Please recomend .22 rifle for Apple Seed project

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Ghost Dog

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I became a member of THR when I took an interests in Black Powder shooting and learned about the Apple Seed project here. I've been teaching my 13 yo. with a bolt action single shot .22. I'ld like some suggestions for a rifle for her to use at Apple Seed, possibly for my wife as well. From reading some of the posts it seems like a time element is involved requiring faster loading than a single shot would be practical for. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, G D
 
ruger 10/22 with tech sights

or marlin 60 or 795...again with tech sights

or mossberg 702....you guessed it...with tech sights
 
Same advise here.....Ruger 10/22 with Tech-Sights, sling swivels, GI web sling or a 1907 pattern sling and at least one extra magazine. That plus a brick of ammo, elbow pads and rug/mat/ground pad and your all set for an Appleseed.
 
I bought my lil 8 year old girl a Youth Henry lever action. Fits her great. & is a better shooter than i was expecting. Where in Husker Nation is the Apple seed shoot?
 
In Sept there will be an Appleseed in Alliance. In Oct. one in Broken Bow and one in Grand Island. There was one in Lincoln earlier this year but I didn't find out about it til after it was over. Hopefully they will have more again next year.

G D
 
Same advise here.....Ruger 10/22 with Tech-Sights, sling swivels, GI web sling or a 1907 pattern sling and at least one extra magazine. That plus a brick of ammo, elbow pads and rug/mat/ground pad and your all set for an Appleseed.
I was at an Appleseed in June. This is excellent advice.
 
Are Tech-Sights necessary? My wife is shooting it in Oct and we're about to buy her a 10/22.
 
kk0g pretty much nailed it!

Tech Sights are not totally necessary but a good peep is FAR superior to the factory sights and most are finding they prefer them to all other peeps.
 
Are Tech-Sights necessary? My wife is shooting it in Oct and we're about to buy her a 10/22.

No, but as has been pointed out they are far superior to the stock sights, we're talking night and day difference here. Of coarse you could also use a scope but unless you are absolutely positively sure you can't see the the front sight clearly enough I would recommend learning to shoot with an aperture sight.
 
A scope works just fine. Red dots work fine. Just about anything that is click adjustable works fine. The ruger leaf sights can work, but you should have them sighted in before you get there since it's hard to drift on the firing line. But you really should find a GI style sling.
Ghost Dog, you missed out this last week in GI.
 
Thanks for all the helpful tips. I did some reading on the Tech-sights they got great reviews here http://www.tech-sights.com/ruger3.htm and seem like a good investment for improving accuracy.

Any tips on putting a sling on the Ruger? Is this something I can do at home? I do carpentry but I've never drilled a hole in a gun stock.

Thanks, G D
 
Absolutely you can do it at home. I put mine on with just a hand drill. It's not quite straight, but it's not bad at all. If I'd used a vice it would have been perfect :p Drill press if you are a perfectionist (which I am not).
There are other threads covering the swivel studs - do a search and see what you think.
 
Appleseed rifle...

Ghost Dog--ANY working autoloading rifle with a 10-round removable magazine will do perfectly. The Ruger 10/22 is common as eggs, and, fitted with a Tech-sight and sling swivels, it works very well at an Appleseed. You want 2 10-round magazines for it--and I'd bring a third as a spare in case of malfunction. One reason for the 10/22's popularity is that there are so many of them in use, that there is a whole raft of retro-fitting items available for them, so they are very easy to customize. 10/22's are NOT the greatest autoloading .22 available, just the commonest.

But the rule at an Appleseed is, "Bring what you got, shoot what you brung." A bolt-action with a 10-round magazine will work nearly as well as an autoloader. A center-fire rifle will do quite as well as a .22, it'll just be more expensive to feed. A tubular magazine rifle will work; it's just a little awkward but definitely do-able. A rifle without adjustable sights will work; you merely have to use "Kentucky windage." A rifle without sling swivels will work, but obviously, you don't get the (rather large) benefit of using a sling--rests and bipods are a no-no at an Appleseed. A sigle-shot rifle will work, however the timed shoots will be nearly impossible to complete.

The idea is, what you are being taught is basic riflemanship, and you can learn that with literally any rifle in working condition. The other thing that is taught @ an Appleseed is this country's heritage of riflery, which is being lost, and how important it was in the American Revolution. There is no politicking of any sort, just heritage.

So, yeah, for a 13yo, I'd get an autoloader for Appleseed use. I'd make sure that the stock fits the youngster pretty well, too. Mebbe yr wife can use the same stock. At any rate, bring another rifle for yourself, and do the Appleseed WITH the youngster--it's a great father-and-child thing to do. Enjoy, and please keep us posted! :)

ETA--As you may know, women and kids shoot for free @ an Appleseed event; likewise military personnel. You WILL need abt. 500 rounds available per shooter for the 2-day event; this partly explains the popularity of the .22 @ Appleseeds. Oh, and elbow pads--did I say elbow pads?
 
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I just finished a side by side comparison between the Ruger 10/22 and the Mossberg 702 plinkster with the Mossberg edging out the Ruger in several areas. Marlin also makes a fine 22 rifle as well. Look them over, pick the one that fits you best. They all are in about the same price range.
 
10/22's are NOT the greatest autoloading .22 available, just the commonest.
At an Appleseed, maybe but the marlin 60 has hit the 12 million mark.

The 795 is a less expensive, and typically more accurate out of the box option. Just clean and lube it before taking it. (Some come from the factory with too much lube, and I got one that was bone dry). And don't use Remington bulk in a 50 or 795. The powder tends to gum up the works. They'll shoot federal bulk for ever though.

If you take a tube fed, make some speed loaders or buy a speed-d-loader. It'll make for a much more pleasant experience.

They all are in about the same price range.

Yes, but Marlin is offering a $25 rebate on the 795
 
Hey Ghost Dog, I'm an Instructor in Training with Appleseed in Nebraska. Which one are you going to? There's one coming up in Grand Island, and we're just now getting one finalized for Nov 20th/21st in Lincoln. That one should be on the schedule in the next few days.

If I was starting from scratch I would buy a Marlin 795 and add Tech Sights, but when I got involved I already had a 10/22 so that's what I used. You really want a mag fed autoloader, it will make the rapid fire stages much easier. Not that you can't do it with a bolt action or tube fed, you'll just have to work harder.

Where are you in Eastern Nebraska? If you're in the Lincoln area I can help you set your rifle up if you need a hand. If you decide to come to the Lincoln shoot in November and you need another rifle for your kid or wife just let me know. I'll be working at that one so you could borrow my 10/22 if you provide the ammo. Heck, I'll let you use my AR-15 if you're willing to buy the ammo for it:D

Here's my Appleseed baby. She's starting to look a little rough and dirty but I love this gun:

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Any autoloading .22lr rifle that eats from a detachable magazine.
Add aperture sights
Add sling
Add extra mags

I'm geared up waiting for schedule to match, I already had (and liked) one 10/22, I got another one for MrsBFD, converted mine to a M1carbine replica*, and slapped some tech-sights on both.

If I didn't already own a .22lr autoloading rifle**, starting with the Mossberg or Marlin rifle might make sense, but I like having a bag of magazines that fit two of my rifles, so I got a matching unit.

http://www.tech-sights.com/ ... you probably only need the basic rear sight, plus the front/rear adjustment gadget (I got both, the wrench-type is good for the up/down adjustable rear sight, but lousy for the left-right adjustments, the cylindrical type os great for front sight up-down and rear sight left-right)

Some rifles come with swivel attachments, some need to be drilled and the stud screwed in. It can be done by an amateur (or incompetent, like me) woodworker. I'd start with a very small drillbit and work it larger to the right size, splitting a stock is a lousy way to start off a project.




* (for entirely personal reasons that probably don't apply to you)
** (and who doesn't? everyone needs a plinking rifle!)
 
Alemonkey and all, thanks for all the great advice. We're in Lincoln and have a family farm near Ceresco, we like to go out there and shoot when we can.

Alemonkey, I'll check our schedule and see if we are available for the Appleseed in Nov. If we haven't found an autoload .22 for the daughter by then we may take you up on the offer of a loaner. (Thank you for the offer BTW!)
Off topic is there a range in Lincoln where you can shoot black powder pistols?
(would save driving to the farm.)

Thanks again, G D
 
I don't know if the indoor range would allow black powder. I doubt it though, the smoke would be a problem. I'm a member of the Izaak Walton League in Lincoln, so that's where I shoot my cap & ball. If I remember correctly membership there runs about $120 a year, and you can shoot as much as you want, no limits except when the range is closed for a match.
 
I earned the patch with a Marlin 60 with tech-sights.
Outfitted with speedloaders, it was almost as if I was cheating.
Every AQT, I was not only the first shooter to finish, but had the highest score on all but one AQT.

I suggest a Marlin 60 or 795. Use either a scope or tech sights.
Use speed loaders if you have the 60, buy extra mags if you have the 795.
 
I think I'll spend some time this weekend pricing the Marlin 795 at some of the local stores. I like the idea of accuracy out of the box and don't usually modify my guns. Adding Tech-sights and a sling, some extra magazines and one should be ready for appleseed.

Thanks, G D
 
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