Maryland Project Appleseed 2021 Thread

SLSC AAR September 18

Three shooters came out for a muggy hot, sunny day of marksmanship and history.

A mostly novice crowd, our cadre of shooters had a great time with the history, and techniques of marksmanship. Showing improvement across the day, they were already planning their return to the next AS event with a vow to practice the "7th Step."

Thanks to our Sanners Lake Sportsmen Club for hosting, and to shoot bosses Doug and John!

Annapolis - 3 shoot weekend!

Our Shoot Boss Agent711 ran THREE events this weekend at AAFG in Annapolis with a strong crew of instructors.

Saturday morning started with a small group, but everyone came to learn not just how to shoot but how to shoot accurately. Agent711 was very impressed with how fast everyone learned and improved as the morning progressed. We treated this group to a special Red Coat even since we were having such progress. We learned that everyone was effective to at least 100 yards, one to 200 yards and one all the way out to 300 yards. That is awesome for a group just starting their journey to become qualified Riflemen. This group proved their skills even more during the Hit Counts target with two earning their first Appleseed pin. We all know this was not an easy task. Andrew R. attended with his father and scored a 44. The high score of the morning goes to Charles D., he scored a whopping 53 points! Outstanding job and I have no doubt you are on the path to becoming one of our next Riflemen. Huzzah!

The afternoon Introduction to Appleseed class put up with the rain and did a bang up job applying everything they learned. The time flew by fast, but we were able to shoot two Hit Counts targets. Everyone showed progress so you should be proud of yourselves. Julius H. score the highest score, 37. Emily O. was a close second with a score of 34. I have no doubt each of you will continue to excel and I hope to see each of you join us for a full day or even a 2 day Appleseed where you will have more time to practice and prove your abilities. Huzzah!

For both Saturday events, thanks to Lycos for stepping up and earning your Orange Hat. Thanks also to Liberty Boy - you both made this a safe and enjoyable shoot for all.

Sunday dawned on a 1-day rifle marksmanship clinic. It warmed up slightly as the day progressed and our shooters warmed up as well. We added three new Riflemen. First time Appleseeder, Lasio G. scored a 212. The high score goes to John S. who persisted with a score of 234. With a few spots open on the line, Our very own Liberty Boy (Devlin M.) was able to get over the hump and score 214. Devlin, if I looked up the definition of Rifleman in the dictionary, I would not be shocked at all if I saw your picture. Devlin has been working toward this day for well over 4 years even before he took a Blue Hat. So please join me in congratulating Liberty Boy, Lasio G. and John S. with three big cheers – Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

We also saw improved scores throughout the day by everyone. This was absolutely one of the safest and enjoyable groups I have hosted. I truly hope each of you continue to practice as you are all on the path to earning your own Rifleman patch.

Many thanks to our volunteers. Liberty Boy handled the check in single handedly ensuring all our shooters were taken care of. Kniwolf was a sigh of relief providing much instruction as well as calling the line as well. Thanks again for your hard work and dedication!

And thanks again to our host range AAFG for allowing us to conduct so many clinics in one weekend!

Pictures are available on the Maryland Appleseed Facebook page.

Final Stretch of 2021 Clinics!

Maryland Appleseed is in the final stretch of its clinics for 2021 and right now a lot of those events are sold out.

However, there are THREE clinics with available space so if you want to shoot in some fall weather, this is the perfect time to grab a spot on the line.

Rimfire and Centerfire rifle clinic on November 6-7 in Lexington Park, MD

Rimfire-only rifle clinic on November 13-14 in Annapolis, MD

Rimfire and Centerfire rifle clinic on December 4-5 in Marriottsville, MD

Our upcoming sold-out events include our 200-yard Rimfire Known Distance event next weekend, our first 2 pistol clinics in Maryland, and another 1-day in Annapolis. If you are interested in these types of events, keep a close eye on our website for events in 2022 and sign up quickly!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Count me in for Lexington Park this weekend.

None of my .22 rifles have provisions for a sling, will that be a problem??

Marlin 60, Marlin 26N, and 10/22

Maybe Ill try to see what I can get mounted tomorrow.

Awesome Johnny5k! Doug/CatGravity (the shoot boss at the event) will have a leather slip-on sling adapter you can borrow for November 6-7. If you can mount some sling studs, even better but don't sweat it. You will have a very experienced crew of instructors!

AAR - 200 yard rimfire known distance event at DSA

Eight highly motivated shooters came out to test their skills, equipment, and knowledge. No one was deterred by the heavy rain the night before and they were rewarded with sunny skies, perfect temperatures, and drying fields for our moving firing line. We had a fantastic Fall day for our 200-yard Rimfire Known Distance event at the beautiful Delmarva Sportsman Association on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

When I say motivated, I really mean it. While our rule is that you have had to attend at least one Appleseed to attend a KD event, it was clear that every one of these shooters had done preparation for the event. Bill K and Jim B, for instance, had spent several months working up to the event with Tech Sights 10/22s, taking extensive notes on their DOPE (Data on Personal Equipment) and building confidence at the 200 yard range at a local club. I may ask them to do a write-up for Appleseed on their experience and approach - providing a guide for shooters that want to use Tech Sights for 200 yard events would be fantastic. While shooters have qualified with other iron sights (CZ or aperture sights) Tech Sights have been a challenge, at least in Maryland, to this point.

The day started with a 50-yard Red Coat - I know, that makes it twice as hard, but these shooters are at least twice as good so we like to challenge them from the first round down range. Our Senior Instructor, BeSwift, was immediately impressed with what he saw - strong steady hold factors, NPOA adjustments, and applications of the six steps by every shooter. While no one cleaned the target, we saw very good groups developing and nearly everyone was putting all three rounds in the 400-600 yard targets - and there was even one shingle hit!

We then did squares to confirm 50-yard zeros and the firehose of KD instruction commenced. Once brains were saturated with target identification, front sight/reticle ranging, come-ups, wind calls, and other facets of long-range shooting, we tested sighting system come-ups (and return to zero) with the vertical squares target. The firing line then moved back to 100 yards and we started verifying and documenting true come-ups. for each rifle. We kept the firing line moving back from 150 and finally for 200.

During the lunch break, we covered our history while shooters refocused and rehydrated but then it was time for our first AQT. Since we had just confirmed our 200 yard zero, we worked it "backwards" from slow fire prone at 200 to standing at 50. By the end of the first AQT, we had TWO RKD Riflemen - Daniel R with a 42 and Brian S with a 41 - Huzzah!!! Edgar G just missed with a 39 but all of the shooters felt a lot more confident going into the second AQT based on Stages 1-3.

The second AQT was done "forwards" from the 50 yard line back. We had some excellent scores after the first 3 stages (30 points available) - Mark A with a 24, Edgar with a 26 (despite a large number of malfunctions creeping in), Bill K with a 28, Patrick K with a 26, Daniel with a 23, and Brian with a 25. But similar to Stage 4 being "Rifleman's Row" on the AQT, all depending on how they performed at the 200 yard line. We had one more shooter earn his RKD rocker - Mark scored a 41!

Bill K's journey to qualifying with Tech Sights ended with...a 39. So close - but he has already emailed me, cited some lessons learned, and is determined to try again! Jim B's Tech Sights tries topped out in the high 20s but struggled the most with seeing the target at 200. We will see if he tries with a scope next time or keeps pushing on irons. We had some other heartbreaking scores on the second AQT: Daniel scored a 39, Pat K scored a 37 (with a loaner rifle when his scope died), Edgar scored a 35, and Brian scored a 34. While I was disappointed for the shooters that missed qualifying, they talked about what a GREAT group we had to be scoring so consistently high. And that is exactly the right attitude we want from our Riflemen.

By the time we got to the final 50-yard Red Coat, several shooters decided to sit it out. But Pat K put on a show - he not only accurately transitioned his rifle from 200 to his 50-yard zero, he CLEANED the target at 50 yards using a loaner rifle, earning his Maryland Immortal 400 patch and a Sons of Liberty patch for the extra accomplishment - HUZZAH!!! While we have done 50 yard Red Coats at several RKD and instructor events, BeSwift and I had never seen anyone clear it so congrats to Pat K for being the first in Maryland to do so!!!!

I can't say every event is my favorite (ok, I can, but probably shouldn't) but as a Shoot Boss this one was extremely satisfying. To see these returning students dedicate so much time before and during the event to self-improvement, new challenges, and their rights/responsibilities as Americans makes my heart soar. We hope that some decide to become volunteers with the program!

Thank you again to IIT Mike for helping set up the event and all the planning and prep ahead of time that made it such a success. Also thanks to our fearless Maryland leader BeSwift for attending and helping us keep shooters engaged, learning, and moving.

Pictures are available on this album on the Maryland Appleseed Facebook page

Thanks again for putting on such a great event, hopefully I can get my scope issues solved once and for all, but I was more than happy to put someone else's rifle to good use

Yes, thanks to KYFHO, always the consummate professional Shoot Boss, and to the rest of the crew. Those 39s sting a bit but this was a great event as usual!

Glad you both enjoyed it, even if the really close scores were on the wrong end of qualifying. I know both of you have the skills and won't get beat up by equipment issues next time! I will pass along your compliments to the crew - truly appreciate the kind words.

Just posted a long-form AAR from two of our shooters at the recent Rimfire Known Distance event - tons of lessons learned about using low-cost Liberty Training Rifles with Tech Sights to qualify for the RKD Rockers. TLDR: it's hard but doable!

Lexington Park AAR Nov 6-7, 2021

Eight shooters came out for a sunny, crisp 2 days of marksmanship and history. Of the eight, four reached the moniker of Rifleman by day two! Two of the eight shooters had prior AS experience, and 6 were new shooters to Appleseed. The days were fast, even with the time change on day 2, as we experienced almost no issues with equipment or ammunition. By the end of the day 2, many had shown significant progress as first timers. We also had 2 "Immortal 400" patches earned

Thanks to our Sanners Lake Sportsmen Club for hosting, and to Tennessee Beast for providing outstanding instruction, relaying experience, and promoting the cross-pollination of instruction across State lines!

A great time was had by all, and the students indicated a very satisfying experience.

Pictures are available on the Maryland Appleseed Facebook page.

It was a great time. Doug and Robert were excellent instructors. I scored the Immortal 400 patch on the very first shoot of the event, a feat I was unable to replicate the entire weekend.

Should have had them send me a pic or two, I don't do Lifelog, I mean Fakebook, I mean... you know what I mean.

Pics from Sanners

A couple of Rifleman/Immortal 400 pics for those that don't have FB:

Awsome! Thank you! I'm the one with the stars and stripes on my hat!

Glad you were in the mix - happy to do it.

If anyone is looking to add a red dot to their 22LR pistol for the upcoming Appleseed Pistol events, this seems like a killer deal - Vortex Venom 3MOA red dot for $170 with code VENOM.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/vortex-venom-red-dot-top-load-3-moa-dot.html

The sight includes a picatinny base (for top-rail rimfire pistols like Ruger Mk-series, S&W Victory/22A, Beretta Neos, and Browing Buckmark) but is also compatible with some milled red-dot slides (fits the mounting pattern of the TX22 Competition, for instance).

This is making me want to buy one and a TX22 Competition....must...resist...temptation...



Looks like they also have rage Vortex Viper (no picatinny mount) on a similar sale: https://palmettostatearmory.com/vor...20211112&utm_term=afternoon&utm_content=52387

AAFG AAR November 13-14, 2021

Another great event in Annapolis MD is under our belts. It was cold, but not Winterseed cold (sorry folks, but the weather seems to be edging toward Winterseed territory every day).

Saturday saw 4 motivated shooters on the line, with one ending the day, having earned their "MD Immortal 400" patch. All shooters made great progress on their journey to earning Rifleman.

6 Shooters were on the line for Day 2 Sunday, with 3 shooters earning Rifleman, 2 repeats, and 1 new Rifleman, who finally made it after 4 events - HUZZAH!

This was a great group of students, and volunteers. Thanks to all who attended, and we'll see you on the line going forward!

Speaking of, while 3 of our next 4 events are sold out, if you want to attend in 2021 there are still spots available this year at our upcoming shoot at AGC on December 4-5.

We also have many Annapolis and Marriottsville events for 2022 posted - so sign up if you are interested! We hope to also conduct 2 Rimfire Known Distance and as many as 4 Pistol clinics in 2022 so stay tuned!

Some very happy pictures:

AAFG Pistol Clinic AAR November 20-21, 2021

Anne Arundel Fish & Game (AAFG) hosted the first pistol clinic EVER in Maryland! The chilly weather did not deter 7 shooters and 4 instructors who made the event a stunning success.

Shooting started Saturday started with the first Pistol Red Coat/Hit Counts target. Jake M set the tone by cleaning the target right out of the gate and earning his Immortal 400 patch - Huzzah! But it was clear that most of our other shooters had some work to do to build more consistent groups. The instructors worked the shooters through step-by-step evolutions: stance, grip, the 6 steps, trigger control, NPOA, rapid fire, controlled pairs, smooth reloads, right and left hand-only shooting. The students turned in progressively better groups and demonstrated a commitment to improvement.

Shooters were confident going into the first PQT of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. Jake M turned in an impressive 236 to earn his Pistoleer - a very impressive score! Mike M also qualified on the first target with a 224!

Several shooters struggled with malfunctions during the rapid stages as pistols got dirtier but otherwise might have qualified. We finished Saturday with the Red Coat target and saw considerable improvement - 4 shooters with all 4 rounds in the 100 yard target, 5 buttons(!), and 3 cleaned targets to earn Immortal 400 patches. What a way to wrap up the day!

Sunday morning we had all of our students back with scrubbed pistols, some new (better feeding) ammo, and great attitudes. The first Red Coat was a bit off, mainly because many of the shooters that cleaned the target tried the "one-handed, cold-bore button challenge" - which is super hard. We then did a couple rapid and slow-fire practice stages to warm up, including a 2-stage NPOA drill to reinforce the need to slow down and make each shot count. We were able to complete 3 PQTs before lunch and 4 after, wrapping up with the Red Coat. Here are the weekend's results:

- Jake M qualified 8 out of 8 times and had an unbelievable high score of 244 out of 250 (in addition to a 242, 241, 240, 239, 239, 238, and 236). Jake also cleaned the Red Coat twice to earn his Immortal 400 patch.

- Mike M qualified 6 times, topping out at 240 but having 3 other scores in the 230s. Mike not only cleaned the Red Coat, but he took and achieved the cold bore, one handed challenge on the last Red Coat!

- Pat K qualified 6 times, with a top score of 216 - in addition to qualifying 5 times with his own pistol, he tried out another pistol with iron sights to score a 210 on the last target.

- Mike B, one of our instructors, was able to shoot one of the PQTs and scored a 217 to earn his first Pistoleer patch.

- Bill P, another of our instructors, cleaned the red coat to earn his Immortal 400 patch

We had many other shooters in striking distance, with top scores in the 170-190 range. With additional dry and live fire practice, I know that these shooters can get over the hump!

This is not to say the entire weekend was devoted to pistol marksmanship - Red Hat kniwolf took students through the 3 Strikes of the Match on Saturday and Sunday, yours truly took them through the history of the revolver with Sam & Sam, and Red Hat Bill P took them through the Onion of Self Defense as well as belt and holster options. IIT Mike managed all of the club coordination and nearly all of the line set-up. It was a real team effort and everyone's contributions were greatly appreciated! As we did our instructor hot wash meeting, I could see how energized everyone was to work with such a great group and see the progress they made

Thanks to our gracious hosts at AAFG - we couldn't have asked for a better facility for our first Maryland pistol clinic. The support this club and its members (including several of our participants and instructors) show Project Appleseed is unbelievable.

We have one more pistol event in December that is sold out but hope to have FOUR pistol clinics in Maryland next year. We also highly encourage students to check on pistol events nearby in Virginia and Pennsylvania, in addition to our rifle events.

Pictures are posted to an album on the Maryland Appleseed Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Project-Appleseed-Maryland-264406060313831/

But here are pictures of the first folks to earn their Pistoleer patches in the Old Line State!

Final non-sold out shoot of 2021 this weekend

We are in the home stretch of 2021 but still have THREE shoots on the calendar for December.

We have spots available this weekend's (December 4-5) clinic at AGC in Marriottsville. This is a centerfire and rimfire event - I know ammo is scarce, but it might be a good time to get your AR or other centerfire rifle on the line, at least for part of the event (a couple of AQTs on Sunday). Weather should be Fall-like (40s and 50s) but clear.

Our AAFG 1-day rifle and 2-day Pistol clinics in December are sold out but we are very excited about wrapping up the year strong!

Gift Certificates with Huge Discount!



As some of you know, Appleseed offers gift certificates - what you may not know is that at Christmas time, we provide a discount of 30-40% off our regular price for Adult and Youth 25-meter Rifle Clinics or Adult Pistol Clinics tickets.

Best Stocking Stuffer EVER - even if it is just for yourself so you don't pay full price! The 2021 Christmas Gift certificates are good for 5 years so no stress if you aren't sure exactly when you will attend.

They are available here. Offer valid through 12/31/21, but don't wait - we are only offering 1000 total across the country.