OPERATION SLUSH PUPPY 03-02-02

Enough With the Slush, Already!!!

Saturday, March 02, 2002

Camp Stasa, Shiawassee County, Michigan

On Saturday, March 2nd, several die-hard militia persons deployed to Camp Stasa to conduct Level One training, marksmanship training, cross-training with other rifles, and some four pin shooting.

On hand were nine militia persons, one dedicated (kind, understanding...) spouse, one youth, age 10, and two (count 'em, two) dogs.

The weather was at least as miserable as it was for Sinister Divot last month. The road back to the training area was muddy, wet, sloppy, and slushy. Despite this, a good number of folks made it back. It seems that militia people tend to own trucks, and a lot of these are four-wheel drive. (Get one soon before they ban them!!!) Even the two-wheel drive trucks made it back with a minimum of slippage. Of course, the old VW Rabbit made it back without getting stuck, either. Sometimes I think that an the VW Rabbit should be adopted as the official militia vehicle....

Due to the presence of one kind and cooperative wife, and one eager youngster, we fired up the stove in The Griffin's Den, so they could stay warm as needed. We had to knock a lot of snow off the top of the tent, and need to either adjust the posts outward a bit, to tighten up the roof, or install wooden slats of some kind to shore it up. Hopefully, we won't get much more snow this year.

During some preliminary sighting in, we got a close look at the sights of a Mini-14(the flip up rear sight is kind of flimsy, and might need to be cut in half or replaced). This rifle does have the convenience of built-in scope rails, which greatly surpass the aggravating carry handle mounts for the AR15. It also has a nice flash suppressor. In that regard (and it is only a legal issue, darn it..), it also trumps the post-ban AR.

We also saw one of those screw in replacement front sight posts for an AK type rifle. Adjustments on this are bothersome. I think maybe a more solid post might help here. I am not, however, an AK person, so I will leave it to more knowledgeable people to make suggestions.


During the gear check, we noted the presence of several types of winter camouflage, one of which was made, hold on to your hats, folks, SPECIFICALLY FOR CAMP STASA IN THE WINTER. That's right, Lou V. hand made his winter camo based on pictures and footage of Camp Stasa. It will also be excellent winter camo throughout Michigan. So while the rest of us were wondering if Cabela's or Gander Mountain had better winter camo, Lou got out some dye and spray primer, and made his own. There is a lesson here to be learned about cost-effectiveness, resourcefulness, and dedication. (Note: Lou is not the only person to make his own camo. Denis and Kristin have also either made or totally modified camo as well, it's just that this is the first time that I have seen camo handmade specifically for the training area.)

When going over the first-aid kits, we noted that one person had some prescription medication that he felt it was necessary to have on hand. But to make sure that no legal problems could even possibly arise, he had his doctor's business card in the baggie with the medication. This might be a good idea.

I also noted that the Mini-14, while a neat little rifle, is a complete pain in the ass to break down. Remember to consider ease of field maintenance and cleaning when acquiring your next weapon. (The Mini-14 shot well enough to qualify, though...)

The walk was at least as horrible as the last time, maybe it was even worse, as there wasn't as much frozen ground this day. One new person, who had never done this before, really hustled up and came in at just a touch over 30 minutes. But you know, if we can make it in THIS weather, we will do fine when it is dry and sunny.

Everyone present began the walk except for the person assigned to video detail, and a late arrival. They all put in a good effort, and almost everyone came in under 40 minutes. (I love the idea of a timekeeper yelling out how many minutes are remaining while we are finished a walk through mud and slush. It's almost enough to make me want to run for the last eighth of a mile or so. Almost.)

Somewhere during the walk, I think, the snow turned into just rain. This made for a lovely day. Several militia persons refused to put on their ponchos, because they did not wish to compromise their winter camouflage. (We also got soaked to the bone, but we looked good doing it...) Tactics before comfort, I always say.

The shooting for qualification went well. Some people required a couple of attempts, and there needed to be a few adjustments on some scopes or sights. In the end, we had two newly qualified Level One folks, and several re-re-qualified Level One people. If you add extra camo tape/wrap/whatever to your rifle (yes, we do this,too), make sure that the camo does NOT interfere with the action of your weapon. Pay attention to the area on the top of the stock where even the slightest bit of material can interfere with your action.

Congrats to Joe and Walter for hitting the Level One mark. (Note: Walter was one of the original Level One testers back in 1997.) Joe was using his Mini-14, and Walter hit with a scoped .308 bolt action. (And, no, you CAN'T stockpile your qualifications and be good until 2019, Ken.)

We then went on to some marksmanship training, to get people to tighten up some groups, and to get familiar with different rifles. Lou shot my AR, and Joe shot Denis's Mosin/Nagant with a long eye relief scope. This is good because it gets people familiar with something they don't have, might encourage people to go and buy another rifle, and lets you find out if your rifle is shooting poorly, or if you are shooting poorly. (One test of a rifle is to let Denis or Tom shoot it from a bench, and see how it is grouping.) 10 year old Nicholas also shot his Dad's AK variant. If you want to come and shoot something that you haven't shot before, or if you would like to try a type of rifle before you buy one, then show up at any one of these training sessions. These militia people are always willing to let folks sling a few down range with their favorite battle rifle....

Then some of the folks did the four pin shoot, with Joe going through it for the first time. This is great to see, because until someone does it, they really don't know how tiring it is, and how fun it is. It also really builds confidence in your ability to move and shoot. Building confidence in more militia people is a good thing. Lou also had an excellent four pin time with his CETME.

Curtis then brought out the little blue coffee pot, and we slammed down some brutal java, and called it a day. On the way out, we stopped and talked to Frank Stasa. We appreciate that he lets us come out there and train, and we are sad that more people don't.

See you next time.

-Lee

PS If you are wondering about Lou's towel, no, he is not reenacting Viet Nam. He uses it to keep his neck warm and his glasses clean. This is not a bad idea. (Readers of Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy will understand....)

Lay-away baby	such a small gun	droppin pins