Range Idiots

[Gatehouse]

Gatehouse, no offense intended but that is the most piss poor excuse for a range I have ever seen!

The range is entirely adequate for our purposes. We are in a small community, our club has less than 200 members, and not all of them shoot. They sure dont' all shoot at the same time!

We are not flatlanders, we live in the mountinas, and there isn't much wide open flat ground around here. What there is has a premium price tag. 5 acres of flat land around here will go for about half a million bucks....

We have 2 trap stations, 350 yard rifle range that is approved for 50BMG, and room for gongs on the mountainside up to about a km away...a sporting clays trail which we hope to expand on, plans for 3D archery and a vacant spot for a pistol range. It's actually quite a nice set up.

One more nice thing about this range is privacy. All the time I see threads on CGN about range nazis, unsafe idiots, squabbles about what group gets to use the range on what day, etc etc. When I go here, 90% of the time I am alone. I set up my reloading gear, take my time, change targets whenever I want etc. It's alot nicer than having to wiat for cease fires, etc..

Here are some more pics

As far as the cops " just doing there jobs", that statement is literally a "cop out". I wonder if any of the Jewish people in Europe said that when the police where registering them and their property, then later confiscating their property, then later arresting them and shipping them off for "security reasons

Well, I am speaking about the reality of the situation now- Not rounding up jews... Whne I said "Cops doing thier jobs" I was referring to the "gun grabbing" commment. And most cops only grab guns when there has been some law broken. I may disagree with the laws, but that doesn't mean I expect the cops to turn a blind eye to a guy that doesn't have a PAL etc.

Anyways, it has no bearing on renting the range. Once a year, they rent the range, to do qualifications. It's hardly "sleeping wiht the enemy"

 

[dw]

range looks fine to me but I am in such a small community that I am only used to a range very much like this one

 

[The Hippie]

and you thought gatehouse's range look bad.




im only kidding, and gatehouse is right, for its intended perpose, its perfect.
rarly do we have more than 2 people out at the range here at a time, and ya it only goes out to 200m, but oh well. its aproved for handguns, and has a decent trap field.

 

[TPK]

Gatehouse, that's a terrific looking range! I might add your reply to the comment knocking it was a whole lot more dignified than BuckBrush deserved if he was serious with his comment. "No offense intended" ?? Since when are insults not intended to offend?

 

[pharaoh2]

Here's what I'm using, after our very own range idiots ruined the one I was using.

 

[Claybuster]

Gatehouse, that's a terrific looking range! I might add your reply to the comment knocking it was a whole lot more dignified than BuckBrush deserved if he was serious with his comment. "No offense intended" ?? Since when are insults not intended to offend?

X2. I think the range looks good and the building is excellent.

 

[2bad4u2]

X2. I think the range looks good and the building is excellent.

x3. I wish our club looked that good. Building looks very well maintained.

 

[buckbrush]

Here is mine. I believe the membership is limited to 240 or so, and there is a waiting list.

http://www.albertarifle.com/rosebud.html

 

[Gatehouse]

Looks nice, but pretty crowded.

 

[Claybuster]

Here is mine. I believe the membership is limited to 240 or so, and there is a waiting list.

Very nice facilities.

But a capped membership? Waiting list?

My definition of a "piss poor excuse for a rifle range" to use your words is one that keeps shooters out.

I'd much rather have a club that was a little more rustic that I could actually join.

 

[Republic of Alberta]

Any range where you have to: stand in line, wait on other shooters, deal with a "range master" deal with urban hipster dufaces or be put on a waiting list is the one that is piss poor. IMHO

 

[pharaoh2]

Here is mine. I believe the membership is limited to 240 or so, and there is a waiting list.

http://www.albertarifle.com/rosebud.html

I certainly wouldn't fit in there what with me being a hillbilly, shooting beaters, they may think I am a Barbarian.

 

[buckbrush]

Actually ,in some ways it is a very piss poor range, at least in the attitudes of some of the members. It allows restricted rifles, but no handguns.

Shooters of black rifles are openly scorned at times, as well as milsurp shooters in general I have found. I hate not being able to shoot my handguns there, although there is a 50 m handgun range beween the Swiss range and the public rifle range.

The worst part is the range is closed to members virtually every second weekend in the summer due to competions. If your not entered in the competion, you can't shoot even on the unused range.

The facilitys are as good as any ranges in Canada however, and there is lots of wildlife to see and berrys to pick. The public range that is up the road and part of the Homestead ranges is a very scary place. It is just slighty more safe than Bagdad!

I appologize for calling your range "piss poor". From seeing the rest of your pictures and facilitys it looks pretty good. A fat bastard like me would have a hard time there putting up targets on the rifle range, I am to used to driving out to put up targets and stand up silohouettes.

 

[Airborn_69]

So far the most dangerous weren't hunters but non-range members.
It seems our range is an open house for non-members(Whom I suspect on destroying the pistol side of our beloved range), however by talking to the vice pres, we are getting a gate to keep' em at bay!!

 

[Nissan_Ranger]

Just leave a couple of targets out where they can see what a 3 shot group at 100 yards should look like.

They may ask for assistance or leave early.

They likely wouldn't recognize the one hole group as such!


N_R

 

[todbartell]

here's my range, 300 meters

 

[Lazy Ike]

Very nice facilities.

But a capped membership? Waiting list?

My definition of a "piss poor excuse for a rifle range" to use your words is one that keeps shooters out.

I'd much rather have a club that was a little more rustic that I could actually join.

Thats a very good point. They also run the "public" range which can be one of the biggest $hit Shows this side of the Stampede. While I understand the memberships desire to keep some of the freaks off their very nice range, the capped membership also keeps plenty of good folk out as well.

 

[stevo_3290]

i see much truth in all these stories and tales and have had my own experiences at ranges where people show up with 3o8 minis and crap that really shouldnt be in the hands of some one stupid enough to come to a shooting range with a propane bottle(luckilly empty) and a case of beer and then prosede to blow the hell outta the prop bottle at 20 yrds then pack up and leave afer about...10 mins

 

[kombi1976]

Mmmm, well, I'm a member of one of 4 clubs who use a range complex.
The SSAA branch club, which I'm vice president of has a 300m bench rest rifle range allowing:

• air rifle
• rimfire rifle
• high powered centrefire up to .308 cal and from .308 to 458 cal centrefire under 1500fps with cast bullets
• blackpowder to .70 cal.

Don't ask.
It make seem really restrictive, (because it is! ) but it's much better than the last 2 years......when we couldn't shoot any high powered stuff.
There's also a pistol club with a fully enclosed 40m (I think) range, a fullbore F-class and service rifle club who shoot out to 900yds and a trap club that shoots across the range about 500yds up.
As such we have set days each month when we have meets.
If I really want to shoot an afternoon during the week I can book it with the local gun dealer and do some shooting.
While the lack of time can be a hassle the facilities are pretty good.
Here's a pic or 2:

This shows the 50m backstop and 100m backstop in the centre of the pic and the 300m backstop is just above the roofline.
The F-class and service rifle club shoot prone off the mounds on the left hand side of the road to the top backstop (our 300m one).
That's why we have to shoot on different days.
You can also see the concrete and cinderblock benches we have and the colourbond roof over the firing line.
Here's a better shot of the benches.

We're currently enclosing the back of the firing mound with cinderblock and aluminium frame windows because the wind can be really nasty in winter....well, comparatively of course!
Behind the mound we have a colourbond garage for storage.
Other near future additions are a wheelchair ramp, flag pole, BBQ area and possible an eco-toilet too.
I guess it helps that we aren't snowed in half the year, but the firing point is at least 1.5m above ground level anyway.
And NO ONE shoots this place up.
It was originally founded in the 1880s by the military and non-members are not allowed to shoot at any of the ranges.
Range officers (but not range nazis! ) supervise all shoots and if you book for free afternoons or days you have to have your own keys.......which the clubs are loathe to hand out unless the person is supertrustworthy.

 

[catnthehatt]

Some clubs are dicipline specific, and do not tolerate anything but the competiton type the club was founded for, smallbore, silhouette, trap and skeet ,etc.
I don't have a problem with that

However, the Ft. McMurray Fish and Game Association has a range that caters to all, be they competitve shooters or not .
This is where a unbiased executive is a great asset, and it is not always easy to find.

Cat