I’ve been hearing for years from friends I respect about the Appleseed Project, which is a two-day weekend program (though you can get a lot out of just one day) that teaches dual lessons of American History and riflery. The history focuses on April 19, 1775 and the events that surrounded “the shot heard ‘round the world,” in a humanistic detail that you rarely see in history books. The riflery focuses on standard military marksmanship doctrine, circa early 20th Century – and I don’t say that as a slap, because that doctrine makes a very solid foundation for “modern techniques” to build upon.

The objective of the program is to reawaken the United States as a nation of riflemen, and to imbue all the independence and responsibility which that concept implies. The course I just came home from was held at Hernando Sportsmen’s Club in Hernando County, Florida. I was most pleased to see how many young people were there, boys and girls alike: as simplistic as it sounds, the fact really is: “The children are the future.”

A large and dedicated cadre of Appleseed disciples was there to supervise the marksmanship training and deliver the powerful lectures. As a firearms instructor myself, I always watch how others teach the gun. To a man (and woman) the Appleseed trainers were patient, sharp-eyed, super-safe, and respectful of all students of all ages. From the technical side, I found their corrections were always on point.

In the course of 500 rounds or so, attendees were drilled on safety, fundamentals of marksmanship, and three shooting stances. Offhand (standing without artificial support), a more solid choice such as kneeling or sitting (with the latter recommended, and several optional postures shown), and the most solid position for precision hits, prone (on your belly). The targets ain’t easy: an Army L-silhouette shape from chest to rounded head, and not very big at all. The shooting at a basic Appleseed is all from 25 meters, which sounds like easy short-range gunning until you realize that the tie-breaking center “V” ring is the size of a 24-ounce Coke’s bottlecap on the target that represents the 100 yard silhouette…is completely covered by a dime on the target that represents the 200 yard target…about the diameter of the base of a 9mm pistol cartridge on the mark that equates to 300 yard shooting…and comparable to the diameter of the standard eraser on a number 2 pencil on the target intended to duplicate 400 yard marksmanship.

The 5-point zone surrounding the tie-breaker ring, shaped a bit like an inverted “V,” is a bit bigger, but not much. 100 yards is duplicated offhand, 200 from sitting, and 300 and 400 yards from prone. With 5 points possible per shot, some 40 shots fired, and double value for the “400 yard” duplicator, 210 out of 250 possible points are required to earn the coveted Appleseed Rifleman patch.

Does that sound tough? It IS. Yet I saw some fine shooting from the 20+ attendees, many of them kids, a total group half or less what normally shows up for an Appleseed in this venue, according to lead instructor Trey Dawson.  Of our contingent, only 4 of us earned the patch, but all I talked to were eager to come back…some to try again to earn the patch, and all to move up through the organization’s well-structured instructor ranks and help promote one of the best ideas that has surfaced of late in the encouragement of individual rights and heritage. In an upcoming entry, we’ll talk about the guns, the accessories, and the hardware you’ll need. Meanwhile, know that kids or women can attend for free, and info is available at the Appleseed Project website.

We had a great crew of safety officers and coaches at the Appleseed. Orange hats denote range officials, while red caps mark the senior instructors.

A line of rifle shooters at Appleseed.

Appleseed staffer Mike Larney uses a dummy gun to demonstrate the use of the loop sling to stabilize the rifle in any shooting position.

4 of the 20 or more shooters earned their Rifleman patch at Hernando. Here they pose with their targets.

1 COMMENT

  1. One slight correction-
    The ‘Orange Hat’ denotes an Appleseed Instructor-In-Training (IIT), someone who has volunteered to instruct, yet has not progressed through our rigorous quality control standards to ‘Full Instructor’ status, which is denoted by the “Red Hat”.

    One of our IIT’s, Joe Hooten, is also a range officer for HSC, so this may have caused the confusion.

    Was a pleasure to share the firing line with you, and look forward to meeting you again.

    Eric McCabe
    Florida State Coordinator
    Project Appleseed
    Email: RWVA@Live.com
    Web: http://www.AppleseedInfo.org

  2. Greetings Mass!

    I had NO IDEA who you were when you were on the line this weekend. I would like to say thank you for “Stressfire”, “In the Gravest Extreme” and “Hit the white part”. I picked these up in the early 90’s when I was but a lad of 21 and had just gotten my CCW in FL. They were excellent tutorials that led me to translate printed word theory into physical skill with my Springfield 1911. I have never had occasion to draw and use my weapons, and I am extremely grateful for that. I am also grateful that you, among many mentors, have put me in a position that if I had occasion to draw, that i would be worth reckoning with. I am glad you and Gail enjoyed yourselves on the line. We hope to see the two fo you again and good luck in your future endeavors.

    Wiley
    IIT Appleseed Project

  3. Mr. Ayoob,

    Thank you for writing such a great article about Appleseed. I was able to attend one this past weekend in Dulzura, CA and was very impressed by the quality of the instruction and the instructors. The event was a nice balance between training and presentations on American History. I would highly recommend anyone to attend one – they were able to get me to shoot better by the end of the day which is no small feat in itself!

  4. Mas,

    Thanks for the kind words about the Appleseed Program. I stumbled into it almost two years ago and have enjoyed most of the program, including working my way up to Instructor. (Clarification of your caption: Full instructors wear the red hat; Instructors in Training wear the day-glo orange. Some of the motivation in working through the structure is to get rid of the day-glo hat.)

    I would like to point out one item, though – active-duty military also shoot for free. To me, this is even more important than the women and children, as so many of our military are going in harm’s way regularly. I have had the privilege of instructing some of the men and women from Fort Drum, and there was a military-only Appleseed hosted by Fort Stewart, GA. There are more in the works. I have heard from the men and women I worked with, most of whom took the information back to their units, and the word from the field is: “It works!” I cannot imagine receiving a greater reward.

    And one final bragging point: ALL of our instructors, from the greenest “orange hat” to the crustiest Master Instructor, are volunteers. We don’t get paid in anything but personal satisfaction and pride.

    Thanks again, and hope to see you at a New York shoot someday.

  5. Before I let my M1A1 Bush rifle go, I used to practice that Appleseed drill about once a week. Tough to make the grade, particularly in the time frame. Great practice, improved my marksmanship a great deal. Never had anyone around to verify my scores. Now that I’ve got my .44 and 30-30 Marlin’s I’m going back to practicing even thought the 300 and 400 yd distances don’t make a lot of sense for those caliber’s the discipline necessary to hit those sized targets will still be helpful. Aim Small, Miss Small!!

  6. Mas,

    It was a pleasure having you and Gail with us at the Hernando Appleseed last weekend.

    When I was growing up, schoolchildren were trained in American history and government. For many of us, rifle marksmanship was also taught. Since then, several generations of Americans have come up with little or none of that education.

    We support The Appleseed Project as a means of restoring our remarkable and unique American heritage.

  8. […] Ayoob Attends & Reviews Appleseed! From one of the greats in the Gun Community: Massad Ayoob Blog Archive APPLESEED […]

  10. I’ll be hosting one on my farm near Williamstown, Missouri on 17-18 April, 2010. We held one here last March and it rained, but we had a great time.
    Thanks for a great story, Mas!

  11. Mazz,

    If you need some help with that rifle that was giving you a problem, let me know. I love tweaking these little rifles and it would be my honor to work yours over. I know exactly what the issue is.

    Hope to see you at another Project Appleseed event soon.

  13. Dear Massad, You did a great service to the Project in both attending and getting the word out through the web. Your “endorsement” means a lot to those who value your insight, and the Project is, I’m sure, extremely appreciative. This IS our Heritage, but many have no interest in keeping our Heritage alive and well–it is up to us all who are informed and “awake” to spread the message. Those who have answered the call to duty are some of the most honorable men I’ve had the fortune to meet.
    Shoot, Recruit, Educate, Communicate!

  14. “…the most solid position for precision hits, prone (on your belly)”.

    That isn’t the most solid position for precision hits, because there is at least one other that is even better for that: supine (on your back, with the butt tucked into your armpit and the rifle resting on the bent leg on that side, which has its ankle tucked under the ankle of the other leg, which is straight and lined up with the rifle). It was developed during the Boer War, and works best with sights along the top of the butt.

  15. Though I haven’t attended Appleseed, I shoot competitively (service rifle) and I would just like to say its really great to see this program out there and available to folks. Great idea, and from everything Ive read about it over the past couple years its sounds like its a big hit! Keep up the great work!

  16. Dear Mas: Can you recommend a sling type that easily allows the “loop” sling? I use a Brownell’s Latigo sling that is great for the normal hand/arm stabilization through the sling, but it is on a rifle “old Mini-14” that does not allow a quick release swivel, at least at the front of the rifle. I guess I can put a quick release at the rear of the stock. Thanks.

  17. Fred, Google “Brownell’s” and you’ll find competition-quality loop slings (as opposed to carry straps or tactical slings). Also, go to the Appleseed site linked in the blog entry, and follow it to the event nearest you. The local host can tell you whether they’ll have GI surplus loop slings on sale at the event, as they did at the one I attended, at reasonable prices.
    best,
    mas

  19. Great write-up. PLEASE be sure to continue to add more info on the guns & equipment/ammo used/needed to participate. I’ve been thinking about attending an Appleseed for several years but can’t get anyone to go with me. Having your input will make it easier to go alone, which by Gosh, I will do now this year.

  20. Mas;

    Great to hear you made it to an Appleseed! I have had a fantastic experience shooting with them and recently became an Instructor In Training. I think it is great for families, I have seen entire families including mothers and daughters on the line alongside their fathers and brothers.

  21. Nylon USGI type sling is available for sale in the Appleseed store located at http://www.appleseedstore.flyingcart.com/?p=detail&pid=10&cat_id=0 for $12.50 each + shipping. These are the same slings that Instructors typically use (unless they already have canvas versions!)

    They only come with one hook though, so you can only attach one end to the rifle. If you want both ends attached to the rifle, you’ll need an extra hook. Buy two slings and have a spare. 🙂

  24. I attended my first and only Appleseed on my birthday last May in Van Etten NY, I am proud I made rifleman then. I am sad I have gone no further in Appleseed since then but hope to in the future.

    Thank you Mr. Ayoob for bringing some positive light to the Appleseed.
    Sincerely
    Van Cronkhite
    Miami, FL

  25. One of the nice things about Appleseed it that they recommend using a 22 rifle. That is a heck of a lot cheaper to shoot, but everything you learn using a 22 applies to all other rifles. You can shoot whatever you want though, I just can’t afford anything other than 22 nowadays.

    I went to an Appleseed about a year ago. I thought I was pretty dang good before going. Then I saw what shooting was really all about. Those guys were good! I learned quite a few things.

    It was nice that the wife and kids could shoot for free too. I’ve been back several times since. Not just for the shooting either, but for the company of some really good folks.

  29. I got this one through a friend who got it through Lew Rockwell’s blog. Some of our guys on the ar15armory.com are Appleseed instructors. Now I’m what you would call a fan of your’s and read most everything you write. Good stuff here.

  30. I got my Rifleman’s patch at The RWVA home range in Ramseur, NC in October. As a matter of fact, Wildman (on the appleseed forums) is the range caretaker and has a WWII style sniper course there once a year if you are interested. I made rifleman with a score of 220. Someone crossfired on my target or it would have been higher. Theirs were far from my half inch group from sitting. I had a score of 50 in standing which the shoot boss said he’d never seen before. lol

  31. Good on you Mas !! High speed Low Drag is one thing , but ya gotta have the basics down FIRST .

    I just built a Liberty Training Rifle and it is a HOOT to shoot . Having been to an Appleseed way before the ammo prices went out of control , I have to say the LTR is the way to GO .

  32. Mas,

    Glad to hear you liked AS and are behind the project. I’ve been promoting it for several years now but, due to health, have yet to get out. This year I’m scheduled for to meets in Wisconsin and now have my oldest daughter going with me.

    As a matter of fact many AS instructors are members of my forum and Sam Damewood who is really into the project moderates the AS board there. http://kilogulf59.proboards.com/index.cgi#appleseed

    For more info on the project check out Sam talking about it on YouTube…Samuel R. Damewood on The Alex Jones Show”The Militia”1/7 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37oUCuDwpK4 There’s 7 parts…well worth listening to I assure you.

    Also, Old Glory made this moving video on their training the 1st Battalion 178th Field Artillery at Fort Stewart, October, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7mXOx12UCU

    GOD Bless The People Of The RWVA/Appleseed!

  33. For those with the Mini14 and sling issue. I used a “carabiner” to connect to my Ruger 10/22 which features the same sling ring.

    Which also happens to be too small for the standard GI clip on the sling I borrowed.

  34. Bonnie an I attended an Appleseed in early November where the outcome and instruction was far different. There were only two instructors for about 22 shooters and the pace was so fast that the instruction was very poor. We left the Appleseed, discouraged, injured, baked, dehydrated and with a resolve never to return.

    Women, kids and relatively new shooters were simply allowed to fail. One boy of about 10yo kept telling his Dad “I want to go home!” It was a shame to see it happen but the pace was so fast that it was almost impossible to keep up. The Dad was involved in his own shooting, and the boy seldom hit the backing cardboard. The worst was that they saw him failing but rather that slowing the pace and providing instruction, they just let him fail! It was not Dads fault for the kid’s failure. He should have been TAUGHT by Appleseed staff!

    Bonnie and I are old and needed some accommodations to help us. We couldn’t drop into positions like the young instructors could but were told that changes disqualified us from shooting “Rifleman”. I maintain that if a person confined to a wheelchair shoots the scores from his chair, he gets the patch. Appleseed does not see it that way.

    We shot for 9 hours in the blazing Texas sun without a break. The early November weather was still broiling. Our lunch was snatched as we could and the “pace” was relentless. If you failed to “get it” or failed to succeed, you were left behind.

    I do NOT recommend taking kids or women to an Appleseed unless they know all of the basics, require little or no instruction and have the constitution of a Navy Seal. People who needed extra help were simply allowed to fail. If you needed a break, you missed a stage of instruction.

    Flash

  35. Flash, I’m sorry that you were disappointed in your experience with Appleseed. I can only say that we were at two profoundly different events. At the one I attended, the instructors/range staff bent over backwards to help the newcomers and kids in particular, and those with physical problems got compensations such as being allowed to start in position rather than drop into it, though they had to hold their fire until the rest of the line began shooting.

    At ours, we had an ample lunch break that included an excellent lecture. Each lecture point is an opportunity to grab a snack and rehydrate. We also got one additional break each morning and afternoon.

    After reading your comment, I looked up the November ’09/Texas after action report on the Appleseed website, and noticed that there was no range cover. This, of course, is dependent on how the host range is set up. At ours, we had a roof, and while we had heavy rain on one day and cold wind on the other, and you had blazing sun, the roof certainly did help in our case.

    Thanks for your observations. I hope you’ll give Appleseed another chance, perhaps at another venue with covered firing points.

    Best,
    Mas

  36. Mas,

    I’ve been reading your articles since…….well …..a long time. I respect you and humbly suggest that respect is why you had a wonderful experience.

    We were on a rock hard Texas cowpath facing into the sun and shooting into a dirt embankment for 9 blistering hours without shelter.

    I have a Masters in Trade and Industrial Education and am certified as a technical instructor by NCCER, ASE, PADI (Divemaster) and have secondary teacher certifications in Oklahoma and Texas. Nothing that happened at that Appleseed could be termed proper instruction! We were shown what to do one time then sent to the line without practice or coaching. Those who “got it” were lucky. The rest were allowed to fail.

    Speed was emphasized foremost and if a lady or a kid didn’t understand what was expected, they just failed in frustration. There was no slack cut for anyone.

    In normal instruction, speed comes with proficiency and practice. There is no point in ramming more down student throats if they didn’t understand the previous lesson.

    I tried to relate these things to Appleseed and they slammed the door on me. The organization will not accept constructive criticism and that is what I am most concerned about.

    Bonnie was disqualified from shooting for “Rifleman” status due to her disability accommodations. The lady is a High Master shooter at 200 yards! She had the ability so why deny her the thrill of attaining Rifleman status because she had major back surgery?

    I arrived at the event crippled with joint pain in the left elbow and asked to shoot from a bipod. I was denied permission to use the bipod and by noon of the first day had to withdraw from the event. My elbow swelled up like a softball and was laid up for weeks afterwards!

    Bonnie pushed on and I observed the firing line intently for about 5 hours. What I witnessed was very disturbing.

    MAS, that treatment of inexperienced shooters is just crazy and any suggestion that an event like that will build our sport is crazy, too!

    You suggest that we try another Appleseed. I don’t think that’s a good idea.

    Flash

  37. […] it was yet another event that I would probably not ever make it to for distance.  After reading a few blog posts from Massad Ayoob, as he recently attended his first Appleseed, I realized that these events were […]

  38. […] out these articles about others in the industry think of Appleseed after attending our events: Massad Ayoob on Appleseed Swat Magazine SC National Guard, Ft. Stewart, GA Link 1 , Link 2 For those who have been to an […]

  39. […] Ayoob documents his Appleseed experience in three parts including Lessons from Appleseed and the Guns of […]

  40. I have been receiving twin Appleseed Riflemen emails in which I now nave no interest whatever. Please remove my name from both of your email lists.

  41. Mr. Monahan, I don’t send the emails you are talking about. I would respectfully suggest you contact those at the sending address of those emails, and advise them of your wishes.
    Respectfully,
    Mas

  42. Sept 11 Appleseed Waterman, IL
    This was a big shoot, over 70 instructors and just under 300 shooters.
    Yes the pace was fast. The ground was hard. If you didn’t get it or if your rifle was not suited to the task, I saw a good effort to help.
    I saw enough instructors doing one on one for those who had problems with adjusting scopes. and mounting cheek supports.
    I confess that if your not up to it, your not going to enjoy it.
    It is hard as you know for a novice to absorb the entire program in one intense two day shoot. I saw problems, but I didn’t see people being ignored. I think the shoot is tough because being a combat rifleman is tough. They want the badge to mean something to the people who earn it.

  43. I’m sorry to hear about the negative comments some have posted about their experiences.

    I’ve been to 2.

    Based on what I experienced, very different, it seems it’s based on the set of people running the shoot.

    While we had a “pace” the 2nd day, everyone was told to please run the “AQT Grind” at their own pass. In other words, yea it will be run at the time limits set, one after the other, but do sit out a set or sets if your tired. No one was pushed to keep shooting.
    The 1st day was truly the day of instruction and no real pace, till near the end of the day when they shot 2 real AQTs.

    All the days I attended ( full weekends for each of the two), we had 1/2 hr for lunch.

    Anyone needing help, even during the 2nd day AQT grind received it. Others that didn’t ask for it, but the IITs watched every person and offered help in areas the IIT thought it was needed. And I noticed many (I sat out sets during the AQT grind) received repeated help by an IIT till grins appeared – I assume gratification and progress.

    I could imagine if there is a limited amount of IITs, safety is 1st, and supplementary training 2nd.

  44. I attended my first Appleseed today and I have to tell you I had nothing but a positive experience. The conditions were very rough (cold and rain all weekend) however the instruction was top notch and the learning was incredible (especially when you consider that you pay next to nothing for this class). Yes, it is fast paced and intense. For this reason I believe it would be good to go multiple times. Was it exhausting, yes absolutely, but in a good way. I felt like by the end of the weekend I had learned something about shooting and something about our American heritage. Highly recommend!

  45. Flash.
    As an educator you must know that it is impossible to teach at a pace suitable for everyone. Especially when there is a low instructor to student ratio. If they taught to the slowest common denominator some would have been bored to death. You would also not have been exposed to a lot of material such as computing MOA, NPOA, and shooting AQT’s.

    Realistically two days is barely enough time to cover the material. What you need to do is to use what you learned there at home and after you become more proficient come back to another 2 day shoot and learn some more. Or even consider one of the 6 days boot camps as the pace is much much more relaxed IMHO.

    I have attended 5 shoots and learn each time I attend. (However I do wish Fred would institute a lifetime membership for those of us not born the correct sex.)

    As far as getting a patch does it really matter? You are there to improve your shooting and I will wager that this did occur.

    If you did not think that Appleseed was a great bargain you can check out some of the rifle schools out west that will run you a few thousand dollars for the week. From what I have heard are not any better than the instruction at Appleseed.

  46. Mas,
    – My son, one daughter, and I went to our first Appleseed this weekend out here in Oklahoma. It was outstanding history, training, and camaraderie. All of our scores improved as the training progressed. We came home with no patch, good sunburns, and and a ready attitude for the next event!
    – Possible things to bring up in your follow up that I learned, (assuming it’s not already done),
    1]Ground mats of some type were vital in the goat-heads and sundry stickers
    2] slings are really a must on your 10/22 if you are to maximize the potential learning
    3] I picked up both the expert pistol & rifle awards in the Navy before I retired, and Appleseed’s Rifleman Patch is centered around the Army’s quals, but it turns out that my eyes aren’t what they used to be, so I got a cheap scope for day two, and in one way that wasn’t the best time to change up if you wanted to bump your score, and in another way, it was perfect for a plethora of instruction and insight on how to calibrate and make that little scope perform [all that to say; those targets have shrunk over the years! Beware!]…

    – I ended up with a 187, two happy kids, some good American history, and a ready desire to return!

    BTW Mas … God bless you brother!

    r/
    Eric “Boomer” Blomgren

    … and don’t forget to breath!

  47. When is the next date for Appleseed?
    Also where would be a good place to buy a 22 .795 Marlin semi-automatic. We tried at Wal-Mart and found a 22 .60 Marlin lever action with a scope for $220. Is it a good deal.

  48. Hi this is charlie 1 and I attended the first hopefully anual Appleseed shoot located in a field up on the Carpeterville hills in Currie County Oregon. I will be there next year and bring as many friends and family as I can muster. Looking forward to spending time with fellow Rifleman.

  49. I got back from my first and last Appleseed event in Waco, Ga.

    Absolutely a horrid experience. They were not prepared for the weather. I had difficulty hearing the instructors over the wind and there was very little one on one instruction. I shot less than 100 rounds the whole day. Most of the instruction was on the prone position. After lunch the sitting and standing positions were rushed. I had no feed back if I was doing these positions correctly.

    I had tarps, plastic covering for my equipment, stakes for my mat that was recommended by the Appleseed equipment list but I could not use them since they had AstroTurf down and they had to inspect the rifles after every segment. Instructors were moving the sand bags off my mat allowed the wind carry my mat and rifle at least 5 feet and I still need to determine if damage was caused to the rifle and scope. During education and demonstration periods the instructors were walking on my equipment and stepped on our rifles at least 9 times. I was told to deal with it. I guess they liked the padding of our mats rather than walking in front of or behind the line.

    Historical education segments (strikes). The instructors were very knowledgable and conveyed material well. Still a microphone or something to amplify your voices over the wind would have helped. I enjoyed this part of the day.

    I did not return for day two since I did not to accept the risk additional damage to my rifles and equipment for so little return.

    Maybe it was just a bad weekend because of the weather or a new group of volunteers, but I thought wasted $80 for me and the additional time and resources that I could have gotten from watching youtube videos and going to a local range on my own. My girlfriend wasted $50 of her money on this as well. My advise is to stay away unless you have a friend that is one of the instructors.