crackedbutt said:
Can anyone give an account of what happens for training/shooting on the two days? If I understand correctly, most of the training happens on the first day? How much ammo (I'm planning on taking an AR-15) to bring for 1 day?
Each Appleseed may be slightly different based on the range facilities available. While I understand that the plan is generally for 25yd reduced target work on day 1 and long range work on day 2, some ranges do not have longer facilities available, so both days may be spent at 25yds.
Day 1 will be intro, safety rules and work from the prone position. Most of the morning will be spent helping people get sighted in, understand reading targets or "talking targets" as Fred calls it. Converting sight adjustments into minutes of angle, and MOA into inches on the target at various ranges. A lunch time review of safety rules, historical talk, and then back to the rifles for intro to sitting and standing. They will cover the use of the "hasty, hasty" sling, hasty sling, and loop sling.
The marksmanship instruction focuses heavily on sling use, so try to get a 1903 or GI web sling for your rifle before you go. Some folks used quick-detach competition style loop slings, and those are OK too.
They'll review basic rules of marksmanship, trigger control, breathing, NPOA, etc.
Day 2 will be more practice and reinforcement of the concepts introduced on day 1 in addition to more work on transitions from standing to sitting and standing to prone. Ball and dummy drills to spot flinches, etc.
For most folks, I would budget somewhere around 150 rounds for day 1 and 200-250 rounds for day 2.
I have seen everything from M1/M1a/FAL/AR platforms to lots of 10/22s, single-shot bolt VZ .22s, springfield 1903A3s, scoped bolt hunting rifles, etc. You will get the most out of the weekend if you have a repeater with an 8rd or greater magazine, but bring a single shot if it's all you have.
The focus is definitely on using iron sights, but if you need optics, or that's all you have, bring it. There were a few with scopes and AIMpoints, etc.
The marksmanship training is at the basic level, but when it comes down to it, 90% of marksmanship is the basics, and doing them right over and over again. It is amazing to see the progress from the first target on day 1 to the last target on day 2. Even guys who come as "good shots" will likely leave shooting better than when they arrived
I was a lifetime shotgun and pistol shooter, so I felt like I had some of the basics down. I showed up with a new Garand I had rebuilt in .308, and only fired maybe 50 rounds. Day 1 I didn't have a single three shot group on target at *any* of the simulated ranges including 100yds. I left day 2 having qualified "Sharpshooter" many times, and within a few points of Expert.
It was a fun 2 days. It was awesome being able to hang out with 50 or 60 other patriots and gun guys for the better part of a weekend. And I left feeling much more confident in my abilities with my rifles, and more importantly, with the tools I need to practice to get better on my own. I feel more confident in my ability to teach rifle marksmanship to my wife and kids, and I made some friendships that I expect will last for years to come.
There is nowhere you're going to get training of any kind, let alone this good, for $70/weekend. Arguably, there is nowhere you can get a better value for $70 than this. Do it. You won't regret it.
P.S. Sorry for any typos, I cranked this out quickly and don't have time to go back and spell-check.
. Come on South and join us at any of our locations. If you need loaner rifles, let me know, I will steer you to pathway to set that up.
