New to rifles, unsure where to start

[Griff]

Hi all, I'm hoping to begin attending Appleseed shoots, but I'm such a newbie I worry that I'll be completely unprepared for my first shoot. I should start by pointing out that I have never shot a rifle. I don't know how to clean one, I don't know how to install a scope or anything.

In preparation for attending upcoming shoots I've purchased my rifle, a sling and around 1k rounds of .22 (always adding more). Unfortunately, I don't know how to properly use the firearm, and thus feel as though I'll be handicapped when it comes to the shoot. I worry that I'll be so focused on just trying to figure out how it works that I'll miss all of the great information being shared. Also, my 10/22 doesn't have a scope but I was told that I should have one. Is this truly necessary?

I want to at least have some idea of how to handle the firearm by the time I get to the shoot. So should I try to find someone local who I can pay to teach me basic rifle care and usage? Are there people who do that kind of thing? I have consulted YouTube for a few things but I definitely need a more hands on approach if I'm to truly learn. This is why I am considering hiring someone to help me get familiar with my firearm.

Thoughts? If you were in my position would you just wing it and go to the shoot unprepared (possibly being a burden on others) or would you track down an instructor to help get you situated? If you're in the camp of finding an instructor, does anyone have any recommendations around the Melbourne area?

[Gump]

Don't let that stop you from coming to an Appleseed. I know a lot of the instructors in your area and they are great people and will help you along. Just let them know at the event what you just posted. The 10/22 is a great rifle for Appleseed and you do not need to have a scope. I would suggest having at least 2 of the 10 round magazines though. It will help out. Watch a few of the videos on youtube for dis assembly and cleaning of your rifle. Go ahead and learn to do that and do not be afraid of damaging it. It is a very sturdy rifle. Just follow good firearm safety rules when you do it by not having it loaded and the magazine out.

[TheMenace]

Hi Griff,

Gump gave you good advice.

It's awesome that you are thinking this through in advance. We see people at our shoots who are totally unprepared. We help them get started. It's great that you've taken the first step to caquire a rifle and ammunition. I assume you viewed the page here on the forum on how to prepare for an event http://www.appleseedinfo.org/as_prepare.html. If you have reasonably good eye sight you don't need a scope. I would recommend replacing the stock 10-22 sights with Tech Sights. http://www.tech-sights.com/ You didn't say what kind of sling you bought. They also sell GI slings and swivels we recommend. Be sure to get matching sizes.

If you PM me with your name, address, and phone number I can arrange to run you through the basics of your rifle and give you a range intro. No cost. All we ask is that you spread the word about Appleseed and help us fill the line. Our next shoot is June 13-14 at PMRPC. You can register at the link on the home page.

Regards,
Dennis
TheMenace

[SteelThunder]

Don't worry about it.

I have literally had people show up with a rifle in a box from Walmart, saying "Show me how to use this".  We can handle that.

Show up.  Keep an open mind.  Listen.  Do what the instructors tell you.

You'll be fine.

[Minutemom]

I was in the same boat as you for my first shoot.  I was one of those people that SteelThunder mentioned, with my rifle still in the box, untouched when I brought it on the line.  I had no scope, wrong sling, and didn't know how to load a magazine.  Hell, I didn't even know what a magazine was, just knew that I needed one.  Knowing a little something won't hurt, but I think Appleseed is the best place in the world to receive your first instruction .  It made me into a rifleman!

[PHenry]

Griff,
I'll let you in on a "secret". Not having ever shot a rifle is actually a benefit. No bad habits to overcome. Most women do better from the git-go than men who have been shooting for years and near as I can glean, it has little to do with ability and a lot to do with bringing a more teachable attitude.

See men are supposed to know certain things, or they are considered by modern society to be less "manly". Men are supposed to know how to shoot, drive, navigate, and fix things. Men are not supposed to seek advise in these and many other areas.

A teachable attitude is one of the most important aspects of living as a human in my mind. The day we cease learning, we cease being of use. "I already know how to shoot". I have heard that more times than I can recall and in my rather extensive experience in this area of life, these folks can be expected to shoot most poorly. Fact of human nature.

The human who feels no need to learn, assuming he / she already knows everything there is to know in a given area has no hope of learning anything new. They cease to grow and to me, they cease having purpose. I refuse to believe there is a single soul on earth who doesn't know more about some gievn subject than myself.

You bring that shiny new rifle out, along with an open mind, and I can guarantee you will prevail.  The system we use, we did not invent. It has been passed down from one to another, over the course of hundreds of years, by thousands upon thousands of Riflemen. It is our honor, and more importantly, it is our duty to Liberty that we pass this tradition on to you, so that in turn, you can pass it on to others.

A nation of Riflemen will always be free.

[Cable___Guy]

Griff,
My 1st appleseeed I brought my Wife along. She had never fired a rifle let alone anything above a bottle rocket on the 4th.
My thoughts were it would be easier on me to let the pros teach her then myself . I was correct.  Don't be intimidated that you are new to this, Its just another opportunity to grow and learn. Like Phenery said We "MEN"  are programed to not ask for help. My wife is not , she questions everything she thinks she needs work on.  She is deadly with her plane Jane stock 10/22.

I will be at the may 16-17 shoot in clearwater still plenty of spots open. I am guessing here I think Phenery will be there as well. He was the shot boss there last time I attended. Come on out , let these fine Folks show you how to shoot and let you discover some things about yourself you were unaware of.

[GTEngineer]

Griff:

Another instructor here has put together a very detailed "companion" to the 10/22 rifle that would be of benefit for you to read through to understand the functions.

Here is the thread where the 10/22 companion is for sale.  http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=45300.0

As you have stated, Youtube is a great resource, I would look up basic stuff like "10/22 disassembly", "10/22 magazine loading", "10/22 maintenance" etc.

There may also be an instructor near you in FL that would be able to give you a hands on class on how to operate and take care of a 10/22.  If you can get a small group of folks together, we can give you a group lesson and give you a brief telling of the history of April 19 1775.  Instructors who are reading this in the FL area, please refere to http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=45408.0 for ideas.

If you can tell us what city you are in, I'm sure someone in the area can get in touch with you via PM or email.

GTEngineer

[PHenry]

Lord willin, I will be at the Clearwater event and will be most honored to work with you. It's a nice venue with a covered line - come on out and we'll get you up to speed in short order. 

[Griff]

Thanks everyone for the replies, you've put my mind at ease. I really appreciate the offers of help, but I'd feel bad taking your time. I think I'm going to become a hardcore student of YouTube University and try to get to know this thing intimately. I'm down in Melbourne and will be going to the next Appleseed (if all goes according to plan). Here's hoping the sling and swivels I just bought from the store get here in time.

[Griff]

I hate to be a pain, but can someone please point me to the listing on tech-sights.com for me to buy for my 10/22? There are "sights" and "rail sights" and I do not know which to buy. Will a beginner be able to install it or will I need to bring it to a shop?

[TheMenace]

Hi Griff,
No worries. The Appleseed Store is usually prompt with delivery. The TSR200RL (Rail) uses the rail supplied with your 10-22 to attach the rear aperture sight. This type allows you to also install a red dot sight if you choose. Some mechanical skill is required to assemble. There is a pdf of installation instructions on the catalog page. The TSR100 and TSR200 use the mounting holes in the receiver. The Ruger sight rail is not installed. The TSR100 follows the same adjustment method as the AR-15. Elevation is adjusted at the front post. Windage at the rear aperture.  The TSR200 provides some elevation adjustment in the rear sight as well as windage. Any of the three are fine. Its just a mater of your personal preference.

Look forward to seeing you at the Palm Bay AS in June.

[9mm4545]

Here is the link for tech-sights: http://www.tech-sights.com/. They offer two variations on their sights for the 10/22, one that has an elevation adjustment at the rear sight, and one that only adjusts the elevation at the front sight. Either one works fine for Appleseed but the TSR-200 (the one with rear sight elevation adjustment) does make it slightly easier if you think you may be adjusting the elevation frequently. If most or all of your shooting is a fixed range (like Appleseed), this feature may not be very important to you. Besides the Tech-Sight website, you can also buy these sights (the elevation non-adjustable) rear sight  from the RWVA store:http://store.rwvaappleseed.com/page13.html. I have both models and they both are a vast improvement over the factory Ruger sights. This is a project you should be able to do yourself. Directions that come with the sight are pretty clear. Be patient and go slow and you should have no problems. The folks at Tech-Sights are very helpful if you run into problems. You can also find a wealth of information on rimfirecentral.com on the Ruger 10/22, including the most common modifications done to the rifle. What you need is generally less than what you want.

[Errorist]

Griff,
I also had no previous rifle experience before attending my first Appleseed event. I did take the time to learn firearm safety, then how to take apart, clean and reassemble my 10/22. As Gump mentioned, there are many tutorials on the web. Watch several. There are also forums for just about every type/manufacture of weapon where a large amount of info is available.
At an Appleseed event you will taught by dedicated people with great knowledge.
In addition to preparing your mind, you would also benefit by making sure your body is ready. Appleseed is not bootcamp however you will be taught and repeatedly assuming multiple shooting positions. Coming from someone with the flexibility of a log, I would suggest beginning a stretching routine for a good couple of weeks before your event. It will save on the amount of aspirin you take after the first day.

[Twineagles]

A good cleaning is always a good ideas on a new rifle too. The manufacturers may have used heavier oil so it wouldn't rust while waiting to be bought. Read the manual to get familiar with how it functions. Picking up some dummy .22 ammo to practice loading and unloading would help.

Mike

[Griff]

The sling and swivels came in very fast. So fast that I decided to go ahead and buy the TSR100 and sight adjustment tool from the AS store. I put in an order for a shooter's mat from Midway USA but they're backed up and won't come in stock until a few days before the event. Can I use a yoga mat instead? I'd rather not get a rug remnant as they can be bulky and I have nowhere to store it. Not sure if yoga mats are big/sturdy/thick/etc enough for what it will be used for. Just want to make sure I'm prepared.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I appreciate everyone weighing in.

[B.C.]

Yoga mats will work, for a little more comfort you may try two of the foam sleeping pad camping rolls from wally mart - they are relatively cheap. I would also suggest a small tarp too, it will keep you dry if the ground is wet from rain. Enjoy your shoot!

[TheMenace]

At Palm Bay we shoot from a concrete pad so a good cushion is appreciated by the shooters. Yoga pads are ok. Cushion for your elbows is the biggest concern. Basketball shooters sleeves are great for elbow protection in addition to your mat.

[Griff]

I've got some elbow sleeves that should do it. I'll look around and see if I can dig up another yoga mat to double up on.

Could someone do me a favor and look over my ammo inventory and tell me what to bring? I haven't tried any of this ammo, it's just what I've been able to get my hands on. If I don't have enough of the preferred kind, I want to have plenty of time to get more. Below I've written all of the info I could glean from the ammo boxes. If none of these are good (they were all pretty cheap but it was all they ever had at Academy when I would be there) can you recommend some decently priced ammo that will shoot well?

1050 rounds of Rem Bulk brass plated hollow points 36 grains 1280fps
975 rounds of Federal Bulk target grade performance 40 grain 1200 fps
600 rounds of CCI mini-mag copper plated 1235 fps 40 grain
200 rounds of Winchester small game 40 grain 1280 fps power point copper plated
100 rounds of Aguila Super Extra subsonic solid point

Sorry for all the questions. I'm the kind of person who likes to be as prepared as possible so I can get the most out of every thing I do. I don't want to show up with a bunch of ammo that has issues if I have another kind of ammo that'd do well.

[Gump]

I would use the CCI Mini Mag, but it is a personal choice.

[PHenry]

We have a poorly attended event this weekend at the Wyoming Antelope Club - u can find info on schedule page. Plenty of personal instruction when so few shooters. Come on down sir! 

I'm not all that, but there will be two shiny IITs there and they are excellent. 

[GTEngineer]

My shooting mat is a harbor freight mover's blanket ($3-4) and a tarp ($3-4) for rainy days.  Both are very easy to fold up and have multiple uses outside of being a temporary shooting mat.  Hope that helps.

[Griff]

Well, I got so excited that tonight I bought a ticket for the Appleseed coming up this weekend in Gainesville. Went ahead and booked a hotel downtown and tomorrow I'll fuel up the truck and prepare to make the three hour trip. Figured I'll get to Gainesville early on Friday so I can also make time for the Natural History Museum and be in bed early so I'm prepared for Saturday.

After some experimentation I answered my own question on the ammo. I ended up adding some CCI Standard Velocity to my stash and it was my favorite to shoot out of all of them, so I'll be bringing plenty of that this weekend.

I'm still going to the AS in Palm Bay, but I just couldn't help myself. 

[TheMenace]

Huzzah!
Good shooting in Gainsville and we'll see you soon at Palm Bay.

[Sly223]

New Rifles should always start at an appleseed!
[/Huzzah!font]

[PHenry]

 

[stoneknives]

New Rifles should always start at an appleseed!

[Griff]

I had the time of my life this weekend and went from shooting an 85 to 234 (thanks to Smoak for letting me borrow his rifle since mine was working against me). I got my patch! 

I met some great people at Appleseed and learned so much from the fantastic instructors. I cannot wait for Palm Bay. In the meantime, I'll be practicing.

[Guntuckian]

 

[Cable___Guy]

Congratulations