Looking to do an Appleseed vacation with 3 kids

[dsweinstein]

Hi all, my family and I are somewhat new to sport shooting and marksmanship.  Actually I learned to shoot in maybe 2nd grade or so at overnight camp.  Currently I have a 12 year old son, and a 13 and 16 year old daughter.  We are in the Atlanta area and often find ourselves at the range on an almost weekly basis.

Currently from a rifle/marksmanship standpoint we are shooting a Marlin XT22.  It's consistency is a thing of beauty.  It is bolt action, and we do have a scope mounted on it.  I am looking to outfit the rifle with some tech sights soon.  I really like them over the stock sights.

I had a few questions.  Will bolt action rifles be OK for the Appleseed?  Will it be a handicap in any way (slow things down too much)?  Also I worry about coming and having 3 kids with me, and myself wanting to participate as well.  Should I?  I worry a bout bringing us with a 1:3 adult to kid ratio.  I haven't been to one though, so maybe I am over thinking it.  What I really want to do is pick somewhere say over spring break this coming year, pick an Appleseed in a neighboring state or a road trip away, and work it into a family vacation either beginning or ending the week with it.

Any hints, tips, or things I should know?

David

[Rocket Man]

Not in Atlanta but I think I can help with most of that.

There's no problem bringing a bolt action to Appleseed.  (I just picked one up myself.)  It is a little slower, and you will have to rebuild your position after each shot which makes it a bit more of a challenge.  You may find yourself under a little extra pressure when we get to timed stages.  But it can be done.  I've had folks with single shot .22's on the line, who did fine.  The fundamentals apply to ALL rifles.  Don't hesitate to use your Marlin.

Note that every shooter will need his or her own rifle.  Usually we can arrange loaners, but it's always better to use familiar equipment.

We will have instructors watching over the little ones.  You don't need to shoot and teach at the same time -- that's what we're for.  Early on we'll assess their maturity level and if there are any difficulties, we may have them shoot from a rest during the class, or introduce some other mitigations.  But I have yet to run across a child shooter that gave us any real problems, all the way down to age 6.

Sounds like a fun plan.   

[Mutti]

Not in Atlanta either, but do have 3 Children who we originally started with (ages at the time: 7, 8, and 14).  Sounds like you possess more experience than we did which is awesome.

The first step for us as parents was to realize the Instructors wanted to help and that we needed to let them.  Once we focused on improving what we were doing and allowing our kids to do the same - we had such an incredible time!

I really like working with a bolt action as it hones your ability to focus.  You might dry practice making your support elbow "glued" in place and just slightly leaning to the side to run the bolt.  Once that becomes ingrained - the movements become very natural.

Look forward to hearing about your first Appleseed.

Mutti

[floydf]

Dallas here.  Some thoughts:

1. You might consider signing up yourself for an Appleseed solo so that you know what's coming before doing it as a group.  Particularly for urban folks, Appleseed is a LOT different than ordinary daily urban life.  There's a lot of stuff on the Internet about prepping, but there will still be surprises.  Sometimes surprises in big groups are harder to manage.

2. If you're going to get loaner rifles, get them from an Appleseeder at the shoot. Contact whoever is listed on the event notification.  The biggest headache with families from my perspective is when they show up with a collection of borrowed rifles from Uncle Albert, the paster at church, and grandpa's old Marlin.  From an instructor point of view, kids take additional attention.  Adding a rifle that hasn't been shot or cleaned in 25 years can really slow things down.  Plus they are never setup for slings.  There's usually a good number of loaners available at an event, but check in advance.

3. If you are going to use loaners, make sure you get some decent ammo.  Ammo is really scarce right now, and it may take some time to pull it together.  Do not wait  until the week before to buy it.  Do not assume that ammo comes with a loaner rifle. 

4. Bolt actions are fine.  In fact, from my perspective, they are preferred for those under 16, for two reasons.  First, if something odd does happen, it only happens once.  Second, young kids love to mag dump rifles.  Learning doesn't happen at that rate of fire.  I've got two bolts specifically for use as loaners for kids.

5. Don't go out and buy rifles for everyone.  You don't need four or five 22 rifles.  Unless you're an Appleseed instructor with loaners.   I've seen it happen.  You will have a very different idea of what you need to buy after attending the event.  See Point #1, above.

[hawkhavn]

David,

Good morning, you're getting lots of good info here.  I have asked some of our Georgia crew to chime in so they can help with local particulars (ranges, loaners, etc.).  Thank you for looking to spend so much family time with Appleseed!

Hawkhavn

[saltypaws]

Appleseed Vacation? Well what a great idea!   First I need to say that I know some great Instructors in Georgia so you don't have to travel far. Second, Rocket Man and Mutti are spot on with the instructors working with the kids. Most Instructors are parents themselves or were kids at one time and have experience teaching both of them the Safety Rules and Marksmanship. Third, no matter where you choose to take your kids for their first Project Appleseed event, the Instructors will be working hard to make it a safe, enjoyable and a memorable one for the whole family.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of families that attend Project Appleseed events with kids and as young as 7 or 8. It warms my heart to see so many families sharing such a great opportunity to learn some exciting history and that great American tradition of Marksmanship! 

With that said, when I read Appleseed Vacation I thought...ROAD TRIP!!!!

If your plan is to take a weeks vacation and go somewhere, then I will have to shamelessly plug my favorite range: The Home Range in Ramseur, NC.  Yeh I know Ramseur is a little over a 5 hour drive from Atlanta but It is a road trip! I live over three hours away from the Home Range but that was where I had my first Appleseed experience. I enjoyed it so much, it is now where I volunteer most of my Appleseed weekends and bring my family. In the last year I have spent almost a month there, including a week at a Rifleman's Boot Camp. Did I mention that there is a 500 yard range there at the Ramseur range? Bring a center fire for full distance if you want. They also have primitive camping facilities there at the range with water. For the non-camping types there are hotels and restaurants not far away. Asheboro isn't far and has some neat stuff for kids to do.

The NC ZOO in Asheboro is only 30 minutes away. It is great with lots of space for the animals to roam. For the more adventurous there is Richland Creek Canopy Tours, which is a zipline facility. I have not been there yet but I plan on surprising my kids with it next time we go to the home range. I read the tours last about 2 hours.  There is also an Aviation Museum in Asheboro that I have heard is impressive with lots of vintage planes. Last but not least, down in Fayetteville there is the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. (as an old paratrooper it's my favorite museum  )
 
On the way back, there is also cool stuff to do that will break up the drive. No, you won't find the world's largest ball of twine on your route but there is lots of history and kid stuff to do. One place is Kings Mountain National Military Park in York SC outside of Charlotte. In Charlotte they have Discovery Place, which is a science place for kids. Another historical site is the Cowpens National Battlefield outside Spartanburg, SC.

Cowpens is where Daniel Morgan leading the American forces (about 800 including some Riflemen) whipped the British and I mean he gave them A Devil of a Whipping..   The British forces totaling about 1150 Redcoats and Loyalist known as the "Tory Legion" and were lead by Banastre Tarleton. Well the battle lasted about an hour and Morgan's army surrounded and captured 712 prisoners including 200 wounded and all the British supply wagons and slaves. Morgan's strategy was a double envelopment; it was the only time it was used successfully during the war. They say Tarleton rode away so fast it took two days for the rest of his forces that escaped to catch up with him...

Anyway it's a great piece of history and something to see. The movie "Patriot" was very loosely based on that battle and the battle at Guilford Court house. These history stops will be a lot more interesting after a Project Appleseed event where we will tell you the story of the beginning of the Revolutionary war. The Battle of Cowpens by the way was one of two deciding battles before the end of the Revolutionary War. I can almost guarantee your kids will be a more interested in learning history after an Appleseed weekend than before.

Enjoy your trip... Are we there yet?
Salty

[dsweinstein]

I haven't read all the replies yet, but to just add a few things.  We will all have rifles by the time we do our Appleseed.  I am just about to do more shopping for them and was wondering how much of a difference it would be doing the appleseed between a bolt and a semi.  I want all of my kids to be able to one day train their kids and take them out shooting potentially with the same rifle they learned on.  I have no problem at all having too many 22s around the house.  I also think as a kid there is a sense of pride and respect that comes with being responsible for your own.

Additionally I am aware of how scarce ammo can be.  I have been stocking up on 100 round packs of mini-mags for the occasion.

What distance are the targets placed out at?  Currently we have outgrown our indoor range (25 yards), at least my 13 year old daughter has.  Her patience and skill with the 22 is impressive, and that trigger on the marlin xt22 is amazing.  Once you have the trigger safety pulled all the way back to the trigger, from there it is just break, no more play in the trigger.  Almost impossible to make the rifle move while pulling the trigger.

Is it possible to download an example of the target that gets used that day?  I have found a lot of target examples, but I was looking for something that really mimics the target used.  Or can they be purchased online?

Thank you!

David

[scoob]

Or can they be purchased online?

There are some downloadable targets somewhere here on the forums, and you can also buy the official ones from the Appleseed Store.

[Nickle]

David, first off, welcome aboard.

Second, bolt guns aren't just OK, sometimes they are the better way to go.

Talking 22's, I have a few. Some are bolt guns, some are semi-autos, even a lever action. The better ones are bolt guns, by the way. My preferred 22 is an old Remington bolt action. 513T is the model number.

If you think speed is an issue, the 2 fastest 22 shooters I've seen (remember, accuracy counts here) were both using bolt guns. The bolt action didn't even slow them down.

If you're buying them, make sure to get enough magazines for them. You'll want enough to hold 40 rounds. 4 ten round mags is good. If they hold less, then you should adjust to that. Why so many? There is a course of fire used by some that calls for it. Plus, you'll have spares, when you need them.

If you're using what you have, don't despair if you have tube fed rifles. Those work OK too. Just not the choice, IF you are buying new ones. A Savage bolt action is hard to beat, both in price, and function. Others are very similar.

You're going to want to find a mentor in your area, and I'd say you already found one or two. Ask them their recommendations, as to what to bring. What you read is good, but direct knowledge of what is used locally is always the best way to go.

And, contrary to what some folks think, 22's work nicely at 100 yards. I ought to know, been doing that long enough.

[philagothon]

I haven't read all the replies yet, but to just add a few things.  We will all have rifles by the time we do our Appleseed.  I am just about to do more shopping for them and was wondering how much of a difference it would be doing the appleseed between a bolt and a semi.  I want all of my kids to be able to one day train their kids and take them out shooting potentially with the same rifle they learned on.  I have no problem at all having too many 22s around the house.  I also think as a kid there is a sense of pride and respect that comes with being responsible for your own.

Marlin has teamed up with Project Appleseed to produce the perfect Liberty Training Rifle.  The first run was just released and they are selling like hotcakes!  It's a semi-auto 22 that comes with Tech Sights, two magazines, a 1" web sling, and a certificate for a FREE APPLESEED!!!  Also, the receiver is engraved with Project Appleseed on the side.  You might check with your local gun shops and see if they can order them for you.  With the holidays just around the corner, they'd make great gifts!

[Nickle]

And, there you go. Add 2 more magazines to each and you're all set.

Yes, most places, you can get by with 2, but, like I said, you'll want spares. Saves loading time, and though rugged, they do wear.

[dsweinstein]

I had been looking at the appleseed rifles for a few months now, and saw they were just released this past week or so.  With I were ready to buy right this moment, I love those tech sights.  Factory installed and not having to worry would be nice.

If I went with a bolt, I would without a doubt buy more XT22s.  I have never fired a more consistent rifle in my life.  It is pretty amazing, especially for the price.

[Johnnyappleseed]

David, first off, welcome aboard.

Second, bolt guns aren't just OK, sometimes they are the better way to go.

Talking 22's, I have a few. Some are bolt guns, some are semi-autos, even a lever action. The better ones are bolt guns, by the way. My preferred 22 is an old Remington bolt action. 513T is the model number.

If you think speed is an issue, the 2 fastest 22 shooters I've seen (remember, accuracy counts here) were both using bolt guns. The bolt action didn't even slow them down.

If you're buying them, make sure to get enough magazines for them. You'll want enough to hold 40 rounds. 4 ten round mags is good. If they hold less, then you should adjust to that. Why so many? There is a course of fire used by some that calls for it. Plus, you'll have spares, when you need them.

If you're using what you have, don't despair if you have tube fed rifles. Those work OK too. Just not the choice, IF you are buying new ones. A Savage bolt action is hard to beat, both in price, and function. Others are very similar.

You're going to want to find a mentor in your area, and I'd say you already found one or two. Ask them their recommendations, as to what to bring. What you read is good, but direct knowledge of what is used locally is always the best way to go.

And, contrary to what some folks think, 22's work nicely at 100 yards. I ought to know, been doing that long enough.

Well said Nickle .
BTW its great to see you again ! Welcome back my friend 

[Sly223]

Come on down to sunny fl,
At MGAR we have plenty of room on the line and loaner rifles,
We work with the kids here constantly that's what I am all about three kids no problem, I've got three myself
(15,7,2) got that covered. The only challenge is breaking up the doating parent dycotomy but I got that figured out too!
 Just contact me I will make it Happen that's what we do!