New range, old range
News, Guns ·Saturday December 3, 2011 @ 20:16 EST (link)
On Wednesday we went to the Wyoming Antelope Club Florida Chapter (only chapter!) monthly general meeting, where we became members of the range ($200, family membership) and ate in the log house there with (mostly older) range members. The general meeting was a fairly informal affair, with updates given by the various disciplines and some general notes from the treasurer. We talked to him afterward about becoming Range Officers; not merely from a desire to volunteer, but also because ROs get to shoot when the range is closed to members and public, and have the $3 daily fee (per person, not family) waived. But more about that in a moment.
I went to shoot for the first time today (first pistols, then, since it's so convenient to our apartment—literally just five minutes drive—again to shoot the SCAR), and wanted to get down some observations, especially compared to our old (outdoor) range, Snoqualmie Valley Rifle Club (SVRC) in Washington.
First, Range Officers, as I have already mentioned. WAC (not to be confused with this WAC) has them; there were three on the line and one in the gatehouse admitting people; at SVRC you're your own range master (works out fine except for when uppity liberals flip switches). Their reason for it is because they're in a built up area, with lots of people around. Fair enough. The ROs wear orange caps and T-shirts, with their name clipped to the cap. When a cease-fire is called (via the microphone in the gatehouse), first a two-minute warning is given (empty your magazines; don't reload), then people are asked to make safe and stand behind a yellow line about two feet back from the shooting benches, and the ROs check that all weapons are indeed safe before declaring the range cold. To end the cease fire they similarly verify that nobody is downrange and declare a hot range. There are no mechanical alerts like the buzzer and lights at SVRC but it's quite clear (and easier on the ears).
SVRC does not concern itself with open or concealed carry of firearms in holsters; holstered firearms are forbidden at WAC (unfortunate, because at a range is one of the places one may, if the property owners permitted, open carry a firearm). Also, even cased firearms may not be carried at WAC when the range is cold. And they say only one shot every two seconds (but you can load full magazines "now"; apparently you couldn't at one time), although they don't seem too picky on that and would probably only go after someone whose shots were off-target or was doing double-taps.
At SVRC you put up your own target stands (wherever you like at the pistol range; in iron stands in preset sockets on the rifle range); at WAC, each set of lanes are fixed length with berms at the end (IIRC, 5, 7, 10, 25, 50, and 100 yards), and you hang your target at the end on hooks through two holes at the top of the cardboard (which they provide; at SVRC you must bring your own, although there's usually extra around). Paper targets may not extend beyond the edges of the cardboard, and are usually stapled (or stuck via adhesive backing). Some of this certainly is influenced by them being busier and having less space than SVRC.
While SVRC has benches and lanes in both rifle and pistol areas, the target area is not so divided (except for the iron sockets); WAC has color matched targets and lanes. It's also mostly covered over (slatted wood with gaps over the lanes; not sure why), whereas only the shooting bench area is covered at SVRC. Like SVRC, if it's not too busy they don't get too worried about people using multiple lanes (based on my limited experience they don't seem to be sticklers for any rules except safety, which is how it should be) to have more targets to shoot.
There's fencing to ensure people only enter at the gatehouse, where one of the range officers takes payment, handles questions, etc; it's open at the back (range side) and has a payment ledge at the side.
The membership is also more: $200 first year, $130 subsequently vs. $115 and $75 I believe. Supply and demand, also the facility at WAC is a little nicer. They also seem to have more events at various times. But a downside is that WAC is only open certain hours; some days 1-5, some 12-5; closed completely Mondays and Tuesdays I believe.
So, different but not bad; looks like a good range, and it's great that it's so close. I literally hear gunshots from my office at work, too. Music to my ears.
