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Charlottesville, VA AAR - July 10-11, 2021

Started by BrotherPilot, July 13, 2021, 02:58:07 PM

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BrotherPilot

My apologies for being slow posting about this weekend!  (I blame work and travel for work, but that's neither here nor  there...)

Seventeen hardy patriots (including several youth and a couple ladies, huzzah!) gathered to practice marksmanship and hear tales of bravery and what happened April 19, 1775.

We began with the morning Red Coat target (after safety briefings and line commands) and then launched into steady hold factors, six steps of firing the shot and so on.  Heat and humidity was a challenge, but with lots of water we all persevered through the day, finishing with the afternoon Red Coat and about twice as many qualified silhouettes!  Well done, shooters!

Sunday, unfortunately, a number of the students had prior commitments so our group was smaller.  We did however spend considerable time on dry fire practice, laser rifle practice, KD and talking targets, and 2nd and 3rd strikes of the match.  Great questions all along from the students!  At the stroke of 13:30 round went down range for the "morning" red coat.  Everyone qualified at 100, and nearly all at 200. Much improved from Saturday!  We went on to shoot 3 AQTs and Natural Point of Oreo (giving out 3 packs of Oreos) before the heat and humidity took their toll and we ended with the final Red Coat of the weekend.  We minted 1 new Rifleman Sunday afternoon.  Huzzah!  One student was very, make that VERY close with a 209 and I have no doubt will make rifleman at his next event.

A special thank you to Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club for the hospitality, and to our instructor cadre for coming out and helping.  A big, BIG thank you to our students for entrusting us with their time and in several cases their families.  I hope every one had a great time! The targets say you all learned at least a little something about marksmanship!
Jay
VA State Coordinator
"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."  ―Samuel Adams

BenjiMac

Thanks for the weekend, my first Appleseed event. Very well done. No scores on AQT targets, but I did clean the Redcoat target from sitting.
Jesus died so we can live

Monkey

Quote from: BenjiMac on July 15, 2021, 03:19:36 AM
Thanks for the weekend, my first Appleseed event. Very well done. No scores on AQT targets, but I did clean the Redcoat target from sitting.

Not an easy task - well done, sir!
"5 minutes for this stage - that's like a week in people years!"

"Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible."
― Hyman G. Rickover

"Scoring is a function of great execution, and winning Is the result, but thinking about winning can pull your focus off of proper execution in a competition. Thinking about process is the answer."- Lanny Bassham

Caife Trean

This was a fantastic program, and I'd like to share my own experiences from it. I'd heard about Appleseed from a friend who participated in a Marksmanship event down in Florida, and I'm very glad I came. I brought a centerfire rifle with me and a ton of steel cased ammo I had since it's not allowed at local ranges (more on that in a bit). To prepare for the event I bought an m1 sling and shooting mat from the appleseed store. I had a 2x42mm red dot sight on my rifle co-witnessed with my iron sights. I spent most of the weekend using the irons, with the scope serving only as a magnification to compensate for my slight nearsightedness. Additionally my rifle had a telescoping stock devoid of a sling swivel. As a result I had to improvise with my sling; connecting the j-hook to the front sling swivel and using a hasty sling method to stabilize.

The program was structured with alternating briefings and practice. Between each shoot we would learn a new concept, and then apply it at the next. After safety and procedural briefing on day 1, we were allowed to bring our rifles to the line and load with 13 rounds for a Redcoat target. I missed with almost every shot.

We learned proper prone shooting position and the first three steps of firing, and loaded with 10 rounds to practice on the transition instruction target. I'd only practiced shooting from a standing position before, and missed with all but one shot. We learned the remaining three steps and Natural Point of Aim (NPOA), and fired from prone again with 10 rounds. My shooting was slightly better here. We then learned several variations of the sitting position, also new to me. I actually found this to be one of the most effective positions for the remainder of the weekend. I hit with all but two rounds when we shot again with 10 rounds.

After learning about MOA and the rifleman's cadence we were taught the proper standing position. I hadn't realized how many incorrect techniques I'd applied in my standing position shooting before. Correcting for this and using the rifleman's cadence I hit both targets with 16/20 rounds.

We broke for lunch and had a fascinating session about the events leading up to the battles of Lexington and Concord (first strike of the match). More about this later. After lunch we practiced transitioning between positions, and practiced the Appleseed Qualification Test. I scored only 105/250. There were a few issues I needed to improve on; including trigger finger positions (resulting in a wide spread at standing position) as well as timing for the transitions between positions for stages two and three. In stage two, standing to sitting, I had some of my most accurate shooting but ran out of time before I could finish. In stage three, standing to prone, I spent too much time transitioning and loading. I was in a rush to finish before time, and you could see my accuracy progressively worsening. Finally in stage 4, 5 minutes from prone, I didn't do my best shooting, but I was still markedly improved from the beginning of the day. That evening, after dinner and a hot shower, I cleaned my rifle and practiced my NPOA.

The next day we had to wait until 1:30pm to start shooting out of respect for a neighboring church congregation. We learned about the second strike of the match that sparked the American Revolution. We also covered target identification, range estimation, and compensation for windage and farther distances.

When it was time to begin shooting, I decided to try with my red dot instead of iron sights. We practiced the AQT again, and I did much better than the day before on stage 1. My spread was still indicative of an issue with trigger finger placement. An instructor was kind enough to coach me on this, and I didn't have as many issues with horizontal drift for the rest of the day. At stage two I once again ran out of time after only 4 rounds. At stage 3 my rifle began acting up on me, cycling slower. Finally at stage 4 it cycled one round after the magazine change, didn't cycle a second; and after I reinserted the magazine I was out of time.

We had a fun NPOA exercise where we had to fire blind at an Oreo after sight alignment. We were allowed to take some time to line up the shot, adjust NPOA, and then an instructor would cover our sights or scopes while we fired. Anyone finishing in five rounds won a pack of Oreos. There were some dark discolorations on my target that I thought were where my shots landed, so I overcompensated and my shots kept falling low. After inspecting my target with some binoculars I was able to hit the Oreo, but it took me nine rounds total to do it.

We took a break while we learned about the final strike of the match, and then resumed shooting with another AQT target. I switched back to my iron sights for this one. My shots were all over the place at stage one.  I did well at stage two again, but ran out of time; and had the same experience at stage 3. Finally just as I was almost done with stage four I had a failure to eject. I had to finesse a round half protruding from the magazine back in so I could remove it and safely open up the receiver. An empty casing was stuck in the chamber. An instructor helped remove it and we found that there was a chunk taken out of the rim where the extractor should have gripped it. Putting so many steel rounds down range began to take a toll on my rifle.

It started pouring rain at this point, which was a mercy because I had to service my rifle under the supervision of the range instructors. I replaced my extractor spring, oiled the bolt carrier, and I was fortunately able to resume shooting for the remainder of the program. Just as I finished my maintenance the rain let up; so I didn't hold everyone up and we were all able to start again at the same time. I switched to brass ammo for the rest of the day.

For the last shoot we had the redcoat targets again. I decided to try shooting from a sitting position, as I'd had some success with it before. It was also much more comfortable for me, being mentally and physically drained at this point. I was starting to get sloppy, and rushed through most of my shots with little regard for NPOA. Only two out of the first 12 shots landed where I wanted. Finally with one round left I slowed down. I took about a minute to line up my final shot, focusing on all the principles we'd learned over the weekend; and it paid off. I hit the 250 yd Morgan's Shingle.

For the next event I plan to bring a rimfire rifle, and invest in better quality ammo. I also plan to practice my transitions to improve my timed speed so I won't have to rush lining up shots. I'll probably invest in some decent elbow pads as well.

Equally as important as the marksmanship lessons, the history lessons deserve recognition. Everyone knows about Paul Revere, but we learned about some of the other heroes of those two days; like Dr. Samuel Prescott, Maj. John Buttrick, or Gen. William Heath. I was impressed by the discipline, tact, and firm rules of engagement employed by the colonists; and by the fact that when historic events unfold, one person can make a big difference. It was really interesting to take a deeper dive into events that are often skimmed over in history books.

I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who made this event possible. Your dedication to providing a fun, safe, and informative weekend were appreciated. Many thanks to the Rivanna Rifle & Pistol Club as well for allowing us to use their facilities.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. -Red Green

Rifleman 09.18.2021

BenjiMac

Your rifle should not have any problem with steel case ammo. It is made to shoot in the rifle! If you have any kind of pitting in the chamber it might sometimes grab a case so the rim chips when forcefully extracted, as yours did.

On "better quality" ammo, if you mean .22, I found out that my new 10/22 Ruger that I bought primarily for this event would not shoot the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo that I brought the first day. No misfires, but it frequently failed to cycle to the next round. It has always worked fine in my pistol. The problem could be related to several years in my storage shed.
Anyway, the instructors said I should try something else, so the second day I brought a box each of Browning and Winchester ammo. Didn't need the Winchester because the Browning that I tried first worked perfectly.
For accuracy, I think any ammo is accurate enough for the Appleseed event. The targets are not that difficult and are intended to be shootable with military surplus rifles.

I was dismayed to find out I cannot shoot prone with my rifles as set up. I have been shooting pistol for several decades, and now cannot raise my head far enough to see through the scope in prone, and the rifle stock is too low to rest my cheek on it as proper prone requires. For deer hunting I sit in a lawn chair at top of a hill and wait for a deer to walk by, 25 yards is about as far as I can see in the woods. I am working on holding my head up and not slouching in normal life - I put a back cushion on my chair so that the head rest does not push my head forward, and also practice leaning back when driving - and will be working on the rifles to make them fit me properly. We will see if I can do better next time!
Jesus died so we can live

Caife Trean

@BenjiMac, after a couple hundred rounds I had issues with the steel case ammo and my extractor. I've since ordered a case of brass cased ammo for practice and my next Appleseed. I'm also planning to pick up a Ruger 10/22 between now and then. As far as your issues shooting prone, perhaps a cheek riser on the stock and a spacer under your optics would help give you more clearance and take some pressure off your neck.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. -Red Green

Rifleman 09.18.2021

QuietCanine

Hello - I had a 10/22 I prepared for the event using the instructions provided at signup with a sling, extended mag release and peep sight. I used the Tech sights but did not use Loctite on the front sight.

The first day one of the securing bolts came out. I reinstalled it over the evening with loctite - minus one washer I could not find, and it came loose again the next day. One of the trainers suggested I should have cleaned the bolts prior to securing, which is no doubt correct.

I suggested another weekend course on preparing a reliable rifle. ;)

Aside from painfully relearning basic gunsmithing, I never felt under-gunned. And my personal utility with the 10/22 has transformed.

Messer

As always, I'd like to say "Thank You!" to everyone that came out to RRPC for this event.

From the Appleseed Instructors that always make everyones safety the top priority - and the way they help the students achieve that goal. To the students that came with an open mind willing to learn all that was offered up to them.

Thank you all!

I hope to see you on the range again in the future.

Stay Vigilant,

Bob S.
Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

Caife Trean

Quote from: Messer on August 03, 2021, 12:01:53 PMI hope to see you on the range again in the future.

I've registered for the September Appleseed. Looking forward to it!
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. -Red Green

Rifleman 09.18.2021