Black Powder Banned at my Gun Club!

[snakebit]

I won't gripe about getting rocks in my shoe at my range ever again.

 

[nhmoose]

Not knowing where you are by you profile, I may agree with the club. Explain why you hide your area Eh?

Until knowledge who can tell.

 

[kyron4]

Is that a Putt-Putt mini golf course or a gun range ?

 

[ETipp]

Is that a Putt-Putt mini golf course or a gun range ?

Exactly. I would appeal that restriction IF I wanted to still shoot there. But most likely I would find somewhere else to shoot my ML's.

In all actuality, I'd much rather shoot a ML out in an old field somewhere any day rather than a gun range. I do not like distractions and I have found that bringing an older sidelock ML to a gun range is a magnet for inquisitive people. Not to mention it prolongs my testing due to having to wait for others to stop to check their targets before I can check mine.

Don't get my wrong here. I enjoy taking with others, as well as helping others at the range, but it is a recipe for error when shooting a ML.

 

[kyron4]

Exactly. I would appeal that restriction IF I wanted to still shoot there. But most likely I would find somewhere else to shoot my ML's.

In all actuality, I'd much rather shoot a ML out in an old field somewhere any day rather than a gun range. I do not like distractions and I have found that bringing an older sidelock ML to a gun range is a magnet for inquisitive people. Not to mention it prolongs my testing due to having to wait for others to stop to check their targets before I can check mine.

Don't get my wrong here. I enjoy taking with others, as well as helping others at the range, but it is a recipe for error when shooting a ML.

Yep. I am blessed to be able shoot on my property , alone and at any time. I use belong to a small "range" years ago when I lived in town . I would go early in the mornings and 95% of the time have the place to myself, so it was nice too.

 

[ETipp]

Yep. I am blessed to be able shoot on my property , alone and at any time. I use belong to a small "range" years ago when I lived in town . I would go early in the mornings and 95% of the time have the place to myself, so it was nice too.

Another one of those prices to be paid for living in the mountains. I've lived and owned several places in the last 30 years in the mountains and even though I had enough land, it was/is too darn steep and thick to get much distance. The last place I lived in TN I could shoot out to 500 yards.

The not so local public range here seems to attract people early in the mornings, which is my favorite time to shoot during the summer months. During the winter months when the sun comes up, its directly in ones face, yet the targets are in the shade. So basically, unless there's overcast skies, its not even worth going there during the winter until after 11:00 AM. By that time, more people shows up.

Indeed, I need to find a field somewhere that someone will let me shoot my ML's. It would be much better than any range.

 

[Colonial Boy]

Regarding range fees, our range is controlled by the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (herein after SSAA) and it costs the members their annual membership, $95 adults, $72 pensioners, and $15 per range attendance.
I only pay the $15 as I’m a ‘Financial Member for Life’ (bought about 50 years ago when the association needed some ready cash). Membership includes the monthly magazine, prices in $A.

 

[TFoley]

Have a bunch of members stop paying dues, or at least vote out the silly ass board members that made that decision. Worst case, find a better range that appreciates ALL patriotic shooters.

Yup, after all, the Revolution was WON with black powder firearms and the good shooting thereof.

 

[TFoley]

This new rule sucks and hopefully they'll come to their senses and remove it. At least you have a club you can shoot at. The only club near me has a whopping $10,000 initiation fee and a $195 monthly fee to join.

Please tell me that's a typo.

Here in UK our gun club outdoor range, whilst only having a 8-point 100m range, a 6-point 50m range, and a six-point electric target 25m outdoors, and two four-point 25m indoor ranges, I pay £200 PA.

No range fees. No joining fees, either.

For that, I can shoot seven days a week on the outdoor range - anything that is range legal [up to 75cal BP and 3500fps and 7500J unmentionables], and four evenings a week indoors - up to .45cal BP, and pistol calibre unmentionables.

We also have twelve guest days a year and pre-booked visits to Bisley NRA shooting centre.

...and archery.

Oh, and evening shooting on the outdoor ranges until the light-meter clicks the red light to 'ON'.

Of our >450 membership, at least a quarter are NRA-qualified RCOs, and we have two importers of foreign firearms in the membership [one for DesertTech], as well as three rifle-builders for TR and F-TR.

We currently have a waiting list of around fifty would-be shooters...we find that we get a fall-off of about ten a year, due to 'natural wastage', but many more wanting to join in.

 

[smokepolehall]

Its sad that a Dummy has Banned the Black powder shooting. I took for granted my shooting area. I have moved to 5.7 acres n have at least 300 yards i can shoot. All i own are my ML's, so i don't think i will need the full 300 yards for long range. I also have my self moving targets deplayed when they come to eat clover n acorns

 

[le125verne]

Black Powder has been banned on our Club Range until further notice. A shooter on the Public Range started a fire with his 1860 Colt Replica Revolver. It was a Freak accident as indicated by his explanation. It wasn’t real grass but the Astroturf in front of the Firing Line. Maybe they should have concrete or bare dirt instead of something flammable. This is the second burn mark since the first of the year. I don't believe the first one was caused by a Muzzleloader.

“I feel really bad about what happened at the range, I hate to be the guy that got black powder banned. As near as I could tell, the fire was the result of a percussion cap hitting the "grass" in front of the shooting positions. I saw the fire start and signaled the range master. The fire moved fast (I'm sure you've sen the damage). I was shooting from a standing position, .44 ball, 25 grains of powder and a lubed wad, nothing unusual and pretty sure I hit the target. Anyway, that's the basics - if there is anything else I can tell you just let me know.”

I’m hoping that the Board comes to its senses and removes the Ban. Otherwise, I’m going to have to join another Club a little further north.

Walt

With all of the years I have shot cap and ball pistols, even over grass and dry leaves, I have never had a fire start. Never had a "spent cap" start a fire. You sure the shooter was not smoking at the time of the fire? Interesting. Perhaps someone at the range did not like the smell of BP?

 

[jdw276]

With all of the years I have shot cap and ball pistols, even over grass and dry leaves, I have never had a fire start. Never had a "spent cap" start a fire. You sure the shooter was not smoking at the time of the fire? Interesting. Perhaps someone at the range did not like the smell of BP?

I cannot shoot on several ranges at my home club due to offensive smell. I replied that wolfe and tula steel is offensive smelling to me. Kinda like dirty diapers. Ban shootin em please. And then there is the flying brass issue. Sorry, I know modern stuff.

 

[ETipp]

I cannot shoot on several ranges at my home club due to offensive smell. I replied that wolfe and tula steel is offensive smelling to me. Kinda like dirty diapers. Ban shootin em please. And then there is the flying brass issue. Sorry, I know modern stuff.

Ah, that terrible offensive smell. Bet it wouldn't be offensive at all if they shot muzzleloaders.

Just more of a reason to find a private shooting spot out in the woods or in a field.

 

[dave951]

I'm glad our range has gravel in the entire pistol area. Pretty sure if that catches fire we have much bigger problems than black powder.

 

[Mulebrain]

Look for a black powder club to shoot at if you haven't already

 

[Nav]

I've only seen guns cause a fire on a military range shooting tracers. Never seen a fire start from shooting otherwise. Most mil ranges are well aware of how dry or wet it is and act accordingly, but the ones in the desert are always dry and full of sage and creosote bushes. 29 Palms has fires frequently. Though I'll bet some of that is from heavy weapons rather than small arms. The flying squad is always ready to go to the range to fight a fire.

I joined a ML/BP only club mainly to learn from the old men, rather than to have a place to shoot.

 

[sturmkatze]

This new rule sucks and hopefully they'll come to their senses and remove it. At least you have a club you can shoot at. The only club near me has a whopping $10,000 initiation fee and a $195 monthly fee to join.

That’s crazy? What kind of nazi state is that?

 

[Nav]

I think this one near me has a huge initiation fee like that.
Bench Rest Rifle Club of St. Louis
But, I will say that no one else has a 1000 yard range that close to town...
Usually at clubs with an initiation fee like that you become a vested owner of the real estate and a member of a corporation rather than just a dues paying member with usage rights.

 

[mushka]

The Adair range just outside of Yuma has ranges from trap and skeet to a 1000 yard rifle range and every thing in between. They are all club sponsored or police ranges but the public is free to use them unless a club activity is taking place. I don't think a blade of grass grows on any of them. My BP club costs twenty bucks a year and I have a key to the gate to the range. It's a good system.

 

[Poguetx]

Given the extreme drought and huge grassfires we've had in central Texas, most outdoor ranges ban BP whenever the county issues burn bans. I've stomped out smoldering patches more than once, even in green grass.