#Raton, NM Scoutseed Oct. 19-21, 2019 NRA Whittington Center

[TaosGlock]

Nothing in the world can take place of persistence. 
Add some determination and one can overcome nearly any obstacle.
For example a Rifleman will always adapt, persist and overcome any challenges he meets.


Our Founders gave their lives and fortunes so we could have:

"What we meant in going after the Redcoats was this, we'd always governed ourselves and they didn't mean we should"-Capt. Levi Preston


This weekend four sets of fathers and sons and their Scout leaders from Troop 88
came in from Colorado Springs to get a dousing of marksmanship and heritage, North Bridge style.
Despite cold temps and gusty north winds, everyone hung tough.
All of this and more, right here at the NRA Whittington Center on the famous Cooper Range.

I was honored to work with such a fine group and my instructor staff did a bang up job.
Huzzah to everyone!  And thanks to the Whittington Center for your continued support of Project Appleseed.

Captain in action with the Six Steps to Firing the Shot.


Captain tells the story of "The Shot Heard Round the World"


BlueFeather does an exercise called Inches, Minutes and Clicks on the line.
A Rifleman needs to know how to adjust his sights with confidence to consistently get fast and accurate downrange results.


The flags of our Founders fly proudly at the Cooper Range.


Did you know...



Meanwhile, the Deep State empty suits that inhabit the Mordor on the Potomac are persistent in their high drama
to deprive us of the tools needed to preserve our liberties.
All the more reason to take a lesson from our Founders who were totally prepared and would not tolerate such nonsense.
The letter from James Warren to his wife Mercy in Concord in reply #16 below comes to mind.... 

[TaosGlock]

While the rest of the world is mired in identity politics, an effective divide and conquer tactic,
this group of fathers and sons and other Scout leaders are here to becomes one with their rifles.
This country was founded on the principles of effective marksmanship.

This young shooter has clearly got the fundamentals of marksmanship down.
This type of skill can be learned in 2 days at any Project Appleseed.




The above target is our famous Redcoat Target and answers that eternal question,
"what is my effective range?"

The Regulars are out. More Redcoat targets and steel ala Redcoat style.



We have full size steel to 500 yards. This full size steel Redcoat got hammered by the 1903A3. 
A favorite bolt action rifle here at Project Appleseed.




..."That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

[TaosGlock]

Captwa and BlueFeather instruct slings and the prone position.
Eventually we will shoot the AQT.  Remember, half of the AQT will be shot in the prone position.
These being the Stage 3 Rapid Prone and Stage 4 Slow Prone. Also, 40% of your AQT points are derived from Stage 4 alone.





Perfect prone:




Captwa does the First Strike of the Match.  "Turn out, turn out the Regulars are out!"

[Mrs. Smith]

Always a blast to read a TaosGlock AAR!  I'm sure there will be more to come 

[TaosGlock]

....more later when I get caught up yes!

[TaosGlock]

Worlds most beautiful range.  Target potential safely to a mile!


Looking east towards volcano country.


In New Mexico there are Rifleman behind every yucca!


BlueFeather unlocks the gate to the Cooper Range.


The Cooper Cabin is great for classroom work with the range just 40 feet from the cabin!


AQT's at 25 yards. Captwa helps shooters with "Advanced Talking Targets".

[TaosGlock]

Standing position:


A single shot rifle is very effective:


More standing, day 2 in the cold shadows at 20 degrees.

[sleepy]

Always great to hear from Raton!

You guys do so many wonderful things, from cutting edge advanced for old farts to foundational stuff to raise America's youth by.

Who was that nice lady who said "it takes a village"?   Whittington Center is my kinda village for my second childhood.

[TaosGlock]

sleepy, see you next week brother!  Can't wait to get  to Laramie for our UKD event!

[TaosGlock]

Captwa runs the KD line with an 1903A3 Springfield.  With proper loads, this rifle is fully 1200 yard capable.
The Cooper Range has targets to 1200 yards.
Redcoat size (IDPA) targets are to 500 yards.
Here we let the Scouts and their leaders/Dads test their limits on the final part of day 2.
All were successful.
Your 22 is a fine place to start but your centerfire is what you want to become one with.

[TaosGlock]

We got one Rifleman!  Huzzah!
Congrats Ryan!


Patriot patches were handed out to the rest of the young Scouts by Captain.
These guys hung tough under cold, windy conditions.
Great jobs guys!

[TaosGlock]

Scouts and Scout leaders led the Sun. AM reviews.  Great job guys!



Then it was on to AQT's:


...more later when I get caught up.

[TaosGlock]

Through Project Appleseed, the Revolutionary War Veterans Association is committed to teaching two things: rifle marksmanship and our early American heritage. We do this for one simple reason, the skill and knowledge of what our founding fathers left to us is eroding in modern America and without deliberate action, they will be lost to ignorance and apathy.

Is there a direct relationship between understanding our country's founding and civic virtue? The answer should anecdotally be quite clear. As our citizens' knowledge of founding principles has declined, so too has our involvement in this government 'of, by and for The People.' Instead, our citizens seem all too content to relegate governmental decisions and knowledge to those that have been elected, all the while assuming these officials' abilities and agendas are working on their behalf. We believe that if this trend continues, our country will be left with an expansive gulf between the populace and the government.

During breaks, we'll teach you the true story of the nation that was founded on April 19, 1775, and why liberty was so important to the founders that they would risk everything for it. Project Appleseed believes that the essence of being an American is living up to the ideals of our founders and fanning the flames of liberty.






Mountainous terrain held by rifleman will never be militarily defeated-Bill Buppert

[TaosGlock]

King George III and even our leaders today are now open about wanting complete control of the means of our Liberties.
Each atrocity committed by some deranged individual gives the enemies of freedom more fuel for their fire.
They have been taking that control incrementally for decades thru law and regulation,
they are now poised for the finale.  Do you understand what this means?

It is time to figure out what kind of country you are comfortable leaving to your children and grandchildren, because with today's lackadaisical attitudes, they will be able to bury us without firing a shot.

We have been spoiled by our own affluence and material success.  Ask yourself, how will you preserve your liberty?
Without Liberty, all of our material success and easy lifestyles means nothing.
Unless you have learned about the world of sacrifice, depredation, and concrete threats to our nation,  you can not understand how bad it can really get. What kind of Nation do you want to live in?
Our Founders knew the answer before the Revolutionary War began and later
John Adams answered this question again when he succinctly defined the American Revolution.
If we have the "hearts and minds" of the American people, we will never need our arms.  Likewise if we don't have the "hearts and minds'' of our countrymen, then all the arms in the world won't help.

"Arms discourage the and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property...Horrid mischief would ensue were the law abiding deprived of the use of them."-Thomas Paine

Our leaders have not learned from history and are content to criminalize anything that interferes with their presumed right to rule.

Have we learned anything from the sacrifices the Founder's made to secure our Liberties?

Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers.
It is a man of war and we are all crew-Boston T. Party

What have you done to advance Liberty in America today?

Yesterday.....


Today... we may well be reaping the results of ignorance, laziness and apathy...



While the woman above answers quite matter of factly, a more direct response is a quote from Jeff Cooper:
"The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized."






Today...


The current outrage towards "gun control" isn't about that really. It is predominately a reaction by folks who already know they will comply.

People comply with and finance their own tyranny. Modern day slaves, to paraphrase Ezra Pound, "Wait for someone to free them".

Etienne de la Boetie in his Discourse on Voluntary Servitude from the 16th century discussed obedience to rulers. "Why is it that we have lords, he opined? The serfs outnumber the lord, but why does he continue to rule? It has to be that people consent to him." So what happens if one just walk away from the game.  If you think about it, that is how we divorced ourselves from King George III.

He points out:
"Obviously there is no need of fighting to overcome this single tyrant, for he is automatically defeated if the country refuses consent to its own enslavement: it is not necessary to deprive him of anything but simply to give him nothing… It is therefore the inhabitants themselves who permit, or, rather, bring about, their own subjection, since by ceasing to submit they would put an end to their servitude."- Etienne de la Boetie, Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

The Statists aren't dumb. It is more successful to turn up the heat a bit on the boiling froggie by simply passing "infringement" type regulations than go thru the powder keg of Concord style door to door confiscation. Modern day loss of all liberties will eventually be death by a thousand cuts. 

Liberty is not for the faint of heart.
America's founding ideas of freedom and liberty are ultimately unable to serve their intended telos without also emphasizing the value of personal responsibility. When we reflexively assign blame for the occurrence of almost every event, we implicitly relinquish the capacity to take control of our individual and collective futures.

Homeland Security is a Nation of Riflemen.
A free and independent nation should be well trained, well armed and have plenty of ammo to repel either terrorists, criminals and most predominately, a tyrannical government.
Thus the purpose of the Second Amendment.

"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



...more later as we are just getting caught up from a fantastic weekend with the Scouts.

[TaosGlock]

The Second Amendment is the supposed ‘final guarantee' of American Liberty.
It is routinely violated in jurisdictions across America.  It is American apathy that has enabled the oppressive
State to stand glowering over the entire world, morally and financially bankrupt. 
It's omni-surveillance 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.

Meanwhile, many gun owners sit inert and stupefied by
a diet of alcohol, processed foods and hundreds of channels of infotainment and sports-ball mired in despair
at their own dimly acknowledged impotence.

So please tell me, what's your excuse?
If so then: Please: don't lecture me on the essentials of liberty.

And to the rest of you tyrants and your supporters:


In the meantime, get to the range and practice...even in the worst conditions.

Dry fire practice whenever you can:
First thing in the morning, after a full meal, at night when you wake up to pee. You get the idea.
Lady Liberty may call on you under any conditions. 

Recent history proves that you must either drive a rifle or ride a boxcar...your choice.
Thanks to Bill Buppert for that quote!

[TaosGlock]

Our history/heritage is what makes America unique among other nations.
Our nation was founded on the principles of effective marksmanship.
It was 3% of the population utilizing the cold bore zero.

"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

History will always show that local populations with small arms and decent
marksmanship skills will always be a threat to any tyrannical rulers and their enforcers.



King George III and even our leaders today are now open about wanting complete control of the means of our Liberties.
Each atrocity committed by some deranged individual gives the enemies of freedom more fuel for their fire.
They have been stealing our liberties incrementally for decades thru law and regulation and they are now poised for the finale.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewell. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever  you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."-Patrick Henry, June 5, 1778.

Every modern infringement on our rights is a an abridgement of our de jour and de facto right to preserve what precious remaining liberties we have left.
And everyone of these today would have been an adequate causus belli to violently separate from a tyrannical overlord resulting in the birth of our Nation on April 19th, 1775. All modern infringements violate the spirit of liberty as defined in the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property...Horrid mischief would ensue were the law abiding deprived of the use of them."-Thomas Paine

It is time to figure out what kind of country you are comfortable leaving to your children and grandchildren, because with today's lackadaisical attitudes, they will be able to bury us without firing a shot.
We have been spoiled by our own affluence and material success.
Without Liberty, all of our material success and easy lifestyles means nothing.

Ask yourself, how will you preserve your liberty?


"Better a sovereign in squalor than a slave in splendor".-Dresden James

Unless you have learned about the world of sacrifice, depredation, and concrete threats to our nation,  you can not understand how bad it can really get. So ask yourself, what kind of Nation do you want to live in? Our Founders knew the answer before the Revolutionary War began and later John Adams answered this question again when he succinctly defined the American Revolution.

If we have the "hearts and minds" of the American people, we will never need our arms.  Likewise if we don't have the "hearts and minds'' of our countrymen, then all the arms in the world won't help.

Our leaders have not learned from history and are content to criminalize anything that interferes with their presumed right to rule:
"The desire for patriotism is considered an enemy doctrine. The U.S. armed forces must be prepared to fight against all those who are holding out for nationalism. These patriots cannot be bargained with nor will they compromise. Our military needs more training and we need an active campaign to win over the populace. They must be coupled with irresistible violence."- Major Ralph Peters, 1994 Pentagon Deputy chief of staff

Below pic:
LOL!
Hear that folks? Law abiding Patriotic gun owners are the number one threat and since we can't be bargained with expect "irresistible violence!"

There has never been a tyrannical government that banned it's own ARMED FORCES from "Keeping and Bearing" ARMS.


"Hear ye, hear ye, our fearless leaders just yesterday wanted to re-enact a 2019 version of the 1994 AWB. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!"

"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."- Thomas Jefferson

Oh, and remember:


To empower the people of the United States with the ability to resist any tyranny that might threaten them in the future was the sole reason our founding fathers gave all Americans the right to bear arms guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. Period.

[TaosGlock]

"Every revolution was first a thought in one man's mind and when the same thought occurs to another man,
it is the key to the era".-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Let that sink in folks.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was the son of William Emerson who was the reverend of Concord on April 19,1775.
RW Emerson wrote the now famous Concord Hymn:


In 1802, William Emerson wrote the following oration below to commemorate the July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence. 

Because Liberty amongst our leaders, is but a dim light to what it once was,
very few men today could write such soul stirring words. 

Read and weep fellow patriots:
"The feelings of Americans were always the feelings of freemen.
Those venerable men, from whom you boast your descent, brought with them to these shores an unconquerable
sense of liberty.
They felt, that mankind were universally entitled to be free; that this freedom, though modified by the restrictions of
social compact, could yet never be annulled; and that slavery, in any of its forms, is an execrable monster,
whose breath is poison, and whose grasp is death.

Concerning this liberty, however, they entertained no romantick notions.
They neither sought nor wished the freedom of an irrational, but that of a rational being; not the freedom of savages,
not the freedom of anchorites, but that of civilized and social man.
Their doctrine of equality was admitted by sober understandings.
It was an equality not of wisdom, but of right; not a parity of power, but of obligation.
They felt and advocated a right to personal security; to the fruits of their ingenuity and toil; to reputation;
to choice of mode in the worship of God; and to such a liberty of action, as consists with the safety of others,
and the integrity of the laws.

Of rights like these, your ancestors cherished a love bordering on reverence. They had inhaled it with their natal air:
it formed the bias and the boast of their minds, and indelibly stamped the features of their character.
In their eyes honour had no allurement, wealth no value, and existence itself no charms, unless liberty crowned the
possession of these blessings. It was for the enjoyment of this ecclesiastick and political liberty, that they encountered
the greatest dangers, and suffered the sharpest calamities. For this they had rived the enchanting bonds, which unite the
heart to its native country; braved the terrour of unknown seas; exchanged the sympathies and intercourse of
fondest friendships, for the hatred and wiles of the barbarian; and all the elegancies and joys of polished life,
for a miserable sustenance in an horrible desert."


Also in Concord... Dr James Warren in a letter to his wife Mercy wrote:
"Darling, all things take on a warlike appearance. 
Concord is full of cannon, arms and military stores. 
The King and his army long for them. 
But we are willing and able to defend this country inch by inch.

What he was saying was you may try and take our liberties, but someone is going to die in the process.

Sam Adams said:
Military power will never awe a sensible people into tamely surrendering their liberties.


Group pic after the 100 yard rimfire volley. Fast and furious shooting in the style of the North Bridge of Concord.
Or as Major Buttrick commanded at that bridge:
"Fire fellow soldiers! For God's sake fire! "Fire as fast as you can!"



Or as Col. Jeff Cooper would add: Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas (Accuracy, power and speed).

The above pic is inside the Cooper Cabin.

[TaosGlock]

Another great season at the NRA Whittington Center for Project Appleseed.
BlueFeather and I are finishing up our 12th season of Appleseeding.


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

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.

"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


This group of shooters 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.

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".


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.



Thanks to my NM instructor crew, the NRAWC staff and to Michael Wolfe of Troop 88 for a great shoot and supporting our program since 2008.  You are among the best of the best!

A special HUZZAH to Captain (L) for completing his SBIT 3 and Captwa (R) for completing his IIT4.
Promotions on the way fellow Appleseeders!
Below: The 400 yard man size steel.




Join us in 2 weeks for an Unknown Distance shoot in Laramie, WY at the Laramie Rifle Range!
Bring your winter gear!

[Captain]

It's just not possible to read TaosGlock's posts above about this Appleseed in Raton and not be inspired . . . I can assure you, attending one of the events with TaosGlock and BlueFeather is even better! My first Appleseed was with them down on the famous Jeff Cooper range and it is always a privilege to return as either a shooter or a helper.

An inspirational 3rd Strike was delivered "tag team" by TaosGlock and BlueFeather

BlueFeather starts off from Concord

TaosGlock finishes with the repercussions . . .

TaosGlock would remind us of George Washington's words, "A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."

[Captain]

Captwa brought out his "smile maker" - the 1903A3 Springfield. And our shooters who had spent a day and a half behind their 22LR's were anxious to try out the 30 caliber "battle rifle". Sorry that I only got a couple of pictures.

Dad sets the bar pretty high . . .

A returning Rifleman . . .

Inspecting the hits at 200 yards

[Captain]

The scouts and their leaders/Dads were an exceptional group - always enthusiastic and always wanting more history . . . and, of course, more shooting! And I have to say, they recognize the gem that is the NRA Whittington Center - a true destination range. Most of them were even on the range a day before the Appleseed event, visiting the volcano, the museum and shooting on the other ranges. Way to make a "real trip" out of an Appleseed weekend!

After flexing their muscles on a few AQT's, the shooters moved out to 100 yards. Adjusting aimpoints to compensate for bullet drop, many shooters go on to make 10 out of 10 hits!

Reaching out to 100 yards.

[Captain]

TaosGlock and BlueFeather teach the finer points of the prone position . . .


And then the students get down on the ground . . .

Nate competing with Ben	Ben in competition with Nate	Allen working prone
Ryan (Rifleman)	Sawyer "eyes on"	Kirby checking out iron sights
Abe getting behind his glass

[TaosGlock]

Thanks for getting those pics up Captain