Appleseed Project

[Chills1994]

Everything is meant to isolate your breathing or heartbeat from the gun or ground.

The sling is kinda like a cuff that goes over your left bicep/upper arm. Special padding is added to the coat in that area so the sling that doesn't become a tourniquet and cut off the circulation to the rest of your left arm.

Edited June 13, 2012 by Flexmoney
I pulled the 2nd pic. I am on high speed and it took a bit to download. That would kill our dialup members

[waktasz]

Seems very practical

[Guest]

A Red Coat to an Appleseed event? Hmmmm...

I've heard these are a good time. A friend went to one in Wyoming and said it was fun. He is a savage rifle guy and said he used a brand new savage bolt .22 and after the event the gun was nice and broken in.

[Chills1994]

Seems very practical

It's not.

I am basing my posts on my best recollections of my experiences from 25 to 30 years ago of shooting 3 position smallbore. The coat, the glove, the shooting mat, sling, railed rifle with handstop all served a purpose. And of course, those recollections are forced through my mental filter of having tried to shoot their AQT target the other day. Very humbling and a wake up call to getca better gun/optics setup.

I think of it like this ... If you're going to a bullseye match, do you bring some Saturday night special?

No you bring a bullseye gun.

So, in my opinion you bring and use what you can to your advantage.

As far as practical, the idea goes, ahhh jeesh, don't get me started.

[waktasz]

I thought these were just instruction type events to teach basics of rifle marksmanship. I just think it's weird for someone to have that type of gear for that type of event.

[rvb]

coat and glove absolutely not needed, but may help depending on your experience level. or may hinder depending on your experience level. I got "the patch" by a wide margin on the first test w/ a std 20" AR (irons, and std mil non-floating handguards, etc). Only "special" gear I had was a good leather (Turner) sling and a mat. GI web sling is just as good. Oh, I did have a 2-stage in the AR, so I did "cheat" a bit there. You could go decked out ready for a high-power match, but that's not really the intent.

-rvb

Edited June 13, 2012 by rvb

[Chills1994]

coat and glove absolutely not needed, but may help depending on your experience level. or may hinder depending on your experience level. I got "the patch" by a wide margin on the first test w/ a std 20" AR (irons, and std mil non-floating handguards, etc). Only "special" gear I had was a good leather (Turner) sling and a mat. GI web sling is just as good. Oh, I did have a 2-stage in the AR, so I did "cheat" a bit there. You could go decked out ready for a high-power match, but that's not really the intent.

-rvb

yeah, the next time I try shooting it, I'll use my AR instead, take off the ACOG, and put on an almost 20 year old 3 to 9 power Nikon. See what kind of reults I get, then decide to spring for a coat and glove.

[Chills1994]

Just to clarify I have just shot at their target for practice. I haven't been to an actual Appleseed shoot. So I haven't had 200 to 500 rounds of practice yet.

[rundownfid]

I think these are great shoots, unless you have access to regular coaching they are helpful to even the experienced shooter.

I had been hunting and shooting for nearly 50 years before I went to one and then learned just how much I didn't know.

[ItsanSKS]

Full Disclosure: I am a Senior Instructor with Project Appleseed, having been directly involved since early 2009. I also serve on the Advisory Board for the RWVA (parent organization for Project Appleseed).

Appleseed events serve as an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of marksmanship. They may also be useful as a primer for those seeking to enter the competitive rifle arena, by providing a baseline skillset that is not equipment dependant. Any student that does well in our course will find that the learning curve for going into NRA Smallbore, Highpower, or CMP competitiion is dramatically reduced.

The instruction points and coaching techniques are taken almost verbatim from the WW-II US Army marksmanship portions of Basic Training; there have been some minor modifications, to reflect more modern equipment. Those that have served more recently in the United State Marine Corps will recognize our instruction immediately, as the principals taught in the USMC today more accurately reflect what the US Army taught in 1942. Unfortunately, the current US Army has retained very little of its previous marksmanship instruction, instead relying heavily on equipment-based marksmanship to take care of anything beyond 300m.

Each event is tailored to the students; if the firing line is comprised of middle-aged men who have a strong grasp of the fundamentals already, the liklihood of progressing to more advanced techniques, and therefore longer ranges, is increased- assuming the staffing and range facilities are available. If the line is comprised of mostly women and children (a large, and growing segment of our student population) the instruction tends to focus more on safety and fundamentals- longer ranges and advanced techniques may not even be discussed at an event like this.

Our organization is comprised wholly of volunteers, from our CPA to the individual coaches and instructors on the firing line. This unusual dynamic offers two major benefits to our students:

1: Friendly learning atmosphere. Our instructors are on the line because they want to be, not because they are collecting a paycheck- this minimizes, if not eliminates altogether, the egotistical attitudes so prevalent among competing shooting instruction programs currently available.

2: Cost. A similar course, offered by just about any other organization, is likely to cost the individual student upwards of $400; due to the lack of overhead expenses, we offer our courses at a fraction of that price- $80 for men, $20 for women, and $10 for children (under 18). Additionally, we offer our courses absolutely free to active duty military personnel and law enforcement officers.

Appleseed instructors are some of the best in the industry, bar none. I can say this without reservation, owing to the training regimen that an instructor with Appleseed must go through before becoming a certified Instructor. First, in order for a volunteer to even qualify to begin training as an instructor, they must display their mastery of the rifle, by consistently scoring in excess of 210 on the Appleseed Qualification Test (AQT). Once they have displayed this minimum level of proficiency, they then begin a training regimen that includes hundreds of hours of on-the-firing line experience, countless hours of at-home study, followed by multiple tests (both verbal and written). The training of instructors does not stop with their certification; they continually improve both their marksmanship skills and instructional experience, by participating in Instructor Boot Camps and Rifleman Boot Camps. Further, we encourage our instructors to participate in NRA & CMP sanctioned rifle competitions on a regular basis, just to keep their own personal skills sharp.

Any American will find a warm welcome at an Appleseed event, regardless of political affiliation. We have a strict no politics rule, which ensures that you won't have to listen to political diatribes between instruction points. That said, we DO talk about April 19th, 1775- the day of Paul Revere's famous ride, and the "Shot heard round the world", in a story that we call the "Three Strikes of the Match". Some people consider any discussion of the Founding Generation to be innately political, so take the internet reporting of political discussions at Appleseed events for what they're worth. I can assure you that any reported discussion of modern politics by our instructors is seriously investigated and dealt with.

If you would like to learn more about Project Appleseed, or to find an event near you please visit our website: www.AppleseedUSA.org

Also, please feel free to ask questions either here, or on the Appleseed Forum: www.AppleseedInfo.org/smf

-ItsanSKS

[ItsanSKS]

The sentiment expressed in "Chills1994" post reflects a common misperception about Appleseed, and by addressing it, I hope that it is not felt that I am picking on him directly.

In order to score "Rifleman", or achieve a 210/250 on our AQT, the shooter must be able to keep a minimum group size of 4 minute of angle, from field positions. This does not require specialized equipment or ammunition. A Rifleman score is easily achievable with a rack-grade rifle, iron sights, and surplus ammunition. Adding a match-grade rifle, match-grade ammunition and all the gizmos and gimmicks of competition shooting will NOT make a poor marksman into a Rifleman.

Most modern rifle/ammo combinations are easilly capable of sub-2 moa groups, many are capable of much better. So the trick then, is to learn how to hold your rifle as steady as possible while shooting. Use of match rifles, ammo, and equipment may mask the shooters innate inability, lessening the chances an instructor will diagnose it and help correct it. For your own benefit, I reccomend bringing a good rifle, good ammo, a USGI web sling, and a willingness to learn.

Seems very practical

It's not.

I am basing my posts on my best recollections of my experiences from 25 to 30 years ago of shooting 3 position smallbore. The coat, the glove, the shooting mat, sling, railed rifle with handstop all served a purpose. And of course, those recollections are forced through my mental filter of having tried to shoot their AQT target the other day. Very humbling and a wake up call to getca better gun/optics setup.

I think of it like this ... If you're going to a bullseye match, do you bring some Saturday night special?

No you bring a bullseye gun.

So, in my opinion you bring and use what you can to your advantage.

As far as practical, the idea goes, ahhh jeesh, don't get me started.

[rq375]

really the only extra gear you need is a sling and something to go prone on so you dont bang up your knees and elbows. It is a great program for those that are new to rifle shooting, and a good excuse for the more experienced to spend the weekend at the range.

[Highsider989]

I have a ruger 10/22 all set up for Appleseed. I've never been. They are a bit far to go. If one gets close to me I will. I did a lot of research on AS before. Just reading about the program helped me be a better shooter. I'd never had a sling on a rifle before. With the GI sling on my 10/22 it's a super stable rifle and so accurate with tech sights. I'm gearing up for 3 gun next year ammo being as expensive as it is my little 10/22 is getting a lot of use. The AS project got me back into shooting without me even attending a shoot.