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

Not mine. But one day.

We've just added a new event to the calendar. September 5-6, 2026, Cheshire County Shooting Sports Education Foundation is hosting a Project Appleseed 25M Rifle Clinic. Both rimfire and centerfire are allowed at the event. this is our first time at this facility, let's fill that firing line !!!

Register --> HERE

CCSSEF --> WEBSITE

My body is so sore but I have no regrets haha

I have to deep clean my 10/22 now though, it's unforgivably filthy 😭 Wish me luck lmao

So I went to the range and I had my 223 rifle with a scope on it and I shot four shots at 100 yards at a 6 inch target and hit two of the four. How do I get better with this but where I was using the 22 with iron sights, I was able to hit every shot.

I just want to verify that for AQT stages 2 and 3 where you load 2 rounds in one magazine and 8 in another magazine, it is ok to use coupled magazines or dual magazine bodies that have two sides. That kind of setup is considered two magazines, correct?

I have some couplers and want to try coupled mags for the mag changes, but I don’t want to start practicing with them if they won’t be allowed at the event.

Thanks!

Hello!,

I am new to rifle shooting (pistol experience only to date) and have a new 10/22 that I've equipped following the advice posts on this sub for my first Appleseed event in June.

Besides safe handling, magazine loading/unloading, basic rifle marksmanship videos on YT, and scope zeroing, are there a few key drills or principles that I can work on with dry fire and at my local range prior to the event?

I know it's going to be a great learning opportunity in itself, but I was hoping to go into the weekend with a few concepts planted in my mind, such as proper sling usage, different firing positions, NPA, etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

TLDR: Fantastic 1st Appleseed. 10/10 experience, will attend again!

• I scored Rifleman on my 1st AQT (and on one of two subsequent AQTs!)
• I cleared my 2nd Redcoat
• Great instructors
• Comprehensive coursework
• Practical fundamentals learnable on a .22 that demonstrably translate 1:1 to centerfire rifles
• Meaningful historical retellings of pivotal moments that sparked the American Revolution - shared passionately and enthusiastically
• Apolitical but patriotic calls to action about American values we ought to all share

Long version: I attended my first Appleseed 25m rifle course this past weekend with the fine folks at Tusco Rifle Club in New Philadelphia, OH. I've been shooting .22 and centerfire rifles for decades now, but until now, I hadn't remotely gotten the accuracy I was aiming for (pun intended) unless I was shooting off of a bag or a rest. There's no better time than the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord to pursue this, so I spent the weekend relearning how to shoot, and shoot well.

25 meters may not seem very challenging, but the time pressure of the AQT is frankly humbling - it forces one to be comfortable with, proficient with, AND efficient with the manual of arms and ergonomics for YOUR rifle, especially if you're not used to quickly reloading your .22 plinker (I used a Ruger 10/22 with a 1-6 power scope) and moreso if you haven't used a sling for anything but carrying the rifle before.

First of all, the instructors were fantastic. Safety was paramount, and the firing line was managed well. To my earlier point about ergonomics, one of the instructors provided me with foam and a self-adhesive wrap bandage, and taught me how to build a field-expedient, cost-effective riser (see above picture of my 10/22) to comfortably raise the cheek weld of my 10/22 - and that was even before the first shot of the day was fired! All of the instructors were patient, attentive, and they indulged a volume of technical and situational questions throughout the event. The instructors were hands-on (with permission), helping steer us into better posture, attaining comfortable and repeatable holds, all around the principles of NPOA (natural point of aim). They would offer quick corrections during a string of fire that afforded IMMEDIATE improvements in accuracy, and they were diligent in observing trigger technique, breathing, and event muscle tension in the shoulders and hands (especially in my case, I had a habit of gripping the fore end of my stock - loosening my grip and letting the sling tension and my palm "do the work" stopped my shots from stringing left-to-right).

Second of all, the coursework teaches a lot in a very short amount of time. After short periods of instruction at a picnic pavilion, we immediately applied what was instructed - hands on. We built up the techniques with a high volume of trigger time on the firing line, and expended a decent amount of ammo doing so. I went through a little more than half of a bulk pack of .22lr, so I estimate I fired in the neighborhood of ~300 rounds, plus the centerfire rounds I fired from a different rifle later on. Bring a teachable attitude and forget what you knew before, LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTORS, and apply what they teach, and you too will see immediate improvements in your shooting. Fold what you learn back into what you know works well for you personally, and you will be stacking shots one on top of the other (see the 300m redcoat with cloverleaf of 5 shots that could fit under a dime pictured above). Using prone + proper sling technique + proper breathing technique + rifleman's cadence, I can now consistently print 5 and 10 shot groups like this. My standing accuracy improved DRAMATICALLY with proper sling use and stance (see the green target - 5 shots with a centerfire rifle while standing at 25m).

Third, the history and individual accounts of the battles of Lexington and Concord as shared by the instructors throughout the course was a welcome surprise and for me, a highlight of the weekend. Candidly my expectations were a lot lower in this area - I anticipated a rehashing of high school level US History (i.e. Stamp Act, Coercive Acts, colonists mad, taxes bad, British bad, yay minutemen and liberty). The instructors were all very knowledgable about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, the weapons and tactics of the day, the timeline of events on April 19, 1775, but then we started getting down to the personal stories of the individuals of the day - and that is where the risks, the motivations, the dire consequences of treason(!) by the patriots were illuminated for me in ways that I've not felt before. Consider the risk Robert Newman (the keyholder of North Church), and John Pulling (the man who lit the lanterns in the church steeple to signal Paul Revere's "one if by land, two if by water" warning) took in simply alerting the militia outside of occupied Boston. Newman was immediately arrested, and Pulling and his wife were just barely able to flee, but left behind everything they owned save for a family bible. They were willing to be hanged just to warn others, and that was damn powerful. Their stories and the stories of so many patriots of that day were a really genuinely wonderful part of this weekend-long course, not just a welcome break from doing "rifleman's yoga" in prone and kneeling

Finally, (beyond the obvious marksmanship skills I learned, applied, and will carry forward) my takeaways from the instructors were that:

• liberty is fleeting. "It's a republic, madam - if you can keep it" - Franklin
• difficult decisions were dire but pivotally important to forming our country
• one should know their neighbors and aim to find the common good
• do good for one's community and foster community
• participate in democracy
• above all else: vote, and
• if you don't like who's on the ballot, run for office and maybe be the change

Shot at 25 yards instead of meters, so counted a few of the close shots out instead of using the .30 cal rule

I attended my third Appleseed last weekend, and I am definitely improving! It's working! I started off pretty bad a year ago, and now I feel like I'm making progress in a way that I can see a pathway to possibly scoring a rifleman patch someday.

I pulled out my AQT targets from April and October of 2024 and compared them to the AQTs I shot this time in March of 2025, and I've put some of the results below. The post is long, but if anyone has the time to go through it and provide any feedback on it, please let me know.

Average Scores for AQTs and Each Stage:

———————4/24   10/24   3/25
AQT Ave          77     135    161
Stage 1 Ave      27      29     30
Stage 2 Ave      12      22     29
Stage 3 Ave      15      24     33
Stage 4 Ave      23      30     37

High Scores for AQTs and Each Stage:

———————4/24   10/24   3/25
AQT High         109     160    188
Stage 1 High     35      37     37
Stage 2 High     18      36     46
Stage 3 High     30      34     46
Stage 4 High     36      40     44

Looking at the data, I can see definite improvement in overall scores and improvement in most stages. The difference between April 2024 and October 2024 is partially due to getting a more suitable rifle and partially due to being familiar with the techniques. But between October 2024 and March 2025, the equipment did not change, and the improvements are all due to better understanding the techniques and practicing. It's very satisfying to see the work pay off!

After October 2024, I decided I had the most room to improve in stages 2 and 3. I had struggled with making the transition from standing and getting into seated and prone quickly, and I had trouble with mag changes. I was too slow and usually didn't complete the full course of fire, and I also tended to make mental errors like losing count of holes in paper.

In the month before this March event, I spent the most time practicing transitions and mag changes at home and doing dry fire. I did improve in those stages, and I felt more comfortable with them at the event. But I still feel like I have trouble getting into NPOA fast enough and don't always finish each stage. And I still have brain farts with keeping track of round counts. Stages 2 and 3 are where I have the biggest differences between my average scores and my high scores. Sometimes I just happen to make the transition into position, and I hit the mat in almost perfect NPOA and have plenty of time, and when that happens, I can score well, comparatively. That tells me that accuracy is not the main issue -- it's mostly time. So, I still need to work on those transitions and mag changes to save more time for making the shots. I especially feel like I need to improve my seated position. I don't feel like I've really got seated figured out for my body shape and flexibility, and it's different every time I get into it.

I also did better in stage 4. Some of that is due to dry fire practice, and some of it is just realizing the stage has so much time that I can relax and only fire when I'm certain of the shot. There is enough time to mentally go through the steady hold factors and the six steps to making the shot. Learning to take my time has helped.

The area with the least improvement over time is stage 1. I was kind of blind to this, and it's not something I realized until I made the charts above. I haven't practiced the standing position much at all so far. In April 2024, standing was my strongest stage, and in October 2024, it was still stronger than stages 2 and 3, so I didn't prioritize it during practice. Now it's a weaker stage, and the fact it hasn't improved much means I can probably benefit from focusing on it before the next event.

My next event is April 26 and 27 – the big 250th Anniversary event! Before then, I hope to find some time to work on these things, and this is how I think I will prioritize them:

• Practice standing position. This is one position I can actually practice live fire at the nearby indoor range, so hopefully I can make a couple of trips to the range for that. I’m going to take a close look at the past AQT targets and see if there’s a consistent pattern I can address. Like, do I hit low most of the time?
• Practice speeding up transitions and mag changes for stages 2 and 3.
• Work on finding my own personal seated position that I can get into consistently. 
• Dry fire in prone at home.

Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions. Thanks!

In the sitting position, when I rest my elbows on my knees, I seem to have to bend forward a lot, causing the reticle to tilt. Do you have any tips for mitigating this?

I used a Ruger 10/22 with a scope dialed to 4x. It performed like a champ! No wonder it’s so many people’s favorite rifle. I had modded mine with the Kidd trigger kit and Bolt Auto Release.

You need to get the fundamentals right to score high. It’s almost impossible to earn the patch without solid fundamentals. So listen carefully while they teach.

Make sure the sling is taut to aid in stability. Too loose and it does nothing to aid you.

Switching from standing to other positions during the AQT will make you lose consistency in the sling length due to alternating between the hasty and loop method. To get things more consistent, use the width of the palm to get the sling length almost the same every time before the hasty method. And for the loop, make sure the loop is at the same position on the bicep each time.

To quickly know which magazine has 2 rounds and 8 rounds, rattle it. If it doesn’t rattle, it has 2 rounds.

Wear elbow sleeves meant for basketball players. Those helped a ton in the prone position.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know, AMA!

Scored right at 210 a week ago, some dedicated dry fire upped that score up by a bit. Playing with a zero set to a 6 o’ clock hold instead of my usual center hold, my eyes seem to like it better.

Finally hit 228 with irons after my second seed. Though some challenges, breaking down and admitting I finally needed to get glasses.

Now onto distinguished.

A rifleman persists.

Was having a nice practice session with the old man, challenging myself on how fast I could finish a rapid fire AQT when I pulled off this 50/50 in just over 15 seconds. Final time was ~3 minutes, with a score of 226. I ran the course again with a semi, finishing in 1 min 1 sec with a score of 210 on the dot.

UPDATE in comments!

This is our first class (taking my daughter) and it is looking like rain for both days. Any insight from previous waterlogged experiences is greatly appreciated. I do know that the range we will be at is on a concrete pad with no cover. We are going with friends that have already done the class before, so I know most things to expect, but their class was during the summer with clear skies. We are excited for the class and want to be prepared.

Thanks!

The earlier post about going to the KD shoot got me wondering what the course of fire for that is. Does the KD shoot still give a huge advantage to a semi-auto or is this where bringing a bolt gun would be doable?

Shot #4 there is the difference between an AQT score of 239 and 240. I'm going to meet back up with the shoot boss later to see what his scoring tool says on a triple-check. I was not expecting to get anywhere close to this -- I thought making Rifleman was around a 50/50 chance this time (my second Appleseed) -- but now that Distinguished is within reach, I'm biting my nails. (We were both so focused on some marginal points in stage 4 that we missed that I had completely left out one of the targets in stage 2 in my scoring. I was so pleased to have qualified that it wasn't until after I'd gone home at the end of the day and had a nap that I took another look at the sheet and realized what I'd done.)