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Appleseed on May 14-15 - some questions

Started by jawa9000, February 07, 2016, 03:57:29 AM

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jawa9000

I am a fairly new gun owner, but started out with a Tavor rifle, planning to have it be my one and only firearm. I may get a pistol soon, but that would likely be it. I've had a couple buddies teach me some basics about shooting, and I've had some range trips, but I know I have a lot to learn, so started searching for a good training source that wouldn't be LE or Military based. I came across the Appleseed events in searching online, and it seems like it might be a great place to start, but I'm not sure yet, so can someone please answer these questions for me:

1) I need help figuring out which of the following best describes Appleseed: a hobbyist group of people who enjoy our nation's rich history, and being able to keep it alive for posterity; OR a group of committed patriots that knows this nation's history yet is just a concerned or even more concerned about where the country is heading now, and wants to make sure we maintain the ideals and freedoms our ancestors fought so hard for.

2) Is Appleseed a good place for beginners to go, or should we have acquired a certain level of knowledge before attending an Appleseed event? If so, how should that be started?

3) Since I only plan on owning one firearm, would a Tavor (shoots 5.56/.223 caliber) be OK for an Appleseed event, or do I need to get into shooting a .22 rifle first to go in that direction?

4) I've got 30 round pmags (four of them) and that's all I was planning to buy. I see a lot of people talking about 10 round ones, but can I get by with just 4 30-rounders?

5) I do have a magpul sling, but I see people talking about another type. Is the magpul sling good enough?

2 clicks low

1. While we all love to shoot and teach marksmanship, we also love our heritage and don't want to see it lost. We want to save the nation by teaching the history of the founding of the county.

2. As a Shoot Boss (lead instructor at an event) I love newbies, they have no bad habits that I need to break. Bring a teachable attitude and we will take care of the rest. Let the shoot boss know if you are not proficient at loading and unloading your rifle and someone will coach you thru it.

3. Except for a few ranges that are .22lr only .223 is an excellent cartridge. We recommend a .22lr due to the relative cheapness of the ammo, but we also say "run what you brung". Bring 400 + rounds to be sure.

4. 30 round mags are fine. We usually load 10 or less per mag. They will be fine.

5. I HIGHLY recommend a GI Web sling. They are available for under $20 and much of our instruction revolves around it.

Thanks

2 clicks low
"Semper Fritos" 1st. Chicago Chairborne

jawa9000

Great. Thanks for the reply! I'm going to make attending this event a priority.

FiremanBob

Jawa, welcome to Appleseed! And congrats on acquiring such a fine rifle.

1. The second is closer to the truth. Each of us has his own words to interpret our mission, but I think the ideas are consistent across the entire organization: Appleseed seeks to restore the ethic of active citizenship among all Americans, so that we can preserve the constitutional republic our Founders bequeathed to us. We are completely non-partisan. Ignorance, passivity, and apathy are the enemies. Whatever one's political positions, we believe that actively debating them in the public forum is the way to work things out. Leaving our public affairs in the hands of self-interested "professionals" who corruptly gain their wealth from our taxes is the worst thing we can do.

2. Appleseed is for everyone. We love beginners and give them extra attention. We all started as beginners, and beginners are the essence of growth - if we want to expand the number of Americans who understand what we teach at Appleseed, we must concentrate on bringing beginners into the movement. We also work with experienced shooters, even active military. As prep, you might look up Appleseed on Youtube and see some of the vids of past events.

3. While you could start out with your 5.56 rifle, for less than the cost of a case of ammo you can easily buy a .22LR rifle and ammo for it for a couple of Appleseeds. I recommend that beginners start with a .22 because it's easier to shoot and you don't have the distraction of noise and recoil so you can really focus on developing your skills. You learn faster on the .22 and the skills transfer directly to your Tavor and any centerfire rifle. If money's tight, you can request a loaner rifle when you register for your Appleseed (buy your own ammo, though).

4. Your 30-round mags are fine. We don't fill them up in Appleseed events though and you'll learn the system we use quickly. Since your Tavor is a bullpup, you won't have the magazine interfering with your support arm.

5. The Magpul 2-point sling is a great carry strap for the rifle, and works well as a "hasty sling" for the standing position. You will find that a loop sling (either a cotton web GI sling or a leather 1907 sling) works even better in the sitting and prone positions.

Good luck trying to keep your collection down to one rifle and one pistol. Most of us find reasons to expand our collections so we have just the right tool for any shooting task we need. Remember, "gun control" is buying one when you really want two.
Author of "The 10/22 Companion: How to Operate, Troubleshoot, Maintain and Improve Your Ruger 10/22"

"Remember constantly that a nation cannot long remain strong when each man in it is individually weak, and that neither social forms nor political schemes have yet been found that can make a people energetic by composing it of pusillanimous and soft citizens." - de Tocqueville

connibear

Jawa9000, glad to hear you are interested in an event. Center fire is allowed at wright city, which is where I am assuming you would attend for that date. I recommend you send a private message to 209ken. He will most likely be your shoot boss for that event. The others above pretty well answered your questions already, so don't wait, hurry and get signed up and bring a friend.
......"Where the spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty."    I Cor. 3:17b

A Nation that does not serve the Lord Jesus Christ cannot and does not have Liberty.

jawa9000

Thanks for the extra input. It seems the Magpul slings are made of nylon and so have a low coefficient of friction, making them difficult to use to hold the rifle still for some of the firing positions being taught at Appleseed, so I'll have to pick up/borrow a sling. I already have adequate supply of 5.56/.223 ammo for training so I'll stick to my own rifle, which is what I want to learn to use better. The noise isn't an issue for training (hearing protection) and the recoil is quite mild to me.

From the sound of it, Appleseed is just what I'd been looking for. The Wright City event is the one I'd mentioned wanting to attend. I've actually been to that club a couple of times before for other reasons. It's a nice facility.