Appleseed Project – Learn to Shoot

I’m an instructor in training for the Appleseed Project. We teach people how to shoot rifles. Not shooting from a bench with 200 lbs. of sand bags around your gun (which proves little). Rather, shooting from field positions using nothing but a sling and iron sights (or optics if you need them).

The basic Appleseed course of fire is on a 25 meter range at a scaled down version of the Army Qualification Test. This course will have you shooting from standing, sitting and prone (laying down) under rapid and slow fire conditions with magazine changes. The goal is to score “Rifleman” which is challenging even if you think you already know how to shoot a gun. This score means you can hit a man-sized target consistently with iron sights from 100-500 yards under pressure in field positions.  Even though the basic course is scaled down for close range (which is done for many reasons, one of which is it is easier to check targets by walking 25 meters vs. 500 for teaching), the skills can be applied immediately to longer distances.

During the course we also discuss the history of April 19, 1775 and how important it was that the colonists were skilled Riflemen when fighting the British – A scene that is described in this book:

What does it mean to consistently hit a man-sized target at 500 yards? It means you should be able to keep all of your shots in a 1 inch x 1 inch square at the 25 meter (27 Yard) range. This translates to about a 20″ circle of fire at 500 yards using a rack grade rifle and field positions. Here are some targets you can use for practice at the range:

1 Inch Squares

Appleseed Red Coat Practice Targets

100-200-300-400 Yard Simulated Appleseed Targets (big download)

This past weekend I shot a group at a simulated scale 500 yard target at 100 yards. This is from the prone position with iron sights (no optics) and an M1A rifle in 7.62mm caliber – The finest rifle I’ve ever had the pleasure of using:

M1A using iron sights at 100 yards against 500 yard simulated silhouette

Now I post this for two reasons:

1) It’s my blog, I’m bragging, and I have two witnesses.

2) Anyone can learn to shoot like this.

The Appleseed courses are all around the country and cost a very modest $70 or so for two days of hands on rifle training including all targets, instruction and a T-Shirt. Even experienced shooters will benefit from this training and likely improve their skills. The instructors are all volunteers and do this to pass on the knowledge and train a new generation of Riflemen – A skill that is part of American history and should be known by everyone.

Are you a good rifle shot? Then come on out and prove it. We need instructors and if you make Rifleman score you can become one, too. If you can’t shoot at all, you’ll learn skills that will give you a great foundation to build upon. It’s a weekend well spent if you want to improve your shooting.

Happy Thanksgiving!