by John Naese
Appleseed rifle marksmanship clinics are two day events, or just attend one day if that’s all you can do. These clinics will benefit experienced shooters as well as beginners. You may be surprised to discover that there is much to be learned, even for experienced shooters.
Guns Save Life, the organization that brought Appleseed to Illinois, will sponsor the fifth annual Appleseed event at Darnall’s GunWorks and Ranges in Bloomington on June 1 & 2. Guns Save Live will pick up the $20/person/day range fee for all of the shooters at this event.
To register for this shoot, click here!
Appleseed offers some of the best precision rifle marksmanship instruction available anywhere, for a fraction of the cost of major shooting schools. In addition, you will learn of the events of the first day of the Revolutionary War and the sacrifices made by those patriots who bequeathed the precious heritage of liberty to us. This history is invaluable for children, as well as for adults. It may even change your life.
Any kind of rifle and any kind of sights will suffice. However, a semi-auto with a removable magazine will be more user friendly for our purposes. Most shooters at these events use .22s because of the high price of center fire ammunition. Approximately 400 rounds will be fired. A good sling, preferably a G. I. sling, is recommended.
The event is free of charge for active duty military, police, as well as elected officials and disabled persons (with proper ID). The fee schedule is: Adult Men – two days $80, one day $50; Adult Women- two days $40, one day $20; Youths under 18- two days $20, one day $10; or one free youth per accompanying paying adult.
Host ranges may have a small additional range fee.
It is a family friendly event, so bring the whole family. Attendance by women has been rapidly increasing and is strongly encouraged. In fact, some of our better instructors are women.
Lunches are not provided. It is suggested that you bring a lunch, a good supply of water, eye and ear protection, elbow pads, a mat to lie on, hat and sunscreen, and some friends. You will meet the nicest people and gain some new friends at the same time. The instructors will usually have a few rifles which they are willing to loan to shooters.
Pre-registration and additional information is available at www.appleseedinfo.org. Pre-registration is highly encouraged. It is recommended that you print out your pre-registration confirmation sheet and bring it to the range.
Safety briefings begin at 8:30 a.m. Registration and check-in should be completed before then. If you cannot pre-register or decide to attend at the last minute, walk-ons are welcome, up to the capacity of the range after the pre-registered shooters are checked in.
These events are sponsored by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association which is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Our instructors are highly experienced volunteers who receive no payment for their services.
Other Appleseed events in Central Illinois this year include:
May 11 & 12: Leroy Rifle & Pistol Club
May 18 & 19: DeWitt County Sportsman’s, Clinton, IL.
July 13 & 14: Holland Farm, McLean, IL
Sept.14 & 15: DeWitt County Sportsman’s Club, Clinton, IL.
Sept. 21& 22: – Leroy Rifle & Pistol Club
All of the events in Illinois can be found HERE.
Contact person for the Central Illinois Appleseeds is John Naese, johnnaese (at) comcast.net, 217-840-0246.
So is Danville not going to happen this year?
As of right now, no Danville shoot has been scheduled. It probably won’t happen this year, as I’m the usual range member liason, and I’m booked nearly every weekend this year already.
We’ve got more than a dozen shooters signed up already for the GSL sponsored Appleseed coming up in 19 days. Come on out, learn some marksmanship, learn some heritage, and have some fun with some folks. Sign up at Appleseedinfo.org.
We’re up to 23 pre-registered shooters, but never fear – there’s room for 45, on two firing lines.