Want to Learn How to Be a Real Marksman? Try Appleseed

For the money, it doesn’t get much better than Appleseed. Unlike many marksmanship programs, Appleseed costs very little — only about $70.00 for the two-day course, and $200.00 for the weeklong course (called a “Boot Camp”).

Despite its low cost, the training received there is invaluable to anyone who wants to get better with a rifle. The idea of the program is to take rifle owners:

“from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. An American tradition, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away…”

They accomplish this by scaling down targets to appear at 25 yards, as a man-sized target would at 500 yards; and teaching the fundamental principles of rifle marksmanship. The technique is surprisingly effective, as demonstrated by marked improvement in accuracy at both short and long distances by the end of the second day — by nearly all participants.

Depending on which Appleseed event you attend, its location, and the time available; the shooters may be able to go to the long-range field; which allows them to try the skills gained from the short-range field to real-life distances.

Having attended one of the 2-day events myself, I can testify to both its effectiveness and enjoyability. A few tips if you plan to go:

• • If it’s gonna be cold, and you’re going to stay at the grounds, bring warmth. I underestimated the drop in ground temperature, and my pad-plus-sleeping-bag arrangement proved to be drastically subpar. Consider sleeping in a heated car, or tent with heating methods. At the very least, bring significantly warm clothing and sleeping gear. Most locations don’t provide shelter for attendees.
• • Bring a rifle and ammo you want to shoot a lot with. Appleseed recommends 1200-1500 rounds of ammo. .22LR is handy for this. Of course, if you plan to shoot long-distance you will also need a firearm capable of hitting a target at 500 yards.
• • Bring good, campfire-cookable food, and plenty of water. The event does not provide food — though the one I attended had a local taco-truck stop by. There may or may not be stores nearby, so bring what you think you will need to eat and drink for the time you plan to be there. The campfire camaraderie is great, so enjoy it with sausage-on-a-stick.

More questions are answered at the Appleseed FAQ page, so head there for more info.

A note on the event: Be prepared to listen to speeches by instructors during breaks about the Founding Fathers and the American Revolutionary War. This is part of the event that I could personally do without, but may be enjoyable to some. The core (pun alert!) of the Appleseed project is to bring modern shooters up to the level of Colonial marksmen, so the founding of the US is an integral historical facet of the training course.

The program and instructors are also very kid-and-family-friendly. The event I attended had a mix of single people, families, kids, couples, etc. So, if you want to give your kids a great head-start on shooting, this is the way to do it.

Updated to note: All women, active military, and people under 21 years of age are admitted free-of-charge.

Overall, the Appleseed training is amazingly effective, especially considering the price. For a schedule of events in your area, head to the Appleseed Boot Camp schedule page.

A minor update: The link above is for Appleseed Boot Camps — the weeklong version of the regular Appleseed event. If you’re interested in attending the 2-day course described in the post, please check out this Appleseed schedule page. My apologies for any confusion.