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IKE Lady Shooters

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Lady Shooters Hold Range Session at the Chapter (Posted October 21, 2019)                                                                                                                        

On Saturday, October 19, the Lady Shooters met on the trap range for some shotgun instruction and beginner trap shooting experience.  Other members of the chapter were welcomed as guests of the ladies in this event to try out a new skill.  Instruction was provided by Dennis Dietz, along with assistance and ammunition provided by Sandy Stanford and Jamie Branham.  The participants enjoyed lots of practice and one on one instruction.

Inspection and Cleaning Class  (Posted February 22, 2017)

The Lady Shooters have now reconvened for the first time in 2018.  As weather can be questionable this time of year, we've taken our February meeting to an indoor activity.  Brian Raines, Fred-Rapp IWLA member and Beretta Gun Smith put in some time with the Lady Shooters to work with us on cleaning and maintaining our firearms.  He shared personal experience and images from firearms he has worked on that were not properly maintained and the damage that can occur as well as the products he uses and recommends.   He then worked with us on our own pistols, Janet had received a small Kimber for Christmas and needed assistance learning to take it apart and assisted Nona as she is temporarily unable to dismantle her's due to surgery
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We want to thank Brian for his time and expertise!

Currently we are planning to either return to the Chapter pistol range for March 17th @ 1PM but e are also discussing and working on a possible field trip to an indoor range   -- Shannon.

 Lady Shooters Meet in September  (Posted September 18, 2017)

Due to the Save Our Stream training on Saturday, the Lady Shooters met on Sunday, September 17 at Range 2 to continue with our personal pistols.  Although we had 5 return members, Tammy and Melissa joined us today for the first time. We began the meeting by concluding some team business, and moved along to the safety given this month by Nicole.  She did a great job with the basics and a few other additions for the newcomers.  Most of us had the same simple goal of becoming more comfortable with our own pistols or improving our aim, however Sheryl came Sunday with a mission, she arrived with 3 Glocks!  Her goal for the day was to try each of them, Glock 19, a 42 and a 43, to determine which she was most comfortable with.  Dennis assisted working through a few misfires and Ted is always happy to share his universal magazine loader.  Most of the group headed out about 3, but a few hung back to get some instruction from Ted with his .22 rifles, we shot his Rossi pump action and Ruger 10/22 with a scope. 
 
We greatly appreciate the time Dennis, Sandy, Ted and Mike put in this weekend with us, your instruction has been priceless!
 
Next month we will be returning to Saturdays, the 3^rd Saturday will be October 18^th @ 1PM.   We’ve done a little forward planning, October will be another month at Range 2 with pistols, November is still up in the  air, December as it will be getting quite busy the 3^rd weekend it’s been suggested that we take an afternoon or evening to get together to grab a bite probably earlier in the month.   January as the weather may not be as pleasant and if Jamie is available we’d like to plan for a reloading class.   I’ll be reaching out to the archery instructors with the Manahoac Bowman that we will circle back around with them in the spring to coordinate an archery class.
 
Please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestion that you like to learn more about or try.
 
~ Shannon

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FRILS Conduct Pistol Shoot  (Posted August 27, 2017)

The ladies shot their pistols on Saturday afternoon, August 19, on Range 2:

Our August event was a great, but very hot, day on the range. We had five ladies shooting their own  pistols, including a Springfield XDS 9mm, two Glock 9mm, a Bersa 380, and a Walther CCP. We also had  the good fortune to practice shooting with Ted's Colt 45 Revolvers.

We will always be at different levels with both first time shooters and more experience shooters  attending. That is one of the great things about this group... everyone is welcome and we all help  each other. After the safety briefing led by Shannon, we reviewed our individual goals for the day.   Some wanted to work on accuracy, others on weak-handed and one-handed shooting. And our beginners had
the opportunity to review the basics with Dennis, our NRA instructor. He also reinforced for all of us  the three things that will improve our accuracy... Sight, Grip, and Trigger.  As we shot, it became  obvious which of the three was affecting our accuracy. For one person it was having her finger in the  wrong position on the trigger pulling the gun to the right. For another, it was a sighting issue  because her left eye is dominant and she was shooting right handed. For me, it was my grip. In all  cases, once the issue was identified, we could make corrections as needed.

Our next shoot has been rescheduled to Sunday, September 17, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., because all  ranges will be closed on Saturday the 16th for Save Our Streams training. We will be shooting pistols
and rifles, so bring both if you have them.
 
I am happy to announce that Shannon Christopher is going to be coordinating the Lady Shooters from  now on. She has been a steadfast member with experience and knowledge to offer. Please look for her  reminder email a week before our September event.

Thank you all who attended, and we look forward to seeing the rest of you in September.

Sincerely,
Nicole Pappas

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IWLA Lady Shooter's Event July 15 (posted: August 14, 2017)

Words are not enough to describe the amazing time we had at the July 15 Lady Shooters event. Susan was the star of the day for showing up with stitches in her trigger finger, and then shooting left  handed! By the end of the afternoon we were all much more confident and comfortable not only with our own firearms, but those brought by others. Speaking for myself, I shot over 150 rounds, with  my own Springfield XDS 9mm and Jamie's revolver. We rocked the Range!

We are very appreciative of Dennis, Jamie and Ted, the RSOs who come out and work with us at each event. They kindly offer tips and corrections, and challenge us to be better. I would not have thought to practice shooting one handed until they asked me to try.  As we move forward, we will learn to take on more of the range responsibilities, and in August, Shannon, will give the safety briefing.

Please plan to attend Lady Shooters on Saturday, August 19, from 1 to 3 at Range 2.  RSVPs are not necessary, but are appreciated.

Thank you, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Nicole Pappas
Phone: 619-709-5163
Email: pappasnm@gmail.com

IWLA Lady Shooter's Event June 16 (posted: June 23, 2017)

The IWLA Lady Shooters met on June 16 for a New Shooter Seminar. Dennis Dietz, an NRA certified instructor, conducted the seminar for the group that included beginning and experienced shooters. There were good discussions, and many questions were asked and answered.

Lady Shooters will continue to meet on the 3rd Saturday of every month from 1pm to 3pm. Please mark your calendars for July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, and November 18.

The next three meetings (July, August, and September) will be at Range 2. Dennis and another RSO will be on hand to provide additional instruction and guidance. As requested by the group, we will learn how to clean our pistols, manage malfunctions that may arise when shooting, and do some target practice.

Some comments from participants:

"I truly enjoyed the class we had on gun safety. The fact that it was only open to women increased my comfort to ask questions.  The fact that the class was led by a NRA instructor and range safety officer was an added bonus.  I even bought a new gun after taking the course and I am looking forward to our next get togeher."

"I really enjoyed the new shooter seminar.  It was sooo informative. 

FRILS Shooting Event, May 20, 2017 (posted: May 21, 2017)

We had a great Shotgun Event on Saturday, May 20, 2017.  As expected, we had a good mix of experience, from those who never shot a shotgun to those who shoot at an expert level.  What we shared in common was a desire to learn and to improve our skills.  After the mandatory safety briefing, we discussed the very basics of shotguns, and skills for success.  Then we proceeded to do some shooting.  There was a lot of support as each of us improved our shots... with one lady hitting 5 out of 5 shots! We learned from each other as well as the RSOs who came out to provide instruction and operate the trap. Many thanks to them for their assistance.  Overall, it was a good time together.


As one of the members said after the event, "Thanks to all who helped with the FRILS event today.  I’d not shot a shotgun since my teens, and you were all SO patient with us.  It was great to have instruction with the shotguns that I inherited from my Dad.  Can’t wait for the next event!!"


Basic Handgun Safety and Shooting will be the topic of our next meeting on Friday, June 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (1730 to 1930 for some of us) at the Chapter.  A fellow IKE and handgun instructor will lead our meeting.  We will provide more information about the content and what to expect at a later time.

FRILS Shooting Event Announced (posted: May 9, 2017)

The Chapter is “Jump-Starting” the Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Ike Ladies Shooters (FRILS).  The purpose is for the lady member shooters of the chapter to get together to learn new firearms skills and improve the ones they have. 

FRILS has participants with all levels of experience—from new to expert competitors.  The FRILS strive to lift each other up and encourage each other in their endeavors.  They are also looking at expanding their horizons in other areas, such as fly fishing and archery
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We are sponsoring a FRILS shotgun shooting event at the Izaak Walton Shotgun Range from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM on Saturday, May 20, 2017.  Ladies should bring a shotgun and ammo, though there will be shotguns and ammo available to try out.  Lady members need also to possess/wear a Shooter's All-in-One badge issued by the Chapter.

Eyes (protective eye-wear) and Ears (hearing protection) are required, and will not be provided.  Please make sure you have your own or can borrow some.  They can be purchased at any sports or outdoors type store, Wal-Mart, Harbor Freight or Northern Tools.

The Chapter will also provide the clay pigeons for this event.  And please make sure you bring and wear your All-in-One shooter's identification card.
 
If you are interested in attending, please let Nicole Pappas know by sending her an email at pappasnm@gmail.com  give her your phone number and let her know what type of shotgun and ammo you will be bringing. 

Remember, you need to bring eye and ear protection, but do not need to have a firearm to attend. There is always someone willing to share, so you can enjoy the experience.

We look forward to our first FRILS event of the year.
  

Note to new members

In each get-together we try to learn new skills or improve the ones we have. We have people with all levels of experience: some are new to firearms and others are expert target shooting competitors. As FRILS, we strive to lift each other up, encourage each other, and hit our targets. Where one member might be weak in a technique, another member might  have a strength to share and vice versa. Please join us when you are available.

Remember, you do not have to have the specific firearm we are working with for each meeting. There's always someone willing to share, so you can experience. (To be nice, you may want to assist with ammo cost.)  But please make sure you have your "ears" and your "eyes" if you plan to shoot.