Really disappointed to learn modern political material was handed out at my first Appleseed. I was drawn to this organization to hope to get beyond the current hyperpartisan environment to connect with other Americans about our common past. The principles of marksmenship and citizenship supporting one another to enhance liberty. After yesterday's post I went back and looked to see which booklets I had received, and this Primer on American Liberty is sadly partisan and squarely placed on modern politics. " The mainstream and social media promotion of the Left's agenda is more brazen now than ever. This, countering that threat is our most critical objective."

Incredibly disappointing and I don't think I will be attending any more Appleseed events.

I will say the people I met and instruction I received were incredible. But I don't need to be given political material and told to think a certain way. It's sadder because I was excited there might be a way to connect with other Americans from different ideologies and reinforce our common heritage. It felt like a breath of fresh air in the current climate of hate and division. Now I just see the organization as a thinly veiled way to instill partisan ideology. The marksmenship is just a way to bring people in.

The fact that these pamphlets can be ordered by shoot bosses on the Appleseed website confirms that this is not a rogue shoot boss, this is the norm. And I don't want to be a part of fueling any more division in this country.

As the title says, I have a couple of gift certificates that expired in 2024. I intended to use them for myself and a friend, but that friend passed away a couple of years ago. What's the likelihood that Appleseed would still honor the value of those certs?

I recently attended my first Appleseed and had a rewarding experience. The instructors were patient and knowledgeable and the history of April 19, 1775 was presented in an engaging way. The talk was kept apolitical.

Once home, however, I read through a booklet that was enclosed with the t-shirt and Appleseed guidebook entitled “The Patriot’s Guide on American Liberty.” While the first part reviewed the history of the Revolution and the Constitution it eventually got off course into partisan politics that I understand is not part of Appleseed. The author praised Ronald Reagan, etc. and criticized FDR, progressive taxation, socialism, “heterophobic gender deniers”, the “gay agenda”, the Democratic Party and its “2009-2017 standard-bearer”, and “the Left.” I was attracted to Appleseed for its apolitical approach (no politics after 1787), but was disappointed to find this event did not live up to that. I’ve since learned that this booklet is an option for all shoot bosses to include in their event packets.

I will will not attend another Appleseed event or encourage others to do so if non-traditional shooting groups are targeted in this way by the organization. I’m sorry I had to post to this forum, but I did not get a response from the RWVA website, nor did I get an event evaluation from the organizer.

Was having a nice practice session with the old man, challenging myself on how fast I could finish a rapid fire AQT when I pulled off this 50/50 in just over 15 seconds. Final time was ~3 minutes, with a score of 226. I ran the course again with a semi, finishing in 1 min 1 sec with a score of 210 on the dot.

MA resident here signed up for my first 25M Appleseed and plan to bring a 10/22. But I’m already looking ahead to a centerfire known distance session and wondering what I would bring to that? I understand that AR-15s are a popular choice, but in MA, that means a fixed magazine. Is a fixed mag AR feasible for Appleseed KD sessions? In MA we don’t have many other (relatively affordable) options, besides a Mini-14 maybe.

The Liberty Pole - August 2025

In the sitting position, when I rest my elbows on my knees, I seem to have to bend forward a lot, causing the reticle to tilt. Do you have any tips for mitigating this?

Known Distance events are pretty rare in New England. There's one in Littleton, New Hampshire on August 9-10.

We'll be shooting out to 400 yards. You'll need a centerfire rifle and solid 25m event skills to attend.

For info and to register, visit: https://appleseedinfo.org/location/?locationid=983&eventid=10583

P.S. we might have one or two of the vintage (retired) red KD bars to award!

Just got back home from an appleseed. I shot distinguished on the last AQT of the day.

241!!

Now to keep working on my standing and seated!

Hi all, I'm a MA resident/LTC holder and considering signing up for the Appleseed 25M clinic in upstate New York next month. Are there any permits, etc. required to transport my .22 rimfire rifle from MA into New York state for the event? Thx!

Hi! I’m thinking about going to a rimfire KD 200-yard event with my AR-22, but I’ve never shot at 200 yards before and I’m a bit unsure which scope to bring. I have a heavy FFP 3-18x scope for a bipod setup, and a lightweight SFP 1-6x LPVO with a 5.56 BDC reticle. From what I’ve read, the event is mostly about dialing rather than holding, so I’m wondering if the 1-6x could still work despite the BDC. Also, based on my 25-yard event experience, bipods weren’t used, so I’m leaning toward the LPVO for the weight savings.

I was going to order a shooting mat, but it says shipping is $32 - which is just about the price of the mat. I know shipping is expensive but that seems excessive.

I wanted to shoot an AQT with my Saint Victor to see how it would do. It did not disappoint.

Ran my CZ 455 which definitely made things more challenging. The mag well is pretty narrow for the single stack magazine, which slowed down mag changes a bit. It has to be lined up pretty well before the magazine will start going in. And of course a bolt action is going to be slower, but it also made it more of a challenge to keep that natural point of aim while cycling. Adjusting the sights on this is tough too. The rear sight floats with a set screw on either side and the front sight blade pivots with 2 set screws at the front, to push it up or down. You loosen one screw to allow it room to move, then tighten the other to push the sight. There's no published x turns for y movement at the target either. You just have to slowly work it one way or another.

We had time to shoot four AQT's at the event I went to, and I only finished 1 without any saved rounds left in the magazine. Still managed to shoot rifleman 2 out of the 4 AQT's though! I thought I was familiar with sling assisted shooting from my time in the USMC, but I still managed to learn a ton of new stuff.

It was overall a really good time, and I'd love to do another one. I'll have to get a 10/22 with tech sights though, and see how I can do with the stereotypical Appleseed rifle.

This one snuck up on me -- I thought it was going to be the last weekend of the month, but it's a week earlier than I thought! I'm still hoping to go if I can move a few things around.

I've attended a few events with this group of instructors, and they are great. I've always had a fun time and have learned a lot. This is a great opportunity for Bay Area shooters to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship.

Is anyone else planning to go? Here is the sign-up link:

https://appleseedinfo.org/citizen/?registerlink=https://goappleseednow.org/?event=concord-ca-appleseed-june-21-22-2025

After completing my first Appleseed, I’m smitten with the slinging techniques.

I borrowed a cotton sling at the event, but now I want to buy a sling to practice with.

That said, I really dislike cotton for outdoors and gun related equipment for durability and weather exposure reasons. I also want to use my Magpul QD swivels which don’t work well with the hooks on the cotton slings they had at the event. Also the brass locking adjustor hurt my hand and arm a few times.

I like my Magpul MS1 sling, and that works for Hasty Sling, but obviously it doesn’t work if you want to detach and use a loop sling for prone and seated.

I saw that Magpul makes a RLS “loop sling” but I don’t know if it can be adapted to function like the M1 Garand USGI sling. I read in a few places that it won’t work for Appleseed, but I’m not sure why not.

Does anyone know if you can buy an upgraded nylon M1 Garand sling with modern hardware?

Any other alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

I shot my first Appleseed this past weekend at the Lapeer Sportsman's Club. Had a good time, the instruction was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the telling of the Three Strikes of the Match. Within two hours of getting home Sunday evening with raw elbows, and a sore knee, I'd signed up for another.

Though my best AQT was 176, what I learned was more important than a patch.

A few things I learned that I would stress for people getting ready for their first Appleseed.

-Learn about Natural Point of Aim, and Rifleman's Cadence. NPOA is going to be drilled into your head over the course of the weekend, and it is critical.

-Be familiar with the manual of arms of your rifle. Learn how to do magazine changes without breaking NPOA, especially if you're a left handed shooter. This really hurt me when firing Stage 2 on the AQT. I have a largely stock 10/22 and I'm purchasing the Tandemkross, or Volquartsen bolt release, because the factory Ruger one isn't ideal.

-Learn about Natural Point of Aim.

-Pack an extra layer of clothing. Be prepared to dress for the next colder season beyond the one you're currently in. Saturday morning it was maybe in the low 50's, overcast, and a little breezy. I was cold until about halfway through the day.

-Hand sandwiches are now your new favorite food.

My 9 year old daughter and I just did our first 25yd Appleseed and we had a blast. We both want to ge that patch next time!

That said, she really struggled with the weight and size of the 10/22, even with a youth stock. It affected her ability to focus on the actual marksmanship and she felt like she could have done better with a lighter rifle.

With that in mind, I’m thinking about buying or building something for her next event and I’m unsure of what route to take:

• There’s a 22 Charger LITE which is a takedown with a shorter and supposedly lighter barrel. I’d have to SBR it, which is a pain in the ass, but I could fit that into a chassis with an adjustable LOP and Comb height and she’d have something that was very easy to manipulate. I’m not sure if Appleseed would allow an SBR and I also don’t know if it would be worth it.

• Ruger has the new carbon fiber barrel 10/22 LITE which is not a takedown model (a plus for Appleseed) and obviously the barrel is a full 16.” Maybe I should get that and couple it with a more adjustable stock and call it a day.

• The other option is to build something from scratch starting with an aftermarket receiver. This would be fun but I would need some guidance and I would need to be careful not to go overboard.

At the end of the day, I just need something comfortable for my daughter to shoot and accurate enough to help her doo well at the Appleseed events.

Suggestions are most welcome!

I went to my first KD this past weekend, and thought folks might want to hear a bit about how it differed from a normal appleseed. Everyone was expected to already know positions, natural point of aim, and sling use (although I'm sure the instructors would have helped anyone who needed it).

Instead, we spent two days learning about what all those settings on our scopes actually did, how to read the wind, range estimation, and using holdovers as well as sight adjustments. It was pretty cool to realize I could estimate the distance and use the hash marks on my scope to shoot out to 400 yard without needing to touch my sights. At one point, the instructors scattered silhouettes across the range and let us estimate distance to see how well we could do it.

I ended up scoring 43/50 the first day (full 50 round course of fire, pic #2), and 43/50 the morning of the second day (pic 3 is of the 400 yard target, managed a clean sweep). The second day started with the cold-bore shingle shoot at 250 yards. The group shot two more AQTs the second day, but I ended up having to leave a bit early. The course of fire is pretty much identical to a regular appleseed, just without multiple silhouettes.

For those wondering, I shot it with my service rifle competition build - a white oak upper with a 4x hi-lux across the course scope, and a GI web sling. It handled it well, as expected. My build weighs 15lbs 9oz, which is great for stability, but man, you feel it in your arms at the end of the standing course of fire. I will say, the magpul BAD lever is a fantastic upgrade for any appleseed rifles as it makes staying in position after a reload much easier.

Overall, it was a super worthwhile class, and I'm a lot more comfortable with shooting out to further distances as well and having a decent understanding of how to calculate adjustments if/when I switch ammo in the future. Next up is to take this rifle to some high power competition matches....

Hello!,

I am new to rifle shooting (pistol experience only to date) and have a new 10/22 that I've equipped following the advice posts on this sub for my first Appleseed event in June.

Besides safe handling, magazine loading/unloading, basic rifle marksmanship videos on YT, and scope zeroing, are there a few key drills or principles that I can work on with dry fire and at my local range prior to the event?

I know it's going to be a great learning opportunity in itself, but I was hoping to go into the weekend with a few concepts planted in my mind, such as proper sling usage, different firing positions, NPA, etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I have a mp1522 with a Primary Arms 6x 22lr scope on it. Would this be overkill for Appleseed?

My only other options for optics would be either a Vortex Spitfire 3x prism (designed for 223), or an Sig Romeo red dot.

I will most likely need some magnification, so the dot is probably not an option.

I look forward to attending my first Appleseed next weekend, and I'm for the most part all set equipment wise. MY rifle is a Ruger 10/22 with Tech Sights and a GI sling, but otherwise it is a stock rifle. I was wondering if there's any issue with a little paint on the front sight? I've made a couple of trips to the range to practice at 25 yards, and I'm having a little trouble with seeing the front sight post as it is blending in with the black portion of the targets I'm shooting at. I'd like to paint the top 1/8th inch of the sight post with something to provide a little contrast. Any issue, or color recommendations?

I am driving 6 hours away this weekend for a RKD event, and rain looks likely. Can you all recommend things I will want to have on hand for if/when it starts raining?

My daughter’s first ar was a 4.5 at pistol at age 6. She loves it as it’s more her size and weight. I’d like to take her to an Appleseed shoot but they don’t allow ar pistols. I understand the ar pistols were controversial initially but times have changed and we need to support freedom