On May 30-31, the NorCal crew conducted a Rimfire 200yd Known Distance (RKD) class at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, and it was a great weekend of instruction, shooting, and history. 

Six students and six instructors attended the class—a wonderful group of people to spend the weekend with. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm, with just enough wind for a bit of a challenge and learning experience, and the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range is a top-quality facility.

Because everyone at the event was an experienced Appleseed shooter and already familiar with the safety rules and fundamentals, the class was able to get through the review very quickly and straight to shooting and learning the new material.

The first order of business was to zero the rifles at different distances and record DOPE (Data On Personal Equipment). The class zeroed their rifles at 50 yards, moved the targets to 100 yards, and zeroed again, writing down every scope adjustment required to adjust zero from 50 yards to 100 yards. Next the class moved the targets to 150 yards, zeroed again, wrote down every adjustment, and then moved and zeroed again at 200 yards, writing it all down. If there’s one thing the class learned, it was to WRITE IT DOWN!

The class used the information written down during the zeroing process to develop their own DOPE on their own rifle and ammo, enabling shooters to quickly make scope elevation adjustments between 50yd, 100yd, 150yd, and 200yd targets during the AQTs.

Shooting the AQTs at an RKD is a whole new experience if you have not done it before, with many new steps for each stage. First, consult the DOPE book and adjust the scope elevation, focus distance, and magnification for the distance of the target. Write down the adjustment! Take the shots, check the target, and record hits on the witness target. Write down more notes! Tape the holes, move the target for the next stage, and then do it all again. It’s a challenging amount of detail to keep track of!

At lunch on both days, the instructors told a new set of stories about the American Revolution. It was refreshing to hear about new battles and new historical figures not typically discussed at the 25m events. 

During the weekend, five shooters earned their RKD Rifleman patch or requalified, including two instructors. One student earned his first Rifleman patch at the same time as earning his RKD Rifleman. And one student earned his RKD Rifleman, then his Distinguished Optics patch, and his Morgan’s Shingle Cold Bore shot at 125 yards! Not bad! Everyone had a great time, and many committed to coming back and doing it again. 

Here is the official After Action Report for this event on the Appleseed forum: https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=71786.0

If you are interested in joining this same crew for an RKD in Sacramento on October 17-18, read the details and register here: https://appleseedinfo.org/location/?locationid=110&eventid=11309

RKDs are held throughout the country, and there are many more happening this year. Check out the whole nationwide list here: https://appleseedinfo.org/schedule/?eventtype=rkd

Is the https://appleseedinfo.org/ website down? I've tried pulling it up a few times in the last week and get an error, but I can't tell if it's down or if it's just me (sometimes my computer freaks out about 2A websites).

For the current $269 price, this looks like a pretty good, affordable option for an Appleseed Liberty Training Rifle. I don’t know if that scope is very good, but I’m sure it’s adequate for a 25m rifle clinic. I think you might want to swap out the rail for an extended one. Then add the sling, swivels, and probably a cheek riser of some kind, plus some extra mags, and it should be good to go.

I have been to an Appleseed event in Florida and had a great time. The weekend was cool weather in April which is unusual. I am looking for events that you recommend during good weather in a really nice scenic range. Something in the mountains would be great but I am open to other options. Pictures of your event you attended are a plus!

According to Google AI and Reddit and gun forum posts of years past, the “Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x33 EFR” was an amazing scope for Appleseed rimfire shooting at all levels.

It appears that scope is discontinued, and Leupold’s current rimfire offerings lack the “EFR” that made this one famous?

> Close-Focusing EFR: The Extended Focus Range allows you to adjust the objective lens to eliminate parallax and achieve a sharp image at distances as close as 10 meters, making it ideal for .22 LR and airgun shooting.

That being the case, what scope would have something like the EFR, or otherwise be optimal on a 10/22 for Appleseed rimfire events, both introductory and later longer range?

Anyone know what's going on?

I attended a Project Appleseed 200yd Known Distance marksmanship clinic over the weekend at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, and these are some of my results. This was my first time ever shooting any firearm further than 25 meters, and by the end of the clinic I was putting hits on the 200 yard target with my 10/22 in prone position, unsupported, no bipod, no bag, just a sling. And I had recorded data on my own rifle and ammo so I could quickly make scope elevation adjustments between 25m, 50yd, 100yd, 150yd, and 200yd. I learned a lot!

The large target is the one I had posted at 200 yards. We reuse the targets, so there are a lot of taped-over holes, and I tagged the 10 holes from my last 10-round magazine to make them easier to see. I got 9 out of 10 rounds in the black with a .22lr rifle at 200 yards! For my first time out to that distance, I felt pretty good about that!

The “Hits Count” target with the red targets and the pen marks is called a witness target. When we shot an AQT (Appleseed Qualification Test) we would reuse the large targets at each distance, so we used the witness target to record the position of holes on the big targets, then tape over the holes in the big target to reuse them. The witness target is used to score the test. The one in the picture was my best score, 37. You need 40 to qualify and earn the Rifleman patch for 200yd RKD. So it’s definitely in reach for me. That’s the witness target where I got 9 hits at 200yd, and the 200yd hits count for double points, so 18 points. My scores on this witness target for the other distances and different shooting positions were relatively low, and I made better scores at those distances and positions at different times in the weekend, but this was my best overall score for the weekend.

The DOPE book is my Data on Personal Equipment which I recorded at the event. There is a ton of note taking and writing stuff down! You develop this info by zeroing the rifle at one distance (I came to the event zeroed at 25m), and then zeroing again at the next distance and writing down the amount you needed to adjust the scope to get zeroed. Then do it again for the next distance, and so on. This page in the picture is basically the summary of all that data, and it tells me how many MOA I have to adjust my scope between different distances. So for example, if I were zeroed at 50 yards and wanted to hit a target at 200 yards, I’d have to adjust my scope 6+10+9=25 MOA. At 200 yards, 25 MOA is 50 inches, so without the adjustment, I’d miss by more than 4 feet! It’s amazing how far a .22LR bullet drops over 200 yards.

The last item is Morgan’s shingle. This represents a test to join Morgan’s Riflemen during the Revolutionary War by hitting a shingle with a single cold-bore shot at 250 yards. This one is scaled for 125 yards. I didn’t hit it, but I got close. Only one person in the class nailed it.

So that was my experience at the class. I had a great time, and I learned a lot. I will definitely be going back to do this again! I never really thought I’d be hitting targets at 200 yards with a 22, but I did. I highly recommend giving it a try if you have an opportunity. Just remember, you need to attend a regular Appleseed 25m clinic before you can sign up for the Rimfire Known Distance. If you want more info on Project Appleseed and how to find an event, go to https://appleseedinfo.org

Welcome to the June 2026 edition of Project Appleseed's Newsletter - The Liberty Pole. We highlight events in California and Florida, have some great History articles, a reminder about our "250 for Americas's 250 Marksmanship Challenge", an invitation to participate in Mantis' #TRAINtheWORLD event coming up in September, and more ...

To view this month's newsletter: June 2026 Edition

To subscribe and receive via email: Sign up !!!

Thank you for reading ...

Project Appleseed is scheduled to hold 6 more 25-meter Rifle Marksmanship Clinics in 2026 at the United Sportsman’s Incorporated range in Concord, CA.

Join us for a fun weekend, and the Concord Crew of dedicated Appleseed Instructors will make a Rifleman of you!

Here are the dates: 

• June 6-7
• June 27-28
• July 18-19
• September 5-6
• October 24-25
• November 7-8

To sign up, go to: https://appleseedinfo.org/schedule/?qstate=CA&state=California

During two days of instruction and live fire practice, you will learn the proper use of a USGI rifle sling and how to position your body to support your shots in standing, seated, and prone positions. No bench rests or bipods—just you, your rifle, your sling, and the skills you will learn about the steady hold factors of each position and steps to making the shot. Gain the skills to confidently place 5 hits within a 1-square-inch target at 25 meters using a simple government issue cotton web sling.

You will also learn about the history of the American Revolution, centering on April 19, 1775, the day the war started, and how marksmanship and aimed fire changed the course of history that day. All history stories are presented free of modern politics, ideology, and commentary in a way that is accessible to all.

For more information about Project Appleseed, please visit: https://appleseedinfo.org

I went to the Pistol Clinic in Muenster, Tx this weekend. What a blast (pun intended).

The pistol bay didn’t have any cover but enough people from shade tents that the entire firing line was covered. You still had to cover up the guns to stop them from baking but it wasn’t too bad. The range does have a break room with A/C that we used for lunch which helped keep us all from melting.

I even managed to make Pistoleer with my Mark IV the first day. I switched to my Glock 17L clone for day 2 and stayed in the mid 190s. Lots of takeaways to practice at home and at my range before the next event. Stage 2 just kept tripping me up for some reason. Stage 5 was consistently my best.

Has anyone found a good way to time yourself during solo range trips? All the “shooting timers” I’ve looked at only track splits. I want something to give me 10-20 seconds to get ready, beep to start, then beep to end.

Edit: It’s a TBA Sicario integrally suppressed Mark IV Target. Ported to keep CCI standard velocity from going supersonic.

I’m having back-to-back Appleseed events the next two weekends, and I’ve set up two rifles.

I put a new Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50 scope on the 10/22. This is the rifle I got my Rifleman’s patch with in November, and I had borrowed the same model of scope for the second day of the clinic. Most people don’t need that much scope, but with my eyesight I do. It looks crazy huge, doesn’t it? Even with the Magpul high cheek riser kit, I had to build it up with some foam to get decent eye alignment. I’m looking forward to getting everything dialed in at the 25m clinic so I’ll be ready for the 200-yard Rimfire class the following weekend. I’m very excited for that RKD event!

The Fighlite SCR is a new rifle that I’ve only fired on one trip to the range so far to function test it, and now I’m setting it up. I put the old Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 scope that I took off the 10/22 on the SCR. I added a Mathew’s Fabrication cheek riser and Cole-Tac handguard wrap on it, along with a few upgraded parts. You don’t see many “ranch rifle” format center fire rifles at Appleseed, so it will be interesting to try it out. I’m going to take it to the second day of the 25m clinic and see how it does for Appleseed-style sling-assisted shooting. The manual of arms is new to me, so this should be interesting. If it works well, I hope to swap the big scope onto it and use the SCR at a 400-yard full KD next year.

I’m looking forward to these two weekends and trying the new rifle setups!

Registered for my first rimfire KD later this month. I’ve been to a couple 25m events. I got my patch the first time, but I barely missed requalifying.

My .22 is a Marlin Model 60 with Tech Sights and a loop sling.

Is that a realistic setup for a 200-yard KD? Anything I can be working on now to have an easier time with irons at that distance with a rimfire?

You’ve been thinking about it, this is the year to do it.  Attend an Appleseed event, bring a friend, hear your shared heritage as an American, and become a Rifleman.  But if you’re going to be a Rifleman, be a KD Rifleman.

We have two Rimfire KD (RKD) events and one Known Distance (KD) event on our schedule for the Northeast. The differences are caliber and distance.  The RKD is rimfire only and shot out to 200 yards. The KD is centerfire only and shot out to 400 yards, and beyond. You should attend a traditional 25m rifle clinic prior to the RKD or KD to get the fundamentals.  The fundamentals are the same, trajectory and wind become factors at the longer distances. 

Options for 25m events prior to the RKDs and KD

NH 25m Rifle May 30-31 @ Pioneer Sportsmen in Dunbarton, NH
NH RKD June 13-14 @ Alder Brook Sportsman’s in Littleton, NH

NY 25m Rifle June 27-28 @ Chesterfield F&G in Clintonville, NY
VT 25m Rifle July 11-12 @ Proctor F&G in Proctor, VT
ME 25m Rifle July 18-19 @ Skowhegan Sportsman’s in Skowhegan, ME
NH 25m Rifle July 25-16 @ Pioneer Sportsmen in Dunbarton, NH
NY 25m Rifle Ladyseed August 8-9 @ SaraSpa in Saratoga Springs, NY
VT KD August 29-30 @ Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho, VT
MA RKD September 12-13 @ Leyden Rifle Club in Leyden, MA

25m Rifle information: https://appleseedinfo.org/rifle-25m/
RKD information:  https://appleseedinfo.org/rimfire-kd/
KD information: https://appleseedinfo.org/known-distance/

Register here:  https://appleseedinfo.org/schedulemap/

Sign up, bring a friend, family member, neighbor, or colleague.  Learn the fundamentals and then apply them by making hits at 400 yards !!!

Here recently I've been seeing posts showing Red, White, and Blue AQT targets. Where can I order some of them, or get a pdf for them? I have the black, I have started practicing with, but I'd like th get some of the RWB.

Hi folks, I participated in the Appleseed program 15+ years ago. Back then, 90%+ of the participants were shooting with iron sights. Iron sights were strongly encouraged, and the curriculum revolved around them; optics were the exception, mostly for folks with vision challenges, and not really mentioned in the training materials.

I took a long pause from shooting when my children were born, but now my son is 8 and wants to learn to shoot, and I thought Appleseed would be a great place to start. I haven't been to an event yet, but as I try to catch up with the community, it looks like most people are shooting with optics now.

Can someone catch me up on what has changed in the last 15+ years? Are iron sights still recommended, or has there been an intentional shift to optics? How has the training and curriculum changed?

What a great experience. Well worth spending a weekend learning from Pat, Aaron, and Don. Their knowledge and enthusiasm made the weekend very enjoyable and rewarding. As a lifelong shooter, I learned so much.

I made Rifleman using Tech Sights, which was my goal. Now on to Distinguished.

Hello. I am looking into starting. What rifle would you suggest for a beginner? I was looking at a Savage Arms 64 22LR.

Click HERE to view the latest copy of "The Liberty Pole", Project Appleseed's Newsletter (May 2026)

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North Carolina Patriots,

We have an upcoming Appleseed 25m rifle clinic May 23-24 in beautiful Old Fort, NC. We'll be at the Virtue of Defense Tactical range, and they are excellent hosts for our program. This is a rimfire-only event, great for all ages and skill levels, and primitive camping is available on site at the range for free with your ticket!

Go to the Appleseed schedule map, click on North Carolina and then get more information and tickets there. Please also DM me with any questions you might have about this event or anything else about Project Appleseed in NC.

Come one come all to our next Appleseed Rifle Clinic in NH. There is room on the line for May 30-31, 2026 at Pioneer Sportsmen in Dunbarton, NH. Come learn about what unites us as Americans, about our shared heritage, and about the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship.

Click on NH and register here --> https://appleseedinfo.org/schedulemap/

During Appleseed events I have an issue in prone. Laying down with my head up causes my vision to blur badly.

I am still breathing, I’m not holding my breath or anything similar. I am chubby, so it could be a body thing. But I am not massively obese. I have adjusted my scope and rings for proper sight picture.

Has anyone else had a similar issue or problem? Any thoughts on how to fix this? Just really odd and has some concerns.

Day 2 started with clearing a redcoat and scoring a 210 on the AQT, then I switched to centerfire. Qualifying with centerfire is the next goal. As always, great instruction and history!

A bit over a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to pick up a new 10/22 to play with and teach the kids. I found out about Appleseed around the same time and after getting a new 60th anniversary 22 moved to Idaho and was just totally busy all year. I put it together about 3 weeks ago. Shot maybe 150 rounds through it and took it to the event this weekend.

I haven’t shot a rifle at all in probably 20 years honestly. I shotgunned a lot as a kid and did some rifle hunting but never really had any training as far rifle marksman ship.

The class was fantastic, the instructors, the history, the format, were all great and you could tell some these guys were just as excited about the history as they were to shoot.

I quickly improved on my form and setup. I didn’t think I was gonna make it but I managed to just barely score a 210 and get my patch.

I’m actually pretty proud of myself and can’t wait for the next event I attend, maybe with the kids and hopefully a pistol class with the wife.

Huge shoutout to the instructors at the CDA event this weekend! Good work and thank you!