An EVENTful Weekend with our Mapleseed Brothers and Sisters to the North

[WaterTaxi]

Ladies and Gents,

This weekend my friend and I drove 18hrs round trip up to Lone Butte, BC. We both came back as Mapleseed Rifleman! My friend beat me again of course but not by as much this time. I took some notes to discuss with you guys, some pros and cons of their program. For context this one a one day event staffed by two ITT's and one Shoot Boss. There were 10 reserved shooters with 8 making it to the shoot, including my friend and I there were 4 returning shooters. Round count was roughly 250 with three MQT's being performed. With my so far limited participation in Appleseed my Pros and Cons might not line up exactly with yours and I welcome the feedback. I attached a photo of every target they used with a comparable target we use if I had one.  Photos from the event are located in an album on Mapleseed Facebook.

Well on with the list!



Neither Pro nor Con:

1. IMC was presented with pre printed media held by the instructor. While it took some time out of the presentation it was not as interactive with some of the shooters. Mils were touched on very briefly by saying ".3mil per MOA will help you out today". Simple to the point and didn't derail the discussion.
2. Sitting/ kneeling elevation changes were only demonstrated by moving the legs, windage only demonstrated with the "two cheek sneak" (lifting the butt up and pivoting around the feet. While both can be done, pivoting on the feet while moving the butt provides a very coarse adjustment and just feels weird.
3. We inspired them to bring Jet Boils to their next event. The previous event at our location was 35F and hailing most of the day. We were told we were "Next Level"
4. They have some very cool challenge targets checkout challenge target number 7 for a wild one.
5. Hits Count VS Mad Minute: The mad minute target is an homage to pre WW1 Canadian marksmanship training where the Soldier would have to hit a 12in target at 300 yds (common 4moa) 15 times in one minute while shooting a bolt action Lee Enfield rifle. The record stands at 38 hits. The Mapleseed target is untimed and the 500yd is rather difficult. My friend cleared it on the last target of the day! I was able to get to 400yd.
6. No shirts were provided but we all got Mapleseed Trigger Training Devices.


Con's:

1. Other than an automated sign up email, no contact or information was provided by the shoot boss. A pdf of the handout and lodging recommendations would have helped out of towners.
2. Lots of time was spent down range talking targets individually prior to the POI. Almost every trip down range was a 10min break. This may have been necessary due to the next con.
3. NO HISTORY (well maybe a little, we got the history of the mad minute target). The previous con may be due to not having other organic rest times for the strikes and DOM.
4. We were asked to aim at the corner of the sighter squares, I think this led to more futzing between shots and less of the NPOA emphasis.
5. Squares of pain: With one Magazine of 10 and a sighter square. One round into each square followed by doing it all again. NPOA x 10. Shooters got tired and stopped adjusting the second time around. Myself included.
6. The IIT RSO's didn't spend much time on the mats providing instruction real time, they saved most discussion for down range.
7. They do not have a 7th step of firing a shot. I shared the idea with them and the shoot boss informed me he loved the idea and was going to send it to the other shoot bosses.

Pro's:

1. There was both a marked equipment line and firing line. The equipment line was about 10ft more narrow than the firing line with small cones on the end. Shooters were not permitted to cross the equipment line, instead they must go around the ends of the line. This gave the line boss a bigger bubble to keep an eye on the range. Using more small cones there were also designated areas to cross the firing line when going forward to check targets. Not feasible for all ranges but can be a useful tool.
2. The attached handout was in the students hands while briefing safety rules, safe rifle, and six steps to firing a shot. While this may have been a distraction to some, it seemed to lead to faster retention. We generally use the laminated flip book which may do the same thing.
3. When identifying the crossover rifle not only was it a verbal confirmation but an orange blaze was used on the shooting mat/ canopy to visually identify. We usually seem to end up with a 1 of 1 rifle so this may not be useful in all cases but could be a tool in our pocket.
4. Group introductions at beginning of day and group good/bad at the end of the day. This is not always feasible due to time and large groups but it led to our group opening up each other before the first course of fire. As far as after the shoot it could help us with good bad for the after action report.
5. Potentially huge but not sure if it is prohibited here. This particular event had a sponsor. The local hunting/ fishing anything outdoor store furnished each shooter with a new set of ear pro suitable for rifle shooting and a 50rd box of CCI SV. (Personal note: My only regret for this whole trip was not being able to make it to this store due to travel arrangements).
6. As we were fighting rifle malfunctions most of the day (we are thinking extractor springs) we were graciously allowed to bring an alibi magazine to the line. All it is, is an extra mag with one or two rounds in it. These were crucial in us getting the required rounds off. We were given no extra time to complete the stage, but if we could fight the rifle well enough it was a huge benefit.

Finial Thoughts:

I had a wonderful time and it was truly fantastic to shoot and share information with our brothers and sisters to the north. We learned and tried new techniques. We fought rifle malfunctions and very uneven terrain. I would happily travel back up and do it again. Great people with great attitudes and a love of marksmanship. My only complaint boils down to this. Due to lack of history/ perspective, Mapleseed makes me want to be a better rifleman, Appleseed makes me want to be a better person.

-WaterTaxi

Mapleseed Student Handout.pdf




 

[WaterTaxi]

Defiantly not my best shooting. Cramming all of the shooting into one day tends to tucker a fella out.

[AF5US]

Thanks for sharing your trip.

Wait, there's a dedicated Mapleseed patch ? ? ? ? Hmmm . . . Now I have to plan a road trip sometime.

[Eagle Keeper]

Want to go, it's on the bucket list.

[WaterTaxi]

I have been asked by several people locally about how to take a rifle across the border. This is the process we took to get our rifles across.

• Determine if your firearm is "restricted" according to the Canadian government. This seems to include anything that resembles an AR patterned rifle. Good news for us is the 10/22 Liberty Training Rifle is allowed as long as you only bring 10 round magazines. If you have any questions about the class of your rifle contact the Canadian Firearms Program. You can also find your allowed quantity of ammunition.
• Fill out the Canadian Form RCPM 5589 in triplicate. Do not sign it until directed to do so by a CBPSA officer.
• Fill out the US CBP Form 4457. You are encouraged to include optic on the 4457. It is the proof that all of these objects were in your possession when you left the country and that customs does not need to tax their import or confiscate them on your way home. This form has to be signed by US customs before you leave the country. It can be done in advance if you have a local office or at the port of entry you are crossing. Just know that the ports are first come first serve so you may end up waiting on a busy day. The 4457 is good forever so don't trash them after your trip.
• When you get to the Canadian border they will ask you if you have anything to declare. This is your time to declare your firearms. They will tell you to pull into secondary inspection and proceed to the building. Leave your firearms in the car, take your filled out 5589 with you. Inside they will check your documents and charge you $25 Canadian. Our port was able to process electronic payments. From here there are two options; they stamp and sign your paperwork, or they search your whole car then stamp and sign your paperwork. The signed 5589 is your temporary firearms license in Canada and is good for a period of 60 days.
• On the return trip you will be asked by US Customs if you have anything to declare. Inform them that you are bringing rifles back to the US. Show them the CBP 4457 if requested. then drive back home.

We got to our port of entry at 0800 and were the only people in line at both borders. After paperwork we were back on roads pointing north by 0825. All of the agents we interacted with were very polite and friendly. When returning to the US the customs agent was interested in what ammo we were using. I guess his pockets were deeper than ours (CCI SV), he was a center-x man. We tried to 7th step him none the less.
Borders can be high stress environments but with a little preparation they can be a non event. Every person we talked to on the phone US or Canadian quickly and politely answered all of our questions. This was without a doubt my smoothest border crossing to date. I got hassled more with my wife, kid, and no firearms several weeks prior.
If the border is the one reason holding you back from attending a Project Mapleseed event you now have all the tools to go! Get on up there and meet our neighbors. Don't forget to ask them to come down and attend one of our Clinics.

[ID_Hezekiah]

Great report and information WaterTaxi! One question: What is the target graphic on the "mad minute?" A torso? A neck?

[TOMINCT]

 It's good to see the Mapleseed program running, it would be great if a schedule could be posted for info purposes. Along with an AAR such as here.

 Nice job and report!

[ScubaSteve]

Just a little off topic but this sounds like a great road trip, may want to replicate it in the future.

Dis you travel with your rifle and what if any pitfalls did you encounter crossing the border? I have driven across that border before but never carried a firearm.

[WaterTaxi]

Great report and information WaterTaxi! One question: What is the target graphic on the "mad minute?" A torso? A neck?

It is described as the silhouette of a man with rifle peering out of a trench. Looking at it, I see a hat, face, and shoulders. The traditional colors from top to bottom are green, flesh, khaki.

Mapleseed events are posted in the link. Due to weather reasons they seem to be exclusively run between spring and fall depending on province.

Just a little off topic but this sounds like a great road trip, may want to replicate it in the future.

Dis you travel with your rifle and what if any pitfalls did you encounter crossing the border? I have driven across that border before but never carried a firearm.

Scuba,
It was a wonderful road trip and I can't wait to do it again. We used all the methods I wrote about above. For anything we had questions about we called the respective countries customs and chatted with them. We had all of our paperwork filled out and felt prepared when we got to the border. Everything went smoothly at port of entry. The rifles were locked in cases in the trunk of the car. The biggest thing I can stress, don't bring your rifles inside the building, if they want to see them, they will come outside to look at the rifles.

-WaterTaxi

[upacreek]

Thanks for the info.  I love the breakdown and explanations.  Do they offer loaners, like we do here?

[Rascal21]

They absolutely do offer loaner rifles. Would also suggest you check out the website and FB Page for lists of events. They even offer an email list where they send out their upcoming events pretty much on a monthly basis.

If you have additional questions please reach out to me as I am one of the directors for Project Mapleseed.

[WaterTaxi]

Rascal21,
Thanks for helping run a great program! I invited the Mapleseed crew to come down shoot some of our other events, hopefully we can get some more visitors on both side to keep sharing our love of tradition and marksmanship.

[WillyDarrin]

Hello Appleseeder's! I'm Darrin and was the ShootBoss at the event up at Lone Butte, BC Canada.
First let me say these two lads were wonderful ambassadors for the USA and Project Appleseed!
Nearing the end of the day once they revealed who they were we did have a few minutes to discuss and compare and YES things were discussed and shared at our local BC (British Columbia) Instructor Boot Camp as well as I made mention at our national Shoot Boss Online call.
Quick and fast and already applied this latest Mapleseed on Armstrong, BC.
Nick n Dan please know this civvy removed headress (hat) before every POI. 😉
Thanks Lads,