Well, my father and I just got back from Yakima, where we attended the RWVA Appleseed shoot being held there this past weekend.
Yes, this is the same Appleseed you've read about if you get Shotgun news, and read the page facing the ad for Fred's M14 stocks.
I have to say, it was well worth taking Friday and Monday off, driving from Bellingham to Yakima (over 6 hours by the most direct route), staying in a lousy motel
, and enduring a somewhat chintzy range.
For those who don't know, the Revolutionary War Veteran's Association (RWVA, www.rwva.org) has been holding rifle classes (the Appleseed program) for several months with the stated purpose of creating an ever-expanding number of 'riflemen', to Save America (TM).
It's a rather roundabout way of achieving that end, but it's fun, educational, and can be a source of intense pride in achievement.
The course of fire was conducted at 25 meters, at reduced targets scaled for 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards. Shooting at this range may SEEM easy, but trust me; it's not. The targets are TINY, and you are shooting offhand with a sling, in positions, rather than off of a bench. That was the killer for most everyone- by the end of the weekend I could hardly lift myself out of the prone position due to fatigue and muscle strain. Altogether I must have shot over 250 rounds, most from prone; my trigger finger was so stiff this morning that I could hardly bend it.
Oh yes, positions. The AQT is shot from three; standing, kneeling or sitting, and prone. All may be shot without a sling, but a sling is absolutely recommended. If you go to a shoot they will show you how to use it in the loop (USGI sling will do this, most others won't), hasty, and hasty-hasty configurations.
One thing they emphasize in instruction is finding your natural point of aim before beginning to shoot. That is, settle into your position, get the rifle on target, and then... close your eyes for a moment. Your body settles and relaxes, and then... reopen your eyes. Your rifle will either be on target or off of it. If it's off horizontally, shift your body until it is in the vertical plane of the target, as your breathing should be able to adjust for the vertical difference. Recheck and adjust as necessary until it's correct; then begin firing.
Of course, the most important thing they will teach you is the 6 steps of firing a shot.
1. Align the sights (iron sights, that is)
2. Create the sight picture (align sights with the target)
3. Breathe in, breathe out until the sights are on target; then, a respiratory pause
4a. Focus your eye on the front sight
4b. Mentally, you try to keep the front sight on the target
5. Squeeze the trigger
6. Follow through; create a mental snapshot of the sight picture at the moment you fired so you can call the shot. Don't release the trigger until you have called the shot, to avoid 'slapping' the trigger
I did not shoot this course well. I am a bench shooter, and will probably be going back to the bench for the majority of my shooting. However, my pride was seriously wounded by how badly I shot. Part of it was the equipment. I was using a Finnish M39, and was basically unable to cycle the rifle fast enough to shoot the timed AQT- loading ammunition in a timely fashion was also very difficult. The other part was my own physical condition, admittedly poor by any standard. Both of these problems can be addressed, and I hope to attend another Appleseed in the future to earn a Rifleman patch.
Of course, I don't think I will be driving all the way to Yakima to do this.
Learn from our experiences in this matter.
Don't stay at the Motel 6, it's noisy, the same price as nicer motels just up the street, and doesn't have WiFi or a decent cable package.
Do eat at the Waffles Cafe, across from the Clarion on 1st Street. Great food, amazing service, reasonable prices.
The Sun Valley Shooting Park is amazing- great facility, but dusty as a tomb.
For those interested in ever attending an RWVA event, you can find a list of events at: http://www.rwva.org/yabbse/index.php?topic=421.0
The list is short at the moment, but will be growing. I understand there are already 5 more shoots planned for Washington, Oregon and Idaho alone before next summer, with many more scattered around the country.
The RWVA forums are an excellent resource for what to bring, networking, etc., but I would like to emphasize a few things.
To bring to an Appleseed shoot:
1. A learning attitude. Humility, a deflated ego, whatever it takes for you to learn from the instructors. They are sacrificing a lot as unpaid volunteers to do these clinics.
2. Hydration. Water AND sports rehydrator drinks if possible. You'll be out all day in the sun, wind, etc.
3. Semiauto magazine-fed rifle. Bolt guns can be fun, but make sure you can feed it reliably and quickly, and cycle the action without breaking shoulder contact in prone. A .22 is not verboten- I'd almost consider a 10/22 or similar to be ideal for this sort of class.
4. Reliable, well tested ammo. I had a lot of trouble with primers blowing back in my M39. Turns out it was a firing pin spring problem, but I was wishing I had taken ammo I had experience with.
5. Ground cover. We brought a tarp and a rug remnant, and I was wishing for more. The shooting site was covered in gravel, and would have been impossible to use without something to keep the body off the ground.
6. A GOOD sling. I used an old SKS sling on my M39, and had a lot of trouble keeping it from slipping around on my arm. A USGI sling will save you a lot of trouble at the clinic (Fred is selling them at the shoots as long as he has extras), as long as it will fit on your rifle.
7. Food. Lunch is 1/2 hour long, bring something to clean your hands off too.
8. Know what your sight adjustments will do, in minutes of angle (essentially 1" at 100 yards). Your goal is to shoot 1" at 25 yards, but it has to be on target to count. Sight your rifle in before you go to the shoot, to save time. Scopes are allowed, BTW> Oh yes; for shooting at 25 meters, adjust your zero for 200 meters (if using a centerfire rifle)- that was nearly perfect in my experience.
Also, consider trying the "Freds Rifleman 25-Meter Targets w/Freds Guide to Becoming a Rifleman" combo from Fred's M14 Stocks: http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/acc.asp
This will give you a leg-up on the course, and may even earn you a Rifleman badge on day 1.
Appleseed shoots cost $40 for one day (Saturday) or $70 for the weekend- send the money as a MO or check by mail, with a SASE if you want to be notified of receipt. I recommend trying for the whole weekend to get the most benefit from the clinic. After the first day I was feeling pretty down and ticked off, but the second day of work made everything worth it.
Oh, and Fred? Sweetest guy in the world. Don't take the passion in his articles for anger; it really is passion, and he's a man worth meeting if only for his opening speech about April 19, 1775.
Yes, this is the same Appleseed you've read about if you get Shotgun news, and read the page facing the ad for Fred's M14 stocks.
I have to say, it was well worth taking Friday and Monday off, driving from Bellingham to Yakima (over 6 hours by the most direct route), staying in a lousy motel
, and enduring a somewhat chintzy range.For those who don't know, the Revolutionary War Veteran's Association (RWVA, www.rwva.org) has been holding rifle classes (the Appleseed program) for several months with the stated purpose of creating an ever-expanding number of 'riflemen', to Save America (TM).
It's a rather roundabout way of achieving that end, but it's fun, educational, and can be a source of intense pride in achievement.
The course of fire was conducted at 25 meters, at reduced targets scaled for 100, 200, 300 and 400 yards. Shooting at this range may SEEM easy, but trust me; it's not. The targets are TINY, and you are shooting offhand with a sling, in positions, rather than off of a bench. That was the killer for most everyone- by the end of the weekend I could hardly lift myself out of the prone position due to fatigue and muscle strain. Altogether I must have shot over 250 rounds, most from prone; my trigger finger was so stiff this morning that I could hardly bend it.
Oh yes, positions. The AQT is shot from three; standing, kneeling or sitting, and prone. All may be shot without a sling, but a sling is absolutely recommended. If you go to a shoot they will show you how to use it in the loop (USGI sling will do this, most others won't), hasty, and hasty-hasty configurations.
One thing they emphasize in instruction is finding your natural point of aim before beginning to shoot. That is, settle into your position, get the rifle on target, and then... close your eyes for a moment. Your body settles and relaxes, and then... reopen your eyes. Your rifle will either be on target or off of it. If it's off horizontally, shift your body until it is in the vertical plane of the target, as your breathing should be able to adjust for the vertical difference. Recheck and adjust as necessary until it's correct; then begin firing.
Of course, the most important thing they will teach you is the 6 steps of firing a shot.
1. Align the sights (iron sights, that is)
2. Create the sight picture (align sights with the target)
3. Breathe in, breathe out until the sights are on target; then, a respiratory pause
4a. Focus your eye on the front sight
4b. Mentally, you try to keep the front sight on the target
5. Squeeze the trigger
6. Follow through; create a mental snapshot of the sight picture at the moment you fired so you can call the shot. Don't release the trigger until you have called the shot, to avoid 'slapping' the trigger
I did not shoot this course well. I am a bench shooter, and will probably be going back to the bench for the majority of my shooting. However, my pride was seriously wounded by how badly I shot. Part of it was the equipment. I was using a Finnish M39, and was basically unable to cycle the rifle fast enough to shoot the timed AQT- loading ammunition in a timely fashion was also very difficult. The other part was my own physical condition, admittedly poor by any standard. Both of these problems can be addressed, and I hope to attend another Appleseed in the future to earn a Rifleman patch.
Of course, I don't think I will be driving all the way to Yakima to do this.
Learn from our experiences in this matter.
Don't stay at the Motel 6, it's noisy, the same price as nicer motels just up the street, and doesn't have WiFi or a decent cable package.
Do eat at the Waffles Cafe, across from the Clarion on 1st Street. Great food, amazing service, reasonable prices.
The Sun Valley Shooting Park is amazing- great facility, but dusty as a tomb.
For those interested in ever attending an RWVA event, you can find a list of events at: http://www.rwva.org/yabbse/index.php?topic=421.0
The list is short at the moment, but will be growing. I understand there are already 5 more shoots planned for Washington, Oregon and Idaho alone before next summer, with many more scattered around the country.
The RWVA forums are an excellent resource for what to bring, networking, etc., but I would like to emphasize a few things.
To bring to an Appleseed shoot:
1. A learning attitude. Humility, a deflated ego, whatever it takes for you to learn from the instructors. They are sacrificing a lot as unpaid volunteers to do these clinics.
2. Hydration. Water AND sports rehydrator drinks if possible. You'll be out all day in the sun, wind, etc.
3. Semiauto magazine-fed rifle. Bolt guns can be fun, but make sure you can feed it reliably and quickly, and cycle the action without breaking shoulder contact in prone. A .22 is not verboten- I'd almost consider a 10/22 or similar to be ideal for this sort of class.
4. Reliable, well tested ammo. I had a lot of trouble with primers blowing back in my M39. Turns out it was a firing pin spring problem, but I was wishing I had taken ammo I had experience with.
5. Ground cover. We brought a tarp and a rug remnant, and I was wishing for more. The shooting site was covered in gravel, and would have been impossible to use without something to keep the body off the ground.
6. A GOOD sling. I used an old SKS sling on my M39, and had a lot of trouble keeping it from slipping around on my arm. A USGI sling will save you a lot of trouble at the clinic (Fred is selling them at the shoots as long as he has extras), as long as it will fit on your rifle.
7. Food. Lunch is 1/2 hour long, bring something to clean your hands off too.
8. Know what your sight adjustments will do, in minutes of angle (essentially 1" at 100 yards). Your goal is to shoot 1" at 25 yards, but it has to be on target to count. Sight your rifle in before you go to the shoot, to save time. Scopes are allowed, BTW>
Oh yes; for shooting at 25 meters, adjust your zero for 200 meters (if using a centerfire rifle)- that was nearly perfect in my experience.Also, consider trying the "Freds Rifleman 25-Meter Targets w/Freds Guide to Becoming a Rifleman" combo from Fred's M14 Stocks: http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/acc.asp
This will give you a leg-up on the course, and may even earn you a Rifleman badge on day 1.
Appleseed shoots cost $40 for one day (Saturday) or $70 for the weekend- send the money as a MO or check by mail, with a SASE if you want to be notified of receipt. I recommend trying for the whole weekend to get the most benefit from the clinic. After the first day I was feeling pretty down and ticked off, but the second day of work made everything worth it.
Oh, and Fred? Sweetest guy in the world. Don't take the passion in his articles for anger; it really is passion, and he's a man worth meeting if only for his opening speech about April 19, 1775.
