Bearing fruit with Project Appleseed
By Dave Bates
For the Observer-Reporter
Project Appleseed has a mantra. Liberty – Marksmanship – History. It does not deviate from the game plan.
Like most great organizations, sports teams, businesses and such, Project Appleseed derives its beauty from its simplicity. The volunteer mission is three fold: 1. Foster an appreciation for the sacrifices of our forefathers so that citizens continue to live freely in a self-governing democratic republic (the greatest in the world, in my humble opinion.) 2. Teach and preach the foundations of marksmanship that were once common in our nation but have been lost over the years. 3. Pass on the rich history of our nation so that it will not be lost or altered. In short, this background consists of the primary causes and early events of the Revolutionary War.
OK, so what does one do at an Appleseed 25 meter event?
Shoot. A lot. Nearly 500 rounds.
Full disclosure: I was a bit skeptical. I admit that I have had little to no education in the rifle department. What little I know is self-taught, save for a couple of law enforcement trainings which were mostly shot from inside 100 yards. Appleseed is not that. Most of us hunters and sporting enthusiasts tend to fancy ourselves as “shooters” until we find ourselves in the company of capable riflemen. The men are very quickly separated from the boys, although one of the best shooters in our class was a young man of 12 or 13 years of age. I was nearly the oldest attendee at 58 but know of others a great deal older who have attended. The toughest part for me was contorting into the shooting positions at my advanced tactical age. Skills are measured via the AQT or Appleseed Qualification Test, shot multiple times daily for score. A 210 out of 250 will get you the rifleman’s patch.
All targets were engaged from 25 meters using reduced-sized “Redcoat” targets to simulate 100-, 200-, 300- and 400-yard distances. All participants shot .22 caliber rifles, mostly Ruger 10/22 variants. Some rigs were stock. Many were special-purpose rifles, built for such Appleseed occasions. Nearly all out-of-the-box rifles will outshoot the shooter. While I lack space for all the details of the weekend’s instruction, I’ll include as much of the curriculum as possible.
Safety was first and foremost in the minds of all students and instructors. 1. Always keep the muzzle in a safe direction. 2. Do not load until given the command. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. 4. Make sure those around you follow the safety rules.
Use of the sling, in most cases, the old style M-1 green cotton military sling, was taught. Left attached to the front swivel, the rear tail loop of the sling encircles just above the support arm bicep. All I will say about this is, wow! I had no idea a sling could be used so effectively. From standing position, the hasty sling technique was implemented.
The next piece of instruction was by far the most important and that was the concept of NPOA or Natural Point of Aim. In short, it is the place where your body, in its relaxed state, will place the shot. This takes place at the end of a normal breath exhale. Use of bone support rather than muscle is the third leg of the tripod.
The six steps of firing the shot followed and included: 1. sight alignment, 2. sight picture, 3. respiratory pause, 4. focus, 5. trigger squeeze/press, 6. follow through.
The shooting positions of prone, sitting and standing were taught next, building on all the aforementioned blocks of instruction.
Once students were shooting out of all three positions, we were taught to “read” or analyze targets for mistakes in shooting form. Suffice to say, the target doesn’t lie. From there it was a simple affair to zero your rifle in order to hit where you are aiming (POA point of aim and POI point of impact).
That comprises the essence of the instruction but the core strength of the Appleseed Project lies within the human element of the instructor cadre. Mike Jehle, our lead instructor and shoot boss, Chuck McKinley and Chris Garlich made a couple of great days of shooting instruction fantastic. Instructors were knowledgeable, ultra safe and professional without losing their friendly and personable touch. There was absolutely no ego nor attitude from any of these guys, which I found refreshing, juxtaposed with training in the law enforcement community. All three answered questions willingly and thoroughly without making novices feel silly or uncomfortable. Revolutionary War stories told during breaks were directly related to shooting culture and were fascinating, as well. Most importantly, the event was fun, challenging and incredibly rewarding. Appleseed is grounded in the basics, but it’s just what the doctor ordered for most shooters, novice thru advanced. Our class included a Marine, two police officers, a female, numerous college kids and shooters of all levels. If I was making a recommendation to a newbie wanting to get started on the right foot or an old salt seeking refinement, I’d advise them to attend an Appleseed Project event. I’ll definitely be back.