[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Project Appleseed shooting events (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/2/2021 11:48:44 PM EDT
|
How many of you have shot in one? How many of you have been awarded the RIFLEMAN patch? This seems like a lot of fun. I'm a 64 year old Highpower Master, but have not shot in competition in almost 20 years. I thought about trying to earn the Rifleman patch this year. Seems like a good weekend of fun. And I still love to shoot. My eyes are not as good as they were 20 years ago, but I'm going to try to earn the patch shooting iron sights on a 16" m4gery. Wish me luck. |
| I shot one with a ar with a 22 conversion kit. I didn't make Rifleman. I had nothing but trouble with the mags that came with the kit, they where fine for the first half, but by the second half, I was lucky to get 3 rds without a jam. It was constant jams. BUT it was a blast and I had a ton of fun. Everyone should go to a apple seed shoot, they are a hoot. |
| My son and I attended them years ago. We used everything from 10/22’s to ar’s, M1a and an ar10. I qualified for the patch at each event with four different rifles and calibers. All open sights. Hopefully your venue will have the ability to go out to like 600 yards for those that are proficient. Make sure to take extra mags and look over the what to take with you list. Have your rifle sighted in prior to going. Take a lot of bottled water with you. Most importantly have fun and enjoy the day of just being able to go out and shoot. |
|
I went to one years back. The first day was awful. The shoot boss was an obnoxious, patronizing ass who did nothing but sit on his ass and bellow at people all day long and provided no value whatsoever. The other instructors were good but I think I got about 5 minutes of individual instruction/advice the first day and maybe 10 minutes the second day. It was like boot camp. Instructor demonstrates technique, asks any questions then GO GO GO shoot the course of fire hurry up! Then back off the range for more demonstration while I was still trying to figure out what the hell I was doing with the last technique. Never had any chance to really get instruction on what I was doing wrong or how to fix it. The other instructors were trying but it was a group of something like 25 people and we never had much time to really grasp and apply the techniques like I was expecting. I did learn some things and I did appreciate the history lessons but overall my experience was not all that great and not something I've been keen on repeating. That first shoot boss just really soured the experience. Just my experience. I know others swear by them. I should probably give them another chance. |
|
A friend of mine did that. He didn't have a rifle though and asked to borrow one from me. I nearly loaned him my Swedish AG42b Ljungman (6.5x55) but he settled on my M&P 15 in 5.45x39 no less. I gave him a spam can of 7N6 and he did so well he became an instructor there for a few years. |
|
OP should seriously consider attending the event in South Huntsville on June 19-20 at Hobbs Island Shooting Range. The Shoot Boss scheduled to run it is one of our best and most-experienced instructors. Click here for info or to register ETA: That's a 25-meter event. There's also a known distance event at that same location November 13-14, distances out to 400 yards: Click here for info or to register |
|
Quoted: OP should seriously consider attending the event in South Huntsville on June 19-20 at Hobbs Island Shooting Range. The Shoot Boss scheduled to run it is one of our best and most-experienced instructors. Click here for info or to register The Alabama and Georgia instructor corps is top notch. Do it! Appleseed will rekindle your love of shooting and Freedom. Bring your shooting jacket. With your experience, you should be able to make Rifleman. |
|
I went years ago. It's very fun and you can learn a lot. I used an AR15 with iron sights, damn the bottom targets were hard to see with my old eyes, no rifleman patch for me. Stretch, stretch and stretch, don't wear tight-fitting jeans either.  Regardless, you will have a good time. |
Two Appleseeds, no patches . . .  I'm an old fat guy and I can't get around my gut in the seated position. But, I thoroughly enjoyed both of my Appleseed weekends. You should definitely go. Advice from a non-rifleman? Practice your standing to position transitions. Make sure standing to seated and standing to prone are smooth and fluid. Also, get your sling situation squared away. You can lose valuable seconds trying to get your sling right. Padded elbows will become much more important as the weekend wears on. Also, if the range you're shooting at isn't covered, bring a portable canopy. You'll spend a fair amount of time sitting around in the sun between stages. Water, snacks, etc. Quoted: Been to 3. Did not make rifleman. The range I shoot at does not allow me to practice any position used except standing. If I ever go again, I'm going to do a bunch of position/dry fire practice in my living room beforehand . . . a BUNCH of practice. |
|
Many years ago they said going to an Appleseed was like trying to drink water from a firehose. I'm talking the folks that set up the Appleseeds in the first place. Jack and the small group he started it with. They said you, sometimes, wouldn't realize or get it till a few days after the Appleseed. You might be at home, or on your range and be shooting and then remember something you were told or shown at the Appleseed and apply it to your shooting at that point. I also remember that shooting a rifleman score was no easier at 25 meters than on the full distance range (100, 200, 300 and 400 yds.) Only about 18% or so of the attendees at an Appleseed would shoot well enough to get rifleman patches. Some of them would be attending their 2nd or 3rd appleseed. Besides a good rifle and ammo you may find you need: something to sit/lay on while shooting water to drink snacks to get you through between breakfast and lunch and supper elbow pads to protect those elbows not used to supporting weight on the ground or moving around as you find/develop your sling supported shooting position in prone. clothes suitable for the weather/conditions sunblock, bug spray, etc. as needed by the location/weather you will be stiff/sore on day 2, so take something like aleve (or what works for you for muscle/joint stiffness/pain) before you go to bed Saturday night and again Sunday morning to get you through the day Have fun, learn, enjoy being able to shoot that rifle better and then keep practicing. A short bit of my experience. I took my youngest son to an appleseed in the fall of 2004 or 2005 (first year of it I think). Neither of us shot a score good enough for the patch and I was a pretty good shot according to my buddies, my deer hunting/varmint hunting and what the US Army thought of my skills a few years prior. A few months later I attended the 2nd ever RBC at Ramseur, NC. Mostly taught by guys who went through the first ever RBC at Ramseur the previous fall. I shot several rifleman scores at 25 meters and again when we shot full distance. Used my M1A for all that - my scoped M1A (when your eyes won't let you see the front sight anymore, you use a scope). Great experience. I not only improved my shooting ability, I also learned why/what helped me shoot better. Let me say one more thing about appleseed. I became an instructor following the RBC. While you learn a lot from 5 days of instruction/shooting you will continue to learn if you become an instructor. Can't tell you how many times I'd be watching someone shoot, trying to see what advice/help they needed to shoot better, and I'd realize that I was making the same mistakes they made. So instructing others can help you further improve you skills. Good luck, Have fun. |
|
I've done a one-day. Like someone else said, it was quite rushed - and I hit a mental fatigue wall eventually and just couldn't process anything else. Didn't patch, but came quite close enough that the shoot boss waved the patch at me and said "almost had it!". Out of the entire group of 15 or so, only one patched and this wasn't her first attempt. We had only two shots at the AQT and I flubbed the second attempt; forgot to fully load a second magazine. Used a 5.56 AR with a 4x Colt scope. I'd love to do another one. |
|
I've attended three Appleseeds and scored Rifleman twice. Once with a scoped 10/22 and the second time with a bolt action CZ with receiver sights. I shot the same score with the bolt as the 10/22 - this is definitely a "not the arrow but the Indian" event. I'm incredibly proud of the patch that I earned with the CZ. Eye fatigue is a real thing as you age. I'm pretty sure this is what happens to most folks - after staring at your sights for a few hours your eyes just can't adjust anymore and your scores drop. Shoot well early if you're older than 45 or so because your eyes will let you down later. You can avoid this with a scope to a point. It was one of the best bonding experiences ever for my son and I. I cannot recommend it highly enough! |
|
Quoted: OP should seriously consider attending the event in South Huntsville on June 19-20 at Hobbs Island Shooting Range. The Shoot Boss scheduled to run it is one of our best and most-experienced instructors. Click here for info or to register ETA: That's a 25-meter event. There's also a known distance event at that same location November 13-14, distances out to 400 yards: Click here for info or to register @intheburbs In the link they refer to AS & KD What does that mean? |
|
Quoted: @intheburbs In the link they refer to AS & KD What does that mean? Quoted: Quoted: OP should seriously consider attending the event in South Huntsville on June 19-20 at Hobbs Island Shooting Range. The Shoot Boss scheduled to run it is one of our best and most-experienced instructors. Click here for info or to register ETA: That's a 25-meter event. There's also a known distance event at that same location November 13-14, distances out to 400 yards: Click here for info or to register @intheburbs In the link they refer to AS & KD What does that mean? AS = Appleseed shoot 25 meters KD = Known distance 100, 200, 300, 400. |
|
Quoted: Enjoyed it. Have not been back since they stopped allowing 15-22s The S&W ar15-22 was banned from being used due to several reported OOB discharges and IIRC an injured student. not that crazy. maybe smith has fixed it maybe not, i sold mine because i had a tacsol that did the same thing and i could use at AS shoots. OP, go to the shoot. Have fun, your skill set issolid being a competative High power shooter , we used to get the highpower shooter club locally to come by and shill for their club during lunch for 5 minutes. Appleseed isnt aimed at taking an advanced shooter and making them better(though it does ), it is aimed at taking the beginner/virgin shooter and making them into advanced beginer/ intermediate. AND teach them the love of shooting and why it matters. Oh, forgot to add, ive qualified rifleman in 4 states, and 4 winter seeds(3 Alaska and 1 WV ), 10/22(optics and tech sights), ar15(3.5x optic), bolt action CZ455(optic), ar15 dedicated .22 upper (optic). once you get the rythem down it becomes like riding abike. |
|
Just do it. Irons are a good challenge. If anyone is looking for self-practice, beyond dryfire, the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program has a Rimfire Rifle Qualification program (page 18) you can shoot almost anywhere. Print the targets at home, and if you're an NRA member they will send you an a Distinguished Expert Award |
|
My two oldest sons and I went to a couple several years ago in WV. The first was the normal 25 meter setup. The second time we did 25 meters the first 2 days and then a 400 yard course the third day. I brought 3 16" ARs with M261 conversion kits and BDM mags for the 25 meter courses. The boys' rifles had scopes and I ran an A2 upper with a .035" ball front sight. For the 400 yard course I used Black Hills 52g hpm ammo. I made rifleman on the 25 meter course both times, but on the 400 yard course I missed it by one point. We only got to shoot the long course once for scores and I needed one more click of windage for the 400 yard due to a variable wind the last 80 yards or so of the range. Was still a ton of fun, though. If you can, definitely go. I thought I was a decent shot before the 1st one, but found I had a lot to learn. I greatly improved my consistency of shooting. Learning to find and adjust one's natural point of aim instead of fighting the rifle was a game changer for me. |
|
Quoted: How many of you have shot in one? How many of you have been awarded the RIFLEMAN patch? This seems like a lot of fun. I'm a 64 year old Highpower Master, but have not shot in competition in almost 20 years. I thought about trying to earn the Rifleman patch this year. Seems like a good weekend of fun. And I still love to shoot. My eyes are not as good as they were 20 years ago, but I'm going to try to earn the patch shooting iron sights on a 16" m4gery. Wish me luck. Rifleman and Project Appleseed shoot boss checking in! Alabama has some incredibly skilled instructors so you’re in for a great time. If you can make it they host regular known distance Appleseed shoots at the CMP range. |
|
Went to a two day session about 6 weeks ago and was able to earn my Rifleman patch with an AR 22 using a 3-9x scope. I'm 67 and the transitions are tough. Stretching exercises help and you should be doing these every daily anyway. Squats and burpees will go a long way toward getting your body ready. Start with a few a day and work up with more in a session and several sessions a day. I highly recommend hydrating for a few days beforehand. The best things you can bring are an open mind and desire to learn and succeed. Make sure your gear is squared away and you're proficient with it. Nothing worse than losing sight of the shooting concepts because you're trying to get your gun, sling, or optics to work. If using an AR22, I would recommend you buy some 10 round mags from Blackdog. I've since added a charging handle with ISO extension from Strike Industries and a Catch 22 bolt catch. They help tremendously. However, despite my modifications to my AR, a Ruger 10/22 is most likely the best gun for this event. You'll be shocked how challenging it is to shoot accurately at 25 meters consistently. |
|
Quoted:...I'm a 64 year old Highpower Master, but have not shot in competition in almost 20 years... I'm about the same. I'd find a reduced distance highpower match. One where you don't have to work the pits and finished by lunchtime. You already know how to shoot. |
|
Quoted: I went to one years back. The first day was awful. The shoot boss was an obnoxious, patronizing ass who did nothing but sit on his ass and bellow at people all day long and provided no value whatsoever. The other instructors were good but I think I got about 5 minutes of individual instruction/advice the first day and maybe 10 minutes the second day. It was like boot camp. Instructor demonstrates technique, asks any questions then GO GO GO shoot the course of fire hurry up! Then back off the range for more demonstration while I was still trying to figure out what the hell I was doing with the last technique. Never had any chance to really get instruction on what I was doing wrong or how to fix it. The other instructors were trying but it was a group of something like 25 people and we never had much time to really grasp and apply the techniques like I was expecting. I did learn some things and I did appreciate the history lessons but overall my experience was not all that great and not something I've been keen on repeating. That first shoot boss just really soured the experience. Just my experience. I know others swear by them. I should probably give them another chance. @macpherson I’m sorry you ran into a bad shoot boss. Project Appleseed does a really good job mentoring and training instructors but bad ones have made it through. Hopefully the system has caught up to and corrected or removed the one you encountered. The organization only finds out about horrible instructors from complaints. Thankfully those kind of complaints are rare. Please give it another chance some day! |
|
Two so far. Two patches in my possession. Best instruction per dollar by far. "History lesson disguised as marksmanship training" is what our instructors said  "Drinking through a fire hose" is an accurate descriptor. Don't be discouraged if you don't patch your first event. Take that knowledge and practice, practice, practice! You'll get there. Whatever your current skillset, you WILL come away a better marksman. I'm looking to do some more 25M events in the future, and hopefully a 400yd known distance event in the future when things settle down at work. @Rustygun |
|
Quoted: Rifleman and Project Appleseed shoot boss checking in! Alabama has some incredibly skilled instructors so you’re in for a great time. If you can make it they host regular known distance Appleseed shoots at the CMP range. After seeing this thread, I want to do the Appleseed coming up at Hobbs Island. I've got a 10/22, is a sling all I need to add? I'll probably also need to get a shooting mat. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Project Appleseed shooting events (Page 1 of 2)
Join the Community
Your next conversation starts here.
Create your free account to join discussions, share your experience, save topics, and connect with the AR15.COM community.
- Join discussions
- Follow topics and replies
- Connect with fellow enthusiasts
Already a member? Sign in
Stay informed by subscribing to our Newsletter