I jotted down some notes and thoughts on the shooting of the AQT (Army Qualification Test) that earned me a “Rifleman” patch with the Appleseed project.
The Appleseed shoots a modified version of the course of fire that the Army used teach trainees to shoot on. It is quite similar to the modern NRA Highpower match course of fire. Here are the details of how it was shot, and what I was thinking:
It was toward the end of the day – after 2:00 pm. We had done drills and practiced all morning long. Myself and another fellow had established ourselves as the cream of the shooting crop for this particular shoot by this time. The newer shooters were asking for our help, and the instructors were already saying things like “you guys already know how to do this.”
The instructors announced we would then be doing an AQT.
Stage 1, I scored a 44. Not my best, but not bad.
Stage 2, I scored a 43. Again, not my best, but workable.
Stage 3 I scored a 41. This was not as good as I had been wanting or expecting, but (again) it was workable.
My mind raced into calculations - I would need a score of 41 in the final course to make the “Rifleman” score. In the final stage, points are doubled, so that would give me 82 points, and a nice, new patch.
I paced the line as we were in prep time for the final course. One of the instructors told me later I looked like a caged predator. My mind focused, like I do so often, on the goal at hand. My focus drilled down to a single point. Some people might say I was “psyched up.”
Course 4, I scored 44 points. Times two, it amounted to 88 points. Not my best AQT by a long shot, but it was the one that mattered. I had made the grade.
I gave the target to one of the instructors in order to check my math. I had originally scored it a 217, but the instructor – Big Mama – scored it a 216 (errantly, as I have verified since via calculator that it was actually 217). Either way, I'd made the grade. Handshakes all around as the instructors present as well as the other shooters congratulated me. My internal feelings of not shooting as well as I felt I should have melted away with the joy of knowing what I’d accomplished.
What's more - I had done it my way. I used a rifle that was straight out of the box. I used iron sights (no scope). No sling was used. Bulk ammo (not high-quality match grade ammo) was my choice. There were no excuses that anyone could make.
Better yet, my fellow shooter, Will, shot a 206 (if I recall correctly). Two AQT’s later, using Big Papa's tricked-out 10/22, he earned his Rifleman patch. This was his fourth Appleseed. He truly exhibited tenacity and perseverance.
You can't possibly score that well on the AQT without a sling unless you are muscling the shots. I doubt you even scored that high. Or if you did you used the sling.
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