Hollywood, FL Rimfire KD May 15, 2021 AAR

[TheMenace]

Seven students and five IIT shooters eagerly gathered at the Hollywood Rifle & Pistol Club to experience their first 100 Yard Rimfire Known Distance event. It was a beautiful day with great weatherâ€"warm and sunny, with a light breeze for comfortâ€"the joys of Springtime in Florida!

We first gathered in the classroom to explore the three challenges of a Rifleman when engaging targets at distance: Detection, Range Estimation, and Making the Shot. We first discussed detection, the hardest task of the three. We then learned a bit about ranging techniques. Shooting requires an understanding of the trajectory of the bullet and the effects of wind. Hold Overs and Battle Sight Zero were explained. We learned the necessity of recording Data On Personal Equipment (DOPE). The bulk of our classroom work was focused on the trajectory of the .22LR bullet and how to adjust to hit the target. Once we completed our discussion topics we held our Safety Briefing and got to work at the line.

The first session on the line involved shooting sighter groups in prone to collect DOPE before engaging the target at each distance of the AQT in the appropriate position and time limit. The target frames were moved to each new distance while the firing line was static.

Of the eleven shooters, seven displayed the ability to score 40 or better of the 50 points available to earn the distinction of Rimfire KD Rifleman.   Among the seven successful Riflemen were Mike (42) and his daughter, ten-year-old Kate (43). Neither of them had previously scored Rifleman at a 25-meter event. Everyone was impressed with the skill and determination displayed by young Kate as she followed the prescribed course of fire. HUZZAH!

The other successful Riflemen were Debbie (41), Earl (41), Roxanne (44), Duke (44), and Paul with the high score of the day (47) just one point shy of Distinguished Rifleman. The remainder of the shooters displayed great skill. Most of them by shooting 38 or 39. Adam, Clive, Dennis, Rosie, and Vicenc are eager to return to refine their aim and earn the KD tab. They all adapted, improvised, and overcame the challenges. Not the least of which was the scope falling off Rosie's loaner rifle. Anyone who has experienced this equipment failure knows how distracting it can be. Rosie took it in stride.

It was a fast-paced day that required constant attention and focus on the tasks at hand. It's no small achievement to cover all the lessons and shoot four AQTs in one day. Safety was never a concern. These people were up to the task!

It's rare to only talk about the positives in the Instructor Debrief. It was a pleasure to work with this fine group of shooters and instructors. Special thanks to Planeman for his efforts in handling all the details so this Shoot Boss could just show up and watch the show. A tip of the hat to HRPC for allowing us to monopolize the entire range for this event!

Here is a link to a few pictures provided by Roxanne. Others are encouraged to add theirs as they post comments.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVFn5do

[TOMINCT]

 Looks like you had a great event! 

[Planeman]

It's great to be back to Appleseed events at Hollywood Rifle & Pistol Club!!  The students were sponges for knowledge and it showed!

The weather could not be better, and the shooting reflected the mood and brightness!  As instructors, we strive to be the best that we can be for the students and we get a double dose of satisfaction with every "aha!" moment and the grins from ear to ear!

We had some great shooters that could pose well too!  Here's a link to some of the photos of the event:  https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVFstCz

-Joe (planeman)

[ScubaSteve]

Outstanding!

[MyNameIsEARL]

What an OUTSTANDING event. This range is a rare gem. Despite the heat, all stayed fairly cool and out of the sun for the most part!

It was great to see all of the students pick up and learn how their rifle and ammo performs at greater than 25M. I have to say I was so impressed by all of the student's desire and persistence on the range. I am encouraged by Kate and her transitions and steady hold factors; I know that I have something to learn from this youth shooter! For all who fell just short of that coveted KD Rimfire Rocker, I look forward to seeing you at future events.

Special Thanks for Duke, MissConduct, The Gun Geek, TheMenance, PlaneMan (which I now understand his name) for all the assistance in pulling off such an event!  Looking forward to many more in the future!

Forgot to add some photos https://www.flickr.com/gp/193056249@N06/Ag18S4

[Crazyduckhunter]

I love hearing about these Rimfire KD events. Awesome

[Kinetic Energy]

It was a certainly great event, and Hollywood Rifle & Pistol Club is a very good venue to hold a Rimfire KD. Thank you to the Club and it's members for hosting the event. Rosie & Roxanne, thank you for taking the initiative to preserve the moments with the photos taken. Finally, a special congratulations to Kate. You should be proud of your progress, and the amount of work you've put in since the last event is evident. Keep up the practice, you're doing great!

[Not Sure]

At the end of the day, I was tired, a little sore, and even a little sunburned, but what a day it was.  My greatest hope for this event was for Kate and I to earn our Rifleman and Rimfire KD patches together before her 11th birthday at the end of the month.  I must give a huge thank you to our Shoot Boss (Dennis), Instructors (Wendy and Joe), IITs (Paul, Debbie, Earl, Duke and Dennis), and Paula for helping make it a reality.  I am truly sorry if I missed anyone, but it's the best my brain can do.

I must admit that I was quite worried that my day might be ruined while carrying my target between the 75 and 100 yard marks.  I was about half way between the two ranges when I realized that I had just mixed my adjustments between a 2 dot holdover and 8 turret clicks down while sighting in on the 75 yard target.  Fortunately, I regrouped mentally and managed to keep track of my adjustments.  My 25yd and 50yd were at my zero.  My 75yd was 8 clicks down combined with a two dot holdover and my 100yd was 22 clicks up combined with a one dot holdover.  What did I learn?  DO NOT EVER COMBINE HOLDOVER WITH SCOPE ADJUSTMENTS!  I also learned that I could fight my way through my own mistakes and still make it work, so I think the mistake turned into a positive.

I am very proud of Kate.  This event was demanding from the very beginning.  She hung in there all day long and though we were all tired, she shot her best round at the end of the day when she needed to.  She enjoys shooting and we will be back thanks to the excellent instruction and inspiring history provided by all of the Appleseed volunteers.

More thanks go to the folks at our host range, The Hollywood Rifle & Pistol Club, for allowing us all to share the great day Rosie and Roxanne for capturing the memories for all of us.

Mike