Mason, TN - AAR – Mar 16, 2024 (RFKD)

[Captain]

Twenty-two Appleseeders gathered on the Jensen Farm Range in western Tennessee and held the first ever Rimfire Know Distance in the area! A big thank you to Reb for hosting us out at his place in the spirit of Issac Davis. The Mid South Riflemen were out to hone their Rifleman skills and try a different Appleseed event. Conditions were perfect; shooters took the line and learned about working their rifles at ranges beyond our normal 25m events. There was a quick review of the fundamentals followed by trajectory and comeups, drop data collection and recording. The group then used what they learned to shoot the Appleseed Qualification Test "at distance". 

All the shooters had attended prior Appleseed events and it showed. Nineteen shooters would attempt the 100 yard AQT and 12 would shoot a qualifying score (one more might have made it if not for a cross fire). High score for the day would go to Distinguished Rifleman Calaboose Cross shooting a 48. An impressive young lady was right behind him with a 45! Kinley is 11 years old!!! Watch out! It was a day of some impressive marksmanship and great camaraderie.

We also took some time to share some interesting history from the American Revolution in between shooting and learning about the Three Challenges of the Rifleman. It was a great day to spend with fellow Americans enjoying our marksmanship heritage and the history of our founding. Thanks to all those who were able to attend and I look forward to seeing you all again at a future event. (Full Distance Events in Indiana, Michigan and Iowa this year??)

I'll post a few pictures as I get caught up. Big thanks to Reb and his family for opening up his farm for this event and to Mustang and TigerDriver for setting things up. Hats off to the guys who did all the hard work on the line; RustyGun and Old Navy Doc worked personally with all the shooters to coach every shooter to improve and get their best performance. Working with fellow Appleseeders like these guys makes every event outstanding.

Click on the photos to view full size and click again to shrink back down.

Group Photo


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

[Old Navy Doc]

This was an amazing group to work with. The focus and determination to improve made for a great experience. I can't say enough about how fantastic this farm was for teaching Rimfire KD. I look forward to returning.

[Captain]

Setting up in the morning started with the flashlights but soon we got a little help . . .

[Captain]

There was time for instruction and time for sharing our heritage . . .

[Captain]

Working on the firing line and down at the target line . . .

       
       
       
       
       

[Captain]

And the results . . . LOTS of new Rimfire KD patches. Congrats Shooters!



However, one of the shooters had to leave early . . .

[Captain]

Here's one of a patch earner who had to leave early. Eleven years old and the second highest score of the weekend with a 45! Great shooting Kinley! The next picture is with the family who brings her out to Appleseed and also shoots. A great family Saturday.

       
       
       
       

[Mustang]

What a great day to be a Appleseed participant, with the sunny skies, expert Instructors, co-operative Riflemen and topped off with Southern BBQ for supper.  Everything about the event was just about perfect. (We won't talk about the crossfire Captain mentioned).  Hearing the history is always an important part of a Appleseed clinic and I continue to learn from those who share it. 

"Known Distance" events are a challenge and the more you participate in the Rimfire and the Centerfire KD's the more proficient you get.  The instruction was second to none.  Many thanks to Captain, Old Navy Doc, Rusty Gun and IIT4 Kristy for sharing their knowledge and their valuable time to help a bunch of Knuckleheads become better Riflemen.  Thanks to our range host also as he stayed out there with us all day, and absorbed the rifle skills being taught.  See ya down range.

[Gwbella]

This was my first Rimfire KD but my second event of the week. As always, it was fun and helpful.  Captain and Old Navy Doc did a fantastic job as usual.  Even with a large field of 20 shooters, things moved along quite rapidly and we got new insights from the instructors. Oh yea, I got to add one more patch to my small (but growing) collection.

There were a lot of hands that worked on putting the event together.  My thanks to everyone that participated. I'll definitely look forward to another event soon!

[JWC]

First rifle Appleseed event I have attended.  It was a huge learning experience!  Not only from the instructors who did an amazing job but from many other great riflemen who opened up and provided tons of instruction and insight! Blessed to have been a part of this event and for getting to shoot with to so many talented shooters.  Really looking forward to the next event. Thanks everyone!

[tigerdriver]

What a wonderful day. Shooting a RFKD with good friends and at a great location.  Captain, Old Navy Doc, and Rusty-gun did an outstanding job teaching us history and marksmanship. A truly remarkable feat. Just like herding cats. 🤣😂 A special thanks to Reb for hosting and helping us all day. 

And a personal note to the shoot boss—-"Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
None. None."

[Calaboose Cross]

What an awesome day we had shooting the Rimfire KD out at Reb's farm. Reb expressed some good ole Southern hospitality in hosting 20 shooters in two relays. Shoot Boss Captain ran the relays with military precision and everything went flawlessly. Rusty Gun, Old Navy Doc, Mustang, and Kristi gave top notch instruction and shared the lore of our nation's marksmanship heritage in a way that made all of us appreciate our nation's founding. I can unequivocally say that all of us came away from the event better marksmen. The day ended with most of us breaking bread at a local barbecue restaurant where we enhanced the camaraderie that we established from shooting as a group that day relying on each other for encouragement and coaching. Again, thanks to Reb for hosting our august Riflemen group and thanks to Blue Hat TigerDriver for making the administrative chores go smoothly. It was a fantastic day!!

[whitebearded]

We had a great time shooting! Even though I didn't qualify I was able to watch my 11 year old granddaughter get her patch! We would like to thank Captain and all the instructors who made this a great success! Looking forward to shooting another one.

[Nathan bedford forrest]

The gentleman running the match defines prep time to be when he thinks half of the people are ready. Which means half of the people are not ready. I think this distracts from the enjoyment of the match, and could possibly be creating a borderline unsafe situation. I understand He wants to move the match along quickly and give people many opportunities to shoot, which is a good thing. But the time saved by rushing people is minuscule.

[Rustygun]

This was a great event! The Mid South Riflemen group supports Appleseed locally, and it made sense to do a special event for them. There was a lot of good shooting and a good time as well. The history was great especially the Ephraim Branks from 901 Gun. A good bit of knowledge was passed along from Captain to his group of shooters most or all of which are already patch holders. The weather was made to order and spirits were high throughout the event. The MSR is already doing some arm twisting to get another RFKD scheduled lol. Thanks to Captain for handling everything.