Just finished signing up for the Diva/Appleseed shoot in March. Now I have to decide what I'm going to shoot because I don't think my bolt-action .22 is the right gun for this. It's accurate as heck, but I'm a lot older and slower than I used to be, so that might be a problem during rapid fire relays. And I don't think Santa's going to be bringing me any new guns this year either! Oh well, I've got time to work on this! :)
I thought the same thing. I put some time in though, practicing the various positions in the hallway, "dry practicing" toward the plug. A couple shoots later I was faster than most of the semi autos, AND had the benefit of the accuracy of the bolt action.
I'm positive you can accomplish what you set out to do. Nothing good comes easy, and if it comes easy it can be taken away just as quick. Good luck to you!
Bring your .22 bolt action. You can learn all the fundamentals on it. True that the AQT is challenging with a bolt action, but it has been done many times. There will probably be some semi-auto loaners to be had, so if you want to qualify you can borrow one (if available).
But bring what-you-got, we will make anything work. The instruction is valid for any type of rifle.
.
Quote from: starfox on December 22, 2010, 09:58:13 PM
Bring your .22 bolt action. You can learn all the fundamentals on it. True that the AQT is challenging with a bolt action, but it has been done many times. There will probably be some semi-auto loaners to be had, so if you want to qualify you can borrow one (if available).
But bring what-you-got, we will make anything work. The instruction is valid for any type of rifle.
I think I have the fundamentals down, it's the rapid fire sequence that might be the deal breaker. I'll bring the bolt-action anyway because I'm curious about how well I can shoot up that AQT target with it. (I used to compete in ISU matches with it in college and it's still a darned nice firearm)
Here is another thought. The AQT was originally designed for the 1903 Springfield which is a bolt action stripper clip fed rifle. You can do the rapid fire stages with a bolt action rifle as it was designed for it. (And you can always brag to your friends who score 210+ with a semi-auto "Well I did it with a bolt action!" ;D )
Seriously, don't fret over not having a semi-auto rifle. You'll still learn a lot and probably be a better rifleman for it!
You've got to respect a shooter who still drives stick.
Bring the rifle you know best. At Gibsonburg last Sept we had a gent qualify using a Mossberg 44US. Mossbergs of that vintage have a lot of drag on the bolt so they're not the fastest action around. However it was slick enough to do the job. You have plenty of time, all the time in the world, to get your shots on paper. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. By all means buy another rifle, who needs a reason?
The Wife asked the Husband "Just how many rifles do you need?" to which the Husband replied " I don't know, how many are there?" O0
Quote from: plinker on December 22, 2010, 09:03:12 PMIt's accurate as heck, but I'm a lot older and slower than I used to be, so that might be a problem during rapid fire relays.
Plinker,
Appleseed isn't a competition - it's a classroom. You're there to
learn. The only one you're competing against is yourself.
BTW... at age 50 I picked up a bolt-action 22 for the heck of it... and one day when I was practicing at the range, I used that to shoot with... and did a Rifleman score during a
rapid-fire AQT (40 rounds in 4 minutes). You don't have to be 14, you just have to practice.
Bring the bolt gun. It sounds like it's an old friend.
LOL, every time I go to the range it's a learning experience!
I'm definately bringing the old gun with me, but I've always got a hankering for a new one! My gun "Want List" has been expanding lately - too bad I don't have a Sugar Daddy to buy new stuff for me!
I witnessed Baminal shoot "Rifleman" with a bolt action at Davilla, it CAN be done!!!!
Bring it, if it doesn't work for you, I'll loan you one of mine.
Grumpy
In the glorious fashion of hindsight, I see that my bolt (Savage 93 in .22WMR) forced me to accept the steady hold factors and natural point of aim sooner than some of the auto-feed guys, because you don't have time to mess around. That said, I have three suggestions;
First, make sure you have reliable clips with spares. I had some feed problems at my first AS due to quick manipulation of the bolt that drove me nuts.
Second, practice working the action and changing mags WITHOUT lifting EITHER elbow in sitting and prone. I'm a rightie, so when I worked the action my muzzle actually dipped to the right a couple inches but came right back. Same thing for mag changes. by keeping your elbows grounded, the NPOA is retained and you save time. This is what I did for 2 months between my first and second AS that put me over the 210 mark.
Third, during the 'time monkey' second and third stages, its better to have 7 or 8 great shots than 10 fair ones. Don't rush a lousy shot just to get to the next one.
Good Luck, and I'll see you on the trail.
Baminal
So, I brought the old gun to the Appleseed at QC this past weekend and had a great time! No, I didn't get the patch, but that was never the point anyway - I told doublell that I just wanted to spend some quality time with my "baby" - and she performed really well until Day2 when the dirt and grime started taking it's toll on my ability to run the bolt.
There were quite a few lustful glances cast towards that rifle (LOL!), and when Carmele's rifle ran into some problems, we used mine to practice the "ball and dummy" drill. I'd have to say on Day 1, the rifle was a real performer for me and I cleaned one of the redcoat targets nicely (iron sights, no scope).
I got to do a little coaching (always fun for me), talked to some people who walked up and asked a few questions about both the Appleseed and the Divas, and had a really nice time shooting for two days. I'll be on the radio show this Thursday with Judy Rhodes to talk about the weekend, Appleseed, etc. and I'll try not to get too nervous being "on the air".
I'll probably do another Appleseed shoot in the future, but Judy told me I have to do the next one with a semi-auto - maybe I'll borrow her hot little shooter! See ya'll next time around!
Thanks to all the instructors, volunteers, wives, families and support personnel that made this Appleseed a wonderful experience for our group!
Plinker,
I really enjoyed watching you shoot. The instructors all learned something from your shooting. You know it isn't everyday that we get a shooter on the line who was a top smallbore competitor. :)
We were all lushing over your rifle and I am thrilled you got the time to shoot it. After all what is the use of having a rifle if you can't shoot!! :~ :~ :~
Thanks for your support in our program and I am looking forward to the radio show this Thursday. I think blogtalk will be surprised by the sheer number of ladies who will be joining us on Thursday- DIVA power!! :bow:
I sure would like to shoot the AQT with that single-shot bolt action gun again - just to prove it can be done - but I think I'd need a lot of practice to pull it off!
Signed up for the May shoot, and I'll be bringing a different rifle for that one. I just picked up a new 10/22 from the local gun store! It's a project gun, meaning that I'm putting a few extra touches on it like a lighter trigger, sling swivels,etc. I'd love to have the budget to trick it out some more just for the fun of it, but I guess I'll have to be a little nicer to my bank account for awhile. I still might bring the Anschutz out for Day 1 though - it's so fun to shoot that it would be a shame to leave it home!