Hi guys. Just yesterday I read something on the Sig Forum about The Appleseed Project, I had never heard of it before. I decided to check it out and it led me here. I have a couple questions (hope this is an ok place to ask).
1. Is attending a weekend Appleseed event a one-time thing or is it something that people attend every year or a couple times a year?
2. Do you have to have a centerfire rifle? Currently my son and I shoot several handguns weekly at Spring Valley range but we only have a Henry lever 22LR. (We would purchase a semi-auto 22LR as I've read this event is geared more to them)
Just a little about us... I'm retired USAF and my son is an Army vet currently attending college. Thanks for taking time to provide some guidance.
Hi Greg! Welcome to Project Appleseed!
I hope you and your family can join us at an event soon. I'm just south of you by a few miles and you're lucky there are several locations close to Fairborn - like Miamisburg, Piqua, and Wilmington. Just a few short years ago folks from Ohio were driving several hours to other states to find an event. :)
Hopefully I can help with your questions. If you have any others, fire away.
1. We have many folks who make attending an Appleseed event a recurring thing. It's great seeing familiar faces on the firing line. And of course all of our volunteer Instructors decided to make it a recurring part of their life as they want to pass on the experience they received at their shoot. Before undergoing the extensive training one gets as an Instructor, we all started off as an Appleseed student just like everyone else. Show up for one weekend and decide for yourself what you think or if you want to return. No big deal.
2. A centerfire rifle, nor any particular gear is required. The only requirements are that your rifle is legal and safe to operate. Many seem to think they have to wait to acquire the "right" firearm, or the "right" number of mags, or the "right" pair of tactical boots ::) before attending an Appleseed and that's just not the case. Sure, there are some rifles or types of equipment that will be helpful, and if you have time and $20 there are things one can do to get the most out of the weekend, but nothing is required and we see all kinds of equipment. Since we do a majority of shooting using reduced sized targets at 25m, many use .22lr to save on ammo costs.
With that, since Appleseed truly is a 500 yard, centerfire course at its core, be warned that before too long you're going to want to buy a centerfire so you can truly put your skills to use for real at actual distance, after just practicing and honing your skills with .22lr and reduced size targets. So be prepared you might be re-evaluating your budget the Monday after your event. O0
Feel free to ask more questions here, or send me a Private Message or email at MeanStreakerOH@gmail.com if there's anything else you'd like to know, or if you want more info about events close to you. I also recommend reading some of the After Action Reports stickied at the top of the Ohio section. They may be helpful to you.
Thanks, and again, Welcome!
--Mike
Let me echo Meanstreaker's welcome to both you and your son and let me add my thanks to both of you for your service to our country. I started with Appleseed two years ago at a shoot in central Ohio with my teenage son. It was a really good weekend and I eagerly returned for more. On my fourth event I finally shot a rifleman's score and was invited to join the core of instructors in training (which I gladly accepted). I know that I speak for all the volunteers when I say we would love to have you on the line this year. See you at a "seed".
Corvette
Thanks for the input MeanStreaker & Corvette. We'll try to get to the May event in Miamisburg or the June event in Piqua. We're looking forward to the experience. O0
Thanks for your inquiry, Greg! ^:)^
Here's what you'll need:
EACH shooter needs a rifle. Any rifle, any sights. Especially for your first 'seed, there's no need for a center fire. Loaner .22's can usually be arranged; contact the shoot boss ahead of time to make sure. That might be the best solution for a first shoot, so you'll have a good idea how a shoot goes for when you go shopping, later.
A sling is a near-necessity, and a cheap GI-type web sling works best. but if your rifle has no sling swivels, jury-rigging is common and it works.
You'll have the EASIEST time, and score the best, with a detachable-magazine semi-auto, equipped with a aperture (peep) sights or a low-power scope. But in no sense do you NEED that combination in order to learn a lot and see a big improvement in your skills.
What's guaranteed is that you'll have a grand time. ;)
Thanks didactic. Well we ran up to Olde English tonight and I got a Marlin 795 and my son bought a 10/22 Ruger Sporter. Both come with sling attachments. We'll get them out to Spring Valley this weekend to see how they shoot. Hopefully they will be as accurate as my Henry, it's a tack driver at 25 yds.
Please remember that no one on this forum TOLD you you needed to buy new rifles to attend an Appleseed. But that said, those two rifles are probably the two most popular models at Appleseed shoots. So you have undoubtedly chosen well. Those are good rifles to own, even if you have never heard of Project Appleseed. ;D :cool2:
Just read the "what to bring and how to prepare" posts, the main one on the "Appleseed Schedule" thread. @)
GI-type web slings will serve you well; they are available from the Appleseed Store as well as several other sources. If you've never used one before, you will be amazed at how much your steadiness improves!
And, if there's time and your budget allows, you might want to consider adding Tech-Sights, if your eyes are young enough to focus on the front sight, or a low-power scope if not. Or maybe attend the shoot and then decide if you want to make that modification later.
But remember that, by far, the most important thing to bring is the "teachable attitude." Appleseed shoots are NOT an "equipment race." Any advice you get is geared toward you having an easier, more comfortable, time and maybe scoring better, but by far the most important thing is what you learn, not how high your targets score. O0
So welcome aboard! ^:)^ ^:)^
Welcome!
I'm not an instructor. I'm not even a Rifleman, yet.
All I want to add is that in my mind, Appleseeds are addicting! I have been to Gibsonburg, Miamisburg, Lima, New Philadelphia, Athens and Wooster. My husband scored Rifleman on my birthday in Lima, and got a Winterseed patch. He still wants to go to Appleseeds, and take a few of our children with him.
I have taken 2 daughters to LadySeeds, and can't wait for the LadySeed on April 28. At least one daughter will be there with me.
Hope you and yours enjoy Appleseeds as much as our clan does!
Welcome!
Thank you and your son for your service.
And Gibsonburg is just down the road from the CMP North store. Appleseed fulfills the CMP shooting requirement and you can get a SWEET M1!
My daughters were 8&9 last summer and made it to parts of 3 seeds each and just went to Beaver Falls last weekend.
Appleseeds are a lot of fun, build your skills, and you get to meet some really nice people!
If you get to Miamisberg I bet you got to Piqua. O0
Stand
Thanks for the input Linda and Stand. I think we are going to try for the Miamisburg event in July. That will give us time to get aquainted with our rifles. Any reason to buy new guns & gear is a good reason. ^:)^ I for see attending a couple events. One close to Camp Perry sounds interesting. Being retired military qualifies me for one of their rifles. O0