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Appleseed

Blue_2

Blue_2

I've been thinking about attending an Appleseed event. I have seen flyers popping up in the local ranges about them, but have never gone to one. After Googling it, I think I have most of the recommended gear and my Marlin 70P might be good enough for it. I exactly can't argue with the price of $60 for a weekend of instruction either.

Have any of you attended one, and think that it would be worth it?
 
Blue_2

Blue_2

Also, do you think my rifle is up to this? It's about 25 years old, but in fantastic shape.

Not my image, but it looks like this without the scope but with a ghost ring sight.

proxy.php
 
O

OkieDave

I've been to a few of the weekend shoots, and I went to one of the week-long boot camps.

I thought it was a great program.

I'll share a little secret with you, though: the shooting clinic is the hook; the real purpose it to teach a little bit of American history, specifically the story of the battles of Lexington and Concord. I found it to be apolitical (the national standards specify such), based heavily upon David Hackett Fisher's Paul Revere's Ride (a great book, BTW). Occasionally, the occasional would-be revolutionary shows up; in every instance I've seen, the response has been swift and clear: you're welcome to shoot with us, friend, and learn the story, but that's not what we're about; if you can't keep your politics out of it, please take your leave.

You'll definitely learn to shoot, and in ways you didn't think possible when you walked up Saturday morning. My last couple of weekend shoots, I was an Instructor-in-Training ("orange hat"), and we had people amazed at how quickly they could shoot and reload while scoring hits by the end of the weekend. (The only reason I never finished my Instructor training was because I started law school and just didn't have the time.)

In short: highly recommended, and now that I have some time again, I'm thinking about finishing my instructor certification. 'Course, now I'm so rusty I probably need to spend a weekend as a student again to get my skills back.

As to your rifle: run what you brung. The program is geared around the Ruger 10/22, or the Marlin 795, both with Tech Sights (which mimic the aperture sights on an M1 or AR-15), but I've seen everything imaginable out there: Nylon 66, AR patterns of all types, FALs, Mosin-Nagants, various lever guns, even a kid with a single-shot Cricket. Its not about the hardware, it's the software...and they'll teach you some good skills.

If I were to give you one piece of advice...start doing some stretching exercises right away. Look up the standing, sitting, and prone positions, practice getting into them, figure out what is tense, and work on those stretches. A weekend--to say nothing of a week!--of getting into sitting, while under the clock, will definitely have you looking for the Ben-Gay. :)
 
Blue_2

Blue_2

OkieDave said:
I've been to a few of the weekend shoots, and I went to one of the week-long boot camps.

I thought it was a great program.

I'll share a little secret with you, though: the shooting clinic is the hook; the real purpose it to teach a little bit of American history, specifically the story of the battles of Lexington and Concord. I found it to be apolitical (the national standards specify such), based heavily upon David Hackett Fisher's Paul Revere's Ride (a great book, BTW). Occasionally, the occasional would-be revolutionary shows up; in every instance I've seen, the response has been swift and clear: you're welcome to shoot with us, friend, and learn the story, but that's not what we're about; if you can't keep your politics out of it, please take your leave.

You'll definitely learn to shoot, and in ways you didn't think possible when you walked up Saturday morning. My last couple of weekend shoots, I was an Instructor-in-Training ("orange hat"), and we had people amazed at how quickly they could shoot and reload while scoring hits by the end of the weekend. (The only reason I never finished my Instructor training was because I started law school and just didn't have the time.)

In short: highly recommended, and now that I have some time again, I'm thinking about finishing my instructor certification. 'Course, now I'm so rusty I probably need to spend a weekend as a student again to get my skills back.

As to your rifle: run what you brung. The program is geared around the Ruger 10/22, or the Marlin 795, both with Tech Sights (which mimic the aperture sights on an M1 or AR-15), but I've seen everything imaginable out there: Nylon 66, AR patterns of all types, FALs, Mosin-Nagants, various lever guns, even a kid with a single-shot Cricket. Its not about the hardware, it's the software...and they'll teach you some good skills.

If I were to give you one piece of advice...start doing some stretching exercises right away. Look up the standing, sitting, and prone positions, practice getting into them, figure out what is tense, and work on those stretches. A weekend--to say nothing of a week!--of getting into sitting, while under the clock, will definitely have you looking for the Ben-Gay. :)
Click to expand...
Now I'm definitely going. It sounds like a great way to get some training.

The Marlin Model 70 line was the predecessor to the 795 so it sounds like I'm good to go. I'll get the Tech Sights though. The mount on the rear peep site I have won't take too much of a beating anymore and this sounds like it'll be more demanding than bench shooting.

I definitely appreciate the tip on stretching as well. I miss being that indestructible sixteen year old at times like this.
Ad Astra said:
The ads are regularly seen in Shotgun News. :001_cool:

Classic Marlin, BTW. Wish I had a Model 39A ...


AA
Click to expand...
Thanks, she's pretty accurate and reliable. I certainly wouldn't mind a nice 39A myself. I miss my old Henry.
 
O

OkieDave

Gear Recommendations
  • Ear/eye protection (mandatory)
  • Hat w/ brim (keeps the sun out of your eyes, and the brass out from behind your glasses)
  • Rifle (if you don't have one, call ahead; loaners are often available). Optics are fine if you want; I keep shooting about 3 points below Expert because I want to do it on irons as a point of pride, but as I get older, my pride is weakening as fast as my eyes.
  • Sling; cotton web sling or M1907 leather sling preferred. I specify these because they can be used as a loop sling in prone and sitting slow-fire. Cotton is better than nylon because, like leather, it'll bite into your clothes for stability; nylon is slippery. If you don't have one of these, don't fret; anything is better than no sling. You'll learn why your sling is your best friend.
  • Magazines: 2, minimum. Most strings are 10 rounds, but shot as 2-reload-8 as an homage to the M1 Garand (5-reload-5 is also acceptable; the goal is to teach reloading under the clock). Tube guys: no worries, they'll work with you; that said, you'll find that McDonald's straws make dandy speedloaders between strings (they're one of the few big enough to hold .22LR rounds).
  • Dummy rounds: if you have them, bring them; if not, there should be a few available. They're not for malfunction drills, they're for breaking you of flinching. Trust me, they help.
  • Ammo. Duh. Again, call ahead if you need some.
  • Shooting mat: an old piece of carpet, or even cardboard, will do. Strictly optional, but when the ground is muddy, or hard, or rocky, and you don't have one, I reserve the right to say "Ha-ha!" in my best Nelson Muntz voice.
  • Kneepads: see previous.
  • Snacks and drinks (and lunch, if not provided)[SUP]1[/SUP].
  • Sunscreen.
  • Bandanna: to tuck in your hat and cover your neck (see, e.g. sunscreen).

Most importantly: a good attitude, a willingness to learn, an open mind, and a sense of humor and camaraderie. You'll have a great time!

1. Boot camp story: the week was hosted at a senior instructor's[SUP]2[/SUP] ranch. He'd rigged up a shower consisting of a 100+ gallon barrel on stilts, with a woodburning stove underneath to heat it. I'd brought some canned soup for lunch, so I figured I'd heat my soup while I showered. Put the soup in the fire while I was cleaning up. About halfway through, "BOOM!," loud enough for the rest of the camp 300yd away, to hear. Finished my shower in record time and stepped into the heat shack to find my lunch had exploded and was boiling over into the coals. Ended up having a can of cold soup for lunch. :)

2. RIP, Scout. You were a good man.
 
G

gecey87

I used to shoot highpower service rifle, so I have most of the gear already( except a few things I grew too much in the middle to wear).
 
Blue_2

Blue_2

I bit the bullet and went to an Appleseed this weekend up in New Hampshire. I took one look at the targets from the firing line and decided to run this first one with my 10/22 with an optic instead. My eyes aren't what they used to be and the Shoot Boss said that there's no shame in it.

For anyone on the fence, I cannot recommend this enough. There's no way to get good instruction like this for $60. If there is, I've never seen it. Two days, eight hours each. About 400 rounds fired per day. I really didn't get a serious political slant, just some good stories of the American Revolution and an emphasis on how individuals can make a difference. 98% Shooting, 2% History.

I got dramatically better over the two days. I still need some work, especially in the kneeling position, but I ended up doing ok. This will most definitely not be my last Appleseed.


$Rifleman.jpg
 
Aristeros

Aristeros

I had never heard about this, and it is FREE for military and law enforcement (well, you bring your own ammo et al). I shoot all weekend and get to camp out in the bargain? Sold.
 
B

baddarryl

I have attended and found it fantastic. Very patriotic, friendly people, and hundreds of dollar worth of rifle instruction. As said Military and LEO's are free and kids are cheap too. Your rifle will be fine.
 
Blue_2

Blue_2

I agree, it's good times and good people of all ages.

I really wasn't prepared for the "Known Distance" (KD) portion. It was a 100 and 200 yard exercise that proves the point of 25 yard training. The target silhouettes are now full sized (the width of your shoulders), and at 100 and 200 yards they appear to be the same size as the scaled down 25 yard targets. I knew this before going in, but it was still an eye opener to see it live.

The bigger issue was that I only brought a Ruger 10/22 running CCI Standard Velocity. At 200 yards I had to hold very high over the target to even hit it. I ran it through a ballistic calculator when I got home and found it was a 23 MOA adjustment for my setup. A few of the guys brought AR styles, a few Garands, and a few bolt guns for the KD portion. Unfortunately I live in Connecticut and the Assault Weapon Ban here limits my choices severely, unless I want to pay out the nose for a pre-ban Receiver and build it up. I'll bring a .223 or .308 Savage bolt action next time.
 
B

bobcoates

I've attended a couple of Appleseed shoots and can't say enough good about the program. Haven't been in couple of years but at the time I attended it was also free for children. Ruger and Mossberg have even offered modifications to their rifles inspired by Appleseed.
 
B

bobcoates

Yes, Marlin 795 is what I was thinking of. Thanks for catching that. Although the old Mossberg 42 or 44 would be good to go at an Appleseed.
 
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