The Range Report -- Summer 2010 by National Shooting Sports Foundation

Outdoor Target Options Vol. 13 No. 3 Summer 2010

NSSF’s Magazine for Shooting Facilities

Give It the ‘New’ College Try: CSSI Pays Off Tidy Tips for Indoor Ranges Advice to Deal with NoiseNuisance Charges

www.nssf.org • www.wheretoshoot.org • www.rangeinfo.org Vol. 13 No. 3 Summer 2010

Features

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Give It the New College Try Learn from a club that has opened its gates to several schools and their shooters. By Jamus Driscoll

Tidy Tips for Indoor Ranges Three experts offer advice on how to keep your facility clean and attractive. By Tom Carpenter

Outdoor Target Smorgasbord Options and innovations to help you make your selection By Carolee Anita Boyles

Real-life Scenario

Sound Strategies Actual experiences allow a lawyer to provide guidance to deal with charges of noise nuisance K. Scott Hamilton, Esq.

Departments

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Letter from the Editor As simple as ABC, or NASR, or ASR By Glenn Sapir

Q&A How to bring MSR owners to your range By Randy Luth, Mike McCarter and Dennis Rohman

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The Undercover Shooter Breaking clays around Atlanta

Home on the Range National Range Inventory By Zach Snow

On the cover: Collegiate competitors can become lifelong shooters.

Photo courtesy of Steve Wagner

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Summer 2010

© 2010 National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Range ReportSM, SHOT Show® and all other trade names, trademarks and service marks of the National Shooting Sports Foundation appearing in this publication are the sole property of the Foundation and may not be used without the Foundation’s prior express written permission. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Letterfrom the Editor G l e n n

S a p i r

As Simple as ABC, or NASR, or ASR

recently represented NSSF at OWAA to speak to VIPs about MSRs. Acronyms are meant to be catchy and short. Truth is they can create confusion. Take NASR. What does it stand for? For most of the time since NASR’s origin in 1999, it stood for the National Association of Shooting Ranges, but its name didn’t express that it was the shooting range division of the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s membership. Thus, confusion began. Who belonged? What did it have to do with NSSF? To become a member, did you join NASR or NSSF? Did membership in NSSF automatically ensure membership in NASR if you were a member of the shooting range community? To clarify the matter—somewhat— the acronym remained the same, but what it stood for changed to NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges. That more accurately described this entity as your trade association’s range division. Now, you may simply come across a reference to the Association of Shooting Ranges, along with its ASR acronym. That, too, gives no indication that this potentially invaluable group of members of the shooting range community is an important part of the NSSF membership rolls. So, let’s look past what NASR or ASR stands for, as far as its name goes, and clear up any confusion as to what this group stands for, in principle and in purpose. “Its mission, as part of NSSF, is NSSF’s mission: To promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports,” said Zach Snow, NSSF’s senior shooting promotions coordinator, who 4

manages NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges. Its vision is defined as, “to promote, protect and preserve the state-of-the-art target shooting facilities by providing leadership in development, information, communication and partnerships among ranges, industry and community,” added Don Turner, Clark County (Nev.) shooting park manager and head of NSSF’s shooting range advisory committee. (The committee is listed at right.) Rick Patterson, now managing director of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, remembers NSSF’s desire to expand and organize its range community membership when he joined NSSF in 1999 to direct its new facility development program. “NASR, from the very beginning,” Patterson recalled, “was about the entire shooting community—private clubs, commercial ranges, range developers, industry suppliers, and others.” And to clarify the oft-misunderstood concept, he added, “Membership in NASR was membership in NSSF.” The mission then, says Patterson, was to help define and create the resources to help a range succeed. Today, Snow is the point man for those inquiring about the resources provided by NSSF. “Whether it is an existing range member that is facing challenges or a person who has an interest in the shooting range business and would like to know how to get started, I can provide them with direction and input as to what resources are most suitable for their current situation,” Snow said. continued on page 11

www.nssf.org The Range Report, published four times per year by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is dedicated to serving the needs and to helping meet the challenges of today’s shooting facilities. The Range Report encourages letters, comments, suggestions, questions and tips. Material to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The Range Report does not assume responsibility for the loss of unsolicited graphic or written material. Correspondence should be sent to: The Range Report c/o NSSF 11 Mile Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470-2359 Fax: 203-426-1245 E-mail: rangereport@nssf.org We reserve the right to edit for clarity and space.

Editor Advertising Director Art Director

Glenn Sapir Chris Dolnack Deb Moran

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Don Turner - president of NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges Shooting park manager Clark County Shooting Park North Las Vegas, Nev. dmturner@cox.net Robin Ball, owner Sharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop Spokane, Wash. Robin@sharpshooting.net Brian Danielson, sales manager Meggitt Training Systems Suwanee, Ga. brian.danielson@meggitt.com Glenn Duncan, owner Duncan’s Outdoor Shop, Inc. Bay City, Mich.

gcduncan@concentric.net

Jon Green, director of education and training Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) Northborough, Mass. jongreen@goal.org Bill Kempffer, president Deep River Sporting Clays, Inc. Sanford, N.C.

bkempffer@deepriver.net

Holden Kriss, director Indian River County Public Shooting Range Sebastian, Fla. kriss3051@bellsouth.net Barry Laws, CEO Openrange Inc. Crestwood, Ky.

barry@openrangesports.com

Phil Murray, national sales manager White Flyer Houston, Texas Tim Pitzer, president Oregon State Shooting Association Albany, Ore. The Range Report

Murray826@aol.com

timpitzer@comcast.net Summer 2010

Q&A Your questions answered

Randy Luth Owner/president, Del-Tone/Luth Gun Range, St. Cloud, Minn.

Mike McCarter Executive director/range master, Albany Rifle and Pistol Club Albany, Ore.

Dennis Rohman General manager, P2K Range, El Cajon, Calif.

Bring MSR Owners to Your Range Q. How have you attracted and accommodated the many new owners of modern sporting rifles? A. Randy Luth, owner/president, DelTone/Luth Gun Range: At Del-Tone/Luth Gun Range we have the distinct advantage of having DPMS Panther Arms on the same property. Although our public range is primarily a shotgun facility, we are blessed with the assistance and direction of DPMS employees who steer retail customers to Del-Tone. With two years of record sales of AR-15platform rifles [preferably referred to as modern sporting rifles (MSRs)], now is the time to capture the sale of .223 ammunition and to upgrade accessories for MSRs. At Del-Tone we offer not only the rifle sales but also a complete line of replacement parts as well as custom triggers, hand guards, pistol grips, butt stocks and optics. Gunsmithing for the MSRs also brings customers to the range.

In Q & A, The Range Report invites NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges advisory committee members past and present, and others with special expertise, to provide their answers to questions of interest to our readers. If you have a question you’d like to see addressed, submit it to rangereport@nssf.org. If you would like to comment on the answers given in this edition’s Q&A, or if you have related follow-up questions for this team of experts, please share your thoughts at the same e-mail address. The Range Report

Summer 2010

Shooting events and competitions also promote the facility as well as residual sales of accessories and ammo. To promote the shooting participation we have initiated mini three-gun events on the last Sunday of each month. At this monthly event 25 to 50 shooters compete for bragging rights and to hone their skills with rifle, pistol and shotgun. We set up three to five stages, as compared to 10 to

12 stages at a normal three-gun match. The competitors shoot both steel and paper targets for speed and accuracy. The cost for the mini three-gun is $25 per shooter. Three years ago Dustin Emholtz, sales manager at DPMS, along with his sales team, came up with the idea to generate a fun shooting event to attract the younger shooters. With the onset of zombie mania they developed the concept of shooting zombies for fun. Simply described, we set up a mini three-gun match with paper zombie targets and some steel targets. We charge $5 to shoot the stages; no scoring is done, and no prizes are awarded; it’s just for fun. The first year, doing very little advertising, we had about 70 shooters. Last year we had about 400 shooters. This year we expect at least 500 shooters. It’s part of a new wave of attractions across America to make shooting fun and exciting with modern themes; it attracts younger customers to the range. We are also looking forward to promoting MSR weekly leagues.

A. Mike McCarter, executive director/range master, Albany Rifle and Pistol Club: Albany Rifle and Pistol Club has seen a large increase in the number of members and guests shooting rifles because of the large rise in sales of AR15-platform rifles (MSRs). These shooters are attracted to our multiple types of shooting opportunities. Rifle shooters can shoot their MSRs on a variety of ranges from 25 yards to 200 and can advance on targets at the shorter ranges. The MSRs have increased the number of new customers who want to compete in multi-gun or upclose-action-type shooting with a rifle. Because many of these people are new to shooting, with the MSRs being their first firearm in many cases, we have added training classes on MSR use, cleaning and building your own rifle. A. Dennis Rohman, general manager, P2K Range: MSRs have shown a big boost in the last year and a half. At P2K Range, renting MSRs has encouraged many new shooters to purchase their own. The more they are seen by others, it seems, the more contagious the purchase of MSRs becomes. Our staff agrees that the rental AR is the biggest aid in recruiting new shooters. We allow “rapid fire” on our 25-yard range, and many shooters love this opportunity to keep pulling the trigger, firing off only one shot with each pull, but doing it quickly. The many caliber options have young shooters using a .22 conversion kit or a dedicated .22 MSR. P2K finds all ages and genders love to join in the plinking fun! Our Sig 522, with a red dot sight, gets attention, and the entire family loves RR the low-cost ammo. 5

The University of Vermont was one of six colleges and universities sending squads to the first New England Collegiate Shotgun Championship Clay Cup. The host club has become the home shooting facility for a burgeoning number of young shooters.

“I’ve been in the shooting industry for 30 years, and this is the most exciting thing that I’ve ever seen,” said Bill Anzaldi, president of the Minute Man Sportsman’s Club. Photos courtesy of Cait Colacchio Minute Man serves as a great example of what’s possible when everything lines up. Like most clubs, Minute Man had long recognized the need to involve youth in the shooting sports but, also like most clubs, struggled to nurture the investments of time and money in adolescents to the point when they opened its gates to several become new adult members. It’s many years between initial introduction of a youth to the shooting sports and when they’re ready to become members. Plant a seed and hope it bears fruit…in a decade. tial new recruits found Minute Man. This is one of the many reasons The students were there as a result why collegiate recruits should be so of grass-roots efforts in the greater attractive to gun clubs; clubs are reachBoston colleges, seeded by interested ing potential new members at a students, encouraged by local volunparticularly formative time. They’re teers and fueled by the National away from home, many for the first Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) time, are experiencing the ability to act new Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI). Under this program, NSSF, with autonomy, either to pursue a shooting sport that they’ve known the trade association of the hunting since youth or to discover it for the and shooting sports, firearms and first time. They have discretionary ammunition industry, provides muchincome (perhaps not as much as that needed funds to self-organizing and motivated undergraduate and graduate of an employed member of the workforce, but certainly more than a high students that want to establish accredschool student). Lastly, they are close ited shooting clubs and teams at their to graduation, presenting a very close colleges and universities. It’s a powerconnection between introduction and ful trinity, and when it clicks, it can passion for the shooting sports and a give a club a huge shot in the arm.

Give It the New College Try Learn from a club that has schools and their shooters By Jamus Driscoll

he story of that early spring day in 2010 is something not often told at gun clubs across the country, much less in the suburbs of Massachusetts. Twenty miles northwest of Boston, at the Minute Man Sportsman’s Club, a bus from Harvard University wound its way down the dirt road, past the pond on the right and into the parking lot. When it braked, 40 undergraduates and graduate law students spilled out onto the hardtop sprinkled with the grit of shattered clays. Most of them were relative newcomers to the clays games, but they were there, and they were ready to shoot. Clubs everywhere struggle to find new and younger members. On that day, however, a busload of poten-

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time when they will be an employed worker with a college degree. Connecting the dots Though the CSSI was launched only last year, a few stories already highlight how it can bring success to your shooting facility. Minute Man is a case in point. There, the success of the program could be repeated in clubs across the country, driven by a common, winning combination: interested students supported by passionate and knowledgeable volunteers, backed by the quality facilities of a shooting range and the funding of the NSSF. In the case of Minute Man, the volunteering effort has been spearheaded by Hank Garvey, a lifelong shooter and a member of the USA Shooting/NRA’s National Coach Development Staff. For the past year, Garvey has been working with students at local universities such as Harvard and Northeastern to recruit and develop active collegiate shooting clubs. “It only takes one or two students to get a program going at a local college,” says Garvey. “Take Harvard, for instance. In just a one year, they’ve gone from a few students interested in shooting, to two official clubs—undergrad and law school—and 300 plus students interested in joining and on the club’s active mailing list.” By working with these students, coaching them on shooting form on the range and club organization off it, and connecting them with the NSSF’s CSSI and Minute Man, Garvey and all the local volunteers are building a lasting legacy of collegiate shooting in New England. For instance, in late March Minute Man hosted the first annual New England Collegiate Shotgun Championship. Borrowing a page from the Bean Pot, the long-standing New England collegiate hockey tournament, winners take home the “Clay Cup” trophy, along with regional annual bragging rights. When the year’s up, the cup comes back and the competition starts anew. There were a total of seven colleges in the competition this past year and more have signed up for next year. “The competition really got the fires burning in the students,” says The Range Report

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Garvey “When we started the program, 90 percent of the students had never shot before so we spent a lot of time with them focusing on safety and basic instruction. But after the competition, a lot of them are now focusing on taking their shooting to the next level.” Bringing It Home So how do you take action on this with your local club? Both Garvey and Anzaldi offer a few practical lessons learned that will make it easier on your club.

• All It Takes Is One: Find one interested student at a local university and encourage him or her to come out with a few friends to shoot. One student brings three friends. Those three bring three more each and so on and so on. Pretty soon you have a crowd. ● Form a Club: Encourage students to take part in the NSSF’s CSSI program (see sidebar next page). ● Assess Your Facility: How many students can you handle? Do you have the volunteers and infrastructure to support the influx? How will this program impact members

and/or current customers, both positively with new blood and, potentially negatively, with more traffic to clays fields. ● Offer Volunteer Coaches: Many of the students getting started will have limited shooting experience. A few well-trained volunteers help foster the relationship between the club and students. ● Help with Guns and Storage: Student programs need loaner guns and often, due to campus policies on firearms, a place to store them. If possible, offer both. ● Prepare For Growth: The program might start small, but it can grow very quickly. Anticipate success.

The Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative can help establish new and strengthen existing collegiate shooting clubs and teams.

Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative www.nssf.org/college

Tap into the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative Open to any accredited college or university in the United States, the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative will help fund the establishment or expansion of a collegiate shooting program. The objective of the program is to help establish shooting clubs that will eventually become funded through other means, ideally as a university-supported activity. With that in mind, the grant program rewards applicants that seek to establish continuity and longevity and demonstrate independent fundraising to subsidize their club. Each applying club is eligible to receive up to a $7,500 grant, which can be used to support club needs, including purchasing guns, ammunition, targets, transportation and food. To receive a grant, students will need to be sponsored by a faculty member. Further information on the program can be found at RR www.nssf.org/colleges.

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Summer 2010

Photos courtesy of Smith & Wesson

Tidy Tips for Indoor Ranges Regularly scheduled cleaning activities will keep your facility attractive to customers By Tom Carpenter

magine what your indoor shooting range would look like if you never cleaned it. Brass piled to ankle height. Overflowing trash containers. A gray cloak of residue covering every surface. No range owner lets his or her indoor shooting area get that bad. Customers demand and deserve a neat and clean place to shoot. And certain regulations — namely OSHA Lead Standard 1910.1025 — require a certain level of cleanliness as it relates to lead residue that spent ammunition may leave behind. Keeping your indoor range clean has challenges. However, solutions are simple: a regularly scheduled The Range Report

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cleaning program; and consistent attention to detail. Our panel of three experienced range managers offers insights, advice and procedures. Peter Boruchowski manages the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center in Springfield, Mass. Bill Roy directs operations at U.S.A. Shooting and the U.S. Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Brad DeLauter heads up operations at the U.S. Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Okla. Everyday tasks, every day “Keeping your range clean is a daily task. You can’t let it go, or it will get away from you,” said Boruchowski.

“Indoor range cleanliness starts with the facility manager,” DeLauter added. “Daily attention is needed; otherwise residue builds up, and you will have a problem.” Roy concurred: “We have 72 lanes, with shooters training every day. Cleaning is part of our daily routine.” At the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center, a strict six-step cleaning routine is followed. The first five steps happen daily; the sixth occurs three times a week. The other ranges follow a similar workflow. It represents an excellent plan for any range: 1. Pick up brass 2. Change cardboard target backers 3. Empty trash barrels 4. Wipe down lanes, glass and trays 5. Mop floor 6. Vacuum (3 days per week) Pick up brass. “Sweeping kicks up lead residue, so we use a squeegee to collect all the brass,” said Roy. “Picking up brass is simple and easy,” added Boruchowski. “Appearance and cleanliness are important to customers. Plus, brass has some lead contamination and powder residue.” You probably should be picking up brass more than once a day. “We collect brass into buckets that get dumped into 55-gallon drums,” explained Boruchowski. “Most of this brass is sold to recyclers.” Change cardboard backers. Many ranges employ cardboard backers for targets. “A lot of cardboard gets shredded, so every day we examine the backers and replace the heavily used ones,” explained Boruchowski. “One trick is to go to narrower cardboard target backers. They don’t get hit as often as wider ones, reducing the amount of cardboard residue created. And it costs less, because you’re using less material.” Empty trash barrels. Assign this task to an employee and have him or her do it several times each day. Wipe down lanes, glass and trays. “The public deserves a clean range. Everyday you’re generating dust from lead and unburned power. You need to clean it up,” Boruchowski emphasized. “It’s essential 9

Products to Clean Lead Residue Suppliers such as Lab Safety Supply (www.labsafety.com) and UniqueTek (www.uniquetek.com) carry D-Lead® products. You can buy concentrate and mix your own solution, or use convenient pre-moistened towels. When vacuuming, always use HEPA filters, the only style of filter able to absorb particulates as fine as lead dust. Also, only use HEPA filters in your building’s ventilation system. Like dirty cleaning solutions, used filters must also be disposed of at a hazardous waste facility.

to wipe down side glasses and trays daily.” You can’t, however, just use water and soap. “The solution we use is D-Lead®,” said Roy. “Dilute it in water according to package directions. Then use wet rags to wipe down the surfaces.” “Disposal of used solution is important,” DeLauter pointed out. “You can’t just dump it outside or down a drain. Dispose of lead in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Contact your local authorities for more specific advice on a disposal plan.” Mop floor. Because of lead’s weight, much residue (along with Other Resources Go the National Shooting Sports Foundation website (www.nssf.org) to locate a variety of resources related to indoor range cleaning. Click on “Shooting” and then “Resources For Ranges” and: • Open the “Publications Catalog” to order your free copy of Lead Management & OSHA Compliance for Indoor Shooting Ranges • Go to “Range Resources” to find a variety of articles on facility and environmental management • Check out “Suppliers & Consultants” to locate sources for HVAC system help, leadcapturing bullet traps and more

powder residue) ends up on the floor. “Sweeping isn’t the answer, as it just pushes the residue airborne,” says Boruchowski. “You need to wet mop — daily — to really pick up that powder and lead residue.” Use products such as D-Lead for mopping, and dispose of used liquid properly. Vacuum. “We use a big HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing) vacuum,” said Roy. “It’s a tall machine, about trash-can sized. The HEPA filter catches the lead residue that is drawn up.” Boruchowski echoes that plan. “Ours is a heavy-duty pull-behind shop vacuum,” he said. “The HEPA filter is key, and you need to change that filter weekly.” The Smith & Wesson range is vacuumed at least three times a week. Timing Considerations. Boruchowski explained the timing of these activities. “At the end of the shooting day, we pick up remaining brass and replace the cardboard target backers,” he said. “In the morning, a couple of hours before opening, we clean. This includes emptying trash barrels, wiping down the glass and lanes and mopping the floor. Every other day, vacuuming is added into the work flow.” Venue for ventilation “One of the keys to a clean range is the ventilation system — the fans and air flow through a facility,” said DeLauter. “It’s a

simple equation. If the system is moving air steadily and robustly, and the filters are catching particles, then I am satisfied. “Inspect the system at least every 30 days,” he added. “That’s my standard practice.” DeLauter suggested scheduling this inspection for the first of every month. “Pay special attention to the filters,” he advises. “If that filter is dirty, replace it. Their usual life cycle is 90 to 120 days, but always err on the side of cleanliness. HEPA filters are the best.” Boruchowski confirms that plan. “Keep those air filters changed regularly so that customers can’t smell and taste the residue. You need to filter it out.” Keeping a clean range is smart business. “How would you like to come to a range with full trash barrels, dust all over that gets you and your clothes dirty and brass on the floor?” asked Boruchowski. “What kind of experience is that? “The desire is always to watch costs and cut corners,” he concluded. “But you can’t. Every state has regulations to follow. Even more than that, keeping your range clean is the right thing for you and your customers.” Make a cleaning schedule, assign the responsibilities, then stick to the plan and make it part of your RR range’s daily routine. The Range Report

Summer 2010

As Simple as ABC, or NASR, or ASR... continued from page 4

“I also work closely with our advisory committee to assign them different tasks in the areas of their expertise to help accomplish our goals set forth in the strategic plan,” he added. Membership in NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges, says Snow, includes NSSF members from public, private and commercial ranges, notfor-profit gun/sportsman’s clubs, hunting preserves, government ranges and, among others, those wishing to get involved in the shooting range/retail business, whether it’s building a range or buying one that already exists. Patterson reflects on the early accomplishments of NASR, and points to partnerships with regulatory agencies—the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—to

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help establish best practices that were acceptable to all. (That’s EPA, OSHA and USF&WS that you can stir into our alphabet soup.) “We helped make sure everyone was on the same page,” he said. “Publications resulted, and we helped complete a roadmap to success that any range could follow.” Today, Snow lists some of the benefits NSSF provides specifically to the range community, among the myriad benefits it provides all of its members: “Discounts on range publications and videos, free consultation from advisory committee members, up-todate information on what’s going on within the range community and a subscription to The Range Report.” You may not be a member of NSSF and are still getting The Range Report. We want you to have the information it carries within its covers—but

we also want to count you among our members. “By working together we can accomplish more,” said Snow. Says Turner, “Everyone who manages or operates a shooting range should be a member.” If you are a member of the shooting range community but are not a member of NSSF, contact Bettyjane Swann, NSSF director of member services at 203-426-1320, e-mail bswann@nssf.org, and find out how to join. A special, highly discounted membership promotion is now in place for ranges that belong to the Amateur Trapshooting Association, the National Skeet Shooting Association or the National Sporting Clays Association. Deciding to join NSSF and its Association of Shooting Ranges is as RR simple, and as clear, as A, B, C.

Outdoor Target Smorgasbord Options and innovations to help you make your selections By Carolee Anita Boyles

hen you start looking at targets for your outdoor range, the number of available choices can be overwhelming. Even if you leave out archery and focus strictly on firearms, you’re still looking at an enormous number of choices. Do you need paper or steel? How many? How big? What configuration? Clays? What sizes? Regular or biodegradable? One way to look at targets is to divide them into four categories: paper, steel, clays, and other. “Other” can cover a lot of territory, and often these targets are quite creative. Paper “Paper targets are inexpensive, easy to set up, easy to transport and you can do cool things with them,” said Michael Kinn, communications specialist with ATK. “You can print all kinds of neat things on them such as zombies, monsters, dragons and terrorists. If you cater to law enforcement, there are FBI-qualification targets,

anatomy targets and silhouette targets.” Paper targets also can be reactive and interesting. One category of paper targets that customers shoot up with glee are those that are coated so a bullet strike leaves a fluorescent or brightly colored “spot.” Birchwood Casey led the way with Shoot-N-C, which creates a brilliant yellow dot when a bullet strikes the black field of the target. Other companies have followed, including Super See Competition Targets, Battenfeld Technologies, ATK and others. “Our Orange Peel targets are orange on the outside, and the coating chips off and leaves a large black dot when it’s hit,” said Brandon Butler, marketing manager for Battenfeld Technologies. ATK VisiShot targets are just the opposite, with orange behind the black. “When the bullet hits the black target, an orange halo shows up,” Kinn said. “There are all kinds of fun things in this category with squirrels and coyotes and other animals. Our VisiColor targets have multi-colored halos when you shoot them.” Birchwood Casey didn’t stop with Shoot-NC. It kept going with its Dirty Bird Targets, where the shot leaves what looks like a splat of bird droppings on the black target, and Dirty Bird Multi Color Targets, where

the splat appears in a variety of colors. The popularity of paper is evident from the number of paper targets most ranges carry. “For our public pistol and rifle range, we carry 15 different types of paper targets, and five types of Birchwood Casey Shoot-N-C targets,” said Don Turner, shooting park manager of the Clark County Shooting Park in Las Vegas, Nev., and president of the advisory committee of NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges. Steel Steel targets are pretty basic—a shape cut out of steel—but they do many different things, and there are nuances to determining the right kind of steel target for your range. When you purchase steel targets, look for those specifically designed for range use. “If you go to a big-box store, you’ll find steel targets, but they aren’t made out of hardened steel,” said David Mathis, marketing director for Action Targets. “Steel is rated on the Brinell Scale. The accepted standard for hardened steel to withstand bullets is AR500, or 500 on the Brinell Scale. That’s important, because when a bullet hits steel that is that hard it breaks up and doesn’t damage the steel. A lot of people make their own targets, but they don’t make them out of hardened steel, which means a lot more bullet splatter when they’re hit; that’s a safety issue because it leads to more ricochet and more bullet fragments coming back at the shooter.” Mathis also suggests keeping your steel targets separated by whether you’re using them for pistol or rifle. “There’s a huge difference in The Range Report

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how steel targets react to the two because of the difference in energy and velocity that’s being transferred to the target,” he said. “Even if you have AR500 steel, a lot of the common rifle calibers such as .223 will do a small amount of damage to a steel target. We recommend setting steel rifle targets at a minimum of 100 yards from the shooter and that any steel rifle target be used only for rifle.” With handguns, he said, you can use an AR500 steel target for many years before there’s enough damage for you to need to replace it. “Steel targets are a lot of fun, and they give shooters immediate audio and visual feedback,” Mathis said. “There are static targets that just sit there, and you get a loud clang. There are poppers that fall down when you shoot them, so you have to go down and reset them. There are spinner targets, and there are Dueling Trees with plates that swing back and forth from left to right. The shooter competes with the guy next to him to see who can get all the plates turned to his opponent’s side. Another popular one is a Plate Rack. Then, there are targets for long range shooting that rock over and reset themselves.” Yet another type is the star or whirligig, where five or six plates are arranged in a star-shaped array. “You have to knock the plates off, and once you knock the plates off, the balance changes, and the star starts rotating,” Mathis said. One group of shooters that will love you for having steel targets for both rifles and handguns is the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). This organization holds competitive shooting events all over the US, in which shooters take on obstacle-laden shooting courses requiring anywhere from six to 30 or more shots to complete. This is a family sport, with women and youngsters competing in their own divisions. One innovation in this category is a harkening back to The Range Report

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the simpler days of shooting, when carnivals had shooting booths, and young men won stuffed animals for their “gals.” “Those were gallery-style targets that were common back in the 1930s and 1940s,” Kinn said. “Shooters shot at moving disks that went across the front of the booth. There’s starting to be a return to that kind of shooting, with interactive targets that are steel so you get the ‘ping’ and the ‘ring’ when you make a hit. Several compa-

nies are manufacturing some of these gallery-type targets but fusing them with modern technology.” Battenfeld Technologies also has noticed this trend. “We have a Shootin’ Gallery that’s from the concept of the old shooting galleries of county fairs,” Butler said. “It’s really strong in the Hunter Education crowd and the younger crowd. It’s designed for only .22 rimfire, with steel targets on a continuous track.” (please turn the page)

Who Shoots What? Besides categorizing targets by what they’re made of, you also can characterize them by who shoots at them. “There’s an old adage that anything downrange is a target,” said Don Turner, shooting park manager of the Clark County Shooting Park in Las Vegas, Nev., and president of the advisory committee of NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges. “There’s a lot of truth in that, because shooters will shoot at any target you offer.” Turner said there are three main categories of shooters and shooting at most ranges. “There’s what we call the walk-in public,” he said. “Then there are people who come for events and competition. And last, there are people coming for whatever programs you offer. The targets for the three groups are different.” Walk-in shooters tend to like targets with an “action” component, Turner said. “They particularly like paper targets that produce a fluorescent mark when you shoot them,” he said. “There are several different brands, but the one we carry is Birchwood Casey’s Shoot-N-C. If you’re going to provide pistol and rifle shooting for the walk-in public, you have to have something like that. This group is the most fun of all the shooters, because they’ll shoot at anything.” When it comes to programs such as a concealed weapons class, the state you’re in may determine what target or targets you can use. “Targets may be required by legislation or regulation,” Turner said. “Different programs have specific targets that they use. If you’re doing a self-defense class, you may want some kind of humanoid-looking targets.” A Cowboy Action event means specific targets for that group of shooters, and a muzzleloader class means different targets yet. “So there’s a variety of targets you would use for programs, but what you use is program specific,” he said. With competitive shooters, the targets you use depend on the type of competition. Sanctioning organizations—such as the Amateur Trapshooting Association, the National Skeet Shooting Association, the NRA, or the Single Action Shooting Society—determine what targets may be used in their competitive events. “Specific rulebooks specify the targets,” Turner said. These sanctioned targets may be clays, paper or steel, depending on the type of competition. 13

Clays If you offer any shotgunning, you have to have clays, and that, too, means you need to keep a variety of products on hand. Most are bright orange, but there are a few other colors around. The standard clay target for trap and skeet is the old standby that’s 108 millimeters (mm) across, 14mm high and weighs 105 grams, Kinn said. However, if you get into sporting clays or any other shotgun games, you’re talking a lot of different targets, all of which are shaped for specific uses. “You use the standard clay for a lot of sporting clays stations,” Kinn said. “However, you also use a lot of specialty clays. For example, the standard size for the jack rabbit is 108mm across and 14mm high, and it weighs 120 grams. However, it doesn’t have a raised dome like a standard clay. A jack rabbit clay has a super thick outer rim, because they’re sent spinning across the ground on the edge.” A duck clay, or battue, is made to fly low and drop quickly to mimic the flight of birds coming into decoys.

“This is a very shallow domed clay,” Kinn said. “It flies fast and drops quickly and rotates 90 degrees as it does so, presenting its entire surface area to the shooter. It’s also 108mm in diameter and 14mm in height, but it’s only 80 grams. These clays often are thrown in pairs.” Dove clays, or minis, are quite small and light and fly very quickly. “This one is only 60mm across but is 19mm high,” Kinn said. “It weighs only 32 grams. It simulates doves flying overhead, so it flies very fast and very straight.” Quail clays, or midis, often are packed together with standard clays. “The quail is a flushing type of clay,” Kinn said. “Typically when you kick up a covey of quail, they fly all over the place, and that’s what this clay is supposed to do. The clay flies straight, but it drops a second clay during the flight; it’s called a

Target Suppliers Here’s a helpful list of some outdoor-target manufacturers: ATK Commercial Products (Paper, clay, steel, other) 900 Bob Ehlen Dr. Anoka, MN 55303 800-635-7656 www.championtarget.com

Battenfeld Technologies (Paper, steel, other) 5885 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd. Columbia, MO 65203 573-445-9200 www.battenfeldtechnologies.com

Action Target (Paper, steel, other; offers the Steel Target Resource Guide) P.O. Box 636 Provo, UT 84603 801-377-8033 www.actiontarget.com

Birchwood Casey (Paper, steel, other) 7900 Fuller Rd. Eden Prairie MN 55344 800-328-6156 www.birchwoodcasey.com

American Target Company (Paper) 1328 S. Jason Street Denver, CO 80223 877-733-0433 www.americantargetcompany.com

Law Enforcement Targets (Paper, steel, other) 8802 W. 35 W Service Dr. NE Blaine, MN 55449 888-489-7830 www.letargets.com

R and R Targets (Steel) 45823 Oak St. Lyons, OR 97358 503-551-7283 www.randrtargets.com Secure Firearm Products (Steel) P.O. Box 177, 213 S Main St. Carl Junction, MO 64834 417-649-7277 www.securefirearmsproducts.com Super See Competition Targets (Paper, other) 140 W. Lenox Ave. Springfield, IL 62704 217-522-7575 www.supersee.com White Flyer Targets (Clay) 1300 Post Oak Blvd., Ste. 680 Houston, TX 77056 713-626-1843 www.whiteflyer.com

‘nested pair.’ The midi is 90mm in diameter and 22mm high and weighs 74 grams. Midis also can be thrown three or four at a time to simulate a covey of quail.” At White Flyer Targets, company officials are responding to a couple of changes in the marketplace with innovations in clays. “Our biodegradable targets are made up of completely nontoxic materials, mainly limestone and elemental sulfur,” said company president Brian Skeuse. “Depending on the amount of rainfall, they biodegrade within two to five years. Because of what they’re made of, they can act as a soil conditioner. And they cost slightly less than standard targets.” White Flyer also recently has come out with a 110mm International Target in both biodegradable and regular clays. Other Battenfield’s Tip Top targets are made from plastic, so bullets punch very clear, round holes in them. “If you’re trying to dial in a varmint gun or a very precise firearm, these targets give a very precise hole so you can tell exactly where you’ve hit the target,” Butler said. Another plastic-type target is the DuraSeal line from ATK. “They’re spinner targets made of elastistic polymer that allows the bullet to pass through,” Kinn said. “The customer can shoot the target with almost any caliber, the bullet goes through the target, and the material is self-healing, so the hole closes back up. We have a variety of target shapes and sizes.” No matter what kind of shooting you have on your range, there are targets for you. And with so many on the market, this is just a sampling. Check with manufacturers on the accompanying sampler supplier list for full details of what’s out there and what you can use to spruce up your RR targets and your profits. The Range Report

Summer 2010

The Range Report

Summer 2010

Real-life Scenario

Sound Strategies Valuable tips to deal with charges of noise nuisance K. Scott Hamilton, Esq.

he Island Lake Shooting Range, located in Green Oak Township, Mich., successfully defended a noise-nuisance lawsuit by the township and several residents who sought to close the range. Winning the lawsuit took more than three years of litigation, two trips to the Michigan Court of Appeals, numerous depositions, hundreds of pages of documents, a three-day-long “preliminary injunction” hearing, a week-long trial, countless hours of time and large expert and professional fees. Island Lake’s story is a cautionary tale for range operators, and the lessons it teaches may help them successfully defend or, better yet, avoid such lawsuits. The claims in the lawsuit In 1998, Green Oak Township voted to allow the construction of a large rifle, trap, skeet and sporting clays target range on township property. That decision followed months of study 16

and public hearings attended by both supporters and opponents of the range. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) spent $3.3 million to build it. The Island Lake Shooting Range quickly became one of southeastern Michigan’s finest facilities. A private concessionaire operated all but the rifle portion of the range. Attitudes, however, can change quickly. In June 2004, Green Oak Township and various residents sued the Island Lake range, claiming that gunfire violated a township noise ordinance that limited sound to the greater of 65 decibels or the level of traffic noise next to the range. Shotguns registered up to 80 decibels, while traffic noise on a nearby interstate highway topped out in the mid-70s. The township and residents also claimed that regardless of whether the range violated the ordinance, gunfire unreasonably interfered with the use and enjoyment of their property, making it a “common law” nuisance,

About the Author Attorney K. Scott Hamilton is a litigation partner in the Detroit-based law firm Dickinson Wright PLLC, and he represented the Island Lake Shooting Range in its noise-nuisance lawsuit. He regularly represents the National Rifle Association and recently authored a brief in the United States Supreme Court supporting the NRA in McDonald The Range Report

Summer 2010

especially during monthly sporting clays tournaments. Early in the lawsuit, after three days of hearings the court entered a “preliminary injunction order,” closing the range until a full trial could be completed. The trial court did so because it believed that the township and residents were “likely” to win at trial. The range

v. Chicago, the landmark case determining whether the Second Amendment applies to state and local gun-control laws. He is also an adjunct professor at Michigan State University of Law and is an avid recreational shooter. Mr. Hamilton can be contacted at 313-223-3041, e-mail khamilton@dickinsonwright.com. The Range Report

Summer 2010

immediately appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which agreed with the range that the trial judge misapplied the law and made incorrect fact findings. In less than a month, the Court of Appeals ordered that the range be re-opened until a full trial could be completed. Next came the expensive and timeconsuming “discovery” phase of the lawsuit in which the parties deposed witnesses, requested and produced documents, filed numerous motions with the court and conducted sound studies through experts. The township’s expert did two studies. One concluded that gunfire exceeded the noise ordinance, while the other concluded that it did not. Despite repeated court orders and being sanctioned several thousand dollars, the township refused to give the range the testing data that purportedly showed a violation. The court therefore barred the township from relying on that sound study at trial, which ruling the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld when the township tried to appeal. The trial judge also appointed its own expert to get an unbiased understanding of the technical sound issues of the case. After months of searching, the judge located an expert near Chicago whom it deemed the “preeminent” authority on gunfire sound testing. The judge seemed only slightly

embarrassed when the range’s counsel informed him that the range had already retained the same individual earlier in the case. The strategy for defending the range Like many states, Michigan has a statute immunizing shooting ranges from noise nuisance lawsuits if the range complies with any local noise ordinance that applied to the range when it was built or first started operating, and if it conforms to “generally accepted operation practices” (usually the NRA Range Manual). Under such a statute, a city or township cannot later change its noise ordinance to make it more restrictive if the range meets those requirements and is immune from suit. Thus, if the Island Lake range could prove that it satisfied those statutory requirements, it would not only win the lawsuit, but would also be forever protected against future lawsuits. To execute that plan, the range first set out to show that gunfire did not exceed the ordinance’s decibel limit. Its experts conducted several 17

sound at the complaining residents’ property (about one mile from the range) was less than the peak sound of traffic noise from the major interstate highway next to the range. Second, the range argued that the ordinance was unconstitutional because it was unduly “vague.” Although it limited noise to the greater of 65 decibels or the level of nearby traffic noise, the ordinance did not say where sound measurements had to be taken (for example, at the range, or at the resident’s house a mile away), or which of several different and complicated measuring methodologies had to be used. One sound expert using one measuring methodology at one location (say, at the residents’ property) might get a much lower decibel measurement of the same sound than another expert using a different methodology at a different location (e.g., at the edge of the range). If two experts can get different decibel measurements of the same sound, using methodologies that are equally valid under the ordinance, it would be virtually impossible for a range operator to know whether or not he is violating the law. In such cases, the law is said to be “void for vagueness” because it lacks an objective standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Several months before trial the court agreed with the range’s argument and held that the township’s noise ordinance was unconstitutionally vague and therefore void and unenforceable. Next, the range set out to prove that gunfire sound did not “unreasonably interfere” with residents’ property and therefore was not a

“common law” nuisance. Although the resident plaintiffs vehemently claimed that gunfire was unbearable to them, a few door-to-door interviews with other non-complaining neighbors revealed many who were willing to testify that it did not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of their property (including one who ran a pre-school daycare out of her home). In addition, because the lawsuit generated local media coverage, several letters to the editor and Internet comments on newspaper articles revealed still more residents willing to testify that gunfire did not unreasonably interfere with their property. Lastly, the range set out to prove that it complied with “generally accepted operating practices,” which under Michigan law meant complying with the NRA Range Manual. If it could prove that, the range would be immune from suit both now and forever because, as described above, under Michigan’s statute a range is immune if it meets generally accepted operating practices and complies with any noise ordinance that applied to the range when it was built or first began operating. Satisfying the latter element would be automatic given the court’s decision that the ordinance was unconstitutionally vague and therefore never applicable to the range. The Trial The judge tried the case without a jury for more than one week. Approximately 20 witnesses testified, including the parties’ sound experts, nine complaining residents, four residents who testified that gunfire noise

was not a problem, Green Oaks’ supervisor, representatives of the MDNR, and the range operator. Additionally, the trial judge took several random and anonymous “site visits” to the range and to the residents’ properties to hear for himself the gunfire sounds. Four months later the trial judge issued a 50-page opinion finding that (1) the range was immune from nuisance suits because it complied with generally accepted operating practices, and (2) gunfire sound did not unreasonably interfere with residents’ use of their property and was not a “common law” nuisance. Neither the township nor the residents appealed that decision. Lessons to Learn Island Lake’s experience teaches several rules that range operators should follow to avoid such lawsuits or to increase the likelihood of winning if they are sued: 1. Know whether your community has a noise ordinance and whether your range complies with it. If it does not, seek a “variance” or “special use permit” to excuse noncompliance, or investigate noise-abatement methods. 2. Know whether your state has a shooting range protection act immunizing ranges from noisenuisance suits. 3. Know what “generally accepted operation practices” apply and whether the range meets them. 4. If faced with a suit, seek counsel and an expert in gunfire sound measurement. 5. Find out the feelings of many neighbors, not just the complaining ones. A vocal minority of range opponents always seems larger than a quiet, content majority. 6. Pay attention to media, letters to the editor and Internet discussions that may reveal people who are “for” the range and willing to testify. 7. Make the threat of a lawsuit known to your patrons and encourage them to find local residents sympathetic to the range. Noise litigation is costly, stressful and uncertain. It is best avoided, but if that is not possible, a “sound” strat- RR The Range Report

Summer 2010

Your Future Is Our Business It’s Also Our Mission and Passion

National Shooting Sports Foundation® Join the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Help us attract, excite and inform new hunters and shooters – and turn them into your customers. All of us are a part of the lucky few who make a living pursuing our passion. We are the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association of the firearms, ammunition and shooting industry. By becoming a NSSF member, you enable us to attract, excite and inform new hunters and shooters in every state about the sport we love . . . new enthusiasts mean more business for everyone. Whether it is in the field, on the range, in Washington, D.C. or 50 state capitals, we stand proudly as your voice. Help us make your voice louder and stronger where it counts.

For almost 50 years, our mission has always been to promote, protect and preserve our hunting and shooting sports. Now more than ever, it’s time to shoot for more and become a NSSF member. To join, contact Bettyjane Swann at (203) 426-1320 or bswann@nssf.org.

The future of your business depends on it.

www.MembershipMeansBusiness.org

Breaking Clays around Atlanta Two clubs tied to prestigious shotgunning events

wo Atlanta trap and skeet clubs offer interesting contrasts. One, a decade and a half old, is near the site that hosted 1996 Olympics competition. On the other side of the city is an older facility that has hosted the state trapshoot for the last nine years. One club, featuring skeet, trap and 5-Stand, is located only a few miles west of bustling Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on the southwest side of the city via Camp Creek Parkway. Camp Creek is a major link between the terminal/ downtown Atlanta and the club. I-285, the belt around Atlanta, runs

between the two. The modern facility is situated across the road from what was Wolf Creek Gun Club, site of the 1996 shotgun portion of the Summer Olympics. The former Wolf Creek Gun Club site is now a police training center. The new public range was itself likewise originally known as Wolf Creek, but later renamed Tom Lowe Trap & Skeet Range for a former county commissioner. The club is well laid out, offering 20 shooting fields. To the east of downtown Atlanta, slightly more than an hour away, is South River Gun Club, another skeet and trap facility that has been at its present location for 41 years.

Range A Near the city’s heart In addition to modern trap and skeet fields, Tom Lowe Trap & Skeet Range offers 5-Stand. The club is owned by Fulton County. Located in the southwest section of Atlanta, it’s only 20 minutes from downtown. The host at the club willingly answered questions about safety rules and procedures. Shooting regulations include no alcoholic beverages, of course, or loud, boisterous conduct. Noise from electronic devices is only allowed by special permit. All pets must be kept on a leash, and all motorized vehicles are prohibited except on designated roads and parking areas. Rules about equine in the suburban area are properly addressed. Spent shells are regularly collected by the club, although shooters wishing to collect their own may do so after they’ve 20

completed their rounds. Deshotels Arms, Inc. operates the pro shop. The club only takes reservations for corporate or group outings.

Range B Heavy suburban activity Access to South River Gun Club is relatively easy from two interstate highway systems, I-75 and I-20. South River grew out of interest among a group of rifle shooters back in 1956. They first found a spot about a half-mile from the Atlanta city limits in an abandoned rock quarry. Shooting there lasted eight years before the club relocated to a spot where a skeet and trap field was added. With that second land being sold in 1967 as Atlanta expanded, the marksmen had a year to again relocate. Two interested sportsmen then found 67 acres. A corporation was formed, leading to the present facility. The club has a clean, well-kept appearance throughout. A map clearly indicates where the skeet and trap ranges are located, as well as the facilities for pistol and rifle shooting that it offers. There are nine trap and five skeet fields on the premises. Safety is of uppermost concern. Memberships are offered. Shotgun sports are open to the public, while the pistol and rifle shooting is limited to the 600-plus members. The South River Gun Club has hosted many competitive events, including the Georgia State Trapshoot for the last nine years. The Range Report

Summer 2010

TOM LOWE TRAP & SKEET RANGE 3070 MERK RD., SW ATLANTA, GA 30349 404-346-8382 WWW.ATLANTASKEETSHOOTING.COM

SOUTH RIVER GUN CLUB 5205 HWY. 212 N COVINGTON, GA 30016 770-786-3752 WWW.SOUTHRIVERGUNCLUB.COM

Scorecard

Editor’s note: The Undercover Shooter is an experienced recreational shooter but is not trained in technical aspects of range design and operation.

Each category is rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest score.

Tom Lowe Trap and Skeet Range Customer Satisfaction Rating Signage, Visibility

• Driving to the course along four-lane Camp Creek Parkway is relatively easy. The course opens at 1 p.m. Eastern time. That means missing most of the commuter traffic in Atlanta, allowing for much easier travel. • Though the Camp Creek/Atlanta Airport sign on I-285 is very visible, measuring distances with a motor vehicle’s odometer is recommended for first timers in a city with a myriad of exits from major thoroughfares.

Layout and Appeal

• The trap and skeet range of 20 fields is well arranged with safety enforcement. Club features a 5-Stand sporting clays, or Maze Clays. • A modern clubhouse offers a wide range of shooting-related products, including guns, ammo and attire. • Clean, modern restroom facilities are available.

Retail Product Availability

• Plentiful. A full line of shooting accessories, including shooting attire • Shooters have the opportunity to shoot one of the club’s rental guns before making a purchase. • Shotgun shells cost $6.85 for a box of 25. • Eyeglass rental $1, with the fee of .55 for ear plugs

per day and can only be shared for skeet. • Special training available from several instructors whose insurance allows them to instruct at the facility. • A number of training options are available at the club, including Saturday morning beginner shooting classes, a beginner trap league and maze clays, a new concept that has sporting clays shot on a skeet field.

Range Safety

Cleanliness

• Eye and ear protection are mandatory. • Range and safety officers, along with target pullers, are all present during firing. • An extensive listing of rules is posted, including such items as where vehicles may be parked and the fact that canines must be kept on a leash.

• Shooters don’t need to be concerned with gathering spent shells, although they may collect their own once they’ve finished their rounds. • The adjacent parking lot is well kept, free of debris. Parking area clearly marked.

Programs/Membership

Comments, Impressions

• No memberships because it is a county park • Basic costs include a round of 25 targets for $6.50, with multi-round discounts available. Special Monday price is $4.75 per round. Gun rental is $9

• Top-notch shooting facility, reasonably priced, with adequate safety consciousness located in an area that is convenient to the downtown section of the city.

South River Gun Club Customer Satisfaction Rating Signage, Visibility

• Call ahead to the club if there are questions about directions. With all of the intersections of the growing area, a wrong turn could make finding it difficult.

Layout and Appeal

• With this club having been steadily improved through years, planners have amazingly kept the fields in locations with safety clearly in mind, considering that there is a variety of shooting activity other than skeet and trap on the grounds. The clubhouse, the first building located as you enter the grounds, offers convenience to seeking information about the facilities. • Electrical hookups for camping offer convenience on extended stays.

Retail Product Availability

• Basic shooting supplies such as shells and reloading equipment offered, along with cleaning supplies. Sources at the clubhouse will order anything not readily available.

Staff Friendliness

• Staff was friendly, courteous and professional, freely answering questions about offerings and regulations.

• The cost for non-members to shoot a round of skeet is $6.75; members $4.25. For members, cost is $3.75 when they purchase a 25-round shoot card; $3.50 for 50-round shoot card.

Range Safety

Cleanliness

• The fields are placed a safe distance and in an area separate from the other shooting facilities offered. • Target pullers and safety officers used • Rules are posted.

• Restrooms and the clubhouse especially clean • Tables and chairs in the modern clubhouse offer a chance to relax during shooting rounds. • No need to worry about spent shells.

Programs/Memberships

Comments, Impressions

• Memberships are available and necessary for those shooting on fields other than skeet and trap. Skeet and trap available to the public Members have seven days a week, 9 a.m. till dark, to shoot on the rifle and pistol ranges, but clay target shooting is only available three days a week, Wednesdays 3 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 6 p.m. • Memberships cost $300 a year with one-time initiation fee of $250. Immediate family members are included in memberships, with guests costing $20 per day.

• Two features of this club include camping hookups and a youth program. The fact it has hosted the state trap shoot for nine consecutive years attests to its popularity. • One especially popular event is the Southeast Regional Shootout at Mule Camp, billed as the largest Cowboy Action Tournament in the section, something like the Old West in the Deep South. Participants dress in period costumes.

All reports, comments, impressions, opinions or advice expressed in the Undercover Shooter column are solely those of independent, recreational shooting range consumers and do not necessarily represent those of the National Shooting Sports Foundation or its affiliates. Neither the NSSF nor its affiliates make any warranty or assume any liability with respect to the accuracy or reliability of any information provided by Undercover Shooter contributors. Readers are encouraged to and should perform their own investigation of the information provided herein. The Range Report

Summer 2010

Home on the Range Views from NSSF staffers and guest contributors

National Range Inventory Project with tremendous potential is making headway, and you can contribute to its progress

inding a place to shoot is not always easy, especially if someone is new to the area. The Internet, however, has presented us with a solution of how we can better promote shooting facilities throughout the nation by providing detailed range information that’s just a few clicks away. In 1997, just as the Internet craze really began to take off, the National Shooting Sports Foundation started to develop www.wheretoshoot.org. The Where to Shoot website provides quick and easy access to targetshooting facilities across the United States. Wheretoshoot.org is a great search tool for those looking for a place to shoot, and it also serves as a source of free advertising for range owners, managers and club volunteers who wish to increase participation and or membership at their range. The where-to-shoot website gives shooting ranges the ability to list all the different aspects of their business--from the shooting disciplines that are available, to organized competitions and additional services the facility has to offer. Presenting this detailed information to the individual looking for a place to shoot will help ensure that the person finds just what he or she is looking for. The result, we hope, will be a positive experience at the range with many more visits in future. Do people use the website? With an average of 100,000 visits to the website each month, you bet people use it. “Simply put, I have had several new customers come to my facility, 22

and they told me they learned of us at wheretoshoot.org,” said Holden Kriss, manager of Florida’s Indian County Shooting Range and former president of the NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges’ advisory committee. We know this system works, and works well, but now that we have been collecting information from the shoot-

ing range community for more than 13 years the time has come to review all existing shooting ranges found on wheretoshoot and make sure that the information listed is up to date and accurate. In recognizing the need to identify all shooting ranges throughout the country and update our existing list, this past winter NSSF began working on a National Range Inventory project. This effort began with a letter that was mailed out to state agencies and national organizations that maintain their own databases of shooting facilities. The letter requested

By Zach Snow Zach Snow is the senior shooting promotions coordinator for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. His responsibilities include servicing the needs of range members of NSSF, who comprise NSSF’s Association of Shooting Ranges. His former responsibilities included management of NSSF’s tremendously successful Scholastic Clay Target Program, which in eight years recruited more than 30,000 individual young shooters to a competitive shooting program that has helped develop character, leadership, sportsmanship and a love of the shooting sports.

these groups’ willingness to share their lists in support of the project that will result in a much stronger National Range Inventory. We have received a wide collection of range data from different organizations to support this effort and have begun our three-phase method of verification. With the first phase being the collection of range data, the next will be to verify the accuracy and validity of the existing records that are being displayed on www.wheretoshoot.org. Our last phase, which will be ongoing for years to come, is the continued efforts to search out and gather information for new and existing ranges that are currently not listed. The progress on this project is steady. We now have more than 7,000 valid ranges listed on wheretoshoot, and this number continues to grow daily. The future plan for the wheretoshoot website will include developing where to shoot applications for mobile devices. As a range owner, manager or just an active volunteer you play a key role to phase three of this ongoing inventory project. Your active participation is crucial to the continued success of the National Range Inventory Project. Visit wheretoshoot and make sure your range is listed. If it is listed, click on your range to review your range information. Make sure that we’ve captured all the attributes of your range when it comes to shooting disciplines, organized competitions and additional services your facility offers. If it’s not listed, click on “List your Range” and add your range. Visit RR www.wheretoshoot.org today! The Range Report

Summer 2010

HIT ALL YOUR TARGETS Increase range traffic. Convert beginners. Reactivate former participants. Turn first-time shooters into repeat customers.

An introduction to shooting

HOST A FIRST SHOTS EVENT Hosting a First ShotsÂŽ seminar is the sure-fire way to drive traffic to your range. It introduces newcomers to the sport. It reactivates former participants. And it turns first-time shooters into loyal repeat customers. Simply put, host a First Shots event and everybody wins. The National Shooting Sports Foundation will make it as easy as possible, just visit

www.firstshots.org/schedule or call 203-426-1320. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll receive a free Reference Guide and all the ammunition you need to drive more traffic.