The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - can someone post their experiences at Appleseed bootcamp?

Phrauggy · January 8, 2009, 04:33 PM

I am new to this forum but came across this post and wanted to respond. My neighbors went to an Appleseed event in Castle Rock, WA and thought it was great training, so while I was visiting in North Carolina this past week I went to their 2-day event in Ramseur, NC on January 3-4. As a law enforcement officer in WA state, I'm armed and am very familiar to my own agency's qualifications process and range procedures. Appleseed exceeded my expectations.
To start with, the range at Ramseur is Excellent! There were two separate ranges, one for long distance marksmanship and the other with distance capabilities as well but with a 25-meter backstop where we did all our training at this event. Both had cemented floors & a roof. There was a heated indoor space at the main training range site. The event was booked solid and every single lane was full up. The multitude of instructors were very accomodating.
They started right out with standard range safety rules, followed by the story of April 19th 1775 - the core message that the Revolutionary War Veterans Association promotes. It's a good bit of history and encapsulates the spirit of why we were all standing out there that morning. After that, the training was well managed, disciplined - and moved right along. We covered a large amount of material but it wasn't too much standing and talking. If you came wanting to shoot it does not disappoint. The first day we covered marksmanship fundamentals while at prone, standing, sitting, and kneeling. Use of the sling was key and that was somewhat new to me - especially the way they use it. It was an enlightening element and improved my shot qutie a bit. RWVA also has a special target that simulates man-sized targets at various distances, so it was nice to only be shooting 25 yards/meters but get a feel for how you'd be doing at 100, 200, 400... we also shot the Army Qualification Test which we scored near the end of the day. I definitely improved my shot.
There were about 10 instructors for ~50 attendees so there was plenty of good advice & help. When my old (and borrowed) bolt-action .22 started having issues they supplied me with a Ruger 1022 ready to go so that I could keep up and continue with the training. That's another thing - it's no gun contest. While some people had AR-15s, M-1 garands, what have you, many people were new shooters and brought a basic .22 with iron sites which can teach you PLENTY about marksmanship. There was a mix of some youth and women as well as varied skillsets so I fit right in.
Throughout the training, safety was paramount - instructors were clear and aware and had a nice command presence without being "mean". Regarding marksmanship skills & practice steps, I appreciated the fact that they stuck to the basics and kept it simple... all the while providing fairly active mentorship. It wasn't tough-guy browbeating or boot camp and would be a comfortable environment for anyone new or veteran. Although I did not shoot a score qualifying me as a 'Rifleman' (that comes with a nice patch!) I learned solid fundamentals and felt motivated get even better with my own tools.
At the end of the day, Fred touched upon April 19th 1775 again, and there was some discussion within the group about it. It wasn't political, ideological, 'alarmist' or pushy whatsoever. Basically it was a nice reminder about our history and what happened that day... and where our society & culture is now, and why what we did that day was important.
I would like to go to one of these again, and bring a rifle that I'm more comfortable with - perhaps with a scope! I too want to be a rifleman.

Fritz

January 8, 2009, 04:33 PM	#2
Phrauggy Junior Member Join Date: January 8, 2009 Posts: 1	Appleseed Experience I am new to this forum but came across this post and wanted to respond. My neighbors went to an Appleseed event in Castle Rock, WA and thought it was great training, so while I was visiting in North Carolina this past week I went to their 2-day event in Ramseur, NC on January 3-4. As a law enforcement officer in WA state, I'm armed and am very familiar to my own agency's qualifications process and range procedures. Appleseed exceeded my expectations. To start with, the range at Ramseur is Excellent! There were two separate ranges, one for long distance marksmanship and the other with distance capabilities as well but with a 25-meter backstop where we did all our training at this event. Both had cemented floors & a roof. There was a heated indoor space at the main training range site. The event was booked solid and every single lane was full up. The multitude of instructors were very accomodating. They started right out with standard range safety rules, followed by the story of April 19th 1775 - the core message that the Revolutionary War Veterans Association promotes. It's a good bit of history and encapsulates the spirit of why we were all standing out there that morning. After that, the training was well managed, disciplined - and moved right along. We covered a large amount of material but it wasn't too much standing and talking. If you came wanting to shoot it does not disappoint. The first day we covered marksmanship fundamentals while at prone, standing, sitting, and kneeling. Use of the sling was key and that was somewhat new to me - especially the way they use it. It was an enlightening element and improved my shot qutie a bit. RWVA also has a special target that simulates man-sized targets at various distances, so it was nice to only be shooting 25 yards/meters but get a feel for how you'd be doing at 100, 200, 400... we also shot the Army Qualification Test which we scored near the end of the day. I definitely improved my shot. There were about 10 instructors for ~50 attendees so there was plenty of good advice & help. When my old (and borrowed) bolt-action .22 started having issues they supplied me with a Ruger 1022 ready to go so that I could keep up and continue with the training. That's another thing - it's no gun contest. While some people had AR-15s, M-1 garands, what have you, many people were new shooters and brought a basic .22 with iron sites which can teach you PLENTY about marksmanship. There was a mix of some youth and women as well as varied skillsets so I fit right in. Throughout the training, safety was paramount - instructors were clear and aware and had a nice command presence without being "mean". Regarding marksmanship skills & practice steps, I appreciated the fact that they stuck to the basics and kept it simple... all the while providing fairly active mentorship. It wasn't tough-guy browbeating or boot camp and would be a comfortable environment for anyone new or veteran. Although I did not shoot a score qualifying me as a 'Rifleman' (that comes with a nice patch!) I learned solid fundamentals and felt motivated get even better with my own tools. At the end of the day, Fred touched upon April 19th 1775 again, and there was some discussion within the group about it. It wasn't political, ideological, 'alarmist' or pushy whatsoever. Basically it was a nice reminder about our history and what happened that day... and where our society & culture is now, and why what we did that day was important. I would like to go to one of these again, and bring a rifle that I'm more comfortable with - perhaps with a scope! I too want to be a rifleman. Fritz