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Project Appleseed started from a series of ads appearing in [[Shotgun News]], a monthly gun trade newspaper publication. These ads were written under a pseudonym by a fellow who simply called himself "Fred". "Fred," the founder of Project Appleseed, whose real name is Jack Dailey, wrote a long running column—actually a portion of ad space for Fred's M14 Stocks—starting in 1999.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Mattathias|title=Firing Line|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/magazine/01Appleseed-t.html?pagewanted=all|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=11 April 2013}}</ref> A common theme in these columns was "Are you a cook or a rifleman?", a "cook" being Fred's term for an unqualified shooter. The name of the project was in deference to [[Johnny Appleseed]], an American pioneer nurseryman and grass roots missionary who traveled the American frontier planting apple trees across the land with the goal of spreading the number of apple trees in America. Fred's goal was to accomplish the same with civic-minded Riflemen in America. Project Appleseed itself began in April 2006 in [[Ramseur, North Carolina]].<ref name=SWAT/> These long-running ads ceased in 2017, upon Jack Dailey retiring and selling his business. The "Shotgun News" publication itself was rebranded as Firearms News in December 2015. A board of directors, termed the "Appleseed Operating Committee", or "AOC", took over running Project Appleseed commencing in 2015. The chairman of the board is Tom Kehoe of Palm Bay, FL.
In 2006, Appleseed instructors began a national tour to attract instructors who could maintain and develop local programs.<ref>Nesbitt, J: Gunning for tradition - Event hopes to keep rifle skills in focus, ''Evansville Courier & Press'', April 30, 2006</ref> As of 2018, over 120,000 individuals have attended an Appleseed marksmanship and history clinic in all 50 states. An independent, companion program called [[Project Mapleseed|Mapleseed]] has been developed in Canada. As of 2018, approximately 700 volunteer instructors teach at Appleseed clinics. They are part storyteller and part marksmanship instructor, telling history stories of the historical events of the opening day of the American Revolutionary War during breaks and over lunch, during two-day Appleseed events.<ref name=SWAT/>
[[Image:Elizabeth Zane.jpg|thumb|250px|left|A 19th century depiction of young Elizabeth Zane's legendary feat of retrieving powder during the Revolutionary War]]Although the program initially focused on the use of the M-1 Garand rifle. Shoots today are mostly shot with .22s at 25-meters at scaled silhouette targets for the course of fire. This is to increase the reach of the program, and allow for cheaper costs of ammo. However, the only requirement for a rifle to use for an Appleseed shoot is that it be 32 caliber (8mm) or less, if a firing a rifle cartridge, or 45 caliber or less, if shooting a pistol caliber cartridge. Also, the rifle needs an accuracy of 4 [[Minute of Angle|MOA]] groups or better<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myknowledgeguy.com/what-is-the-best-gun-to-use-for-appleseed/|title=What is the Best Gun to use for Appleseed|date=2018-06-22|website=My Knowledge Guy|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-26}}</ref>. There are still centerfire-only shoots, and known distance shoots where you shoot targets at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/project-appleseed-long-range-event/|title=Project Appleseed Long Range Event|last=|first=|date=|website=www.luckygunner.com|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2019-02-26}}</ref>.[[File:Samuel Whittemore Monument.jpg|left|thumb|260px| Monument to [[Samuel Whittemore]], the oldest known colonial combatant in the Revolutionary War]]
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