A day at the range

[Gil Martin]

I visit the local state gameland rifle range and pick up a lot of once-fired brass. An old fellow was shooting an M-1 Garand and I cautioned him about the three shot limit on the range (there is a fine for loading more rounds if you get caught). The chap said the M-1 clip only holds eight rounds and he was shooting three rounds at a time. I told him he could easily load three rounds. He asked me to show him how to do that and I did. His M-1 was a recent CMP purchase of a service grade rifle and it looked pretty good. All the best...
Gil

[Larryjk]

Gil Martin, I am on the advisory board for the local municipal shooting complex and your thread certainly gave me pause to wonder. What is the reasoning behind a three shot limit? No one would be shooting waterfowl with a rifle. Our range requires specific notice and permission to fire legal automatic weapons, but no limit on the number of rounds in a magazine. Since we have pistol ranges that rule would certainly screw up the competitive shooters. I reallly want to know why the three shot limit?????

[buckhunter]

You can load as many as you want at my club however it doesn't allow rapid fire. Bang pause bang pause bang is fine however if sounds like a full auto going off your in do do. I have no problem with large clips but do with the rapid fire stuff.

[Gil Martin]

I agree that the state Game Commission rules on their range do not make much sense. I belong to a local gun club and we can load as many as the magazine will hold. All the best...
Gil

[Adam Helmer]

Larryjk,

I agree with you 110%! Several clubs have nonsense rules such as five rounds in a revolver and ONLY 5 rounds in a magazine of rifle or pistol. I was on the Board of two of the clubs concerned and in the voting (losing) minority. I asked the Board how 5 rounds in a revolver is SAFER than 6 when the gun is pointed down range and the line is "hot?" I never got a sensible reply.

Why does the PGC LIMIT guns to 3 rounds? A Game Warden was at our meeting the night we discussed this matter and he had NO reply for the PGC 3-round prohibition. I mentioned that one could not really function test a Garand WITHOUT putting 8 rounds in the clip. Big Duh there.

As for RAPID FIRE: If the line is "hot" and the gun is pointed down range, what is the problem? Ranges are noisy places. My club has a rule" "No more than 3 shots in 15 seconds. so rapid fire does not disturb neighbors" I asked the Board, "What happens when all 6 rifle benches are occupied and all are shooting 3 in 15 seconds? Then when the pistol shooters line up on the 8 benches at the same time on weekends we will have 5 rounds per second while all shooters observe the BS 15 second rule!"

Somehow this TERRIBLE RAPID FIRE is ignored when YHEC is here every other year and we have 30 shooters firing at once at trap, BP, pistol and rifle for a WEEK from sunup to dusk! We need MORE rules.

Adam

[Larryjk]

Adam H., Maybe some of those "rapid fire" rules are do to the snesitive neighbors who moved in after the range was in operation. When I was in Lincoln, NE. the Lincoln Rifle and Pistol Club was on property adjacent to the west fence of the Lincoln Air Force base. They eventually built housing next to the fence and those Sunday morning hangovers from Satnight at the officers club were hard when we were shooting. They even had a crew come in and look for bullet holes in the houses to try to shut us down.
We had a motor scraper come in and build a berm along the fence so they couldn't see us and we agreed to not shoot until 9 am on Sat & Sunday, except the three weekends of the invitational pistol matches. Since they couldn't shut us down, they agreed.

[buckhunter]

Adam,

Remember I'm from The Peoples Republic of Massachusetts". Understand why no rapid fire.

I do remember someone who was licensed letting off with a full auto machinegun once. That was a disaster. We work with the neighbors to insure that my kids will be able to shoot at my club

[Adam Helmer]

Larryjk,

The neighbors are not even near the range and have never complained. The club has been there since 1949, long before the neighbors moved in. PA law specifically protects all ranges from noise nuisance complaints.

Adam