Lytle Creek (San Bernardino) CA AS AAR

[LayloPro]

Well.......

Ours was an AS of a slightly different color.......we were at a new range for AS, and for whatever reasons, were not sold out as the other ranges were.....while this made for a lower attendance rate, it also allowed for a much higher Instructor/student ratio.......and there are times I will prefer those......this was one of them......

Since Cali had signed in with 9 shoots this year for 4/19, our Redhat/SB ranks were stretched a bit "thin".....most shoots were run by the single Redhat, with IIT's as help....this was no different.....but, since I had listened to what Fred, Scout & Nickle had put forth a while ago about teams, have built a small 3 person "family team".....this allows us to travel & teach together.....works well, be sure to try it yourselves!!

Phoneprone was there with me Sat for admin & training duties, while LtDang had to go to his union school......we started our day bright & early (gorgeous weather, BTW!!) with a couple of the "early shooters" helping set the line, staple targets, & spray paint our lines.....
We had 4 pre-regs, whom all arrived, then the overflow from the Corona shoot began arriving.....these were folks who had tried doing walk-on for Corona, but there were 2 other -large- (150 shooter +) events happening concurrently, so they had lost one of their ranges, which -really- squeezed them.....we were there to handle overflow.....

Our shooters ran the gamut of: active military, Physician, LE, student, never shot before, to continuing shooter.....love it! We had an uncle/nephew join us, who come from a long line of shooting family, but they had been the only ones to get out this weekend....they -will- be bringing more family for our next couple of shoots now, lemme tell ya!!

The rifles used on Saturday were -all- .22's, in response mostly to the lack of ammo available.....we had everything from a 10-22 folding stock paratrooper, to CZ bolties, to a Browning BL-22 lever gun......all very cool stuff, & not having to worry about recoil helped a few of the folks out in building their positions......

By 10:20, we were done with repeated safety & line command repetitions as each new person came in, & began with our standard redcoat.....and as usual, there were some safe British this morning!!

Quickly, with Phone as my "Vanna", we began their training on the "dreaded squares".......the fire hose was on!! JB would have been proud!! We covered the positions, and the 6 steps in what seemed record time.....Choruses!! ......You! Pick somebody for 4a!!........Quickly!! 1 pm is arriving quickly!! We must participate in this nationwide volley!! Why??!! Because we are Americans!!

1 pm arrived soon enough, & after numerous clock checking, we were ready with Colycats' COF & volley!!......while only 9 rifles talking did not make that much "noise", I knew in my heart that our brothers & sisters in arms were in many states across the country, reading off the same names, fighting back that same choked throat feeling we all get when remembering & honoring our fallen fore fathers, and determining to make the next name even louder than the last because of it.......to honor by remembering......I think I heard that last year.....

Our participants definitely enjoyed participating in a nationwide shoot of this caliber & magnitude........just the thought that they were part of a firing line 2.5 miles long had some of them thinking about how many patriots there actually are in the different states.....and that they were part of it as well....

We were able to resolve several problems some of the shooters were experiencing....and we had the gamut, from active military & LE to "I've never shot before in my life" on our tiny line........but being the small line it was, lent a level of personal attention we just can not get when we are trying to work with 50 shooters & a few Instructors.....as said, sometimes this is better......

One monkey we could not fight off forever was the clock, & the fact that we had to shut down @ 3:30pm, so as to have everyone out by 4pm......the range was adamant about this point, and since this was our first shoot here, we were not trying to prove anything. But it only allowed us the one AQT, with a high score of 199 for the day.

Most importantly, -all- the shooters saw improvement in their abilities as we ran along, spraying everyone with the fire hose.....

Back home, I fell into the shower.....had Phone get us some In-&-Out, and we reviewed what we could do better & tighten up on....@ the computer @ 10....pass out on the keyboard until 1:30a....stumble off to bed so I can get up again @ 5:30am to be at the range again ..... rested ...... yeah, right!!!

Sunday brought us 5 return shooters, our two "Dangerous old men" Willy & Jerry, the uncle & nephew, & our Military guy.......I set LtDang on the line, reviewed safety rules, set one sheet of sighter squares out for all to get their "other" rifles sighted in by using the IMC they had already learned, & then we began the AQT "grind"......

Our young lad was ecstatic at going from Sat morning of not even being on the paper, to actually beginning to see group results.....by our 4th AQT, he reported that he was seeing an average increase of 15-20 points each AQT.....THAT'S some improvement!!

Our Military guy had brought out his 16" carbine AR, & even tho' he was working with A2 sights, was showing some really impressive groups with it......had he had his 20" heavy barreled AR, we know he would have smacked down the 210 needed for a patch....but the improvement with his carbine was spectacular....

Our LE was working at a severe handicap to himself, shooting a RH 10-77 bolty, left handed........reaching over the stock to cycle the bolt each round, I finally could not watch him hit the wall he was on any longer, & asked if he would like to borrow my "new" (as in 30 rounds thru it the Friday before) marlin 795......amazingly, he bounced up by about 30 points on his next AQT!! I think his highest score Sunday was a 200-something, but he will be much better prepared next time......

Our dangerous old men got a tad tired by transitions...and Jerry sat out an AQT or two....but his shooting with his bolty showed he is not lacking in the basics & fundamentals......he was consistently our high scorer....just never quite all on the same target........Willy fought with sling slippage issues all day long, and has a few thoughts of how to "fix it for next time"......he's a good soldier, and will make it in his time......

We had the one member from the ranges BOD come out on Sunday afternoon, and he spoke briefly to the shooters about the importance of the shooting community to work together......as a very wise man said some time ago....."If we do not hang together, we will surely hang separately...."

3:30 came too quickly, altho we were able to do our final Redcoat, & surprise, surprise, -everyone- was on the paper for at least 100 yds now.....quite an improvement from the Sat AM one!! <
We gave a quick benediction about 7th stepping, and from this small bunch, I truly believe we will see some wonderful things happen for Cali.....these guys all -get it-......and there are some connections we will be able to work with, that will allow us to improve the situation here in this state.......which could be used to show some other states how to "get it right"......

Brotha Kool Aid stopped by to see how we had done packing up, and even tho' we got to the main gate @ 4:18, somebody had locked it up for us.....so we got to sit there with one of the shooters for about 20 minutes, until Kool's horn blasts finally got somebody with a key out of the wood work to unlock it for us......

As has been said before, some are better than others, but they are -all- special......none more than in Cali......

So, uhmmmmmm, how was -your- weekend?

Laylopro

[Old Glory!]

LLP,
One person honoring our heritage is valuable.  We all know how much difference ONE can make.  You had NINE times that! 

[LayloPro]

You know, in reading over the other AAR's from around the country for this last wekend, I noticed one thing most of them had in common....there was mud.....lots of gooey, sticky mud......mud everywhere...on the firing line, on the gear, on the rifles, in places most folks didn't know you could get mud.......


I'm not going to complain so much anymore about our rocks out here........


OG, yeah, any additional friend is a good one....we are blessed by being able to deal with the best folks on the planet...those who come to an AppleSeed, and "get it"......I can't think of anybody else I would rather hang out, or associate with.......

LLP

[SavageShootr]

Thanks for the report.

Great Team you have going there. 

~SS