FOXNews covers Project Appleseed

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MeanStreaker

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A FOXNews reporter and his crew traveled to GA this past weekend to observe a Project Appleseed event. I haven't seen the TV report yet, but was told it aired at about 10:25 today. It is supposed to be in the news cycle every couple of hours, so keep an eye out!

The reporter wrote this:

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/18/appleseed-teaching-history-with-guns/

Appleseed Teaching History with Guns

Fearing the U.S. is a sinking ship, a man from North Carolina's Piedmont has set out on a mission to teach everyday Americans how to shoot a rifle and how to embrace their Revolutionary War history.

"How do you measure the value of liberty to a society?" Appleseed Project founder Jack Dailey asked a small group of families and individuals that gathered this past weekend at the West Georgia Youth Range in Georgia's Haralson County. "Wouldn't you measure it by the number of people who care enough about it to show up to defend it? And if that's the case, how does America in the 21st Century stack up to the America of the 18th Century?

...

Over its five years of existence, the Appleseed Project has taught 20 thousand students at events scattered around the country, usually in small groups of 10 to 20 people at a time. The sessions alternate between lectures on the American Revolution and marksmanship clinics. According to Dailey, shooting is the hook.

...

"This is the good side of guns," said Kayla Schlemmer of Decatur, another Atlanta suburb. As a woman, Schlemmer gets free admission to Appleseed classes -- an offer that also applies to children and active duty members of the military. "This is guns out in the open. Anybody can come to these things. And it's a very apolitical philosophy," Schlemmer said.
Click to expand...
 
I'd love to attend one of these.


BTW
Was that a guy in a dress and ear rings being interviewed?
Not tryingto be a smarta$$, just wondering.
 
offthepaper, check out our schedule from our main homepage to find the event closest to you: http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states.html

We're having 1000 weekend events coast to coast and border to border, so one can't be very far. 2000 next year... 4000 the following year... and so on... and so on...

If anyone is interested in bringing an Appleseed event to your local range or private property, PM me and I'll happily help you set it up.
 
I just sent an email to my Club's BOD encouraging them to consider this for 2011. It's a great program and a worthy training exercise. If they respond favorably, I'll be in touch with you for getting something set up or helping make contact with the BOD.

Q
 
I (and two teenagers with me) did an Appleseed (first day only) this summer....the kids really enjoyed it. I barely survived....it was so hot in Florida that several people had to quit and go climb into their a/c cars. One of the instructors, too.....if you are going to be in full sun, consider taking some sort of tent-like covering--they brought those 2nd day and it looked much better.

We had a great time.

I learned something key: I'm a benchrest kinda guy, so I wanted to learn "positions"....I learned that a bolt action gun is near worthless-- you lose your position everytime you cock the bolt (or at least I did)....

As a result, I went and bought a (cdnn.com) AR-15 semi-auto. Big impact on me! Now I have gotten one for my eldest son, also.

I find that lots of people TALK about going to these things, but it really does take some effort to get yourself, a .22LR, some ammo, lots of water, sunscreen, hat, etc, actually TO the event. I heartily recommend. I'll be going again (in cooler weather and when I've lost a few lbs.)
 
I attended one in April at the Ramseur range, and plan to go back this fall and take my son.

Shooting rifleman and earning that patch is very, very satisfying.:cool:

I would highly recommend the program. It's not just about putting rounds down range, it's about learning the skills (NPOA, proper use of a sling, and correct breathing) necessary to make a 500 yard shot.

After earning my patch at the 25 yard range with a .22, I was able to go over to the 500 yard range with my K31 and duplicate my efforts. I'm 38 years old and have been shooting and hunting my entire life. Before Appleseed, there is no way I would've been able to hit the 500 yard target without a sandbag, let alone group 'em like I can now. :D
 
Bolt actions work fine; you just have to work at it some more. The original AQT was made for bolt rifles.
 
Can't wait to attend the one in Nampa, ID in Oct. I see quite a few up in Cour de'alene but the drive is killin me. :D

Gotta take my 10/22 to a gunsmith though, I don't have the proper tools to install sling studs and the front Tech-Sight. I'm going to practice a lot before hand. I want that Rifleman patch my first time out. However, I signed up for the 2 day event and I don't really have anything for the 100-600yrd? event. Do you think a Mosin Nagant 91/30 would work? they aren't precision instruments and I have bashed them in the past but they are cheap to shoot all day.

Can't wait for the event, hopefully I can improve my shooting abilities.
 
Big E wrote:
Do you think a Mosin Nagant 91/30 would work? they aren't precision instruments and I have bashed them in the past but they are cheap to shoot all day.
Click to expand...

Are Mosins maligned for their accuracy because people mostly shoot cheap, surplus MG-grade ammo through them, or are they really poor tools for precision shooting?
 
Well, I mean the Finnish M39's are incredibly accurate. But most mosins I have seen aren't that great but it could be from the cheap surplus (which I would use) but even Prvi Partisan didn't seem to be too great.

If I could find a stripped AR-15 lower in a FTF transaction (because I am not 21 yet) I have an upper all ready to go. I would use that for the longer range stuff.
 
One of the Appleseeds I went to had a wide variety of weapons. A Lee Enfield, an 03A3, AK, lots of M1As, Garand, ARs, and some .22's (this was 4 years ago before the "Great Ammo Meltdown"). The guy with the Enfield shot Rifleman. The 03 guy did fine but had some trouble keeping up. The guy with the AK swore he would bring and AR next time.

The only issue I see with a full power bolt action rifle is 1) recoil and shooter fatigue, 2) will take a bit more movement time than an autoloader...if you are competent with the rifle you should be OK.

Remember, Appleseed is designed to test a rack grade rifle with surplus ammo. It isn't F-Class Rifle competition with uber accurate rigs. Accurate is better but this isn't an equipment race
 
More folks might see this that aren't aware of the Appleseed Project if it's in General so I've moved it there.
 
Big_E: My son and I went to our first Appleseed last month and had a blast. Don't stress too much over your rifles - some people shot the whole weekend with just a .22. If you don't have a rifle with some "reach", you'll shoot at reduced scale targets to simulate the range. And the portion of the course that qualifies you for the "Rifleman" patch is done at short range, anyway. The long range shooting is more for learning technique and getting in some good practice with a qualified instructor to advise you.

DO make sure your rifle is sighted in and in good working order before you go. Make sure all the screws/pins/bolts are tightened, especially if you're getting a new sight put on. Invest in some Loc Tite or similar. There's nothing like firing 300-400 rounds in a day to shake loose any problem areas you might not know about! We had 4-5 people have to drop out or switch to another rifle because theirs quit on them or fell apart.

DON'T waste a lot of time "practicing". Get your rifle sighted in and leave it alone. The Appleseed folks will teach you "their" methods and expect you to use them, and if you do I can guarantee you'll see improvement.

Lastly, be ready to have a great time! Lots of great people and a chance to look at (and probably shoot) a lot of other people's rifles. Can't ask for a better way to spend the weekend! We'll be going again, probably in October (I still need that patch!).
 
I agree with the bolt comments. Bolt guns are fiine, as long as you can load with a detachable mag or with stripper clips. It's not the working of the bolt between shots that gets you, it's the rapid reloads. Hard to do that one at a time and still shoot within the time constraints of the AQT.

That said, a buddy of mine brought a tube fed Marlin 60. After realizing there was no way he could shoot riflemen due to the time requirements, he simply settled down and learned to shoot better and didn't worry about speed. The patch is fun to earn, but you will improve not matter what you bring. And I did see a kid shooting a Nagant. He did well, but didn't earn his patch. He was however, very, very sore after two days and a few hundred rounds.

The important thing is to go with an open mind. Doesn't matter that you've been shooting your whole life. They're going to teach you how to shoot using proper technique and position. Learning natural point of aim alone is worth the trip. I had never heard of it before I went.

By the way, here's a link to some Army training videos from WWII. Very informative and some of the best instruction on windage adjustments I've ever seen:

http://www.archive.org/details/Rifle_Marksmanship_with_M1_Rifle_Part_1
 
Good to see the media exposure. I hope it keeps growing until there is an Appleseed every weekend within an hour or so drive of everyone in the country.
 
I am always leary of some messiah leading an armed band. First, its: For Country, Then God and Country, and we start downhill, And God told me, to tell you....and then we have a replay of the Branch Dividian fiasco, or Jamestown, etc. My advice is, enjoy the shooting sports, but the minute a bible comes out, or they want you to bow your heads, heads for the hills.
 
If you are going to use a Mosin (which, if you have a good one, is -quite- capable of getting the job done), I would strongly suggest you consider shooting a lower power reload. I don't know if I could take doing 100 or more of the full power milsurp loads in an afternoon!
 
Gun_guy said:
I am always leary of some messiah leading an armed band. First, its: For Country, Then God and Country, and we start downhill, And God told me, to tell you....and then we have a replay of the Branch Dividian fiasco, or Jamestown, etc. My advice is, enjoy the shooting sports, but the minute a bible comes out, or they want you to bow your heads, heads for the hills.
Click to expand...

Not sure I follow? This guy "Fred" that kicked off the Appleseed Project a few years ago is hardly a messiah and he isn't looking to lead an armed anything.

This is (to me at least) so painfully simple that some people don't want to believe it.

First, it's a really good marksmanship clinic. It's not high-speed low-drag CQB stuff, just old fashioned marksmanship principles that, as far as I know, are not taught many places, if at all. The clinic is affordable and as Fred says the "hook" to get people in.

Second, there are a few hours discussion on early Revolutionary War history. The idea here is that people back then were very much aware of themselves and the politics of the day and were actively involved. Translated and transformed into today's world, the program simply asks people to look around, think for themselves and become active on the political scene regardless of their beliefs.

I've been to 6 events and I'm now an instructor-in-training and can honestly say I've never seen or heard anything that would lead us to believe the project is trying to build some sort of cult following (unless you consider responsible, aware, informed and self-reliant voters to be some sort of cult).

Again, it really is simple in my opinion. And a heckuvalota fun too! :)
 
Back in the late 60's when I was in a junior rifle club, we started every meeting with a recitation of the Lord's Prayer and followed it up with the Pledge of Allegiance. Then we learned firearms safety and started smallbore position shooting. Guess that's all subversive now. Funny how people's perceptions change over the years!
 
Yeah, the applesead project is definitely not a cult. Just do a little research. The intentions are well stated and they stick to it. They want to teach the nation to be a nation of riflemen - just like our forefathers. Through that, they want to teach us about the American Revolution and the founding of the country. It doesn't matter what political party, religion, race, sex or anything else you are - it still should apply as we all need to learn about the founding of the country.

Do some research on the project and you might just find that it's a refreshing slice of good old fashioned American common sense and heritage.

PS, oh, and I think it's one of the most culturally unifying projects of the last 100 years. ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE, can participate, learn very worthwhile wholesome skills, learn the TRUE history of country and come to understand that we all actually share a lot more in common than we think.
 
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