The past is a foreign country, it is said. This was my past, too, but that seems pretty much gone now.
Take your kids to Appleseed.
Showing posts with label Appleseed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Appleseed. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Drivin'
Or not, actually. I've been feeling guilty lately, thinking that I'm a month behind on changing the oil* on the Jeep. I mean, the last time I did this was in Texas, and I've been home for months and months.
And so I looked at the data. What was my mileage when I last did the deed? 2,783 miles ago.
This is a meditation on being home with your family. A couple hundred miles in Texas, and then 900 miles home, and then a lot of not much adds up to a lot of time home with the family. I must confess to a sense of discombobulation every so often, as I don't live George Thorogood's song.
I actually think that the longest trip I've taken in the Jeep since April was when #2 Son and I went to an Appleseed shoot, which was only an hour anf a quarter from home. Some day, I may even get used to this.
And so I looked at the data. What was my mileage when I last did the deed? 2,783 miles ago.
This is a meditation on being home with your family. A couple hundred miles in Texas, and then 900 miles home, and then a lot of not much adds up to a lot of time home with the family. I must confess to a sense of discombobulation every so often, as I don't live George Thorogood's song.
I actually think that the longest trip I've taken in the Jeep since April was when #2 Son and I went to an Appleseed shoot, which was only an hour anf a quarter from home. Some day, I may even get used to this.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Appleseed After Action Report
It's been two weeks since #2 Son and I went to the Appleseed shoot. I've held off posting (much) because I wanted to digest the experience. Here are those impressions.
Friendly, family experience
This is no exaggeration. There were several family groups, and not just fathers bringing sons. Daughters were well represented, as were some girlfriends and wives. The good folks from the Revolutionary War Veteran's Association, who organized the training event were friendly and patient to the extreme. Feedback and coaching was entirely positive - there was no yelling, with a single exception that I'll describe shortly.
One data point does not guarantee that my experience is the same as the other hundreds of training events nationwide, but my strong impression is that women and children ten and older will feel comfortable at Appleseed. For potential lady shooters who are still unconvinced, there are Ladyseed events designed specifically for women.
It's worth pointing out that the Appleseed folks feel so strongly that women and Middle School age children should shoot that they can attend the event free of charge.
This is your heritage
Appleseed was formed to preserve the American heritage of marksmanship, and the day alternates between rifle instruction and practice, and history lessons. The history is the story of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. This particularly appealed to me: Dad was a history professor, I had a love of history on my own, and when we were in Massachusetts we lived in the town next to Concord.
But that explains why I liked the history. So why did #2 Son like it? I think that it was the instructors, one of whom was younger than he (16). The Appleseed instructors are all volunteers, and are not only versed on rifle instruction, but on the history as well. The presentation had times where it felt memorized (particularly with the younger instructors), but the older ones gave a series of talks that would not be out of place in a High School history class, and all the instructors had a clear love and respect for the story. Heritage, indeed.
Safety, safety, safety
I've taken the family shooting a fair number of times, and I've liked to think of myself as a safety Nazi. The Appleseed line safety monitors put me to shame. The only time anyone raised their voice was when someone was not observing the entire protocol that keeps everyone safe. People forget, and the line safety monitors were there to remind everyone.
The Appleseed safety rules are somewhat different from Jeff Cooper's Four Rules, but they were clearly described, consistently enforced, and very, very effective. I never once felt at risk, even with more than a dozen live firearms in use.
See the improvement
The first time that you shoot, it's at a peculiar target. This is mine (click to see a larger version).
At the top, the target is printed with the only rule that matters for a Rifleman: Hits count. The rifle makes a fine noise, but the point of Appleseed is to teach you how to hit, repeatedly.
The target has four quasi man-shaped red targets, each smaller than the last. The largest is mathematically designed such that when you place the target paper at a distance of 25 yards, the largest appears the same size as a standard U.S. Army Basic Training target placed at 100 yards. The next one is equivalent of the standard target at 200 yards, the third equivalent to 300 yards, and the smallest reflects the standard Army target at 400 yards. This reduced size target lets Appleseed train people with long distance marksmanship skills on a 25 yard range.
The tiny rectangular target represents the target used by Ethan Allan, who formed a rifle company in 1775. Unlike the smooth bore muskets used by the British regulars and American militias, this group used the Pennsylvania long rifles. So many volunteers showed up that he had to set up a marksmanship test to select only the best shots. He set up a wooden shingle at (if I remember correctly) 150 yards, the first rifleman's target in the Republic's history. The small red rectangle at 25 yards is the equivalent of that shingle.
Hitting, and hitting repeatedly is the goal. The first time you shoot the goal is to set a baseline for your incoming rifle skills. The goal is to get three hits out of three shots on each of the five red targets.
Checkpoint: My incoming marksmanship
In a word, lousy. Perhaps "inconsistent" is a better description - remember, only hits count. When we collected targets, the instructors asked for a show of hands for who had hit the small rectangular target three times. No hands. The 400 yard target? Maybe a couple. The 300 yard target? Few. 200? A bunch. The largest target, the 100 yard one? Most.
Me, I had zero targets with three hits. None. [Big sigh.]
The Lessons
At this point, the Appleseed instructors began in earnest. The instructors are well versed with U.S. Army rifle marksmanship training doctrine. They teach the shooting positions: prone, sitting, and standing. They teach the sight picture, how to accurately line up your rifle on target using the sights. They teach how to "zero" your rifle, making sure that it's not shooting to left or right, or higher or lower. They teach the use of the shooting sling - using the sling used for carrying the rifle as an aid to much more accurate shooting. They teach how to control your breathing to increase your accuracy. They teach you how to squeeze the trigger to increase your accuracy. They teach reloading.
Most importantly, they teach the mental concentration that helps you forget your previous misses, ignore upcoming shots that you will have to take, and focus only on the shot that you're taking at the moment. As Napoleon said, the mental is to the physical as three is to one.
Does it work?
That takes all day, until late into the afternoon. At around four o'clock we each put up the qualification target, the one that is shot for score, under time pressure. Here's mine (click to see a larger version).
It uses the same size targets as the first one we shot that day. There are four flights of shooting, corresponding to 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. Each flight uses ten rounds contained in two magazines (you have to reload once on each flight). Each round except for the last is timed, with a 60 second time limit for all ten rounds. You can take as much time as you like on the last flight.
Hits are scored - the closer you are to the center of that target, the more points you get. All targets are identical, other than size (in other words, you can score the same number of points on each target, except that the smallest targets count double.
Qualifying
The points all add up to a score. 210 counts as "qualifying" as a rifleman - this score corresponds to the "Expert" qualification at Basic Training shooting qualification. Dad was a reluctant warrior, but was proud to the end of his days that he - a city boy - earned his Expert badge. That's what I was going for that day.
I didn't get it, although I did better than I thought. 189, which is equivalent of "Sharpshooter" at Basic Training. I intend to go back to get my "Rifleman" patch - Appleseed gives you 90 days where you can go back and try again without paying again.
Lessons Learned
1. Equipment fails. I got military sights for #2 Son's Ruger 10/22 rifle specifically for him to use in this shoot, and the magazine release lever pin broke, making the entire rifle hors de combat. The Appleseed folks came prepared with extra rifles.
2. Adapt and improvise. #2 Son wanted to use his 30 caliber SKS, rather than the Ruger. OK, I had brought a bunch of ammunition for it, and it's sights aren't that bad. But it was designed for mid 20th Century Soviet conscripts - soldiers who were considerable smaller than #2 Son's strapping 16 year old size. The stock was too short for him to get a good site picture repeatedly, under timed trials. We Duct Taped a rolled up T-Shirt to the buttstock, which made the rifle much easier for him to shoot.
3. Bring an attitude willing to learn. The instructors are the very picture of patience. Actually when you consider that they are all volunteer instructors, it's nothing short of astonishing. But even this patience will not prevail against someone obstinately determined to keep using his bad habits. Me, I'm delighted to ditch my bad habits, and believe that I did so - at least for many of them.
4. Appleseed is my kind of group. The combination of history, technical learning and practice, and (perhaps) the opportunity to volunteer myself and help train future riflemen (and riflewomen) is a very seductive idea. First, though, I have to qualify myself.
5. Who would have figured that I'd prefer shooting sitting rather than prone? Hits count, but prone is actually pretty uncomfortable. I was surprised at just how uncomfortable it was, and how well I shot from the sitting position.
Recommendation
If you haven't gone before, this will make you a better shot (unless you're already an expert). If you haven't taken your family, you'll find that this makes quite a fun family outing. On the drive home, he said "Thanks for bringing me here, Dad."
So there you have it. If you have kids, this will let you spend time with them in a way that means something.
Because this is your heritage, and theirs. It is a perhaps uniquely American experience, that's ours by birthright. The Appleseed instruction is on target, in all the ways that count.
Friendly, family experience
This is no exaggeration. There were several family groups, and not just fathers bringing sons. Daughters were well represented, as were some girlfriends and wives. The good folks from the Revolutionary War Veteran's Association, who organized the training event were friendly and patient to the extreme. Feedback and coaching was entirely positive - there was no yelling, with a single exception that I'll describe shortly.
One data point does not guarantee that my experience is the same as the other hundreds of training events nationwide, but my strong impression is that women and children ten and older will feel comfortable at Appleseed. For potential lady shooters who are still unconvinced, there are Ladyseed events designed specifically for women.
It's worth pointing out that the Appleseed folks feel so strongly that women and Middle School age children should shoot that they can attend the event free of charge.
This is your heritage
Appleseed was formed to preserve the American heritage of marksmanship, and the day alternates between rifle instruction and practice, and history lessons. The history is the story of the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. This particularly appealed to me: Dad was a history professor, I had a love of history on my own, and when we were in Massachusetts we lived in the town next to Concord.
But that explains why I liked the history. So why did #2 Son like it? I think that it was the instructors, one of whom was younger than he (16). The Appleseed instructors are all volunteers, and are not only versed on rifle instruction, but on the history as well. The presentation had times where it felt memorized (particularly with the younger instructors), but the older ones gave a series of talks that would not be out of place in a High School history class, and all the instructors had a clear love and respect for the story. Heritage, indeed.
Safety, safety, safety
I've taken the family shooting a fair number of times, and I've liked to think of myself as a safety Nazi. The Appleseed line safety monitors put me to shame. The only time anyone raised their voice was when someone was not observing the entire protocol that keeps everyone safe. People forget, and the line safety monitors were there to remind everyone.
The Appleseed safety rules are somewhat different from Jeff Cooper's Four Rules, but they were clearly described, consistently enforced, and very, very effective. I never once felt at risk, even with more than a dozen live firearms in use.
See the improvement
At the top, the target is printed with the only rule that matters for a Rifleman: Hits count. The rifle makes a fine noise, but the point of Appleseed is to teach you how to hit, repeatedly.
The target has four quasi man-shaped red targets, each smaller than the last. The largest is mathematically designed such that when you place the target paper at a distance of 25 yards, the largest appears the same size as a standard U.S. Army Basic Training target placed at 100 yards. The next one is equivalent of the standard target at 200 yards, the third equivalent to 300 yards, and the smallest reflects the standard Army target at 400 yards. This reduced size target lets Appleseed train people with long distance marksmanship skills on a 25 yard range.
The tiny rectangular target represents the target used by Ethan Allan, who formed a rifle company in 1775. Unlike the smooth bore muskets used by the British regulars and American militias, this group used the Pennsylvania long rifles. So many volunteers showed up that he had to set up a marksmanship test to select only the best shots. He set up a wooden shingle at (if I remember correctly) 150 yards, the first rifleman's target in the Republic's history. The small red rectangle at 25 yards is the equivalent of that shingle.
Hitting, and hitting repeatedly is the goal. The first time you shoot the goal is to set a baseline for your incoming rifle skills. The goal is to get three hits out of three shots on each of the five red targets.
Checkpoint: My incoming marksmanship
In a word, lousy. Perhaps "inconsistent" is a better description - remember, only hits count. When we collected targets, the instructors asked for a show of hands for who had hit the small rectangular target three times. No hands. The 400 yard target? Maybe a couple. The 300 yard target? Few. 200? A bunch. The largest target, the 100 yard one? Most.
Me, I had zero targets with three hits. None. [Big sigh.]
The Lessons
At this point, the Appleseed instructors began in earnest. The instructors are well versed with U.S. Army rifle marksmanship training doctrine. They teach the shooting positions: prone, sitting, and standing. They teach the sight picture, how to accurately line up your rifle on target using the sights. They teach how to "zero" your rifle, making sure that it's not shooting to left or right, or higher or lower. They teach the use of the shooting sling - using the sling used for carrying the rifle as an aid to much more accurate shooting. They teach how to control your breathing to increase your accuracy. They teach you how to squeeze the trigger to increase your accuracy. They teach reloading.
Most importantly, they teach the mental concentration that helps you forget your previous misses, ignore upcoming shots that you will have to take, and focus only on the shot that you're taking at the moment. As Napoleon said, the mental is to the physical as three is to one.
Does it work?
It uses the same size targets as the first one we shot that day. There are four flights of shooting, corresponding to 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. Each flight uses ten rounds contained in two magazines (you have to reload once on each flight). Each round except for the last is timed, with a 60 second time limit for all ten rounds. You can take as much time as you like on the last flight.
Hits are scored - the closer you are to the center of that target, the more points you get. All targets are identical, other than size (in other words, you can score the same number of points on each target, except that the smallest targets count double.
Qualifying
The points all add up to a score. 210 counts as "qualifying" as a rifleman - this score corresponds to the "Expert" qualification at Basic Training shooting qualification. Dad was a reluctant warrior, but was proud to the end of his days that he - a city boy - earned his Expert badge. That's what I was going for that day.
I didn't get it, although I did better than I thought. 189, which is equivalent of "Sharpshooter" at Basic Training. I intend to go back to get my "Rifleman" patch - Appleseed gives you 90 days where you can go back and try again without paying again.
Lessons Learned
1. Equipment fails. I got military sights for #2 Son's Ruger 10/22 rifle specifically for him to use in this shoot, and the magazine release lever pin broke, making the entire rifle hors de combat. The Appleseed folks came prepared with extra rifles.
2. Adapt and improvise. #2 Son wanted to use his 30 caliber SKS, rather than the Ruger. OK, I had brought a bunch of ammunition for it, and it's sights aren't that bad. But it was designed for mid 20th Century Soviet conscripts - soldiers who were considerable smaller than #2 Son's strapping 16 year old size. The stock was too short for him to get a good site picture repeatedly, under timed trials. We Duct Taped a rolled up T-Shirt to the buttstock, which made the rifle much easier for him to shoot.
3. Bring an attitude willing to learn. The instructors are the very picture of patience. Actually when you consider that they are all volunteer instructors, it's nothing short of astonishing. But even this patience will not prevail against someone obstinately determined to keep using his bad habits. Me, I'm delighted to ditch my bad habits, and believe that I did so - at least for many of them.
4. Appleseed is my kind of group. The combination of history, technical learning and practice, and (perhaps) the opportunity to volunteer myself and help train future riflemen (and riflewomen) is a very seductive idea. First, though, I have to qualify myself.
5. Who would have figured that I'd prefer shooting sitting rather than prone? Hits count, but prone is actually pretty uncomfortable. I was surprised at just how uncomfortable it was, and how well I shot from the sitting position.
Recommendation
If you haven't gone before, this will make you a better shot (unless you're already an expert). If you haven't taken your family, you'll find that this makes quite a fun family outing. On the drive home, he said "Thanks for bringing me here, Dad."
So there you have it. If you have kids, this will let you spend time with them in a way that means something.
Because this is your heritage, and theirs. It is a perhaps uniquely American experience, that's ours by birthright. The Appleseed instruction is on target, in all the ways that count.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Generous scoring?
I'm wondering if the scoring was a bit generous. Feel free to chime in about what you think I really shot. Of course, I'd love it if this is a real 189, but recognizing reality is a virtue.
Of course, what counts is what the Appleseed judge says. Like they say, bad calls are part of the game of Baseball, and if a bad call falls your way well, the call fell your way.
UPDATE 11 June 2012 11:02: Those are .22 holes (other than one which had a .30 cal bullet pushed through - IIRC third row, left hand target).
Of course, what counts is what the Appleseed judge says. Like they say, bad calls are part of the game of Baseball, and if a bad call falls your way well, the call fell your way.
UPDATE 11 June 2012 11:02: Those are .22 holes (other than one which had a .30 cal bullet pushed through - IIRC third row, left hand target).
Every shot perfect
#1 Son likes to watch Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. I like spending time with him, so I guess that means that I like to watch it, at least when I'm spending time with him. But I have to say that it was interesting, turning around lost causes where people simply don't know how to go about doing something.
In one of the episodes, Ramsey brought in a chef to teach the kitchen staff how to work a dinner service. The line that struck me was when this chef told everyone "Every plate perfect". Because that's what they teach at Appleseed.
Long time readers know that while I'm an enthusiastic shooter, I'm not a particularly good one. The reason is the same as those kitchen staff - I haven't had a system to use approaching my shooting. Appleseed is all about a mental system for you to use when you're shooting.
Some are physical: I'm better about the shooting sling than before, and I'm a lot better about the shooting positions (I didn't expect that I'd much prefer sitting to prone).
Some are mental: trigger control is perhaps the most obvious, but practice will perhaps remove some of this from the mental arena as muscle memory takes over. But the most important mental note is like that chef said: every shot perfect. Breathing is a mental task, as is handling offhand wobble. Being aware of what your body is doing to your point of aim is a mental effort that if you think on it, will improve your shooting.
A lot.
But most important is to focus on the current shot. The last one - maybe a flyer, maybe not even scoring - that's past. The next shot is a lifetime away, as is the next target. To focus on nothing but the current shot, to make that perfect - that's surprisingly difficult. What's most interesting of all is that the process of doing that will tell you when your shot disappoints, and very possibly why.
Napoleon was right. The mental is to the physical as three is to one.
In one of the episodes, Ramsey brought in a chef to teach the kitchen staff how to work a dinner service. The line that struck me was when this chef told everyone "Every plate perfect". Because that's what they teach at Appleseed.
Long time readers know that while I'm an enthusiastic shooter, I'm not a particularly good one. The reason is the same as those kitchen staff - I haven't had a system to use approaching my shooting. Appleseed is all about a mental system for you to use when you're shooting.
Some are physical: I'm better about the shooting sling than before, and I'm a lot better about the shooting positions (I didn't expect that I'd much prefer sitting to prone).
Some are mental: trigger control is perhaps the most obvious, but practice will perhaps remove some of this from the mental arena as muscle memory takes over. But the most important mental note is like that chef said: every shot perfect. Breathing is a mental task, as is handling offhand wobble. Being aware of what your body is doing to your point of aim is a mental effort that if you think on it, will improve your shooting.
A lot.
But most important is to focus on the current shot. The last one - maybe a flyer, maybe not even scoring - that's past. The next shot is a lifetime away, as is the next target. To focus on nothing but the current shot, to make that perfect - that's surprisingly difficult. What's most interesting of all is that the process of doing that will tell you when your shot disappoints, and very possibly why.
Napoleon was right. The mental is to the physical as three is to one.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
189
You need to shoot 210 to qualify at Appleseed. This maps to the old Army "Expert" qualification level that Dad made. I missed it, but way surprised myself by shooting 189. That's in striking distance (not to mention equivalent of the Army "Sharpshooter" level).
Family will keep me from the second day, so I can't go for qualification. Next time, hopefully.
Family will keep me from the second day, so I can't go for qualification. Next time, hopefully.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
If I'm lucky
Hopefully Appleseed will give me some better shooting technique.
If there's time and cell coverage, I'll try to do some posts from the Appleseed shoot.
If there's time and cell coverage, I'll try to do some posts from the Appleseed shoot.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Epoch Change
Friend ASM826 (my informal shooting instructor) points out a post from back in the very early days of this blog, where he reminisced on early morning rifle drill at Uncle Sam's Summer Camp:
Zeke42 left a comment on that post, saying that I should go to an Appleseed shoot. Then, that was only a dim hope for the future. Now that future dawns tomorrow. ASM826 has watched that journey, and helped along the way (he's quite a good shooting instructor, if you are ever lucky enough to find yourself shooting with him). Others of you have watched, too, offering repeated and patient encouragement. Thanks, and I will be thinking of you while I'm on the firing line tomorrow.
I'll also think of Dad. We didn't grow up shooting, but he was proud of how he had qualified Expert back at Ft. Ord. I sure wish he was here. But I know what he would say - and you, too: At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what you score. America will have another Rifleman, at least in the way that counts. Hopefully two, as I'm taking #2 Son. A quintessentially American tradition continues.
That seemed impossible, those many years and miles ago. Epoch change is Epic.
The marksmanship instructors check the line, double checking each rifle. It is time to move back, another hundred yards. The sun is fully up now, the temperature rising through the 90s. There is more to do at 300 yards, and then at 500. Iron sights on an M-16 at 500 yards. Two weeks ago, it seemed impossible. Today, some recruit will shoot a perfect score at that distance.We'd both been blogging perhaps a month, and somehow had discovered each other's musings. He had moved from New England to Carolina; I was still a POMM (Prisoner Of Mother Massachusetts). But we both recognized a shared spirit, a shared love of freedom. That was a World Age ago for me. A different epoch.
Zeke42 left a comment on that post, saying that I should go to an Appleseed shoot. Then, that was only a dim hope for the future. Now that future dawns tomorrow. ASM826 has watched that journey, and helped along the way (he's quite a good shooting instructor, if you are ever lucky enough to find yourself shooting with him). Others of you have watched, too, offering repeated and patient encouragement. Thanks, and I will be thinking of you while I'm on the firing line tomorrow.
I'll also think of Dad. We didn't grow up shooting, but he was proud of how he had qualified Expert back at Ft. Ord. I sure wish he was here. But I know what he would say - and you, too: At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what you score. America will have another Rifleman, at least in the way that counts. Hopefully two, as I'm taking #2 Son. A quintessentially American tradition continues.
That seemed impossible, those many years and miles ago. Epoch change is Epic.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Appleseed: T minus 2 and counting
Everything is ready for this weekend's Appleseed shoot. I'm taking #2 Son, we have the gear and ammo all set (and I found 70 rounds of .303, so maybe I can get one of the instructors to help me find the zero at 200 yards).
Surprisingly for Georgia in June, the weather forecast says this weekend should be spectacular - the kind of weather you expect in New England in June, not Georgia.
So we'll take the 10/22, the SKS, and the Enfield. This will be an interesting experience - almost all my shooting experience has been with pistols, rather than rifles, and most of the rifle experience has been on short ranges. I know from previous experience that I can be taught by a good teacher, and so I have to confess that I can't wait. I'll see if I can do some posts from the event (not sure what sort of cell phone coverage there will be.
If anyone who's been to an Appleseed shoot has any advice about what you didn't bring that you wish you had, I'd be much obliged.
Surprisingly for Georgia in June, the weather forecast says this weekend should be spectacular - the kind of weather you expect in New England in June, not Georgia.
So we'll take the 10/22, the SKS, and the Enfield. This will be an interesting experience - almost all my shooting experience has been with pistols, rather than rifles, and most of the rifle experience has been on short ranges. I know from previous experience that I can be taught by a good teacher, and so I have to confess that I can't wait. I'll see if I can do some posts from the event (not sure what sort of cell phone coverage there will be.
If anyone who's been to an Appleseed shoot has any advice about what you didn't bring that you wish you had, I'd be much obliged.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Military sights for the Ruger 10/22
The new Tech Sights for #2 Son's 10/22 are not just functional, but they dial the bad-assitude up more than a couple notches.
The front sights are the real deal.
So is the rear peep sight - dials for range and windage.
The camera angle is somewhat off center here - I can get quite a good sight picture through the peep sight, but the dumb auto-focus can't get the image crisp. I need to play around with the manual settings of the camera.
Plus, they're dead simple to install. With the sling and extra magazines - not to mention the SKS and 500 rounds for center fire shooty goodness - we're pretty much ready for Appleseed.
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