I wrote an impression of my experience at an Appleseed shoot that I had attended July 17-18 2010, but hadn't had time to upload it until now:
This past weekend was my first opportunity to attend a weekend shooting camp with the Appleseed Project. I've been meaning to make one of the shoots, but haven't been able to find the time until recently. This particular shoot was held in Brighton, CO, on the range of the Wildlife Hunters Association of Colorado.
Here're some of my impressions:
Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive about attending the program. Would it be a bootcamp-like experience, complete with people yelling in your ear? Would there be a lot of political lecturing? Reading blogs and forum postings clarified the matter. The weekend was nothing of the sort.
The first day was intensive on imparting basic skills and safety protocol. There was a decent amount of lecture time, but sufficient practice and trigger time to learn the different positions, courses of fire, and basic techniques. I wish we'd had the opportunity to shoot more AQTs (Army Qualification Tests) on the first day, but as it is, I'm pretty satisfied with the course structure. The second day was much more shooting-intensive, while still including lecture time and some games.
Instruction was superb. There's not much to say. The instructors were incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and knew just the right amount of rigidness/flexibility to impart. After a while, I started to identify my weaknesses, and found myself self-correcting as an instructor's shadow moved overhead. Soon, habits became second nature, and I feel I now have vastly improved form.
I was the only shooter to get the rifleman patch this weekend (223 and 216 my last two AQTs), though it was clear that everyone in attendance improved their skills in a significant and measurable way. A lady asked me after the closing ceremony what my shooting background was, that I was able to attain rifleman at my first appleseed. I have about a decade of non-formal shooting experience. Discussion with one of the instructors following the shoot indicated that while rifleman qualification after a first appleseed is relatively rare, it's not terribly uncommon for experienced shooters. Just the same, though, long-time shooters can be handicapped by poor habits and stubbornness. I was acutely concerned about that very fact, and made efforts to actively counteract any negative habits. There were some things that I personally disagreed with, but that I voluntarily accepted, in order to have a holistic understanding of the instruction. The main thing that comes to mind is my aversion to "chicken-winging", which is usually discouraged in a 2-way range context. I tried it though, and it does make the shoulder pocket more distinct. I still don't like it, but pretty much everything else I took home. I'm personally very aware that without attending the camp, I wouldn't have the skills to pass the rifleman standard. As-is, I wasn't able to get my scores up until the last two AQTs.
There were some very expensive and elaborate setups on the line. One of the things I really like about the program is how equipment-neutral the instruction is. Scope or irons, semi-auto or bolt, rimfire or centerfire, it didn't matter. My $100 Marlin 795 with a $30 scope was able to deliver sufficient performance; participants don't need to worry about having a high-dollar setup to perform well. While Appleseed doesn't recommend special match-grade ammunition, I do think that purchasing Federal Automatch ammunition ($14/350) was an important part of my shooting experience, as it allowed me to place blame for performance issues squarely on myself. I *hate* situations where I cannot trust my equipment.
It was hot this weekend. Forecasts were showing high-90s, with very high UV indices, and the usual low humidity. For the most part, the weather delivered. I would estimate mid-90s both days, with the second day bringing some last-minute relief/misery in the form of a brief rainstorm. Dehydration was a very real threat. It was pointed out that with our low humidities, merely breathing will cause significant water loss. I myself had brought a 3L Camelback, and some extra bottles, but still needed to take a couple bottles from the "for anyone" cooler.
Let me briefly discuss some other equipment considerations.
I had a pretty significant scope mounting failure about halfway through the second day. It manifested as my previously tight clusters breaking apart into random shotgun-like crap-patterns. Fortunately, I was allowed to get some sight-in time after recranking down my ring screws. I feel very fortunate that this allowance was made. It's an important lesson - loctite screws before heavy shooting, and paint witness marks on your screws and mounts to detect shifting. Also, Marlin shooters may do well to invest in a Diversified Innovative Products top rail mount, as the standard 3/8 rimfire scope mount is very susceptible to ring sliding. Also, most shooters mount their scopes too far back. Imagine yourself scrunched up against the receiver and stock while prone.
Though I was mocked for wearing my same dress shirt both days, I feel like having the lightweight oversized cover garment over a wicking T-shirt was a pretty key equipment decision, equally on par with choice of gun. A lot of people left the range on day 1 with pretty severe sunburns and some signs of dehydration. My boonie hat was also a pretty important choice. Aside from the sunburn-prevention aspect, the wide brim casts a shadow over safety glasses, greatly increasing contrast. Overall, I feel like clothing decisions helped ensure that I managed to escape any sunburn or brass burns.
I have some astigmatism, so prescription Oakley glasses were key. I used earplugs, because my electronic hearing protection didn't comfortably fit under my hat, and interfered with cheekweld.
Closing thoughts:
There seems to be a lot of animosity towards the program, in the High power and long distance shooting communities - I think it's misplaced and undeserved. No, attaining "Rifleman" is not an end, nor will it assure performance at actual 400 meter ranges with high power firearms. But it does instill the fundamental skills without which a shooter will be unable to perform at those distances.
Also, there seems to be a good deal of negative national press from the (*insert bias allegation here*) media. It's definitely not "militia" training or associated, it's not prejudiced or racist (I'm not white), and there's nothing fringe about it. Actually, the political content is pretty much non-existent. Appleseed is billed as apolitical, and I think that's an accurate assessment. What little discussion they do have is mostly limited to the politics of the 18th century, and a strong urging to go out and *do* something. This isn't to say that the attendees don't largely lean in one political direction (they do). But the program itself is mostly history/lecture heavy. I thought I wouldn't like it, as I'd had a very heavy dose of American history in school, but I found Appleseed's presentation enjoyable and educational, with stories of individual perspectives and actions from the Revolutionary War. Some people may be much more interested in the shooting, but I do think the history is a critical aspect of the program, as it is presented by the "Revolutionary War Veterans Association".
Overall, I had a great weekend, and learned a lot - about marksmanship, and about history. If my current career demands weren't so harsh, I'd probably have taken an orange cap to continue down the instructor path. As-is, though, I'll try to do the next best thing, which is to encourage more of my friends to attend the shoots. They're a lot of fun, and you learn a lot.