Going to Appleseed

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roundoff

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I signed up for my first Appleseed. I am going to attend the March offering in Annapolis, MD. It looks like they have Appleseed events at this location on a regular basis; has anyone been before? Or is anyone else here planning on attending in March?

On a related note, I have my Marlin 795 all set up with Tech Sights and a GI sling, and some extra magazines are (hopefully) on the way. Are there any other preparations I should make before I go, other than sighting in my rifle?
 
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Marlin 795 maybe?

I have never shot the course, but if you really want to learn how to shoot off hand, prone and sitting, that's the way to go for inexpensive training.

If it's a 795, practice many times putting in and taking out the mags.
Get a mat or something 4x8 to lay on.
Look up site, buy some of their targets and practice, practice.

Fun day for the ones who can get prone, than stand up many times in a day.
Timed course, so how fast can you put a mag into your rifle, shoot 2 than pull the mag, put another in rifle shoot 8 etc. Over and over until you get good while timed and trying to hit a target.
You will have fun and learn.
 
You will need gear as with any other rifle class. Get some soft elbow pads because your elbows will get rubbed raw.

Is this a 25 yard only course? You can use a rifle in 22 Long Rifle if that's the case.
 
Yes, it is a Marlin 795. :eek:

I'm not sure about the length of the range, but it is a .22 caliber-only event.

What do you think of the shooting jackets with the built-in pads, like the USMC-style ones sold by Appleseed Fred?
 
Lee gave the link.

Soft cheap elbow pads. Start with that.
Buy a few extra mags for that 795, break them in by inserting in the mag well, then release them and pull out over and over.
Get prone on your living room floor, with empty 795, where's the weight? On your elbows right, the pointed part of the bone, so this is where the pads come from, cheap to start, Walmart has some I think, just soft elbow pads.
OK now your prone, with rifle, now stand up, do that again and again. You find out what muscles to work on.

More than anything have fun. No need to spend a lot, just have the hearing protection you like, 500 rounds of 22lr you like, know how to clean your 795, get a few extra mags, elbow pads, a mat of some sort ( carpet etc), food, water
and go have a blast.
 
You will have a great time. I learned more in those two days than in the 26 years previous.

Find out what ammo you gun likes. I got lucky; my 10/22 like Federal American Eagle 36gr., which is cheap. Ammo that agrees with your gun can make the difference between getting your Rifleman patch or not.

Take plenty of ammo. I think I shot just a bit over 500 rounds. Several guys ran out and had to shoot whatever they could get in the range shop. I'd guess it kept more than one from getting his patch.

Clean your gun after the first day. Mine looked pretty clean, so I skipped it. It jammed while I was doing my AQT. Luckily, the instructor took pity on me and we hosed it down with WD-40 and got her going good enough to earn my patch on my last attempt.

Keep track of your mags and stuff when you're not using them. Two of my mags (of course it was the new ones) walked off while I was shooting. I don't think it was on purpose; I'm guessing the guy I shared a loading table with thought they were his as he was packing up, but he had left before I noticed.

Good Luck!
 
Something thick and soft to lay on in prone. My ribs were killing me after the first day.
 
I attended one and would never go again. There was very little actual training and the instructors were in no way prepared. Probably the worst time I have ever had shooting. Three friends went with me and they all felt the same way.
 
Bummer, tarakian, sorry to hear that. Hopefully my experience is as positive as most of the ones I hear about. I realize it's not Gunsite, but to be honest, I think I would pay $75 to shoot for a couple days with some friendly folks even if there was no training involved, so I am pretty much guaranteed to get my money's worth.
 
I've been to two of them. both were well run, excellent instruction and instructors.
All shooting is done at 25 yards until sometimes late in the second day a known distance is available for those that have scored rifleman. (100 yds or more distance)
The above posts have steered you right. Elbow pads are VERY important, a good mat to lie on is needed, clean your rifle after the first day, get spare mags, you should have at least 4. Buy good ammo, the real cheap stuff is dirty and highly variable. Spend a few extra $ for CCI Minimags or the equivalent from other mfg. Learn how to adjust and use your sling early on or before the event, it will help you immeasurably. Practice magazine changes while prone, sitting and standing (offhand).
A magazine suggestion:
You will be firing 10 rds per string. one 8rd mag and one 2 rd mag. Load your 2 rd mag, fire 1 rd & change mags. Using this technique will eliiminate the bolt hold open device locking your bolt back, requiring you to release it or if your rifle has no hold open after last round (like 10-22s) you will not have to re-cock the rifle. Simple but saves time and removes some of the fumble factor.
Go, listen, learn and have fun!

Roger
Rifleman 248
 
I have worked with some of the Maryland AS instructors, they are very good.

The most important thing to bring is a teachable attitude and a some vitimin "I"

You will be taught the basics of the AS method, which is real similar to the USMC method. Saturday will be mainly instruction that builds upon itself. Sunday you will shoot and shoot some more.

The best part is the history lessons.
 
Huzzah!

Glad to hear you're going, roundoff. Appleseed is a wonderful organization and the events are not only informative but they're a lot of fun. It sounds like you're set up pretty well, gear wise. As others have said, something to lay on and something to protect your elbows is a must-have. The shooting jackets work well for that purpose.

You should bring the stuff listed in the "what to bring" section of the Applseed website. It's also nice to have a small cart or wagon or something to haul that stuff in. My only real advice of what to do before the event is start stretching. Walk too. Most people show up out of shape and not used to being on their feet, stretching out all day, etc. Appleseed is up and down, walking, up and down, walking. It really is a workout and the average person hasn't used some of those muscles in years. I know I hadn't!

Check into the Appleseed forum and ask lots of questions. Everyone there is a volunteer and will help you as much as they can.



Tarakian - When and where did you attend Appleseed? Do you remember who the instructors were? What specifically did you not like about it? As I mentioned, Appleseed is an all-volunteer organization and in order to improve, we need feedback - good and bad.
 
One note about the 795... you should get that thing to a range before you go to the Appleseed, and get some rounds through it to see what kind of ammo it likes and whether it has any malfunction issues. Some Marlin 795s have a jamming problem, which necessitates polishing the feed ramp and inside of the receiver to make them run reliably. My dad brought a brand new 795 right out of the box to an Appleseed, and wasn't able to score Expert because of the incessant jamming, with every kind of ammo we tried in it, even after a thorough cleaning and lubricating. Some of the stages on the Army Qualification Test that Appleseed uses have some significant time pressure, and malfunctions on those stages make it hard to score Expert.
 
My only real advice of what to do before the event is start stretching. Walk too. Most people show up out of shape and not used to being on their feet, stretching out all day, etc. Appleseed is up and down, walking, up and down, walking. It really is a workout and the average person hasn't used some of those muscles in years. I know I hadn't!
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I will second the workout. Stretch for at least 10 min a day. Try to sit indian style for 10 min a day. Try to sit in a kneeling position for the same amount of time. You do all this and you might be ready for most of the two day event.

It took me a week to recover from being in those positions I hadn't been in since I was a child.
 
Yes, it is a Marlin 795.

I'm not sure about the length of the range, but it is a .22 caliber-only event.

What do you think of the shooting jackets with the built-in pads, like the USMC-style ones sold by Appleseed Fred?
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Yes - sight in that Marlin at 25 yards. Sighting in at 25 meters is better, but the difference in POI is a fraction of an inch, so either will work. I suggest 25 yards because most ranges do offer that.

As for the jackets, they are a great investment. Ordering from "Fred's" might get you a jacket in the next 90 days, and it might not. I suggest ordering from Made by Mcron instead. Quality is superior, and customer service is really top notch! Plus, they will customize your jacket (color, patches, etc.) if you want.
 
cincinnatislim said:
Tarakian - When and where did you attend Appleseed? Do you remember who the instructors were? What specifically did you not like about it? As I mentioned, Appleseed is an all-volunteer organization and in order to improve, we need feedback - good and bad.
Click to expand...

It was a couple of years ago at Hallstead-Great Bend Rod and Gun Club. Don't remember who the instructors were. They seemed completely unprepared, couldn't get the story straight when delivering the history lesson which made it very boring and far too lengthy. Didn't have the necessary equipment to secure the targets, so they either fell down or were blowing in the wind. Seemed to favor the people they appeared to know. Spending lots of time with them, while never once coming down to our end of the line and stopping everything to fix their targets if there was a problem, but making us wait till everyone else was done, thereby missing our chance to shoot. Also thought it was far too weighted to the history lessons, which very little actual shooting time.
 
My experience at Appleseed last year was nothing short of stellar. The instructors were first rate and my shooting improved tenfold. The lectures on the Revolutionary War were enlightening to say the least. Though I qualified handily, I can't wait to get back to one this year.

I think you are in for a real treat! :)


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If you've never learned how to shoot this way you are missing out. We trained SDM's in the army using the NM course to actually teach them to shoot before we taught other stuff. This was with an M4 at up to 600m, but same thing. We used air rifles at the compound for extra trigger time, practice too.

Judging by those pictures, it looks very similar. Hope you have a good back for that seated position though, that one killed me when I was young and in shape! Then again, I basically had my elbows on my knees... Kind of a folded over prone.

If you want to go highpower or do the NM course, this looks like a real good start. Great idea.
 
Yeah, Appleseed has trained several Army units, and SDMs as well, at Ft. Stewart, Ft. Drum, and White Sands Missile Range. They also had the SDM's hitting out to 600 with M-4s and ACOGs. It really is similar to the National Match style. Also pretty much what the Marines teach in basic rifle marksmanship. I definitely think it is how all rifle shooters should start out, to build strong fundamentals... and then move on to the dynamic CQB stuff. But a strong basis in the fundamentals will serve you well no matter what type of shooting you're doing.

A lot of people are starting to realize what a great and versatile marksmanship aid the sling is. It can be nearly as stable as a bipod, but adds a lot less weight and bulk to your rifle, and it can be used in any position in any terrain. There are sling setups that are pretty darn practical to use in the field, too. I have my main 2A-purpose rifles fitted with one of my own design which is a 2-point tactical sling with a built in arm loop.
 
Some very good replies here so far.

Check that rifle out thoroughly.
and check this out, http://www.appleseedinfo.org/as_prepare.html

I attended my first Appleseed Project shoot,April 30-May 1 of 2011, here in Mobile, AL.
DSC05878.gif


The instructors and instruction are great, as is the History Lesson.
Safety is stressed and the course of fire is fun & challenging.
Learn more here, http://www.appleseedinfo.org/ http://www.appleseedinfo.org/as_prepare.html
Appleseed1.gif


I easily managed to earn my Rifleman patch with a AQT score of 220.
Also managed a head shot at 250yds on my RedCoat target.
I never did manage to nail down 400yds as my Effective Range, stuck at 300yds, even though I kept nailing down the AQT's 400yd fourth course of fire(bottom line).

I qualified twice, 220 & 218, and they were already pushing that IIT orange hat at me, especially since I'm actively working to get another local range to do Appleseeds.
It is tempting, excellent organization/people and great message/goal... And they NEED Instructors.
appleseed2.gif


I shot with my Marlin Model 60.
Not a suggested rifle due to it's loading time.
I used a Spee-D-Loader, and was faster than some people that kept fumbling mags. They do allow time for tube loaders, so do not be afraid to bring them if its all you have.
60inSunshine.jpg
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tarakian said:
I attended one and would never go again. There was very little actual training and the instructors were in no way prepared. Probably the worst time I have ever had shooting. Three friends went with me and they all felt the same way.
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tarakian said:
It was a couple of years ago at Hallstead-Great Bend Rod and Gun Club. Don't remember who the instructors were. They seemed completely unprepared, couldn't get the story straight when delivering the history lesson which made it very boring and far too lengthy. Didn't have the necessary equipment to secure the targets, so they either fell down or were blowing in the wind. Seemed to favor the people they appeared to know. Spending lots of time with them, while never once coming down to our end of the line and stopping everything to fix their targets if there was a problem, but making us wait till everyone else was done, thereby missing our chance to shoot. Also thought it was far too weighted to the history lessons, which very little actual shooting time.
Click to expand...
Did you take the time to contact Appleseed and relate your experience? I sure hope you did.
If not, please take the time to do so now, even if it was a few years ago.
Bad habits, lack of knowledge have a way of perpetuating themselves if not addressed. So address it, Appleseed has the records of who taught what where/when and I believe they would check into it.
 
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