Thurmont, MD Pistol Clinic AAR - April 11-12, 2026

[kniwolf]

Another great weekend at TCSC in the books!  2 students made the pilgrimage out to be on the line for this two day pistol event on this gorgeous weekend in April.

The morning's hits count target showed that there was skill present, but we also had some work to do.  The class stayed attentive and soaked up all points of instruction.  After our morning of instruction and drills, ProgressNotPerfection presented a superb telling of the first strike to which the students (and instructors) were very attentive and asked plenty of questions.

The afternoon's instruction was well received, and we even had time to cover the second strike, presented by ProgressNotPerfection. We were able to fit in some PQT action in the afternoon, where Bill and Jim showed significant improvements from the morning's drills. Afterward, we snuck in our final redcoat of the day, but Pitcairn's button proved elusive!

Sunday started promptly on time, and marked improvement was shown on the first hit's count target.  After our first PQT of the day, Jim took the fastest time on the Big Dot Little Dot challenge!  ProgressNotPerfection gave a rousing 3rd strike at lunch.  In between the PQT grind, we modified the objective of the Parker's Revenge rifle target for pistol, and Jim once again took the overall high score on that target as well!   

The special history of Prince Estabrook was very well received, and I'll be adding this story to my rotating DOM/DOW presentation. 

Great progress was made by all students present.  Bill and Jim are both skilled riflemen, who have attended many previous Appleseed Rifle events.  This gave us the opportunity to really focus on each of their specific needs when it comes to pistol marksmanship, and as such was a fantastic and fulfilling weekend for students and instructors alike.  Both were running Ruger Mark series pistols, with irons, and they performed admirably all weekend.  Scores consistently ranged in the 180s and 190s, with a few in the low 200s.  The Pistoleer™ patch proved elusive...this time.  I'm confident that you'll both end up earning that patch at your next event.

The last chance at Pitcairn's button was unsuccessful, but despite this all students ended the class on a positive note.  As I said earlier, I couldn't be more proud of the progress made by you both.

I highly encourage you all to practice what you learned with both live and dry fire. Working under the pressure of the clock is something that some practice can also overcome.

Pictures are available in an online album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ybd8cXYSEGkA2aj99 and will soon be posted to our Maryland Appleseed Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064405762810

I hope to see everyone on the line at a future rifle or pistol event!