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Appleseed believes in "run what ya brung."

However, achieving Rifleman will be less complicated with a magazine-fed .22.

I did my first 'seed with a Model 60. Everything was great - except the reloading. Very tedious.

Switched to a Marlin 795, before they teamed up together. I would look here.

Paid about $125 several years ago for it. Unsure what they go for now.

Congrats on your interest in Applseed, especially including your kids. It is a wonderful program, and really great for long gun basics.
 
If you are only interested in learning the shooting positions and practicing your skills, pretty much any rifle with a sling will work. But prepare to be frustrated, without a mag fed semiauto you will struggle to complete shot strings in the time allotted and it's unlikely you will be able to earn your Rifleman badge on your first try.

I earned my Rifleman last year at my first Appleseed (with some preparation on my part as to how my 10/22 and sling should be setup and the shooting positions), but there is no way I could have done it with a bolt action/lever action (having to break your position constantly will get old fast for the 100s of rounds you'll be shooting) or a tube magazine (it will take you much longer to reload than it does to change magazines).

I'd recommend a 10/22 or other semiauto 22LR with the following modifications (aka my setup): modified bolt release that allows you to release the bolt by just charging the rifle, a low power optic or red dot (mine was a 1.5-5x Simmons and I kept it at 1.5 power), an extended magazine release (to drop magazines without breaking firing grip), a GI type sling with hook towards the rear swivel, an adjustable cheek rest (mine had bungee cord attachment and I ended up adding foam underneath to get the proper height), and a BX trigger.

For what it's worth I was able to make Rifleman on Day 1 with my 10/22 TD with above mods, and Day 2 I shot my M1 Garand in 308 and did not score rifleman with it (partly due to difficulty reloading in a timely manner as a lefty) but I had a blast.

Bringing proper equipment will much improve your learning experience and enjoyment, but definitely go either either way.
 
If you are only interested in learning the shooting positions and practicing your skills, pretty much any rifle with a sling will work. But prepare to be frustrated, without a mag fed semiauto you will struggle to complete shot strings in the time allotted and it's unlikely you will be able to earn your Rifleman badge on your first try.

I earned my Rifleman last year at my first Appleseed (with some preparation on my part as to how my 10/22 and sling should be setup and the shooting positions), but there is no way I could have done it with a bolt action/lever action (having to break your position constantly will get old fast for the 100s of rounds you'll be shooting) or a tube magazine (it will take you much longer to reload than it does to change magazines).

I'd recommend a 10/22 or other semiauto 22LR with the following modifications (aka my setup): modified bolt release that allows you to release the bolt by just charging the rifle, a low power optic or red dot (mine was a 1.5-5x Simmons and I kept it at 1.5 power), an extended magazine release (to drop magazines without breaking firing grip), a GI type sling with hook towards the rear swivel, an adjustable cheek rest (mine had bungee cord attachment and I ended up adding foam underneath to get the proper height), and a BX trigger.

For what it's worth I was able to make Rifleman on Day 1 with my 10/22 TD with above mods, and Day 2 I shot my M1 Garand in 308 and did not score rifleman with it (partly due to difficulty reloading in a timely manner as a lefty) but I had a blast.

Bringing proper equipment will much improve your learning experience and enjoyment, but definitely go either either way.
Thanks man yeah I have decided to definitely go with a changeable magazine fed gun. I am honestly wondering if I might just spend the money I would spend on a new gun on ammo, a new sling and a fiber optic rear sight sled for my AK and just use that. I am already familiar with the rifle and how the rear sight sled works with 762x39 trajectory.

It would definitely be cheaper to shoot the 22 but $130 for 500 rounds of golden tiger for a couple shoots a year won't exactly break the bank... My wife may feverishly disagree with that last part lol.
 
As others have posted, you'll have better results with a magazine fed 22LR. However, frequently the Shoot Boss will have "loaner" rifles, usually 10/22's, if you don't want to buy a magazine fed 22LR yourself. Contact the Shoot Boss of the event and see if they've got a loaner. Chances are pretty good that they do.

It's a bit of a drive for you, but if you come to one of the shoots in Martin, Georgia I'll be happy to loan you a 10/22 that's only purpose in life is to be an Appleseed loaner. Since I loan it out at shoots it's probably the best maintained of all my rifles!

I usually also have my personal Marlin 795 that I'm not afraid to loan out, and even sometimes put a 22 conversion kit in my AR15 and loan it out. It only takes 5-10 rounds at the MOST to zero any of them if the shooter messes up my zero, so it's no big deal.

Your AK is certainly welcome, although you will be a little more challenged by not having a great sling attachment point and somewhat clumsy to adjust sights. However, despite all of this I have an AK sight tool if you show up at one of my shoots! A Rifleman perseveres!

Good Luck, hope to see you out there!
 
As others have posted, you'll have better results with a magazine fed 22LR. However, frequently the Shoot Boss will have "loaner" rifles, usually 10/22's, if you don't want to buy a magazine fed 22LR yourself. Contact the Shoot Boss of the event and see if they've got a loaner. Chances are pretty good that they do.

It's a bit of a drive for you, but if you come to one of the shoots in Martin, Georgia I'll be happy to loan you a 10/22 that's only purpose in life is to be an Appleseed loaner. Since I loan it out at shoots it's probably the best maintained of all my rifles!

I usually also have my personal Marlin 795 that I'm not afraid to loan out, and even sometimes put a 22 conversion kit in my AR15 and loan it out. It only takes 5-10 rounds at the MOST to zero any of them if the shooter messes up my zero, so it's no big deal.

Your AK is certainly welcome, although you will be a little more challenged by not having a great sling attachment point and somewhat clumsy to adjust sights. However, despite all of this I have an AK sight tool if you show up at one of my shoots! A Rifleman perseveres!

Good Luck, hope to see you out there!


Looking through old posts and seeing this. Thanks for all the good information. I know the 15-22 is a no go, but would a CMMG bolt conversion AR in .22LR be acceptable? I don’t have a 10/22 but I’m interested in doing an Appleseed after getting back into shooting after 20 years away.
 
Looking through old posts and seeing this. Thanks for all the good information. I know the 15-22 is a no go, but would a CMMG bolt conversion AR in .22LR be acceptable? I don’t have a 10/22 but I’m interested in doing an Appleseed after getting back into shooting after 20 years away.

Those are not terribly accurate but I have found, if you have a 1/7 or 1/8 twist, that the new aquila 60gr 22 ammo is very accurate out of a conversion. Will probably be quite expensive ammo weekend for you however. You will have to run the numbers on whether it will be cheaper to do that or buy a 10/22 and cci standard. At least with the latter you come out of it with another rifle.

We will almost always have a quality loaner rifle for shooters if that appeals. Just message the shoot boss and let him know you would need one and we will square you away.
 
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