Which rifle for Appleseed?

[nox]

I would like to do an Appleseed this summer, but I'm not sure what would be the best choice in rifle to bring...

The way I see it, I've got 4 choices right now:

1. Savage MkII

Pros
Lightweight
.22 cal
Mag fed (10 round)

Cons
Bolt action
Scope only, no irons

2. Yugo SKS

Pros
Semi Auto
Inexpensive ammunition
Iron sights

Cons
Rifle gets DIRTY fast
Heavy
Slow reloads

3. 16" AR

Pros
Semi Auto
Fast Reload
Iron Sights

Cons
Ammo cost
???

4. Build an 'Appleseed' Rifle (10/22)

Pros
Good excuse to buy a 10/22

Cons
I would have to buy an entirely new gun


I'm curious what the opinions of my fellow INGOers is. I know it's a 'run what you brung' event, but I want to get the most I possibly can out of it and I kind of feel like earning the patch with a scope takes some of the pride out of it.

 

[hawkhavn]

nox,

Doesn't make much difference from what I have seen. The Rifleman makes the rifle, not the other way around. Or to borrow from another discipline, it's the software not the hardware.

HH

 

[spitfire51]

A scope does not make up for not doing the other fundamentals well when it comes to the AQT. You should have just as much pride in making a rifleman score with the scope as you would with irons. If you didn't want to buy a new rifle I'd say the Savage will do alright. A bolt gun will make things a little bit tougher but still very doable.

Of course, I'd also say the chance to buy a new rifle is a major plus, but that's just me.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Marlin 795

 

[Bill of Rights]

I shot my first Appleseed and my first Rifleman score with a scoped Savage .22 bolt-action.

I now shoot (when I get out to shoot! ) with a 10/22. The AR and SKS will definitely be more expensive in ammo costs.

As Hawkhavn told you, though, it is you we will be teaching, not your rifle. A Rifleman score has been achieved with a Crickett, BTW.

Yes, a Crickett. The single-shot, bolt-action rifle that so many young children use to get their first exposure to shooting in a safe manner. I should, however, in the interest of full disclosure, say that the shooter was not, in fact, a child, but was one of our instructors, Techres. The point is that it can be done with most rifles, if the shooter knows what he or she is doing.

Enjoy your shoot, and make sure to post an AAR for us when you go.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I'm going to follow this closely. I plan to do my first appleseed with my son (his first too) this summer and have been wondering which rifles to use. We have a 10/22SS, a 10/22 custom, a marlin 60 and a little pink cricket...Initially my thought was to use the 10/22s for some reason, but now I think the mdl 60 would be better and want another one for our set. My thought is that the attached tube mag will be more reliable/less likely to fail than any detachable mag, they are easier to tear down and reassemble especially in the field, etc...I've honestly always preferred the mdl 60 and only bought into the 10/22 craze due to public pressure/popular culture....the first gun I ever bought myself was a Marlin Mdl 60 from K-Mart in Bloomington at the age of 14 or so with parent signature. The next one was a rem 7600 30-06 slide , mail order from a JCPenny catalog. Those were the days.


I vote go shopping but don't limit it to a 10/22, actually SHOP.

 

[ATM]

Bring them all.

And build a new one.

 

[grunt soldier]

I just went through this process for my wife. and we went with the 10-22 set up with tech sights for her. she loves it and I have a couple others so lots of mags and what not, no need to buy different mags for all the guns ect.

I say use what feels best and most comfortable to you. go to any gun store and just play all the options and see what feels best for you. though the one down side to your ar and sks is that at a 2 day shoot you can go through 400-700 rounds and that's a good amount of money on a ar and even a sks

 

[Bill of Rights]

I'm going to follow this closely. I plan to do my first appleseed with my son (his first too) this summer and have been wondering which rifles to use. We have a 10/22SS, a 10/22 custom, a marlin 60 and a little pink cricket...Initially my thought was to use the 10/22s for some reason, but now I think the mdl 60 would be better and want another one for our set. My thought is that the attached tube mag will be more reliable/less likely to fail than any detachable mag, they are easier to tear down and reassemble especially in the field, etc...I've honestly always preferred the mdl 60 and only bought into the 10/22 craze due to public pressure/popular culture....the first gun I ever bought myself was a Marlin Mdl 60 from K-Mart in Bloomington at the age of 14 or so with parent signature. The next one was a rem 7600 30-06 slide , mail order from a JCPenny catalog. Those were the days.


I vote go shopping but don't limit it to a 10/22, actually SHOP.

We see lots of 10/22s. We do have quite a few people show up with tube mags also, and sometimes they get a little confused with the line commands. Not often, but it does sometimes happen. (Our line commands include telling you when to put a full magazine in your rifle and chamber a round. If you're shooting with a tube, you have to start just a little earlier. You also don't "change magazines" in the middle of a course of fire, as everyone else does.)

Don't think I'm dissing your equipment; far from it. I'm letting you know a little bit of "the lay of the land" so you can better decide what works for you. Whatever you bring to shoot, make sure you bring that "teacheable attitude" that the Appleseed website suggests. That's the most important thing on the equipment list.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[canav844]

Everyone should have a 10/22 and I'm going to help INGO justify you getting one, google up "Liberty Training Rifle" 10/22 + "tech sights" and a sling available through Appleseed seem to be high on the list of common rifles there.

After you earn your patch you can then tinker with it to your hearts desire until it's just as fun as the rest of the rifles.

 

[42769vette]

good thread, im doing my first applesead this comming summer and picking between 4 rimfires.

 

[windellmc]

You can lower your AR ammo costs by shooting Russian steel cased ammo. It should cost about the same as the SKS to shoot at that point. Some ARs don't like steel cased ammo though.

 

[3gunshooter]

This may be a dumb question. Can you use different guns during the course? I would like to shoot one and really would like to use my M1A through part of it and my AR15 or my 10 22 on the rest.

 

[hawkhavn]

3gun,

Nope it's a good question. My advice would be to plan to shoot your 10/22 all day Saturday and Sunday morning. Plan on using either (not both) of your centerfires on Sunday afternoon.

HH

 

[yellowhousejake]

All would be fine, run what you brung. If in doubt, which rifle are you most comfortable with? If you want to build up a 10-22 I will not talk you out of it, I own two. But I can give you a dozen reasons why a 795 or a Savage 64 are better Appleseed rifles.

Also, the highest scores I have seen, a 248 and 249, were shot by a young man with a Marlin 60. Just a thought for those who think a 10-22 with a Shilen barrel and a power custom trigger group is required to do well. It ain't.

YHJ

 

[singlesix]

All would be fine, run what you brung. If in doubt, which rifle are you most comfortable with? If you want to build up a 10-22 I will not talk you out of it, I own two. But I can give you a dozen reasons why a 795 or a Savage 64 are better Appleseed rifles.

Also, the highest scores I have seen, a 248 and 249, were shot by a young man with a Marlin 60. Just a thought for those who think a 10-22 with a Shilen barrel and a power custom trigger group is required to do well. It ain't.

YHJ

SSSSHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I told my wife I needed to upgrade my 10/22 in order to shoot Appleseed.

 

[hawkhavn]

Singlesix,

What's your wife shooting then?
You ARE bringing your wife, correct?

HH

 

[nox]

I shot my first Appleseed and my first Rifleman score with a scoped Savage .22 bolt-action.

Enjoy your shoot, and make sure to post an AAR for us when you go.

The Savage is what I'm leaning towards. I'm comfortable with it and I'm confident in it's ability to 50 yards. I haven't tried to go any further yet.

Are all Appleseeds basically the same or is there variation in different parts of the country? I'll probably be attending one in Missouri.

You can lower your AR ammo costs by shooting Russian steel cased ammo. It should cost about the same as the SKS to shoot at that point. Some ARs don't like steel cased ammo though.

The AR will probably be my Sunday gun. Mine loves Herter's Steel Case. (Stag upper and Delaware Machine lower)

 

[Bill of Rights]

The Savage is what I'm leaning towards. I'm comfortable with it and I'm confident in it's ability to 50 yards. I haven't tried to go any further yet.

Are all Appleseeds basically the same or is there variation in different parts of the country? I'll probably be attending one in Missouri.


The AR will probably be my Sunday gun. Mine loves Herter's Steel Case. (Stag upper and Delaware Machine lower)

An Appleseed in MO should be the same as an Appleseed in IN. There have been some variations introduced here and there, but our goal is to have them be the same course of instruction. You should be shooting most of the day at 25 meters, so if you want to zero before you go, that's the range to zero to. If it is possible for them to do a known distance component at the venue where you are, they should do one. There may be many factors in play why it may look like there's a range on which to shoot at distance (100, 200, 300, or 400 yd) but they're not doing it. If possible, contact your shoot boss in advance to find out. (If you know when and where, let us know and we can tell you who that will be.)

Hope that helps!
Blessings,
Bill

 

[Mudcat]

I pick the Savage. Gives you something else to do besides shoot on those slow, rapid fire stages.
Seriously I would recommend you bring what you prefer. There really is no reason to build up a rifle for Appleseed, that is not what it is about. Just come and have fun you will learn no matter what you are shooting.