My experience at the Appleseed Shoot...

Got up at 3:00 AM, got the car loaded with rifles ammunition and stuff, and the wonderful lunches and snacks (vegetable type) that my wife had prepared. Coffee in cup and thermos and over the Cascades and on to Yakima I went. Got there early enough, one car ahead of me waiting in the darkness for someone to open the gate - I thought the sign said open at seven, but it really said eight, and it was six thirty, relax and wait. More cars arrive in the early morning light, the gate gets opened around eight and we all go in, to sign paper work, pay range fees, get the safety rules - four of them, but not the ones I was most familiar with, but they work, too.

We also got the first of the stories, the HISTORY, of April 19th, 1775 - the day of the Shot Heard Round the World. The repeating drum beat of the message, you are Americans, who you are started on this day (April 19, 1775) and you should know and remember and aspire to their great courage and responsibility to their neighbors. Good message, I have always held with reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at least once every year - the 4th of July and Constitution Day will work, you could do it on April 19th or September 11th or your birthday or the day you became a citizen or got married. Take your pick but read those two documents and know, and do study History ( Paul Johnson's A History of the American People or Zinn's People's History of the United States) - two very different but very true versions of what happened before we (current title holders - Americans - showed up). Lots of time for tales about the people of New England on that day would be shared by our instructors during the two days.

I was asked about the difference between the Service rifle training and this - there are weeks of preparation, training and shooting and twenty-five meters is only for zero, after that you do known distance - in the military and with expert instructors and peer coaching and living with and talking about the opposite sex and your rifle for weeks you will only remember what you learned about the rifle for years later - the opposite sex stuff was mostly lies and never sunk in. For ease of compressing good shooting techniques all our shooting with the RWVA was done at twenty-five meters, with a sling and at targets that were tiny, the famous or infamous "head shot" square on the Redcoat target is as tall as a quarter but narrower - representing 250 yard head shot - you get one bullet on that one. They also use a combination of drills to evaluate you to the point of proficiency and getting better every time you shoot. The goal is to become a Rifleman, scoring over 210 points out of 250 possible, 50 in the standing position, fifty in the sitting position, fifty in the prone position from standing, timed (those first others are timed also) and then a hundred points possible on the bottom, smallest targets from the prone with plenty of time to make each shot count.

Some of the instructors had Marine shooting jackets with a nice RIFLEMAN patch with the Continental Flag over the heart and the RWVA patch on their right sleeve, and that was to drool for - or just envy and wanna get one, really where can I get one and looks so cool? Yep, on my list of things to accomplish before I die. I had a great time, range time is almost always great, I shot my single shot Stevens low wall target rifle on the first day, and got very tight by end of the day, and then I fired my M1 Garand on the second day. On my last two targets I had 179 and 199 and was a Sharpshooter - not good enough for Rifleman. I will have to work on the things that held me back. It was not for lack of help from instructors and experts that I didn't get that 210, they were there and always bringing me back to better. Most of my problems were Operator Head Space - and I will list the things one really must do to do well if you attend one of these events.

Earl's advice: First, get very familiar with your rifle, only use one rifle the entire time, I recommend a twenty-two with a sling with a quick disconnect so you can put it on your arm and leave it until you go to the ready then connect tighten and do your position and dryfire practice. Magazine feed, semiauto or bolt or lever or pump, and I like peep sights and front post - but a low power scope would also serve. Practice malfunctions, no fires and immediate action. Because everyone had a different weapon the instructors were concentrating on the shooting techniques but the shooters should have their weapon fitting cold. Dry fire daily at home, standing position, standing to sitting, standing to prone and sight alingment and sight picture. I say this because my experience says I would have done better with my own better preparation - the two days are fast, and fun and very instructive and really build your comfort level and experience for the test - but they only have two days, and if this is your first exposure to rifle marksmanship it will be a bit frustrating - just trying to take the same shot with each shot and have them all grouped touching - everyone's rifle can do it not every shooter does it.

Earl's excuses for failing to do better: using two rifles, although the target twenty two was fun to shoot and shot tight groups it was slow in feeding (no magazine). Sling adjustments, using leather slings, not measured marked nor with quick releases slowed my prep time down for dry fire and position - also they came apart at the really wrong times. Sight screw on the M1 came loose while adjusting something else and shooting, lost zero and had to start over once problem was identified. Loading two rounds in the M1 is novel and frustrating but with practice wouldn't have been a problem. Remember what I advised on familiarity with firearm - those things were the why.

I feel very good about the experience, I learned a ton of things and am motivated to continue to go to shooting camps and improve. I am taking the target twenty-two to a gunsmith for a bit of important front sight and extractor work. I know I am terriblely dangerous with my M1 Garand but don't worry - I am dangerous with my Dodge Caravan, too, and I still made the hundred and eighty mile trip safely in both directions. My wife remarked on missing me, but then wanted to know why I have a puffed and bruised lip (where I was locking on to the M1) and then I held up my right hand so she could see the bruise and swelling of the thumb palm pad from the recoil of the M1 - those soldiers were giants weren't they? I have a reverse racoon sunburn on my face, the shooting glasses left my eyes white ringed, the shoulders are worked and worn and tired - the rifle is only eleven pounds, the Revolutionary War muskets of the folks on 19 April, 1775 were as or more heavy. A lot of nice instructors, great shooters to share with and meet, a very good time was had by me, looking forward to seeing y'all out there one day.