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An organized rifle-shooting event can be intimidating to anyone who has never participated before. I’ll cover my experience as a newbie at this first Appleseed Shoot in several categories: First Timers Pre-shoot Preparation, What to Expect Upon Arrival, Lessons Learned, and What is the Next Step? My experience and what I took away from the shoot, and lastly, Regrets.
First Timer Pre-Shoot Preparation: Remember what the title of the shoot implies, Appleseed. The purpose of the shoot is to plant the seeds of knowledge into those that have never before been formally trained in rifle marksmanship skills. This is not a competition, but a formal instructional course and the only person one is competing with is oneself, not the person beside you on the firing line.
Equipment: Regardless of the type rifle you choose to take, check the function of the weapon. Make sure your rifle, especially if it has been sitting in the closet for a long time, is cleaned and in good working order. If possible, go to a range and casually put ammo down range to make sure that it is functionally reliable. This will not guarantee you won’t have problems, but it makes sure you start off with no unknown problems. If your rifle has a mechanical problem or potential problem with a magazine you can fix it before you are at the shoot. Naturally, use known good magazines if you use detachable magazines. As for your equipment, from safety equipment to weapon and accouterments, double-check their condition. If you aren’t a regular match shooter you will need a mat to lay on. One fellow had a really good idea of using an exercise mat. You don’t need to run out and get a fancy shooting mat. My wife used two military surplus ground pads.
Ammo: I took at least 200 rounds of ammo for each rifle for the single day I attended. I didn’t use all of my ammo for reasons I’ll get into later. But one can figure 200 rounds should get you through the entire basic course on the first day. There was daylight enough left so that those who chose to could go to the second range in Ramseur and engage the pop up targets. This naturally will require more ammo. But I was advised that 200 should do the first timer for the instructional phase of the first day. If you plan to attend both days, and I strongly urge you to do so, then figure your total at about 300 rounds as a good ‘guestimate’. It is better to leave the range with ammo to spare than to run out and become a spectator. Rifle marksmanship is not a spectator sport. One very important point about ammo; be sure it is all the same type and manufacturer. One fellow shooter was having problems with groupings and he discovered that he was using mixed types of ammo on the same stripper clips. So make sure your ammo is consistent in quality, type and manufacturer. But you don’t buy match grade ammo. For this class good surplus, but reliable, “ball” ammo will do you quite well.
You: If you are like most of us you aren’t going to run any Olympic marathons. If I tried, I would just fall apart. But you should do some simple things before going to the shoot. To maximize your efforts, as well as preventing undue stress on your body do some simple things to prepare you for a day of physical activity. You will be prone a lot. And you will be getting up and down from prone as well as from the sitting position…a lot. If you can not get into a prone position, or sitting position easily then start limbering up now by practicing some each day. You don’t have to train like a football player, but simply preparing your body for repeatedly getting up and down off the ground will make you more comfortable and not as tired by the end of the day. Fess up gang, we are all couch potatoes to a greater or lesser extent, and we shouldn’t be. But comforts being as they are, it is difficult to get motivated to exercise. I am guilty as charged.
How long before the shoot to prepare: This depends on the individual person. If you have a ‘Minute Man’ setup, which most of us don’t then make your equipment checks at least a weekend before you attend the Appleseed Shoot. This will give you time to gather the equipment, if you are like me, that you have stuffed in various places or moved around. I suggest to function check weapons in plenty of time ahead to make sure if you find out something needs repair you can get it fixed well beforehand. Gather your ‘to go’ equipment in one place and make sure your ammo is included along with any cleaning materials. Be set so that when it is time to go all you have to do is get the weapons out of their storage place and the rest of your gear and walk out the door.
BTW if you don’t have a little plastic empty chamber flag, it would be a good idea to stop by a gun store and pick up one for each weapon you take. These flags help the range officers to immediately recognize that a weapon is made safe. At Ramseur they did not require them, but my wife and I used one just for safety’s sake. Now the other locations for the Appleseed shoots may or may not require them. But I like them when in the company of strangers. It’s good etiquette.
What to expect upon arrival: Each shoot location may vary a bit in procedure, but you can expect the following: Expect to be met by a bunch of very helpful range officers. My wife and I were greeted in the parking lot when we pulled up by a fellow with earphone on in ‘Mickey Mouse’ position and a big grin. He directed us to the location to check in and we were shown to our positions on the line. Because our arrival was a bit later than we wanted a position with my wife and I side by side was not available. This actually works out a lot better and if you and your spouse are attending then try to separate. If you and your spouse are together then one has the tendency to ask questions of the other. So by separating, each spouse is independent to ask questions to the range officers, and figure things out for themselves. My wife commented on the way back home that she figured out what to do without asking me. She said this with a lot of pride, not that I am a whiz kid, but she gained a greater confidence in her abilities than if I had been beside her. And the same will apply if you have kids going with you. It is a liberating experience when you learn on your own, or follow the instructions given and get the results the instructor says you will get.
You will be given instructional handouts that will help you when you leave to review the main points that are covered during the class.
Lessons Learned:What you learn is how to shoot ‘by the numbers’. This is taught as a way of organizing your mind as to what you have to do to make a good shot. And although I have been shooting for years there was a lot of ‘numbers’ I skipped. After all I was shooting for fun. But this is a different type of shooting. It is fun, but it is structured. And that structure, if you continue to practice, becomes second nature. And when it becomes second nature you become more accurate and you don’t have to ‘think’ about how to make a good shot, you do it naturally and consistently. You will learn all the shooting positions of standing, prone, sitting, etc. And there is more to it than just plopping down on the ground. You will learn techniques that will help your body absorb recoil in a manner that your follow up shots are faster and more accurate. That is what you need to learn to do, make each shot count. ‘Spray and pray’ will not cut it when your life depends on it, whether you are putting meat on the table or eradicating two legged vermin trying to harm you or your loved ones. You will learn how to properly use the AQT (Army Qualification Target) to measure your skill level and where you need to make changes to your shooting technique so you can improve. You will learn what muscles and bones are strongest to absorb recoil and how to best utilize your anatomy. You will learn enough, if you take everything to heart, to teach others to be better at shooting. You will learn how to coach someone else through using certain drills to spot when a person is doing something to cause them to flinch, buck, or jerk the trigger (and you will learn what these terms mean). You will find out how accurate you are from 100 yards to 400 yards, and you will be surprised. There is a lot more that you will learn at the Appleseed shoot that is too long to go into here. But the instruction is concise and to the point and taught by example. And you will probably easily learn more than I did. Each person absorbs information in different ways and different amounts. I still find myself remembering something by it just ‘popping’ into my head as I write this.
What is the Next Step?: So you have finished the Appleseed shoot. Now what? OK the next step is simply this. Practice what you have learned. Set a schedule, once a month, twice a month; whatever your schedule and just do it! When you get home, reread your handouts. The ‘dry fire’ drills the instructors took you through should be practiced three times a week. What? You mean I have to practice this ‘by the numbers’ shooting? You bet your sweet butt-stock. That is the only way you will become a Rifleman. That is the only way to hone your skills so that when the time comes, and it is no longer an ‘if’, you can defend yourself, your family and loved ones, and possibly our Republic. The harder you train to shoot today, the easier it will be to fend for yourself tomorrow.
The next step is to take what you have learned and teach it to your family and friends. You will have the handouts, and you can use them to help others. After that get together and if at all possible contact RWVA and make arrangements for formal Appleseed shoots in your area. Believe me, it will be a lot of work but this is a must to do. I have already taken two others through the numbers. Now there are two other potential riflemen coming online.
My Experience and What I Took Away From the Appleseed Shoot: I took away what I expected; better techniques to focus the mental aspects of shooting as well as the physical. There are mental aspects that are too often overlooked or ignored. A rifleman must be able to maintain a level of concentration to make each shot count, as well as faster follow up shots. I mentioned earlier that I did not consume my full 200 rounds of ammo. One of the best lessons I learned was how to quickly clear a jammed weapon and proceed with the next shot. I had made my pre-shoot check of my rifle the day before. Everything worked just fine. However, during the shoot I began to experience FTF (Failure to Feed) incidents. I changed magazines, all to no avail. I had taken five magazines in case a magazine was damaged or failed. I was getting the same failures, or a FTE (Failure To Eject). As the shoot progressed at each set of AQT setups the problem became more pronounced. By the end of the day my semi auto rifle had become a large capacity bolt action. It fired and ejected but didn’t strip a round from the magazine. With each shot, under time restrictions, I became more fatigued with each operation of the charging handle. Do I count my experience as negative because everyone else was blasting away and I was dropping the magazine, clearing the weapon, reinserting the magazine, pull the charging handle, refocus on my sight picture and firing? Nope. I got so that I could clear and fire pretty quickly. I did not stop. And I would have rather had that happen during training than a situation where my life depended on it. Make no mistake. This does happen during combat. Knowing how to quickly clear a weapon and fire is an important skill. And that is why I left the range with more ammo than my wife. At a lot of shoots you are allowed alibis for weapons malfunctions, etc. But I did not claim any alibis because in combat you won’t get any, so why should I claim that which would not apply in a real life situation? Just as important as the technical aspects of placing accurate rounds on paper, is what I learned that is intangible. There is a stirring in this land that is just starting. While there I got the distinct feeling of what it was probably like in the very early years of the founding of this Republic. Virtually every person there, men and women (daughters and wives), seemed to understand that they were there for a very vital purpose. It seemed to me that everyone knew, at some level, that this country is headed for some very serious problems in the not too distant future and they must be as ready as possible to rise to the patriot’s call. At a lot of matches or organized shoots there is usually a casual air, a competitive yet casual approach to the task at hand. But from the instructors to the newbies it appeared that everyone was focused to teach or learn as much as possible and that the sands were slipping quickly through the hourglass.
While we took a short lunch break I got into several conversations, and listened a lot. How shall I put this? Let’s just say that there is more problems at our southern border than we are being told. One interesting statement was that Mexico’s President visited Austin, Tx. During his visit he congratulated the Austin P.D. on not prosecuting illegals! Now many Texans may have known this, but how many outside of Austin Texas, or Texas Itself, had heard such statements? That was not the only revealing conversation. All there were aware that in all likelihood when the next president takes offices our current Civil Rights situation will change, and not for the better.
There were participants from many states. We had future riflemen from as far away as California in addition to the state of Texas! Yes a participant had driven from California to N.C. to attend. And I call that a true desire to learn! This fellow was totally awed by the fact that we could own and shoot weapons such as FN-FAL, AR-15, AK-47 and other rifles now banned in his state. He walked down the line asking what, to him, was unfamiliar rifles were when he didn’t recognize a particular rifle. Think of it. An American, born and bred, didn’t recognize what most of us consider as a common rifle! That does not bode well for all of us. And this is yet another lesson I, and more importantly my wife, took away. Real, tangible evidence, that those of us who have known for years that our Bill of Rights are being systematically dismantled; piece by piece. That is why it is so important to take someone with you, especially if he has any doubts about what is going on in this country. So make it a trip for rifle training, and you will expose him to what is happening in the political landscape.
One last thing I carried away from my time there. I tucked into my shirt pocket one ticket for a CMP M1 Garand! This shoot will qualify as a marksmanship event, along with a membership to a CMP club, to order one of the best implements of battle ever devised by Man. And an associate membership to RWVA will fill the club membership if you aren’t already a member of one. Also as a side note, there are some very good things coming from the CMP program in the near future. And to answer the unasked question, yes my wife out scored me. (I hear you chuckling in the background, Memsahib). Well, my rifle was failing.
Regrets: My regret is that I wasn’t there for the full two-day course. I had prior commitments for the following day and couldn’t attend. But the second day further reinforces the first day’s instruction and builds better skills. The second regret was that because I miscalculated how long it would take to drive, we arrived later and missed the very beginning. At the start you are taken through the methods of sighting in a rifle. This is a seemingly simple task, but as part of the continuity of the course it is an important component. You also get some pre-shoot time to meet others you will be shooting with. So when you go to the shoot, make sure you don’t miss anything they have to offer.
Conclusion: The Appleseed shoot is the biggest bang for the money (pun intended) I have seen in a long time. The cost for two days of very attentive instruction is very good. Unless you live close to one of the shoots, you will probably spend more on gas to get there or trivial things during a month’s time. One thing I want to really stress: Even if you have a disability, no matter what, you can do this. The gang at Ramseur helped one fellow who obviously had some mobility problems. He couldn’t get into the prone position and could only shoot standing. One of the range officers provided him a bench to shoot from. So there he was, with the rest of the cadre of shooters, sending rounds down range. If this guy can do it, anyone can do it. So if you have bad feet, think you are too old, or don’t think you can get up and down to the positions then you had better think again. Tell them when you pre-register of any problems and you will be accommodated, and you can help to make America one rifleman richer. And we are going to need all the true American riflemen that we can muster. – The Rabid One