Originally Posted by
Ernst
Went to my first Appleseed this last weekend.
I have formal training in pistol and shotgun, zero with rifle. This was my 9th time ever shooting rifles and my first time not off a bench.
Overall a fun event. Enjoyed the history and left a better shooter than when I arrived. I tried to emphasize practicality over ultimate accuracy, shotting only hasty sling, kneeling vs sitting, etc.
I was the only one shooting a bolt-action. Not sure if this worked for me or against me. There were certainly instances where I ran out of time before ammo during timed drills, however I was also the top shooter by the end of both days and I think having to reset and rethink at least to some tiny degree between each shot may have played a part.
Past firearms training definitely helped as the fundamentals translate across platforms to a degree and not giving in to time pressure and stress so much. As for rifle-specific training I really didn't have any bad habits to break, being so inexperienced.
Came up just a few points shy of the Rifleman patch. No one got it. A few folks left early because I think they realized they didn't stand a chance. Crazy how some people just give up when something doesn't come easy.
If you have any formal marksmanship training in your past this will be painfully basic and slow at first. Still, any time at the range honing skills is time well spent and it was cheap and I got to meet and hang with some fun and like-minded folks. Give it a shot.
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