Lessons Learned at an Appleseed.

This attendee was kind enough to share some of the lessons that he learned at his first Appleseed event.  Pleas read the following so that you can avoid some common difficulties.

"None of what you will read was the fault of Appleseed or it's staff; it was strictly self-inflicted and I hope by telling you my mistakes that you can avoid them when you start attending Appleseeds."

Here We Go....

• I brought the wrong rifles.
• My .22 was a pump action with a tubular magazine. The course was geared toward semi-automatics with removable magazines. 
• My centerfire was an AK-47 with a slippery, folding metal stock (AKM) and 30 round magazines. To maintain your NPOA you need a comfortable stock that fits you well and doesn't slide around on your shoulder. A 30 round mag drags on the ground in the prone position and introduces an unwanted dynamic into your steady hold. Two ten round mags are all you need.
• I got my slings mounted the day before the shoot.    You need to be totally familiar with your sling and how to adjust it for the different shooting positions. A well-adjusted sling is an invaluable aid to hitting those Redcoats! 
• My rifles had iron sights. When you're approaching Geezer status like me, chances are that you'll be able to see the target a heckkuva lot better with a good scope; especially when you're trying to hit a 1" square at 25 meters....
  
• I didn't practice the positions very much before I arrived at the shoot. I found there was no possibility of getting into the proper, steady positions without a month of stretching exercises.  I ended up using my muscles to try to stay on target instead of the proper support positions; naturally as the weekend wore on and my muscles got more fatigued, my accuracy suffered. One great example of how important the proper position is to accuracy was when an Instructor was demonstrating POA with a bare rifle stock that had an attached laser pointing along his line of fire. When he got down into the prone position and acquired his POA, that laser dot looked like it was stuck to the 1" square target with glue! Absolutely not even a tremor! The only time it moved was when he took a breath and then it gently moved in a perfectly vertical line and settled back precisely on the target when he let out his breath.... Very impressive!
• I ended up shooting four different rifles over the weekend! Poor choices plus a malfunctioning telescopic sight on a loaner rifle meant that I never got "friendly" with my firestick. You have to bring a rifle that fits you well, so you always get the same sight picture when you "turkey neck and cheek weld". You have to be totally comfortable and familiar with the operation and manual of arms of your weapon so you can quickly change magazines and manipulate the safety while you are "on the clock". The trigger pull should be firmly planted in your muscle memory.

Well, that is how to stay a cook in a few easy lessons. I truly hope you can learn from my mistakes and go on to earn the rifleman badge. If you learn and practice the Appleseed methods, you'll be amazed at how good a shot you'll become. I saw it happen to other shooters over the weekend and it can happen to you.