Project Appleseed is run by the Revolutionary War Veteran Association. It’s a unique training course for everyone no matter your level. Besides learning the fundamentals of traditional rifle shooting, you’ll learn about many of the known and unknown names involved with the events that led up to and took place outside of Boston on April 19, 1775. Which was the “shot heard round the world” and started the American Revolutionary War.
Recently, I attended my second Appleseed, as it’s known. The first one I did with some friends back in April 2022. I didn’t know what to expect even though there’s a section on their website which tells you what to expect. I was excited to spend time on the trigger, shooting my camo-colored S&W M&P 15-22, with my Massachusetts-compliant 10-round magazines. Just like the colonists would have done (insert eye roll emoji). I didn’t focus on the stories of the people involved as much as I should have.
I struggled with the sling the first time. (The second time, too!) For my first go around, I only had a cheap quasi-hunting sling. It was a generic one that would be good for any long gun. Therefore, it wasn’t good for any long guns. Let me restate that, it was the kind of sling that was only useful for carrying a long gun on your shoulder. I fought with it all weekend. Using the sling was new to me and not something I enjoyed or excelled at. In the end, the only patch I got was because it was near April 19. I did not earn the Rifleman patch.
In the ongoing journey of endless learning, I signed up for one in November 2024. Unfortunately, many other friends I asked to join me were not able to attend. Fortunately, there was one friend who signed up because it was held at his club, and I was happy to share the firing line with him. He’s a great guy and big 2A supporter.
First, of course, is a safety briefing. There should be one at any and every course you take. Even though they’re often a variation of the NRA’s three rules or Jeff Cooper’s four rules, we still go through them. Everyone was assigned a target stand number for the weekend and laid out their shooting mat. You’ll need one for sure. I ended up using a yoga mat. It wasn’t ideal but it was better than the range ground, which was cold and covered in rocks and spent casings. The “shoot boss” also introduces the instructors and volunteers for the weekend.
Before you get any trigger time, you shoot at the “hit counts” target. You fire 13 rounds in it. One for each of the original colonies. You shoot the “Morgan’s shingle” first. Morgan required his men to hit a shingle at 250 yards with a cold barrel. If they couldn’t, they were assigned cooking duties. Next is the Red Coat target. It’s at a simulated 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards shot from 25 meters (82 feet). Three shots in each. The shoot boss tallies the scores of everyone to see if there is improvement by the end of the weekend. They shoot this target at the beginning and end of each day. So there are four targets in total.
The day alternates between stories of figures in American history. People like Sam Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, and Paul Revere. There are people you probably haven’t heard of. Folks like Samuel Whittemore, who went after a small group of Red Coats with his musket. When the British troops found him, they bayoneted him 13 times and shot him in the face. He was 78 when this happened. He survived and died at 98 years old.
The shoot boss and his instructors go over how to use a sling, sighting your rifle in, and using a scope. They also cover MOA, what it means, and how it works. They teach you prone, seated, and offhand/standing. I get MOA and understand the concept. But to this skeptical mind, if the bullet weight, wind/weather, powder change, and other factors matter, then what is the sense of figuring it out? Maybe I don’t understand it and I’m looking for an excuse for the weekend.
We shot at various targets. Some are sighting in targets. But the Appleseed qualification targets, or AQT, have specific plans. You shoot at the top target, a simulated 100 yards, standing/offhand. It’s 10 shots. The next two are done from seated and simulate 200 yards. You put five shots in each target. The next is from prone and at the 300-yard targets. There’s three areas to shoot: three shots, three shots, and four shots. Last is the 400-yard targets at the bottom. You fire two shots, two shots, three shots, three shots at the four targets. These are worth double the points. There’s a total of 40 shots for each AQT.
During the day as you’re learning the positions and sighting in the rifle, you’ll do exercises to help you get familiar and comfortable for shooting the qual target. Some of the exercises are timed but many aren’t, we did both. For the qual, we did 10 rounds in each of the four target areas. But we also did one that was timed for all four target areas.
I wanted to get a jump start on the stories. There’s a book titled *Paul Revere* by David Hackett Fischer which many of the stories come from. I bought the book but didn’t finish reading it before the course. They have slings on the website that you can buy that are much better than the one I used in the first course. I was able to find a nylon sling online as they were out of them at the time. It was more what they encouraged you to use. They suggest you use the cotton GI sling. On the website, they have a store where you can buy all the stuff you need to prepare for an Appleseed. I found someone on YouTube with several videos that can help you before the class.
The weekend was a success in that I got some training and learned more about the “three matches” that struck off the American Revolution. And I got some trigger time. However, I did not earn the Rifleman patch this time. My scores went down, then up. This isn’t golf; you’re trying for a high score. Most of the 22 students in the course improved. Only three people walked away with the Rifleman patch. One earned it on the first day, two on the second. Anytime shooting the AQT, someone can earn the Rifleman patch with a score of 210 points or higher.
Alas, Appleseeds are held around the country and throughout the year. They have Ladyseeds, which is just for women. They have a patch called the Pistoleer that can be earned. For the events I went to, the targets were at 25 meters (82 feet). But they have known and unknown distance events too.
Ya know it’s all about the patches! I went home without one this time. April 19, 2025, is the 250th anniversary of “the shot” and the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. I’m sure there will be a special patch for this one. You can find one near you at the Appleseed schedule on the website. Until then, my plan is to get a Ruger 10/22 stock, put a sling on it, and practice prone. I’m going to get the Rifleman patch and the 250th anniversary next year.
