Kingsport TN March 09

[student]

My first AS solo as a Shoot Boss! 

I think it went quiet well. 

We turned out 5 new Riflemen and 2 new red hats.

We had a some guys nocking on the door of Riflemen who are still motivated to persist.

We have a couple of new Riflemen who are feeling the tug of the orang hat .

Not bad for only having 12 show on Saturday and about the same on Sunday .

We had the added treet of having a gentleman in period dress read the Broad side on Saturday befor we handed them out. 

If that does not light a fire under you nothing will.

Aaron

[TAZDevil]

This is a stunning location for an AS, Student should be congratulated for finding this jewel.

How can you not be inspired when one person drove all the way from Michigan and two from Maryland!

TAZ

[Matt]

You're right, Taz, it is a wonderful location. I had a lot of fun, and I know the student's did too. The best compliment I heard from one of our new Riflemen was "I improved thanks to your instruction."  Oddest compliment: being addressed as "Gunny" by one of the students. Never a Marine, it took me a second before I realized he was talking to me.

Lots of persistence was exhibited by the students, and it showed in their targets. Student wrote down the numbers for the Redcoat targets, which I don't remember exactly, but we didn't have any 400 yard shots or cleaned targets the first time, and had 2 400 yard shots and one cleaned at the start of the second day.

Wonderful time!

[SamD]

Cousin of mine (Eric) went and had good things to say.
One of these days he'll belly down in the back hall and do some dry fire .
One of these days he'll make Rifleman

Sam

[softseller]

I'm the new Appleseeder from Michigan (and now Rifleman)!

What an extraordinary weekend.  The nearly 600 mile travel to Kingsport, TN was uneventful, even soothing.  Weekend temps were mid-70's with sunny skies, and sunscreen was required for the first time since last September  ;-)

There were a dozen or so shooters (mostly from TN), three instructors: Aaron ("Student") in red hat, supported by Matt and Taz in orange.  Easy conversation flowed amongst everyone, as we had much in common.   Safety was paramount, with instructors ever vigilant, and students being most careful.  While many were using rimfire for the 25m targets (the tiny silhouettes on these are deceptively difficult), some brought AR style, and some .30 cal.  Most were shooting with iron sites, but my old eyes needed a low power optic to assist.

The instructors were superb, breaking down "the shot" into the six steps, closely observing each of us and offering individual pointers, and always encouraging success. No bipods, benches or sandbags here.. only you and the earth... standing, sitting, prone.  I achieved 208 at the end of day one, using my bolt action Ruger 77/22.  (210 is Rifleman with the targets we were using)  With time lost to manipulation of the bolt, I ran out of time on Stage 3, dropping some points.  A course of fire for this AQT (Army Qualification Test) is 40 rounds in four stages.  I switched to my semi-auto 10/22 on Day 2 and scored Rifleman several times with best score of 236. What a great feeling!  I must say that while I did the work, the success is due to the teachers.  I came home with a solid foundation of rifle marksmanship, ready to share with others. (I am a member of a mid-Michigan sportsmen's club that I'm working to facilitate an Appleseed this summer)

The dramatic history lessons were a great break between shooting sessions. Well delivered by the instructors, the stories surrounding Boston, Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 gave our founders sharp focus.  What passionate people they were, and how vital it is, that we not let their extraordinary efforts dissipate.

Dave B (softseller)