Event 200-yard Rimfire Known Distance Clinic – Sacramento Valley Shooting Center, CA – October 17-18, 8am-5pm

[Fulcrum]

Personally, this kind of 200-yard Rimfire event has been my favorite kind of Appleseed event so far. I love the 25m Rifle clinics for having taught me the fundamentals, but the 200-yard Rimfire events are where you really begin to learn to shoot at distance and learn the principles and techniques to shoot centerfire out to 400 yards and further.

Instead of simulating distance by scaling down targets like they do at the 25m events, you physically move your target to 50, 100, 150, and 200 yards, and you learn to adjust your scope for bullet drops at those different distances and how to adjust for wind. This is a great experience if you want to get into NRA Highpower or CMP Service Rifle type competition.



During two full days of instruction and live fire practice, you will build on the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship you have already learned at a prior Project Appleseed 25m Rifle Marksmanship Clinic. You will learn to use a .22LR rifle to hit targets placed at 50, 100, 150, and 200 yards, where bullet drops and wind become important factors.

This class covers:

• Recording and using data on your personal equipment and ammo at different ranges (DOPE)
• Getting the most out of your own sight system (MOA or mils) and quickly adjusting your sights for different distances
• Managing environmental factors such as wind
• Hearing new stories of the American Revolution and heritage of marksmanship

Note:

• Prior attendance at a 25m Project Appleseed clinic is required.
• The class is designed for .22LR rifles. Only .22LR rifles can be used to earn the Rimfire KD patch. Rifles chambered for other rimfire cartridges are allowed but cannot be used to earn the patch. Centerfire rifles are not allowed.
• Make sure your sighting system has enough elevation adjustment to account for the bullet drop of .22LR out to 200 yards. The .22LR bullet drops about 50 inches in that distance, about 25 MOA.

Location:
Sacramento Valley Shooting Center
15501 Meiss Rd, Sloughhouse, CA 95683

Fees:
Course fees: $110 for the two-day event
Range fees: $9.00 per day

For more information about this event and to purchase tickets see https://appleseedinfo.org/location/?locationid=110&eventid=11309

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

 

[Fulcrum]

In May, I attended an RKD at Sac Valley just like this one being announced for October. It was a great time. Here is my post recapping the event. https://caguns.net/threads/may-2026...own-distance-class-was-a-great-success.29080/

 

[smoothy8500]

Definitely the 22LR at 200yds behaves a lot like the 223 at 600yds when it comes to wind.

 

[Fulcrum]

Definitely the 22LR at 200yds behaves a lot like the 223 at 600yds when it comes to wind.

View attachment 232855

The wind at my first RKD in May was mostly from the back, and probably about 10 mph gusts. So not a huge factor, but on the second day it was more from the side, and the affect on hits was noticeable.

The advantage to .22lr is the ammo cost, and also it’s a lot easier to find a 200 yard range to reserve for the whole weekend that it is to find a 600 yard one. It’s a practical way to get started and then graduate into highpower. I’d like to see more of these events on the calendar in CA and in more locations in the state. And I’d like to see an Appleseed full 400yd Centrrfire KD too.

Where do you shoot the 600 yard events? I know someone who goes to Coalinga for these kinds of matches. He’s trying to pull me in.

 

[smoothy8500]

Where do you shoot the 600 yard events? I know someone who goes to Coalinga for these kinds of matches. He’s trying to pull me in.

First time at 600 might be intimidating, but that's by your own pressure really. Ask the people around you for their wind call and dope. Plenty of good folks that want everyone to succeed.

I shoot at Burbank Rifle Revolver Club in Castaic (North of L.A.) and Santa Margarita Gun Club on MCB Camp Pendleton, North San Diego Co. Santa Margarita is currently on hold while we get our club paperwork organized.

Here's the dope card I use for 1/4 MOA scope. "Black" dots indicate wind speed. If you are using 77's at 600, to get a starting value just use windage clicks somewhere between the actual wind and the next wind speed.

 

[Fulcrum]

First time at 600 might be intimidating, but that's by your own pressure really. Ask the people around you for their wind call and dope. Plenty of good folks that want everyone to succeed.

I shoot at Burbank Rifle Revolver Club in Castaic (North of L.A.) and Santa Margarita Gun Club on MCB Camp Pendleton, North San Diego Co. Santa Margarita is currently on hold while we get our club paperwork organized.

Here's the dope card I use for 1/4 MOA scope. "Black" dots indicate wind speed. If you are using 77's at 600, to get a starting value just use windage clicks somewhere between the actual wind and the next wind speed.

View attachment 232905

Very cool. I have not seen a card like this before, but I’m finding out people have all kinds of tools I haven’t seen yet.

My 5.56/.223 rifle was not really designed for long range precision shooting. I’ve found out it doesn’t seem to like the heavier bullets very much. If I really get into high power, I’ll probably need something different.

 

[smoothy8500]

Champions Choice has cards for most popular 223 and 308 projectiles, 1/4 and 1/2 MOA scopes.

Anyways, sorry I know this totally derailed the thread on 200yd rimfire training.....

 

[adrkwan]

Do you guys have any recommendations for a starter rimfire rifle and optics? My local ranges are only 200 yard max so something I could use in the Appleseed events and for casual plinking would be great.

 

[Fulcrum]

Do you guys have any recommendations for a starter rimfire rifle and optics? My local ranges are only 200 yard max so something I could use in the Appleseed events and for casual plinking would be great.

Here is a document about setting up a rifle for Appleseed: https://appleseedinfo.org/pdf/Assemble a Liberty Training Rifle.pdf

At most events, what I mostly see are Ruger 10/22s. Some people use magazine-fed bolt actions, like the CZ457 but it is more difficult in the rapid-fire stages. Another nice .22LR option if you prefer the AR platform over a traditional sporter rifle is the Tippmann M4-22. I personally like the 10/22. Do NOT get a takedown model -- it wont work well for Appleseed.

For sights, most people use scopes. Some people use iron sights, but they need to be click-adjustable, like Tech Sights, not like standard Ruger leaf or peep sights. Red dots do not work well for precision shooting. I personally need a scope to see the targets. My scope is ridiculously big compared to most, but my eyesight is also ridiculously bad. For a 25m event, most people with normal eyesight will find a 2-7x32 scope is more than adequate. If you want to attend a 200-yard Rimfire KD event like described in this thread, or if you have poor eyesight, you might prefer something like a 3-9x, 4-12x, or 4-16x. (Mine is 5-25x50! lol!) Do get the extended rail with 20 MOA elevation.

One thing not mentioned in the document is that you may need a cheek riser if you have a scope. You want to be able to bring the rifle to your face with your cheek comfortably welded to the stock and have it so your eye ends up perfectly aligned with the scope. You don't want to have to search for your eye alignment or use a chin weld. At the events I've attended, instructors will help you improvise a cheek rest with foam and tape or they might have a removable kydex one to loan, but if you can find one that works well for your rifle beforehand, that's always good. Some stocks like the Magpul Hunter have multiple interchangeable cheek pieces available.

Be sure you get the right kind of USGI cotton web sling. It might seem antiquated compared to modern slings, but it has features most modern slings do not, and a lot of the course focuses on use of this style of sling as a marksmanship aid for creating steady holds in different positions.

Let me know if you have any questions or want links to specific products.

EDIT: Take a look at the picture in the first post of this thread. The guy in front is actually using a bolt action and iron sights! He is doing it on hard mode. He is an excellent marksman, and I think this was just a personal challenge for him, but I know he ran out of elevation adjustment in his sighting system at 200 yards and was basically doing "Kentucky windage" at that point. The next guy has a rifle a lot like mine -- Ruger 10/22, Magpul Hunter stock with the interchangeable cheek pieces, and huge scope on an extended rail. He even has the scope on a cantilever mount to get it forward enough for prone position when using the sling. The third guy is using a AR-style .22lr. And down the line we have more 10/22s with stocks like the Hunter and with scopes that are probably in the 2-7x, 3-9x category of magnification.

 

[adrkwan]

Here is a document about setting up a rifle for Appleseed: https://appleseedinfo.org/pdf/Assemble a Liberty Training Rifle.pdf

At most events, what I mostly see are Ruger 10/22s. Some people use magazine-fed bolt actions, like the CZ457 but it is more difficult in the rapid-fire stages. Another nice .22LR option if you prefer the AR platform over a traditional sporter rifle is the Tippmann M4-22. I personally like the 10/22. Do NOT get a takedown model -- it wont work well for Appleseed.

For sights, most people use scopes. Some people use iron sights, but they need to be click-adjustable, like Tech Sights, not like standard Ruger leaf or peep sights. Red dots do not work well for precision shooting. I personally need a scope to see the targets. My scope is ridiculously big compared to most, but my eyesight is also ridiculously bad. For a 25m event, most people with normal eyesight will find a 2-7x32 scope is more than adequate. If you want to attend a 200-yard Rimfire KD event like described in this thread, or if you have poor eyesight, you might prefer something like a 3-9x, 4-12x, or 4-16x. (Mine is 5-25x50! lol!) Do get the extended rail with 20 MOA elevation.

One thing not mentioned in the document is that you may need a cheek riser if you have a scope. You want to be able to bring the rifle to your face with your cheek comfortably welded to the stock and have it so your eye ends up perfectly aligned with the scope. You don't want to have to search for your eye alignment or use a chin weld. At the events I've attended, instructors will help you improvise a cheek rest with foam and tape or they might have a removable kydex one to loan, but if you can find one that works well for your rifle beforehand, that's always good. Some stocks like the Magpul Hunter have multiple interchangeable cheek pieces available.

Be sure you get the right kind of USGI cotton web sling. It might seem antiquated compared to modern slings, but it has features most modern slings do not, and a lot of the course focuses on use of this style of sling as a marksmanship aid for creating steady holds in different positions.

Let me know if you have any questions or want links to specific products.

EDIT: Take a look at the picture in the first post of this thread. The guy in front is actually using a bolt action and iron sights! He is doing it on hard mode. He is an excellent marksman, and I think this was just a personal challenge for him, but I know he ran out of elevation adjustment in his sighting system at 200 yards and was basically doing "Kentucky windage" at that point. The next guy has a rifle a lot like mine -- Ruger 10/22, Magpul Hunter stock with the interchangeable cheek pieces, and huge scope on an extended rail. He even has the scope on a cantilever mount to get it forward enough for prone position when using the sling. The third guy is using a AR-style .22lr. And down the line we have more 10/22s with stocks like the Hunter and with scopes that are probably in the 2-7x, 3-9x category of magnification.

Thanks for the indepth response! Will try to get something together to try the next Appleseed event.

 

[Fulcrum]

Thanks for the indepth response! Will try to get something together to try the next Appleseed event.

Great! I hope to see you on the line!

 

[smoothy8500]

using a AR-style .22lr

What's the word on the S&W MP15 being allowed? I haven't followed Appleseed stuff in the last few years but I remember they were discussing issues with firing out-of-battery.

Will try to get something together to try the next Appleseed

At the time I went years ago the 10-22 with Tec Sight was the most popular by far. There's Savage as maybe a distant second. There are other 22 AR choices like the Walther/Hammerli, and HK.

As for optics and "poor eyesight", quality beats magnification every time. A quality 4x scope is better than a mediocre 6x scope. Evan an older quality 3-9X will be more than adequate and will outperform a cheaper quality 4-16X or 5-25X selling for a similar price.

NRA and CMP High power we're limited to 4.5X scopes. Yes, some folks are sporting the Nightforce scope, but a real popular one is the Vortex Viper. I'm still using the Gen 1 on my rifle, good optics, clarity, and accurate/repeatable tracking since the knobs get turned up and down 16MOA (600yd) every match.

 

[Fulcrum]

If you are interested in attending this 200-yard RKD, then you might want to also sign up for the 25m Rifle clinic that is being held September 19-20 at the same Sacramento Valley Shooting center range.

This 25m event is an opportunity to fulfill the RKD prerequisite that you attend a 25m event first, and it’s a chance to brush up on the fundamentals and refresh your skills before the RKD. And it’s being held at the same Sacramento Valley Shooting Center range, so if you are in that area, this is probably your most convenient event for a refresher.

Here’s the post about the 25m event: https://caguns.net/threads/sacramen...oughhouse-ca-–-september-19-20-8am-5pm.29226/