and NPOA, it represents a challenge.
Anyone who has shot this COF knows this. 
The round count is 20 rather than 40 just to save time and ammo in this particular instance as we were pressed for time.



History will teach you that you had better quickly learn to drive your rifle or you will ride a boxcar.

[TaosGlock]

Huzzah to all Appleseeders who are helping us turn America into "A Nation of Rifleman"

Sadly, Americans today predominately choose to remain myopically focused on what precious liberties we have left, rather than what we have lost or allowed to be stolen from us.

The history of  "Democracies" is but two and half centuries at most.  If that is true, then time is short and we have a Nation to save. Can we restore the Republic? Do we want to even restore it?

Project Appleseed reconnects folks to their heritage and instructs the fundamentals of marksmanship offering a variety of courses.
Present day doufous americana has little experience looking for anything except a remote.  It is no wonder many of the best shots in the military came from folks who grew up hunting and exploring the woods...vs today's cyberspace warriors.  Our rural life of field and woods experience as handed down from father to son peaked by the Viet Nam war.

Lord Percy wrote after April 19th, 1775: Whoever looks upon [the militiamen] as an irregular mob will find himself
much mistaken..They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about.

Or as the Bradford Brothers, who owned a printing press in Philadelphia would write to warn King George III said:
This country has raised over a thousand Riflemen. The worst whom can put a ball in a mans head at 250 yards. Before departing England, tell your officers to have their affairs settled.




Enjoying a cup of coffee before class.

[TaosGlock]

"Make no mistake, when you cheer for the people of the American Revolution, you are cheering for traitors and criminals.
They broke the law, because liberty is always illegal"- Larken Rose

Yeah, take that King George and all you modern day tyrants!

Our politicos in office would do well to remember the above words of Larken.

This group of shooters below, including BF who took the pic, would strike terror in the heart of King George III, Lord Percy and his Redcoats.


Remember, the Battle of the North Bridge of Concord tells us that we not only knew how to shoot, we knew who to shoot.

A Rifleman knows that the percentage of Americans who will actually do anything to preserve his nation is so small, that
it is too small to measure. However, a single Rifleman equals over 1000 normal dead beat Americans. 

Thus the efforts of one Rifleman can lead to results which are seen as impossible.

[TaosGlock]

The historic peak to the top right is Red River Pk. It was a landmark for the old Santa Fe Trail.
It is 1745 yards from the firing line.




Next shoot is a standard 2 day shoot on April 27 and 28, 2019.
Until we meet again....stay strong everyone, our cause is just.

And remember the words of Thomas Paine as written in Common Sense, "We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

[CountZero]

wow, amazing pictures, great write up

Well done!!

[nmmi9100]

Great work, Dan, Gill and the crew who showed!  Those were rugged conditions, to be sure.

Keep your powder dry!

/David

[Ramblin' Wreck]

What a great looking event. The COF is interesting too. If you have one of these when it's warmer it would be worth driving 20 hours to get there. 


Wreck

[Jerry Hall]

Thank you Gill and Dan for this most excellent AAR presentation.
To all those who participated; "It's a skill to be learnt!"
Was considering coming up in September, till it sold out.
Happy Appleseeding Trails,
Jerry

[Captain]

Big THANK YOU to our instructors and shoot boss TaosGlock and BlueFeather! This was a fantastic event! Even with a little "blizzard" to delay our start, we still covered a lot of new material (after the obligatory safety reviews). External ballistics, NPA and positions using the bipod, wind corrections, dope cards and more. Then, as usual, a whole lotta shootin'. It was a real confidence builder to get practice (and consistent hits) on 2 MOA targets out to 500 yards, not to mention the final "test" of sustained fire on targets of varying range, requiring the use of holdover and battle sight zero.

If you get a chance to shoot an event in NM . . . HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! But, you need to watch the event schedule and sign up fast because they fill up quickly.

Thanks again to our instructors and fellow shooters.

BTW - also an incredible regular Appleseed event when they are given. Liberty and marksmanship!