Any Winter Appleseed tips?

[phred]

I'm planning to do the Dec 6-7 Appleseed at HHRPC in Brown Co. I have read the packing list, are there any winter time tips from those of you that have done one of these in the cold?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[grunt soldier]

Get some hand warmers. Put them in your gloves and boots. Keeps you toasty. Bring several as they wear out. If it's snowy have some water proof clothing and a decent Mat. A thermos full of hot coco or coffee is also nice.

 

[brianheeter]

Dress in layers with a moisture wicking layer next to your skin.
Hydrate. You may not be sweating but you still need to drink.
Like grunt said, handwarmers.
A warm hat that covers your ears.
Bring a sense of humor and a teachable attitude.

Typically the December shoot isn't super cold but it can happen. I'll see you there.

brian

 

[Wild Deuce]

Brian and Grunt have it covered.

I would re-emphasize the dressing in layers part. December can still throw some curves at you. The morning chill can give way to noon day warmth fueled by direct sunlight (even at a lower angle ... it can warm you up) which can give way to dropping temps once the shadows lengthen. In addition to that moisture wicking layer ... you'll want at least one layer somewhere in there that breathes but the wind can't cut through. Be flexible enough that you can don and doff your layers as needed.

A bonus would be extras (clothes) in the car that you can change into if you do happen to get wet or that you can change into for the trip home.

A good hat is worth a layer on your torso.

Water is always a good idea ... summer or winter. Don't wait until you are thirsty.

 

[hooky]

I shot my best score ever with Grunt heckling me on a weekend in February. All good advice above my post. I did everything mentioned with the exception of the hand warmers.

 

[linuxguy]

My first Appleseed was in January in Crawfordsville with ATM. His singing will keep you warm!

On a really cold weekend, you might want to use some of the warmers that have adhesive on them--you can tape to the *outside* of one of your inner shirts (if you tape it right next to your skin, it'll burn you!). I think I had one on my chest and one on my back, and felt pretty good all day.

I tried winter trigger gloves--mittens with one separate "compartment" for your trigger finger--was way too bulky, I had to take them off and ATM loaned me his gloves instead. Thin gloves, like jersey gloves or mechanix are all you need, even on really cold shoots.

Hot chocolate doesn't hurt any!

 

[phred]

Thanks for the tips. Can't wait!

 

[grunt soldier]

I shot my best score ever with Grunt heckling me on a weekend in February. All good advice above my post. I did everything mentioned with the exception of the hand warmers.

Ohhhhhh snap! grunt soldier getting some props. usually All I get after the seeds is the complaints and death threats

 

[cwillour]

A pair of these RedHead liners with heating packets in the pockets (and maybe a hand muff for when you are standing around in a freezing rain or biting wind) can go a long ways towards keeping your hands warm even in near-zero conditions.

RedHead® Rut Zone Hunting Gloves with Touch Tip for Men | Bass Pro Shops

If you are like me, don't forget to give your shooting glasses an extra anti-fog treatment.

 

[rhino]

1. Harden up and wear shorts!
2. Ignore #1

Here's a trick that is not well known. Those warming pads with the adhesive that were mentioned before? Stick one on the back of your neck where it meets your back/shoulders. It is surprisingly effective even with the brands that don't feel that warm because it helps warm the blood going to and from your noggin.

 

[linuxguy]

You can also stick a warming pad in each pocket to warm your hands between trigger times.

 

[phred]

Great tips. Did anyone shoot the qualifying day with a 22 or did you a centerfire? I have a Ruger 10/22 with Tech sights and a M&P15. I figure the first day will be all 22 and by the end of the day I should be quite confident in it, so why not qualify with it?

 

[rhino]

I used my li'l CZ 452 Scout the entire time. I didn't even consider using a centerfire, but there is no specific reason for that.

 

[Hop]

My 1st Appleseed at MCFG was wet cold and snowy. Those heat packs were wonderful on the colder day #2. Our real problem though was standing water on the firing line. The line there is gravel. The rubber backed rug was useless & soaked up the water. My daughter did not have water proof boots and the toes soaked up the cold water. Poor kid got so cold she couldn't load mags (maybe that was a trick to get me to load her mags. Hmm...). She put the heat packs inside her boots which helped a lot.

 

[rhino]

My 1st Appleseed at MCFG was wet cold and snowy. Those heat packs were wonderful on the colder day #2. Our real problem though was standing water on the firing line. The line there is gravel. The rubber backed rug was useless & soaked up the water. My daughter did not have water proof boots and the toes soaked up the cold water. Poor kid got so cold she couldn't load mags (maybe that was a trick to get me to load her mags. Hmm...). She put the heat packs inside her boots which helped a lot.

My first Appleseed experience (mini-seed) got canceled in the middle due to the weather. By the time they called it, everyone who was prone was laying in several inches of ice water standing on a tarp. Cold is manageable, but that cold plus that wet is too dangerous to continue.

 

[TJ Kackowski]

Great tips. Did anyone shoot the qualifying day with a 22 or did you a centerfire? I have a Ruger 10/22 with Tech sights and a M&P15. I figure the first day will be all 22 and by the end of the day I should be quite confident in it, so why not qualify with it?

There is wisdom in what you state.

However, what decides if you can use a rimfire or centerfire rifle is the rules of the host range. Appleseed will allow centerfire if the host range allows centerfire. For example, Marion County Fish & Game does not allow centerfire rifles ... period. So you cannot decide to use a centerfire rifle at MCFG ... it's rimfire only at that range.

That being said, day 1 of a 2 day Appleseed is all about learning the basic elements of accurately shooting a rifle. Day 2 is a lot of practice with what you learned on day 1. All the work you did in getting your rifle sighted in and sorted out on Saturday will really be put to the test on Sunday. In particular, by shooting the AQT.

Everything you will learn at an Appleseed is applicable to any rifle you decide to shoot. So to get the most "bang for your buck", pick one rifle and stick with it for the entire Appleseed program. Then, take what you've learned and apply it to the rest of your rifles. After that, to truly test yourself and your rifles, bring those other rifles back to a future Appleseed. Especially if they're centerfire and you want to do some shooting at real distances during one of the KD Appleseeds.

 

[Rayne]

phred, we will also have a bonfire at Nashville if you get really cold. Plus we can gather around it during history and points of instruction so we can warm up. Those hand warmers are a good idea, but placement is important if you put them somewhere other than your hands. Place them in your armpits and groin area where you main arteries run is key to keeping your extremities warm.

Also dressing in layers has been mention, but your layers should not be so bulky that you look like the Michelin tire man. You are still going to have to be able to get up and down off the ground and into the seated position. Your position will also change due to the bulk of clothing you are wearing. If you are used to shooting in the cross legged seated position you may have to go to open legged or cross ankle. For myself, I couldn't shoot in the cross legged position during a regular Appleseed because I could put my elbows on the ground. With winter gear on I had a very solid cross legged position because the bulky clothing wouldn't let me bend over as far. So if you've been to an Appleseed before and already know your positions, you might want to practice getting into a comfortable sitting position with your winter gear on.

Have fun and enjoy your December Appleseed, it will either be beautiful weather or a weekend to test your grit for that winterseed patch.

 

[DaveD]

My first Appleseed experience (mini-seed) got canceled in the middle due to the weather. By the time they called it, everyone who was prone was laying in several inches of ice water standing on a tarp. Cold is manageable, but that cold plus that wet is too dangerous to continue.

I kinda remember that one

 

[rhino]

I kinda remember that one

I had a whole posse with me that day! And two that were identical!

It was a miracle getting them to go, and overall we had a good time. The history lessons were more than worth any discomfort they felt. rhino's "prone" is sitting on his shooting box, out of the cold water! HAHAH!

 

[Bill of Rights]

My first Appleseed experience (mini-seed) got canceled in the middle due to the weather. By the time they called it, everyone who was prone was laying in several inches of ice water standing on a tarp. Cold is manageable, but that cold plus that wet is too dangerous to continue.

I kinda remember that one

Me too. Horizontal snowing, and by the time we cleared the last barrel on the line of snow, the first one was packed full again. I think that was back when I was still trying to earn my Rifleman patch!

BTW, that shoot? TOTALLY worth it. Even when we couldn't shoot, we had Dave and Hawk's history lessons, and the company was better than the Chinese food. (which also was pretty awesome.)

Blessings,
Bill