Annapolis, MD Winterseed AAR - February 20, 2021

[Catch-10-22]

We had 8 shooters dedicate their Saturday to liberty and marksmanship at a frigid AAFG in Annapolis Maryland.

The weather leading up had been a mix of snow and ice - but ice and very cold weather dominated Saturday. Even as ice would melt in certain areas as it got sunny (but not warm), it would flash freeze in others. All our flags were completely coated and stiff with ice in ways I had not seen before. Orange Hat Kniwolf had chip off ice going up steps to the restroom with a hammer in the morning and continuously improved safety conditions with shovel, hammer, and steel ground stakes throughout the day. Red Hat Agent711 and dedicated Blue Hat Liberty Boy also worked to not only get the target line ready, but to keep everyone on even footing all day. Despite that, no spills or issues.

Despite that, we had everyone show up on-time to our sold-out shoot. Huzzah! It was a great group of folks from the very start - we had Father and son Ryan and Travis, couple Liz and Sampson (running a single shot bolt action), a new shooter in Paul, and some repeat Appleseeders as well in Josh, Brian K, and Brian S (and Ryan J). All were very excited to start despite the weather.

Saturday morning Red Coats showed we needed a lot of improvement so we dove into instruction of prone steady hold factors, the 6 steps to firing a shot, and NPOA. Groups started tightening up and Agent711 provided instruction on IMC out on the ice rink of a range. After making sighting adjustments, we practiced prone transitions and then broke for lunch and history, with Agent711 once again leading the way.

We then did seated and standing positions with the Green targets before posting our first AQT of the day. And it was a good one - two 3-time Appleseeders put it all together to score Rifleman and earn their Winterseed patches! Josh H put up a 223 with his Tech Sights 10/22 and Brian S posted a 220 with his Tippmann - Huzzah! It was obvious that both had been practicing between events and were in a Rifleman's Bubble, not only on the line, but while in prep.

We were able to fit in a second AQT and while no one scored Rifleman, Brian K, attending his second Appleseed, was in the 190s with his Tech Sights Marlin Bolt Action. Brian was scoring excellent groups but deviled by miscounts. I highly recommend dry fire practice to Brian and all of the other participants. It is much easier to convert thinking into habit at home between events with regards to the mechanics of the AQT. Persist and I know you will score next time.

Every other shooter would put together a high stage or two in the low to mid-40s only to have a tougher set of stages due to malfunctions, failure to shift NPOA, or bone cold/tired bodies starting to fail. I know every one of you can follow the example of our two qualifiers and Brian K and persist, continue to learn, practice, and come back again.

The shoot wrapped up with the Red Coat target and everyone showed SIGNIFICANT improvement. While only 4 people qualified at even 100-200 yards in the morning, every single shooter did in the afternoon, with 5 achieving 300 yards or more, 3 hitting the shingle (untouched in the morning), and Brian S cleaning the target to add to his accomplishments for the day - Huzzah!

I can't thank my fellow volunteer instructors enough for making this a great event. Agent711 continues to be one of our most active instructors and enthusiastically delivers instruction and history. Liberty Boy, in his AC-RSO role, was the hero of the day as he caught and alerted the LB of two safety issues (both ear protection) and helped a shooter get a malfunctioning rifle back into operation for the Red Coat - way to go! Kniwolf, at his second shoot, took on LB duties and demos was just great - particularly since he had to demo transitions on a mat that happened to be on a sheet of ice. All of our instructors were highly engaged with shooters, got on the ground to help, and ultimately helped folks develop significantly in one day. We all agreed it was one of our favorite shoots and groups of students!

As we wrapped up, it was clear that this class really got the message of liberty and marksmanship and we hope to have each and every one of you back on the line...but you can wait till it is just a little warmer if you like. Our list of 2021 shoots in Maryland can be found here: https://appleseedinfo.org/schedule/?qstate=MD&state=Maryland.

Pictures will be available on the Maryland Appleseed Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Project-Appleseed-Maryland-264406060313831/

See you next time!

[k3]

Thanks, Jim and crew for a great event - my fingers have now thawed out.  Brian was a huge inspiration for me to keep working on my bolt action skills too!