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Military Firearm Restoration Corner

Nearest Rifle Range Is A Two Hour Drive


karlunity

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The nearest Rifle range is a two hour round trip...that is not as much fun as it was once and the price of ammo has as we know gone way up.

I was going to pick up an AR even when I dont like them for about 5 bills becouse the ammo was so cheap but then UNCLE started to play games. I find that I am spending more and more time at the local indoor pistol range 10 minute drive.

Local old guy tole me taht up till ten years ago or so folks around here just went out back to shoot. ...it was mostly farms.

So that there was no reason to build a rifle range and now? The cost is not worth it!! Strange ..i never expected that.

 

karl

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Karl it could be worse. If you were still living in Brooklyn you'd likely have to drive to another state.

 

I feel for you. It is about a 30 minute drive each way for me to go to a real rifle range. My indoor range has four rifle lanes but they are only 25 yards. 25 yards is only good for test firing or bore sighting. About a 40-45 minute drive for me to get out of the city, into the desert. My desert location is always a crap shoot. BLM I believe go out of their way to declare a fire hazard and post no shooting signs to keep the slobs away.

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You are right about Brooklyn Az.

There is a rifle range in Staten Island but I am very far from rich enough or connected enough to get in.

I have a 50 yard indoor range about 30 minutes away..as well but As do you I figure that 50 yards is long pistol range.

karl

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I know all about those ranges for the upper crust. Myself and some co-workers got he boot from a Scottsdale Trap and Skeet range. Trouble started when a Mexican co-worker that was by far the best trap shooter at the club was booted off his team. He was replaced by some has-been actor that was over heard in the club house saying "drop the beaner". SHTF afterward, the actor's Porsche was keyed while parked in a handicapped space. I heard but can't say for certain the actor was 86'd after some mis-haps due to his drunkenness. Another former club member told me the actor and for the life of me can't recall his name. Was seen by the range's owner snorting drugs off a mirror in his car.

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We had a guy like that one come to my old range in cali.
He had a beautiful rifle German i think perhaps a PTR 93 or HK- G 3?
I had my 1917 enfield "Boris"
Dick head kept making remarks about old junk guns..from the the civil war...
Anyway he had a scope on his rifle and could not, just barely get on the paper at 50 meters!!!
I got pissed and told him that I would bet my rifle against his.
Best group of 5 shots at about 200 meters..and he could use his scope. I was using iron sights;
dumb I know, but sometimes, at that age, I didn't think when I got mad.
RM came over to oversee.
Both of us firing from the sandbags Boris did me proud 5 rounds not only in the bull but under 3 inches,
Big shot was all over the target.
HIS WIFE came over and said something like Your rifle is very nice..but I paid over 2000 for that Rifle and I am taking it home.
She picked up the rifle and they left. Never saw that guy again.

karl

 

You know the thing that sticks in my mind the Most?..The Case that maggot had, It looked like the case had been fitted to the rifle it even had slots cut for the mags and the scope...I guess she brought it for her boytoy and he did not have the faintest idea about how to shoot..but the rifle looked cool. Still annoys me.

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Years ago, about mid or late 70's I had one of those super irritating type shooting a very, very nice double rifle and one of the most beautiful custom Mausers I've ever seen. Might have even been a Springfield as I didn't know that much about rifles back then. Thing that sticks out the most about his double rifle was a box of Norma ammo marked 8X57R. Never heard of it before then. His custom rifle was stunning. Had one of the long 1950's type scopes with the spring, double triggers and I believe a Maple stock. He was nice, polite and friendly while myself and friend were admiring his rifles. It was the first time I'd ever seen double triggers on anything other than a muzzle loader. He very politely explained to my friend and I how they worked and how to adjust them. I do recall a bit of snobbery after my friend asked about the cost of the triggers. The jerk responded with something about them costing more than you'd ever spend.

 

The creep first got bitchy like an old woman when break was called, my old semi Sears 22RF jammed and I had to raise my hand not being clear. Shooting was delayed as I had to punch out a pin removing the trigger assy to get it cleared. From 2 lanes down he yelled something about "take that dam thing outta here". When the safety guy came by the grouch said "why you allow those dam 22's" I put up my 22 and began shooting my 50 cal muzzle loader. He started fake coughing saying "you're going to make us all sick". He said to the shooter in between us "somebody ought to tell him that sulphur he's burning is the same thing that makes stink". I gave up on the idea of shooting accurately. After loading the powder charge I gave it a good squirt of patch lube creating a huge smoke cloud. He continued the fake coughing yelling "you're making us sick". During break I over heard him say to the safety guy "why should I have to move he's the one stinking the place up".

 

As the old crab started packing up to move to the other side of the range. He remarked to the safety guy, "back home we had colords that carried our gear and taped targets". The ol'man was po'd because the safety guy wouldn't walk the 100 yards to retrieve the target for him The guy in between us started laughing out loud and yelling "oh oh who farted" as the old crab went down range to fetch his target.

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When we used to shoot NRA Hunter Pistol, metallic silhouettes, Dr.Linda and I would drive 60 miles one way to the match. It would take the whole day, as you can imagine, to get up early on a Sunday, go have breakfast, drive down, shoot 2 matches (iron sights and scope or any sight), have lunch, drive back, and with gas, food, match fees (4 guns,) ammo, etc., was easy a hundred bucks. It was fun and we enjoyed it. Well, this a-hole starts showing up. Dr.L shoots a High Standard Trophy, and being semi auto, it kicks out the empties. He was complaining that the empties were hitting him and throwing his aim off, etc., pulling rule books out, and generally being a total jerk. The range master/organizer tried to keep peace, put up a target between as a barrier, etc., but the guy was always complaining. He basically ruined the enjoyment for Dr.L and we stopped going. I mean, spend a hundred bucks to go get pissed off? Not worth it. Like drinking $5 beer in a restaurant: If it pisses me off, I'm not enjoying it and if I'm not enjoying it, why am I spending $5? Anyway, we stopped going. The RM called me up maybe a year later and tried to get us to come back. I explained why we stopped going. He said that he eventually ran that guy off, the guy moved to Arizona and did the same thing to the Hunter Pistol matches out there, where he also got run off.

 

I told my USN (Ret.) friend that has 2 President's 100 ribbons about him. He said that the Army would custom tune their 45's to deliberately eject the shells on the people next to them, to try to throw off their aim. It was part of the match.

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Friend of mine has a WW2 German G43 that tosses brass straight down the line about 3 or 4 lanes. He usually warns the adjacent shooters. If the lane to his left is open he moves his target. Shooting at a slight angle the brass will fall harmlessly out in front of shooters.

 

Nowadays my pet-peeve are muzzle breaks. The rang master deliberately moves them as far away from his station as possible. Even with double ear protection it is very uncomfortable to shoot in between two. I can tolerate one but in between two I'd rather leave or try for another lane. Generally shooters with muzzle brakes aren't around very long. They sight-in or verify scope settings and are gone. If I get placed in between I either wait them out, beg for another lane but if it appears they will be around awhile and I can't move. I leave, often coming back after a trip to a coffee joint.

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My big Contender is a 14" 223. It is a tad on the loud side. As in, you shoot 50 rounds and even with ear plugs and muffs, your ears are going to be ringing for a while. No muzzle break, just loud, with a large fireball. People would set up next to me during a cease fire, then after the range went hot, they'd move.

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My 1917 Enfield has a rather loud voice as well. .That is why I named him "Boris."

I used to shoot him on a friday or very early saturday when no-one would be annoyed.

Unless there was a jerk there I wanted to annoy.

Granted no-one likes to get hit with hot brass, but if the RM put a target as a brass catcher, what was the guy's problem.

You know or should know, that if you are in a semi auto match, you may get hit with brass now and then.

May as well go skiing and complain of the cold.

 

karl

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My 460 S&W tends to po adjacent shooters but at best I'm only going to launch two cylinders (10 rds) of either 460 or 454 before my hand yells uncle. I've watched younger shooters with either a 460 or 50 S&W continue to shoot theirs but by the 10th rd I'm flinching so bad I'm not going to hit anything. My indoor range recently changed its policy to where 460 and 50's have to go to the rifle range. The worse I have been next to was a 416 Dakota with a muzzle brake. A long haired rock star looking kid with a trophy woman. After drawing a small crowd of curious shooters. He didn't last long before hitting the exit. I didn't last afterward as I felt like I had swimmer's ear for a hour or so. I wasn't expecting it and didn't double up the hearing protection. I've never seen one but I'm told the Lazzoroni rifles with muzzle brakes are earth shaking.

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I recently read a thread on another forum from someone who had moved to Texas. The "supposed" dream destination of all things Californian. This person was complaining becaue in Texas there is not open Gov't land to shoot on. Everything is private, so one has to know the owners or go to a range. Which he said was pricey to not easily accessed.

The writer was saying that shooting, with all its restrictions, here in CA was much better, as there was LOTS of open, Gov't land that one could shoot on, and how much they missed that.

That is one reason I am ambivilant about moving. I'm afraid I will move somewhere where overall things will actually be worse than here in CA.

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