The Garden State wants her shooters to muster!!

[Mikep]

Hello All who are audacious enough to stand and be counted in the name of American Liberty.

Come and sound off. Announce your presence. And welcome. The push for a New Jersey Appleseed Project has begun today.

New Jersey, a founding state, of the original Free and Independent Thirteen, is stirring.

Peace, Prosperity, Freedom, Heritage and Pure of Heart American Marksmanship will be proudly practiced within the borders of the several counties of the Free and Independent State of New Jersey.

Bring your shoulder, your sweat, your wife, your children, your friends and your love of Country. The Liberty passed on to us and which we are tasked to pass on to our children will move again in the Free and Independent State of New Jersey.

Join me in this effort, let's establish the good name of the Appleseed Project here in New Jersey for the benefit of all New Jerseyans and fellow Americans.

Send me a private message, or reply here with your bid to volunteer.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you on the Firing Line.

Ready on the Right?!!!? Ready on the Left?!!?


Regards,
MikeP

[newman37]

I'm in the PRNJ!  Just getting started with rifles actually and was hoping to attend one of the VT events as I go up there a lot anyway.

[crak]

You don't have to go all the way to VT!  Try the Athol, MA shoot on July 5th/6th.   

[newman37]

Isn't MA really weird with outsiders bringing their evil wares into paradise?  I'm pretty comfortable with the VT gun laws (what gun laws?), but I'm leery of going into MA with anything.  Thanks for the offer though, I hope you have a great time! 

[Nickle]

You should be fine either VT or Mass.

Mass laws are restrictive, but not any worse than yours in New Jersey.

One thing you do need in Mass, is to make sure you have a copy of the event flyer with you.

[newman37]

Yeah, NJ has some sweet, sweet laws!  I'm well aware of them, so I know what I can and can't do here, but not so much in MA.  Besides, I go up to VT/NH all the time so going to a VT event is no biggie.  VT is almost like home-away-from-home to me I've been there so much over the years! 

Where is Athol, MA anyway?  Western Mass?  I'll have to check and see.

[Mikep]

I am considering going to Jericho VT for July 19 and 20. Newman are you considering the same dates?

[newman37]

Milep, actually I'm looking at the later dates - I think the one up by Rutland in September is going to be what I end up making - I would have loved the one in Bennington in early July, but the schedule didn't work out for me.  Actually, i think there is one in August too, but I'll have to check on that...

[Nickle]

Bennington is 16/17 August, and .22 RF only.

[Sharpdogs]

Count me in.  I mostly shoot pistols and skeet but could use more trigger time behind a rifle.  I would like to make the Hartford, CT shoot 8/23-24.  Problem with NJ besides the gun laws is that there are very few places to shoot rifles.

[Nickle]

Count me in.  I mostly shoot pistols and skeet but could use more trigger time behind a rifle.  I would like to make the Hartford, CT shoot 8/23-24.  Problem with NJ besides the gun laws is that there are very few places to shoot rifles.

Find a range in NJ for us, we go there.

And welcome to another from the survivalforums. I'm sometimes on the VT Guns area.

[dwarven1]

MikeP, I'm an IIT and a former Jersey boy (living in MA now); born and brought up in Fair Lawn. You find a range, I'll come down to help instruct. Well... at least in Northern NJ. I might get lost south of the Raritan. ;-)

Ross

[Mikep]

Gentlemen,

I am working on it. Last weekend, at a NRA prone any rifle fun match held at CJRPC, I became friendly with a couple people who directly asked about Appleseed. You see, I was proudly wearing one of our shirts.

The course was all prone, slow fire, 300 yds, one round at a time, three stages, twenty rounds per stage. For the sixty rounds, I had two misses. I fussed with my RS windage in the third stage to move my group a little left, sent two rounds down range then returned the RS to my zero when I could not spot those two shots on the target, I called them good.

The cool thing about this, since attending the Appleseed and the Boot Camp, shooting KD at a target I can see, I'm totally confident I'll hit it. Only because of RWVA and the great people I've met so far.

After experiencing the NRA format, I know how valuable our program is for mixing and connecting heritage with marksmanship. I believe it can appeal to a wider variety of people.

On Sunday, tomorrow, there is a full NRA high power rifle match. I'm attending. I'm trying to gently bring the Appleseed idea to the club. The shoot boss of the match does all the rifle business and he is the chairman on the club BOD.

I'm in "making friends for Appleseed" mode.

You guys will be teaching in NJ in the near future.

Thanks Nickle, dwarven1,

Sharpdogs, send a PM if you want to shoot with me at my club.

[wcmartin1]

On Sunday, tomorrow, there is a full NRA high power rifle match. I'm attending. I'm trying to gently bring the Appleseed idea to the club. The shoot boss of the match does all the rifle business and he is the chairman on the club BOD.

Mikep,

Here's wishing Tens and X's to you, Sir, in both endeavors. 

[CooperGlocker]

Gooooooooooooood morning New Jersey Riflemen!

Howdy everyone, just poking my head in here!  I'm looking forward to going to the 2008 Allenmans, PA Appleseed Shoot on the weekend of September 6-7.  The drive doesn't sound too bad.  In fact, given the nature of the event, it sounds very worth it.

Hope to see some of ya'll there!

[Mikep]

Thanks WC.

I did fine in the sitting and prone stages. The standing stage got me when I learned that I couldn't use my sling. Geez, what's the point to that!?

Anyway, I muddled through, after the shoot boss showed me acceptable support arm positions. After the event, I did get to speak to the shoot boss about Appleseed. The bad news is, the club is REALLY busy. Full schedule through the end of '08. And the same events hold priority on these calendar positions into the future until they give them up.

The good news is, the shoot boss is the chairman of board and he has been linked to our website and effectively knows Appleseed is there. Other members, with whom I have spoken, are enthusiastic to have an Appleseed. And the chairman holds a high regard for shooting with a purpose.

I will continue to do what I do there, but I will look elsewhere, now that the reality there has been revealed.

[Mikep]

Hey People,

If you're reading this and you are living in New Jersey, I would appreciate a PM from you.

Lurking may be fine behavior on other boards, I've done it myself, but this board is purpose oriented. And Appleseed needs every available body to step up and be counted.

If you're here, you know what the objectives are.

On April 19th, 1775, fourteen thousand mustered to meet the regulars before that day was done. Had the alarms continued to fan out, I am sure double that would have gathered.

What is the least we can do in New Jersey?

This is an alarm to all Garden State-ers.

Appleseed in New Jersey needs your participation.

The Committee to Develop Appelseed in New Jersey begins now.

Who's in?

[Colorado Pete]

Check out Cherry Ridge range in north central NJ, about 10-12 miles up Canistear Road (just past the north end of Canistear Reservoir) north off Rt. 23. I used to be a member there in my swamp-dwelling days.

[Mikep]

New Jersey Shooters,

The time to muster will be a reality very soon. New Jersey is just coming apart at the seams with new FID applicants and Purchase permits each week. New shooters are entering the game and they will be seeking good instruction and venues with good programs. I had some success today and am following up next week with this new contact for an Appleseed venue. Now is the time to get your gear together. I strongly believe, A New Jersey Appleseed is coming.

Your preparation period begins NOW!!!

Stay tuned.

Sincerely,
MikeP

[Truculent turtle]

Mike,  it  good  to  see  you  on  line.  Let's get  to  shoot  together  sometime.  You  missed  a  really  great  IBC  in  south  central  Va  last  week  end.  If  you  need  help  up  there......

[CooperGlocker]

Sorry to bump an older thread.

I just came back from the Allemans PA Appleseed event and I am sold.  I loved every bit of it, even if I am only 5 points shy of being a Rifleman.

I work at Range 14, Ft. Dix, and I am going to do what I can to convince my supervisors and managers that we need something like this there.  Bill and the folks at Allemans were helpful enough to give us more information and even some additional targets in order to sway some of the folks there, and I believe we could get this happening in New Jersey within this year.

Our big problem is being able to rent the Entire Range for the Entire Weekend.  Typically, you have to be a member ($60/year for civilians, $20/year for active duty military) and you're permitted up to 4 guests and it's $3 an hour to use the range.  We need to find some way to either waive or significantly reduce the range fees

For hunter education and a few small events a year, we have rented out the pistol range (50m to the backstop), however we can only shoot .22 rifles on it per Range Control.  I don't think we should restrict an entire event to .22's only, nor would it be economically sound for the folks that prefer to do the whole event in a full rifle caliber.

I will run it by my bosses and see what we can come up with.  The information and notes provided to me by the Allemans instructors will be very helpful in convincing them that this is worth it for the range and for the shooting community as a whole.

[dwarven1]

Many years ago when I lived in NJ, there was an outdoor range up off of Rt 23 in West Milford, I think. Anyone know if that's still there? Maybe we could see about shooting there.

Coop, great to see another Jersey boy showing up. I may live in MA, but I'm still a Jersey boy at heart.




had to change the name of the town... funny how much you forget in 22 years.

[Chainsaw]

Coop,

Dwarven1 is the guy I was telling you about that would be a happy shoot boss in NJ.  I see he already found you!

[kDan]

.22's only is fine.  I'm actually growing partial to it.  I love the percussion of the center-fires and I know a lot of folks get excited about the whole masculinity of it, but we deal with only two things - History, and the MECHANICS of firing one shot at a time, rapidly of course.  .22's are perfect for this.  Sight picture, breathing, trigger control...  you can do that dry-firing, so why not save some money and put 600 rounds down-range for twenty bucks instead of spending $300 on an increasingly irreplaceable resource that hurts your shoulder, scares the neighbors, and can interfere with simple mechanics?  Keep the 308 in the basement, maybe in a safe...  and bury some.

As for range fees, Me and MikeP (NJ) just collected $610 in range fees for Hartford Gun Club this weekend ($10/person/day).  I was proud to hand it over to the range manager.  He smiled.  If Connecticut shooters can afford $10 a day, so can New Jersey shooters.  Put it to your officers as a fund-raising adventure.  They'll probably gain club members too if they're interested in that sort of thing.

And thanks for coming out.  Good luck in NJ.  I'm local and open to helping out in any way - sight visit, whatever.

[CooperGlocker]

I really like the sound of establishing some kind of one shot range fee.  $10/shooter for the weekend sounds very reasonable.  The average customer only spends $6 for 2 hours of shooting.  The free advertising of the event, combined with the potential for fellow New Jersians to become interested in membership (A bulk of our profits are through memberships) based on the benefits (Ft. Dix Hunting, Rifle, Pistol, Skeet, Trap, and Archery Ranges, Ft. Dix Paintball for the kids [And adults that are kids at heart], the hunting prize contests and fishing) would be a great perk to the range.  Combine that with the fact that appleseed insurance covers the whole event, and the Range Safety Officer, Range Control, or Range 14 staff don't have to become involved during business hours beyond pointing folks to the clean, indoor restrooms.

If it wouldn't inconvenience the community as a whole, would a .22LR only Appleseed be viable?  I can see us "renting" the pistol range all weekend, as Hunter Education, NRA Courses, and Sportsmen's Challenges do it all the time, so our chances of getting this going on Range 14 would more than likely increase if we get the pistol range the whole time.  If everyone had a .22, or built their own LTR's, and Instructors and Shoot Bosses had LTR's to loan out like I saw at Allemans, This could very much be doable, centerfire bravado asside.  I only shot with my AR this weekend because the parts for my LTR arrived today and are actually waiting for me to come home from work and assemble it.

Another potential perk is after the appleseed event, one has a convenient, nearby 200 yard range to drive to to practice the skills learned that weekend with their centerfire rifle.  The range has rent-able 1/3rd silhouette steel plate targets that can be rented for $3/hour/shooter that must be placed at 200 yards by regulation.  That'll give new members/fresh appleseeders a great opportunity to practice those newly learned skills.  I know I'm looking forward to trying my hand at the silhouette!

[dwarven1]

Coop, not only would a .22 only AS be possible, it's been done before. Some ranges restrict what can be fired, so we work with the ranges.

If that's the only way to get the range, that's what we'll do.

[kDan]

Thank you Dwarven1!  We worked Bennington together last year if I'm not mistaken.  Maybe you weren't there.  It was right after Hartford, and I get confused.  Bennington was 22 only, and now Buzzworth is a shoot boss and hosted a 4/19 this weekend!

Like I said, .22 only is not only viable, it is instructionally valid.  If we lose some center-fire shooters, that's okay.  Sad, but okay.  I think NJ can come up with enough numbers to justify a .22 only shoot.  As a matter of fact, in some of the more sensitive states, I think the fear of big rifle "ebr" (evil black rifle) showmanship can put some potential appleseeders on their heels.  Don't get me wrong - I'm all about reaching out with some influence, but as far as generating some activity in an area where folks (neighbors even), may be inclined to shy away from thousand dollar high-impact bang-sticks, there is nothing wrong with getting some guys to bring their wives and kids out to the range to plink away not only at targets and misconceptions, but at their own apathy.  

Any high-power rifle owner that thinks he cannot learn from shooting an ltr (if you don't know, check the thread), certainly cannot learn anything from me, because he already knows everything.

[CooperGlocker]

I am very excited by these types of replies.

The next step is to bottle the information up and present it to my immediate supervisor.  Not a problem, as he is the father of my fiancee.  With his input, and the knowledge gleaned this weekend, we can work out an appropriate way of getting this to his boss, if necessary.  He does run Range 14 and is the senior safety office there.  If he determines we can do this and can negotiate the registration fee, then all we'll need to do is find a date that doesn't interfere with hunter education or any NRA safety courses going on.

Quite excited.  I will be seeing him tonight and have a ton of packets of information thanks to Bill.  Basically, extra copies of exactly what we received this weekend.  If I can't convince him, I'm sure his daughter can.

I'll keep you guys posted.  Perhaps I'll start a new thread after this evening.

[dwarven1]

Thank you Dwarven1!  We worked Bennington together last year if I'm not mistaken.  Maybe you weren't there.  It was right after Hartford, and I get confused.  Bennington was 22 only, and now Buzzworth is a shoot boss and hosted a 4/19 this weekend!

Hey, Dan... think for a minute. How many bikes were in the parking lot? Yup, two. Yours and mine. And I'm a shot boss, too, now, and ran a shoot as well. *sniff* We little kids are growing up so fast, old timer... 

And yes, it was .22 only because of the GFW neighbors. 

Fort Dix, though... I don't know about this. You guys are going to be dragging me to SOUTH Jersey. Man, people get weird south of the Raritan! I mean, they marry their sisters and all!

Hmm... Hey, waitaminute. If I come down early, I might have time to sneak over to Camden and see the New Jersey - BB62, right? Well... OK, if you're gonna twist my arm.

[CooperGlocker]

Hah!

I'm originally from Kearny myself.  Now residing in Monmouth Junction/South Brunswick.  I always thought Ft. Dix was relatively "central Jersey" and that areas south of there, like Browns Mills and further south were the backwards south we've come to know and love. 

As for the New Jersey, I saw it from across the river on a trip through Philly... I try and avoid Camden personally!