Project Appleseed

Borrowed a friends Ruger 10/22. Don't remember what type of ammo.

What I do remember is I was lining up the front sight level with the top of the rear sight blade. And couldn't hit anything. Yeah way high. I didn't know you were supposed to put the front sight in the little 'notch' of the rear sight. Which is way below.

I still hate the stock Ruger sights. May the designer of the stock Ruger sights burn in hell. Thank you Tech Sights.

That applies to Ruger Mini sights too.

All,

I am loving all these stories!  In many ways we've all been down some of the same roads with equipment, ammo and techniques.

Before my first shoot I thought of myself as an accomplished rifle marksman. Then I found out what real marksmanship was. Then I realized I had come to that stage in my life where it has become important for me to pass on and teach this.  That's why I took an orange hat.  Will be upgrading to a red one later this year.

Gus

I ran a Marlin 795 on December 18th 2024 for my first and currently only Appleseed shoot. Hoping to do another this spring. My 795 wore tech sights, GI sling and had a DIP trigger with Mcarbo spring kit. Ran flawlessly through 300 rounds, had a jam that cost me a target but shot a 216 or 217 on my last attempt for the day. I shot cci standard velocity. Great rifle overall

PSA AR15 freefloated upper and 1x4 scope

shot 62 grain ammo.

Quote from: Gus on January 29, 2025, 07:27:38 PMWill be upgrading to a red one later this year.

Gus

Looking forward to seeing that, Gus 

Hahaha similar experience here. I brought my new 10/22, a take down version with I think even worse sights, the 3 dot pistol style sights. Impossible to aim precisely at 25m, impossible to adjust precisely (windage adjustment requires a hammer and punch).

Luckily it was a 1 day event an hour from my house that I had not travelled to, because all I really learned was that stock sights were utterly useless, and Appleseed technique was awesome and that I wanted to do it with a rifle that was actually usable for what you all do.

Quote from: scuzzy on January 28, 2025, 08:52:01 PMBorrowed a friends Ruger 10/22. Don't remember what type of ammo.

What I do remember is I was lining up the front sight level with the top of the rear sight blade. And couldn't hit anything. Yeah way high. I didn't know you were supposed to put the front sight in the little 'notch' of the rear sight. Which is way below.

I still hate the stock Ruger sights. May the designer of the stock Ruger sights burn in hell. Thank you Tech Sights.

I showed up to my first event with a Marlin XT 22-TR (Tube fed, buckhorn sites). It was not ideal. Shot Saturday and most of Sunday with it, had plateaued around the 160-170 on the AQT. Getting on in the afternoon on Sunday, one of the instructors says "I think you should give this a try", and opens a case with a scoped 10/22, shows me the manual of arms, next AQT BOOM, 220s for a dandy patch.

The event where I took my orange hat, I showed back up with that old tube fed (and a scope this time) and was able to get it done. It's on my to-do list to put tech sites on it and try again, although I'm not confident my eyes are up to the task anymore.

My first Appleseed, I bought a pair of marlin 795's for my son and myself.  He used a scope and I used Tech Sights. Got my Rifleman patch with that rifle and sights, but at my second Appleseed.  Used Federal AutoMatch.  Bought copious amounts of it before quality control went bad.  Still have those rifles and added another as a loaner. 

My first Appleseed I brought a Ruger 10/22 with a 3-9 scope. My scope was way too far back causing eye relief issues and I was terrible in seated. I did a lot of adjustments and dry fire practice and qualified the next time. I think I used either CCI Minimags.

I still have the "rifle" but the barrel, receiver, scope, stock, and trigger are all now in different rifles I have built.

Russian Tula TOZ-3 semiautomatic 22lr. I think the scope was a fixed 4x Redfield.
Scored a 202, the target is still hanging in my office.

Henry

Attended my first Appleseed last year. Used this Ruger 10/22.

https://ruger.com/products/1022Carbine/specSheets/31197.html

You can find it here.

https://grabagun.com/ruger-10-22-carbine-22-lr-16-12-barrel-10-rounds-w-hogue-overmolded-stock.html

Topped it off with this optic, I practiced like hell with the irons but my eyes just can't do it anymore.

https://us.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-4x32-ao-mil-dot.html

I really like this optic, it has an Adjustable Objective for Parallax and is adjustable to 15 Feet, yep 15 Feet.

I tried several different options of ammo but it ran great on CCI Mini Mag, Target, round nose, 40 grain.

I attended a Winterseed event this winter in Rochester MN, before i went I installed a Clark custom trigger kit in the gun and i feel it tightened my group up enough to earn my second Rifleman patch.

https://clarkcustomguns.com/product/clark-1022-trigger-kit/



I could not move myself to buy the Ruger BX trigger, i feel it should have come with the gun and again i am very happy with the Clark trigger.

Finally that is a tactical Operations cheek pad on it to shim the height.

https://www.tacticalworks.com/Tactical-Operations-Ammo-Cheek-Pad-NO-LOOPS-in-Coyote-TOPS5NL.html

My only complaint is the thread protector kept un-threading, I need to get an o-ring for it.

M1 Garand with surplus M2 Ball.  We drove up from Virginia to Altoona, Pa.  Over 50 shooters on the line and probably 75% centerfire.  There were 10 M1's.  Ah, the pre-Sandy Hook days.  $30 spam cans of M2 Ball, 192 rounds in clips and bandoliers, from CMP. I think it was 2008.

I let every piece of brass collect on my mat and was awash in shell casings by the end of each day.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I especially remember when I mistakenly left my ears off for a string of fire.  Not a good thing with all those boomers.

I used a Ruger SR-22, essentially a 10/22 in an aluminum chassis. That long rail means you can mount the scope exactly where you want it.


I used a Mueller Speed Shot scope, which has a tiny do for a reticle.
https://muelleroptics.com/products/mueller-speed-shot-1-4x24/

tk

I borrowed a ruger 10/22 scoped and used cci ammo from  Cadence (Don M.) and made a rifleman score my first go round. Their excellent instruction and coaching led me on the path. As I soon found out there are lots of reasons one can fail to shoot a subsequent rifleman score of which Ive experienced many ( ammo, scope fail, sling fail, loose retention screws and just bad execution of known marksmanship techniques.) Nevertheless, persistence pays and I made my known distance KD patch with my AR using 556. More importantly I became an IIT and love helping out the shoots especially the youth shoots.

Ruger 10/22 bull barrel with tech sights, I don't remember what ammo. Cleared at least 1 redcoat and scored rifleman. I still have the rifle but it seems heavier than it was in 2017.

I came to my first Appleseed with my M1A National Match rifle (iron sights), shooting nato military surplus 147g ammo.
Oh yeah,  I was also in full cammo fatigues with my Michigan Militia unit patches and boonie hat. 

    

My first one I used a custom 10/22 with a horrible stock. Used .22 Federal MAtch.  also outdated glasses so i couldnt see.  Failed miserably  Found an appropriate stock and glass bedded it, got my eye balls updated, 2nd go round scored a 212.  Attending the KD at Puryear in oct, going to TRY and run my M1A but it was so bad out of the box I shipped back today under warranty so MAYBE....   

My first shoot was at an inaugural event with over 50 shooters so there wasn't individual hand holding. My rifle was one I bought years before from a custom builder based on the 10/22 platform. When I initially shot it I was not impressed with its accuracy, considering what I paid for it, and it languished in the safe for years. Only after becoming an Appleseeder I realized that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the rifle; now it is one of the most accurate firearms I own. After a frustrating weekend at the first event I went home patchless. I believe that Auto Match was the ammo and the groups were good but every string of fire showed different impact points and scope adjustments didn't seem to make any difference. After the shoot I removed the cheap scope and shook it. It rattled! A month later and with a new (cheap) scope I qualified. Lesson learned? Sometimes it's not the shooter and that scopes can and do fail.

My first Appleseed was a Sunday in Circa 2007/2008, with a SOCOM M1A with South African ball.  Gun & ammo ran fine, and by the end of the day I was mostly on paper and my should was sore!!

Shot my 25 meter clinic in Charlotte NC the last weekend of May 2025. I shot that match with a CZ 455 .22LR, I think I shot the whole match with CCI MiniMags, and I was lucky enough to receive my Rifleman patch.

My first was a one-day event in 2019 with a Marlin Mod 60 I borrowed from my father.  The trigger was so hard to pull, I often had to check to see if the safety was on.  The rifle had an awful little scope that came with it that got replaced before the event with a cheap Hawke 2-7X scope that I took off of an air rifle.

Federal Automatch was the ammo. It had the word match in it, so it must be competition quality.  I don't recall any ammo issues, so no real complaints there.

The tube feed rifle was a challenge, but was mostly overcome using smoothie straw "speed loaders" except the time I dumped them in backwards.

I scored in the 145 range that day.  It was a great event and motivated me to buy my own rile(s) and keep coming back.

So, I had signed myself, my wife and my son up for that first Appleseed June, 2010. Brand new Mossberg 702 Plinkster 21 inch barrel model for the wife with a 4 power Simmons.  Son got my inherited Remington 552 tube fed.  Uh oh, I need a rife, too.  Well you just bought a CZ 452FS in .22WMR.....There somehow or another was a bulk deal on CCI TMJ .22WMR on-line.  (Been hoping to score that again for 15 years with no luck).  So, I go old school, bolt action.  3-9 Simmons on it and a generic non adjustable sling.  Last target on Sunday I manage a 216.  Rifle has been upgraded to a much nicer scope and a GI sling.  It remains the terror of the local ground hog population. 

Quote from: PMark364 on August 13, 2025, 09:42:12 PMShot my 25 meter clinic in Charlotte NC the last weekend of May 2025. I shot that match with a CZ 455 .22LR, I think I shot the whole match with CCI MiniMags, and I was lucky enough to receive my Rifleman patch.

Hey I was at the match with you!! I'm coming back on September 6-7. This time I'll be bringing my CZ bolt action to test my bolt game!

Good Luck My Friend. It does test your speed with the bolt.

Hope you have a good time.

Mark

A Ruger 10/22T in stainless, bought ten years before. Old but very good 4-12 Tasco with an adjustable objective. Had a 1907 sling on it, but soon borrowed a cotton GI sling. Federal Champion 36gr non-HP in the blue bulk box.

Came close. Several times.

Appleseed #1 was shot with a Marlin Model 70HC (which, if I understand correctly, is the pre-ban version of the 795) that I borrowed from my dad. I then added tech sights, sling studs, a GI sling, and bought a couple of 10 round Marlin magazines (since they're not made by a big manufacturer any more, the price was a total rip-off).

I believe my highest score that time was 190. Looking back, I could not get a check weld at the right height to see through the aperture with any repeatability. The mag change was also far more fiddly than it is on a 10/22, which certainly didn't help.

I gave that rifle back to my dad and taught my little brother how to use it for sling-supported position shooting.

Sure have enjoyed reading everyone's stories.  Also, some of you even provided information of family member's first Appleseed rifles and ammo!  I thought that was particularly cool.

With that in mind, I'm goind to revisit my post. Two of my sons joined me on that day in March of 2019. One used a Marlin 795 with Norma TAC ammo and shot scores in the 170s and 180s. The other used a bolt action Anschutz Achiever (with open sights) with CCI Mini Mag 36 gr HP ammo. He scored a 216 on his first AQT. The next day he scored a 233.

My wife has also been a shooter at several Appleseed clinics. She used my Ruger 10/22 Sporter and CCI Standard at her first clinic.

In Liberty,

Gus

Here's a snapshot of what we all used. Everyone was pretty good about which rifle they used. In the case of the Ruger 10/22, there were all manner of models. In the interest of simplicity I lumped them all into one count, whether they were basic models or customized rifles. It is no surprise that Ruger 10/22s are the most popular choice.

With ammo, quite a few couldn't recall what they used and I categorize it as Blammo-Ammo. For those that did, CCI choices leads the way.

Some rifles were prime examples of bringing what you have or what a friend might have loaned them.

From all these submissions, Here are a few common themes regarding shooter's lessons learned along the way:
-Scopes were mounted incorrectly
-Did not like the stock 10/22 sights
-Many were motivated to come back and try again
-Regrets of ammo choices

Here's a compilation of what we have all provided:

Rifle Choices:
Ruger 10/22         20
Marlin 795          7
Marlin Model 60          4
Springfield M1A          3
AR 15                  2
SW MP 15-22          2
Ruger Precision .22   1
Marlin 99M1          1
Remington 513T          1
Remington M270 (.22 LR)   1
Marlin XT 22-TR           1
Russian Tula TOZ-3   1
M1 Garand           1
Ruger SR-22           1
CZ 455 .22 LR           1
Mossberg 702 .22 LR   1
Remington 552 .22 LR   1
CZ 452FS .22 WMR   1
Anschutz Achiever .22 LR   1
Marlin 70HC           1


Ammo Choices:

Unknown Blammo-Ammo .22 LR     13
CCI Mini Mags 36 gr or 40 gr .22 LR   5
CCI Blazer .22 LR        5
CCI Standard Vel .22 LR        5
Federal Automatch .22 LR     5
Remington Bulk .22 LR        3
Generic 5.56                2
Federal Match .22 LR        2
.308 Surplus 147gr ball        2
.308 Am Eagle 150 fmj        1
SK Standard .22 LR        1
Federal .22 LR                1
Aguila                        1
.30-06 M2 Ball                1
CCI TMJ .22WMR                1
Norma TAC                1
Federal Champion .22 LR      1


In Liberty,

Gus