"I am confused" "Come as you are" " Don't come"
Bill Sparks
First, thanks for stirring this up.
Secondly, I want to reinforce what DAVECAMPPERRY said...it's about KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ATTITUDE.
OK, if you haven't got space to practice, don't expect to make "rifleman" and score 210 the first time.
BUT I"D RATHER HAVE YOU "GREEN" Than have you with bad habits
Here's what I would want you to do (yes, I am an Appleseed Instructor, Ill be running the PA shoots and visiting a few others, health permitting)
1. IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE for prep, OBTAIN and READ Fred's Guide to becomming a Rifleman.
http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/acc.asp
Don't want to spend FRN's yet? Go here
http://www.rwva.org/oldsite/rifleman.htm#whatis
2. Take the time to STRETCH OUT your body. Get into "Prone", by the numbers, and hold that position for 5 min, doubling the time every day. Do the stretch maybe three times a day (your body will thanks you) Same for sitting or kneeling (depending on your dunlop, back, or your knees).
Pick up your rifle, and do more stretching and positioning. We'll do the tune up on site (sorry, no _great_ pictures yet, but we're working on it)
3. Take your rifle, whatever rifle, and make sure it WORKS. Clean it. Lube it. Makeit your brother
Shoot soem rounds down range, anywhere safe and legal, and make sure it functions. Clean it again, and lube it. We'll work on the six steps and trigger control on site.
4. IF you have a place, AND you have the basic skills, IT IS WORTH YOUR EFFORT TO GET A ROUGH ZERO TO YOUR SIGHTS. This is the big stumbling block for many milsurp rifles, in that you may not have the tooling yet, and your position is still too "fluid" to be stable. But a rough zero, where the sights and the rounds hit the same 8.5 x 11 paper at 25 yards, will get you started! Our goal, and if you ahve more time, go for it, is to SHRINK THAT group from 8.5x11 to a 3x5, and finally to a 1" Square at 25 (4 MOA)
Don't fret. If you have the rifle and the drive, we'll make the time to get you started. Some folks come with the opinion you'll leave finished. No, you leave after the leavening is added. You WILL need to tpractice and hone the skills, but you'll have a much stronger foundation to get the perfect practice that makes perfect!
Now, as to the stick you bring.
Lots of folks come and shoot the entire course with a .22
10/22 are a favorite because they largely mimick the function of a mil battle rifle. Guys who are committed have done it, within the same time limits, with bolties, so no one is 'crippled' by lack of a stick.
WE ENCOURAGE MIL SURP RIFLES AND HUNTING RIFLES with mil surp or over the counter ammo. Nothing special. It's the shooter we are working with to improve
I (ME) Encourage you to use a .22 if you have it for the intial stages. Why? Low?no recoil or noise to distract your body while I'm building muscle memory of the six steps. And it's cheap as heck to feed for the 400 or so rounds we expect to shoot at a "GRAND TOUR" Appleseed stop (the 2 day clinic).
Yes, it won't be real easy when we move out to 100 yards or more (where available) for some "zero refinement" exercises. We do that for less than 5% of the program. Don't sweat it. Or bring your MBR (main Battle Rifle) with a zero on it, too.
But PLEASE DON"T not come because you think you're not good enough. That's our job, to take your "apple seed" and makeit sprout.
Fingers off the trigger until the sights are on the target...
And the down range backstop is clear.
Pacer