San Angelo, TX October 30-31, 2021 - AAR

[GenX Minuteman]

    This is certainly one Appleseed event I am going to remember for a very long time.  First and foremost because of the effort put forth by the students and the amazing group of Instructors who showed up to help during this wonderful Halloween weekend.  The roster for the event was a little on the light side (only 7 shooters signed up out of a possible 20) possibly due to All-Hallows-Eve or other factors yet unknown.  Sadly that 7 would be slowly reduced to only 2 shooter by the time the event started on Saturday morning!       
   
    Luckily enough, the two shooters who did show up were ultra dedicated to learning from our Instructor Cadre and were fully eager to get going.  We started out with a good Red Coat target in the morning which showed us Alexy had certainly retained his skills from previous Appleseeds by demonstrating how to properly clear a Red Coat Target!  Not a bad way to start out the morning!  Bob also showed us he had a good fundamental base from which we could work with.   
   
    Our Instructor Cadre, who at this point outnumbered our shooters significantly, got to work!  Marshall (Don'tFix 1776) and Clay (Tejas) began the instructions for the morning and led the shooters through the process of improving their shooting in the prone position.  Caryn (KawGirl) then was able to quickly and perfectly summarize the concept of adjusting our sighting systems by explaining Inches, Minutes and Clicks.  Excellent job as always Caryn!  We got the students dialed in and tuned up with time to spare!  Once both shooters were sighted in, we settled in for a bit of lunch and listen to Marshall give a well planned, perfectly told version of the First Strike.  Way to go Marshall!!!  I was impressed sir!

    By this point in the day the West Texas sun was starting to break the morning coolness down and it started to warm up a bit.  We quickly dove into the unstable shooting portion of the weekend and found what worked best for our shooters.  Bob, having had double hip replacement only one year prior, was determined to not let anything get in his way of trying every seated/kneeling position.  I have not seen a shooter so limber and spry as Bob since teaching some of our teenage participants back in May!!!  Very commendable Bob for embracing the teaching fully!  We got a bit of transitional pressure and time pressure exposure through AQT type practice.  Before jumping straight into AQTs however, we took a bit of a break and listened to Clay's riveting rendition of the Second Strike of the Match.  He did a wonderful job and roused the spirit of Freedom in us all!!!  We all had a good discussion on the matter, grabbed some water and snacks and then tightened our belts for a quick run at some AQTs!!! 
   
    We were able to complete two AQTs on Saturday before the end of the day.  Alexy scored Rifleman+ as he always does!!!  Like Clay said, "When I grow up, I want to shoot like Alexy", hahahahaha!  Bob was able to do well, but realized how difficult the transitions stages could be.  With two AQTs under our belt we put up a Red Coat to finish the day out.  Alex was able to once again clean the Red Coat and Bob was able to improve by keeping all three rounds in the 100 and 200 yrd targets.

    After an evening of well deserved rest and relaxation the shooters returned for more insight into rifle marksmanship.  A quick review of the previous day's key instruction points got the shooters on the same page and put everyone on a proper path for the AQT grind!  Everyone confirmed their rifle's zero quickly and proceeded to face the challenge of the day, AQT after AQT after AQT!  Both shooters were eager to jump into the AQT grind and started posting up good numbers!  Each AQT was a learning experience and knowledge gained after every string of fire.  Luckily, Chris (WhitePaladin) was able to come on Sunday and help our shooters through his own special brand of guided instruction.   We did a few secondary skills exercises to emphasize NPOA and proper fundamentals with respect to sight picture and sight focus.  The time quickly flew by and the temperature began to rise.  We broke up the day with a bit of lunch and the telling of the Third Strike only to return to more AQTs.  There was some interest in practicing alternate shooting positions for the seated and kneeling phase so we sidetracked a bit and did a bit of practicing on those positions, something which can be glossed over all too quickly on the first day!  With the sun now pretty warm and the West Texas wind uncharacteristically absent our shooters were fully fatigued and ready to call an end to the weekend of shooting.  They were able to get 5 good solid AQTs completed as well as numerous secondary drills.  The dry air, heat and no wind can reduce even the most ardent Rifleman to a dehydrated mess all too quickly.     
     
    The final Red Coat target of the event showed the level of improvement this group was able to obtain through only two days of instruction.  Alex was not quite able to clean the final Red Coat, but certainly came very close!  Bob was able to improve dramatically and held good tight groups, even after a full day's worth of exhausting struggle!
   
    And it is for this reason, I will always remember this event: the shooters put forth 100% effort at all times, as did the amazing group of instructors who volunteered their time to make this such a wonderful event!     

It was a true honor to be able to present our stories and marksmanship guidance to such a wonderful group of students!!!!  Thank you!!!!

Chad Stovell - GenX Minuteman

[JustKim]

 Sounds like an awesome shoot!!  Two shooters is more than no shooters!  Congrats on a great event!

[GenX Minuteman]

Sounds like an awesome shoot!!  Two shooters is more than no shooters!  Congrats on a great event!

Thank you very much Kim!!!!  It is great to see you replying to this event AAR because we actually mentioned you directly during our Standing demonstration!!!!!  We pointed out the fact some of our Instructors are almost as effective at Standing as they are in Prone position.  Caryn (Kawgirl), myself and Marshall were all quick to use you as an example of how effective strong form and proper rifle placement are to Standing position accuracy!  Hope you guys are staying safe there in Florida and having a great Appleseed Fall season!

Chad

[KawGirl]