GunENews - GSL Daily Blog

1.2 million hits on this video and growing fast. Ted lays it out in plain English. If only he didn’t hold back so much and would just say how he REALLY feels.

I was thinking there about the recent Clint Eastwood movie Gran Torino, where he tells some gang bangers to “Get Off My Lawn” and emphasizes the point with an M1 Garand. 

Eastwood’s character in that movie didn’t need to go to an Appleseed.  He was awake already.  He wasn’t sitting on the couch letting his neighborhood go to hell; he did something about it.  (And unlike most Eastwood films, he didn’t kill anybody). 

Not all of us (in fact, hardly any of us) have had to go through the hell of a war in order to learn to shoot, or to shoot better, or to learn how to teach others to shoot. 

Reaching back further in history, we don’t HAVE to pick up our rifles and challenge the powers that be, because we can challenge them using the OTHER tools that the Founders gave to us, such as our first amendment freedoms to speak, write, and assemble, or our second amendment freedoms to keep and bear arms. 

But the Founders didn’t just give this stuff to us.  They EARNED the right to give it to us, with their tears, sweat, and very blood.   

It’s up to us to get off the couch, learn the heritage, and pass it on. 

Ever heard of Isaac Davis?  You will have, after attending an Appleseed. 

Ever heard of Hezekiah Wymann?  You will have, after attending an Appleseed.  

Do you know the six steps to firing a shot?  They will be in your muscle memory after two days at an Appleseed. 

Do you know how to change the sights on your gun, so you can take a rifle you’re making hits with at 100 yards, change the sights, and hit out to 500 yards away?  It’s called “Inches, Minutes, Clicks” and you’ll learn it at an Appleseed. 

Did you know there were several “false starts” to the American Revolution, and things could have turned out differently?  On April 19, 1775 alone, it took “three strikes of the match” to get the flame of Revolution started.  At an Appleseed, along with the marksmanship, you’ll learn why that was, and what was going through the minds of the “embattled farmers” that cool Tuesday morning. 

Get to an Appleseed.  www.rwva.org.  There’s one this weekend in Danville, IL.  Get off the couch.  Learn or improve your marksmanship.  Learn your heritage. 

And, coincidentally, it’s a LOT of fun.  A LOT more fun that whatever stuff is on TV this weekend.  See the posts below for details.  I’ll see you Saturday, 8:30 AM, at the Danville Rifle and Pistol Club. 

By Matthew Skaj

Introduction

My story actually begins about 6 months ago when John Naese asked me if I had ever been to an Appleseed before. I had never even heard of an Appleseed before. What’s an Appleseed? I asked. After a brief rundown from John I was curious, so I went to appleseedinfo.org and started reading. I eventually found my way to the forum and really started reading. I’m a history buff and I like to shoot so this seemed like something really cool that I could get into. Little did I know how much it would change me after my first Appleseed shoot. More on that later.

Chief AJ tuned Ruger 10-22 Appleseed Rifle (LTR)

I found out about the Appleseed in Bloomington on May 30th and 31st from reading the forum and began making my plans to attend. I didn’t have a reliable semi-auto .22and my bolt action single shot wasn’t going to work either, so I also began making plans for my very own LTR (Liberty Training Rifle). I emailed Dean Rothermel about putting together a gun (details below) for me based on a Chief AJ tuned action he had for sale and a few weeks and about $500 later I had a really sweet Appleseed rifle. I read through a pdf file from the Appleseed forum about what to bring and what to expect at an Appleseed and talked with a couple other people I knew who had been before, so I was able to prepare fairly well for the weekend. Elbow pads of some kind are a must as well as a good hat, sunscreen, and the usual eye and ear protection and copious amounts of Ibuprofen. In retrospect, I also highly recommend, for everyone wearing glasses, one of those rubber things that wrap around your head and help keep them tight on your face. Friday night (May 29th), my range bag was packed, the car was packed, and I felt like a little kid the day before Christmas. Appleseed here I come!

Day One

Before I arrived, I thought I was a pretty good shot and that I could pull off becoming one of those rare people who make Rifleman on their first day of an Appleseed. My first redcoat target was a great lesson in both humility and aggravation. I learned more on that first day about marksmanship and myself than I have in all the other shooting classes I’ve ever taken combined. I was there with a relatively new gun I had put together for this (My first) Appleseed. It’s a Chief AJ tuned Ruger 10-22with a Hogue overmold stock, Bull Barrel, and Bushnell 3-9 X 32mm scope. It’ll put 10 shots in a dime at 25M from a bench rest. I had a great gun so any bad shooting would be strictly a result of the shooter and not the hardware.

Appleseed Instructor EEL

The things I didn’t have were first, a good sling. Thankfully EEL was there to help me out with both a GI sling and a set of swivels. Thanks again EEL! The second missing component was decent ammunition. I had brought 500 rounds of Remington Thunderbolt (which I had not thoroughly tested in this gun before) and found out on that first redcoat target that this stuff is crap. That was the lesson in aggravation as I had continuous FTF (failure to fire) and the resulting double-feed jams. Thankfully, my good friend John Boch (Templar223) had some reliable .22ammo I could use that day and things started turning around.

Dialed in at 25M

After the 6 steps lesson and getting my scope dialed in on the 25M squares, things started to improve dramatically. I was making much better hits and not feeling as stupid as I did first. The history lessons seemed to enhance my reasons for shooting and subsequently, I improved. At the end of the day we re-shot the redcoat target and I was the only one to clear it (with a dead center head-shot to boot) and received a rousing round of “Huzzah’s” from the line… (continued on page 3 in July Gun News)

To read the rest of this story and find out more about the Appleseed Project, download the July edition of Gun News now.

The Danville Appleseed is in your back yard.  On Interstate 74, go 20 miles east of Urbana or six miles west of Danville.  Get off at Oakwood, exit 206, and go five miles north and a half mile west.  Easy! 

Lots of folks drive hours and sometimes hundreds of miles to attend an Appleseed, camping out or paying for hotel rooms.  If you live in East Central Illinois or West Central Indiana next weekend, July 25 and 26, you can attend this Appleseed AND sleep in your own bed.  How’s that for convenient? 

Start time on Saturday and Sunday is 8:30 AM.  Check www.appleseedinfo.org for more info, or email me at johnnaese@gunssavelife.com. 

Appleseed.  It’s not just about shooting.  It’s about OUR heritage, the one paid for by brave folks on Lexington Green and the Old North Bridge in Concord on April 19, 1775. 

Learn Marksmanship AND Heritage.  Come to an Appleseed.

The Appleseed Project comes to Danville Rifle and Pistol Club next weekend, July 25 and 26. 

Learn rifle marksmanship.  Learn Revolutionary War history.  But most of all, have a fun time and learn to be a better marksman, even a Rifleman! 

You can learn about Appleseed, or pre-register to attend this event, at www.appleseedinfo.org. 

The short version:  learn to shoot your rifle well.  The instruction is done on reduced-sized targets at 25 meters, so you do a lot of shooting and a little walking.  All the same lessons apply; if you can learn to hit a 1 inch square from the prone position at 25 meters, you can hit a full size target, 20 inches by 20 inches, at 400 yards.  And you CAN learn this, in just one or two days at an Appleseed. 

The best part is the cost.  Very good instruction, by volunteer instructors, just $45 for one day or $70 for both days, if you pre-register.  But it gets better… women shoot FREE, kids (under 21) shoot FREE, active military (regular, Guard, or Reserve) shoot FREE. 

This is family-friendly, and dad can bring mom and two teenagers, and only pays the freight for himself! 

Centerfire rifles are welcome, but you can also shoot the entire weekend with a .22 rifle and save money on ammo.  Expect to shoot at least 200 rounds each day.  All the lessons you learn on a .22 at 25 meters will translate into hits at longer ranges with a centerfire rifle. 

Check out that website, www.appleseedinfo.org.  If you still have specific questions, you can email me at johnnaese@gunssavelife.com. 

Time is short and tempus is fugiting.  Get signed up now.