Gainesville TX KD AAR November 12-13 2022

[AF5US]

My oh my, what a time, what a time!

Temperatures? What temperatures? We don't care about no 20 degree mornings in Texas.  We started out the weekend for this wonderful Known Distance event with a sold-out firing line! Let freedom ring!  Let the target steel ring!  Let everything ring! 

Saturday morning was an excellent day to stretch our understanding of making the shot.  After learning about trajectory, battle sight zero and the impact of wind, shooters had the chance to see how their rifles and ammunition perform against the theoretical text book numbers.  Of course no Appleseed day would be complete without some History and Heritage - we learned all about the War of Regulation & the Battle of Alamance.  A great lesson in persisting despite the odds.  And what better way to end the day than with one of our fine shooters rising to the challenge to earn the Known Distance patch - and his first ever title of Project Appleseed Rifleman! 

Day 2 we're back at it, not even noticing the 20 degree weather    After a discussion of Target Detection, it's on to Range Estimation.  Participants had the opportunity to range eight different targets, including a pumpkin, stop sign, deer, pig, license plate, a barn and more.  Almost all of the participants were very close, but the coveted prized Project Appleseed Chalice went to one fine shooter that was within only a couple of hundred yards of all of the targets combined!

After the ranging exercise, it was on to the highly-anticipated Morgan's Shingle.  After a review of the challenges and hardships Morgan's Militia endured, each participant had the opportunity to recreate the enlistment and earn the coveted Morgan's Shingle patch.  If a shooter connects with the shingle then there is the opportunity to once again recreate the shot while standing, and earn a nifty star pin as an add-on to the patch.  Two shooters successfully managed to connect to the shingle, and then two instructors managed to connect for the first time as well!  Congratulations Captain and pballer2oo7 - I never doubted your ability, but sometimes it's hard for an instructor to get off of the instruction line and onto the firing line to take a shot at it (Ha!).  During the standing phase, one of the two participants also managed to connect.  Maybe it shouldn't come as any surprise that it was the same student that won the coveted Project Appleseed Chalice during the ranging exercise!

Lunch brings the story of the Over Mountain Men, and how persistence pays off in the long run.  Huzzah for Liberty!  And of course, what would be a Known Distance without more AQTs?  Each participant demonstrated improvement over the weekend, and Sunday ended with ANOTHER new Known Distance rifleman with a score of 42!  If either or both of these shooters ever see this, the instructors have a humble request: Stop putting all the rounds through the same hole.  It makes it more difficult to score! 

A sincere "thank you" to all of the instructors that were able to come out and assist.  With the USCCA convention in town it was a bit of a revolving door but Captain, pballer2oo7, FloydF and KProctor all helped to make this event a big success.  Oh, and one minor, insignificant note: There's a rumor that about 12 hours before the Known Distance event began, the powers that be decided to take away the Shoot Boss' green hat and force him into a promotion of Senior Instructor with a grey hat.  The rumor further states that this same person ALSO connected with Morgan's Shingle while standing on Sunday morning.  If that rumor is true, it would have been quite a weekend on a personal level for that Shoot Boss / Senior Instructor.  One that he's not likely to soon forget, and one for which he is very much appreciative for everyone that has helped make this program the success that it is.
 

[KProctor]

edited and scrutinized pics

[AF5US]

Buddy, you always take the best pictures.

[mrakestraw]

HUZZAH for everyone who earned the Morgan's Shingle Patch! 
Sounded like everyone had a great time!

[Ramblin' Wreck]

Looks like a fabulous event. Except for that cold thing.

What's up with that Air Force guy hitting the Morgan's Shingle? I didn't know they taught them to fire things not attached to airplanes. 
Congratulations to all for practicing the real reson we learn to shoot.
Hope to make it out to Texas for a KD next year to shoot with y'all.
Ramblin' Wreck

[AF5US]

Looks like a fabulous event. Except for that cold thing.

What's up with that Air Force guy hitting the Morgan's Shingle? I didn't know they taught them to fire things not attached to airplanes. 
Congratulations to all for practicing the real reson we learn to shoot.
Hope to make it out to Texas for a KD next year to shoot with y'all.
Ramblin' Wreck

Ramblin, Gainesville isn't the only range in Texas that does a KD but we do host one every Spring and Fall.  You are welcome out ANY time!