Went out to BH today to test some reloads for my .38SPL. Signs are plastered all over the rangehouse and firingline saying that you can't shoot rifles on the 25-50m ranges till further notice. Sounded as though some butt head shot over the berm and put holes in some guys property in the distance.
One of the Conservation officers showed up in uniform soon after I started shooting, so I questioned him about the signs. BH received a complaint from a local property owner about stray bullets. The powers that be now speculate that somebody with a rifle shot over the berm. When I asked the officer how he knew it was a rifle, he wouldn't elaborate, nor would tell me who had complained. This guy wasn't exactly a fountain of information. I told him it made it awful hard to work up a reload or sight in a scope on the longer ranges and that rimfire rifles lose accuracy after 50m. Like "Oh Well."
When I asked the officer why he didn't think a sidearm was involved, he told me pistols just don't shoot that far, so we're still allowing them. I told him some pistols can shoot farther than some rifles and he guffawed me, saying that rifles can shoot over "4,000fps!" I asked him to please tell me what caliber rifle was it he was talking about, I asked him to name off five of these wonder rifles, then I said never mind, just name me one of these 4,000fps wonder bullets. Then he switched gears and made me show him my BH I.D. card.
I told him having one of these cards cost me $30 a year and my signature each time I use this public park. Yet your local cops on the other hand get paid to come out here, shoot up our target frames, disrespect the rules by shooting after dark, trashing out the landscape with your illegal body silhouette targets. Routinely, toxic flash bomb & gas grenade parts, shotgun shells and their brass litter this facility and yet they never sign in like I have to. Where's their professional accountability? With all of the days your guys reserved this last month, whose to say one of your brothers in blue didn't blow those rounds in question over the berm? He told me to have a nice day, then left.
I google mapped BH to see where the neighboring residents live. One lives about 3,500 feet to the north, directly behind both "Pistol Ranges." One nieghbor lives approximately 1,600 feet to the west directly behind the "Rifle Only", 300m & 100m ranges. There are others even farther out. Whoever approved this range layout was not the brightest crayon in the box. And so, the few knotheads in question will end up ruining this range for the rest of us. If someone wants to purposely fire their weapon over a berm, nothing can prevent that. They'll just wait 'til no one is looking their way. Remove the shooting range entirely and this same individual will resort to random drive-bys down country gravel roads.
A few years back, I caught two Iowa State Troopers firing their Glocks into the dirt behind their illegal target stand. As they were shooting, I could hear their rounds bouncing off the ground into a steel beam 12' off of the ground of the 100m backstop. I could actually hear some of their rounds bouncing off of the tree branches above and beyond the back stop. I yelled at these guys to "CEASE FIRE!", ran up to them and gave these law enforcement pros the riot act. "But you really want to know what gripes my butt about cops using this range? You guys never ever sign in! You all come in here, play your games, spray your lead around this public facility, then leave. Now I'm the only one here signed in for the day! If Farmer John takes one of your stray 40s to the side of the head as he's plowing his field, who's door is the Sheriff gonna' come knocking on?"
By the way, my best .38 SPL. load for the day turned out to be a 158 LSWC on top of 3.3 grains of N-100.
The powers that be dropped the ban of rifles on the 25-50m ranges today. I thought it was a kneejerk reaction to begin with.
Let's face it, if some reckless shooter decides to fire into the air, they're going to do it. They'll wait 'til no one's looking and do their evil deed. If it was an accident, it means the shooter was either careless in some manner related to firing his weapon or the shooter wasn't concerned enough to be sure of where his rounds were ending up down range.
Here's an interesting link with concerning how far a bullet can travel.
Dogzebra. Thanks for being a standup guy. We lose range time for LEO practice but it's timed and documented. All in all, everyone is pretty responsible. Sorry to hear about the problems!
__________________ NRA ENDOWMENT MEMBER - Support Our Troops - Land of the Free, because of the Brave.
Our local gun club range ran into this about a year and a half ago . What a pain in the rear. The clubs attorney advised the club they were guilty by association even if it didnt come from our range. The club basicly rolled over and fixed two bullet holes in a guy metal barn (new panels not a tube of caulk) and gave him $500 and no admission of guilt. Then they spent like 20,000 covering the rifle range to deflect bullets and putting shooting windows in where your muzzle must protrude to keep you in a certan zone. Weve got over 600 members and most dont think it came from our range. Heavily wooded and a lot of distance between range and barn. Its a great range and club but it does have its drawbacks .
Went out to BH today, a friend had told me they'd lifted the ban for rifles on the 25 & 50m ranges and took down the warning signs. They replaced them with signs warning about the new surveillance cameras. Shades of Orwellian servitude is on the horizon. Sure enough, there was a Camo motion sensor camera strapped to a corner post of each leen too. How goofy can you get? They looked like perfect targets for thieves or vandals to me. I hope someone took bets on how long the cameras stay there unmolested.
Here's a map showing the BH range and the surrounding area. The red line runs from the pistol ranges to the house of the original complaint(Right at 990 yds). But look at all of the other residences nearby(green bubbles, all are farm houses.) Whoever designed this range layout should be given some sort of an idiot award. As soon as I can find another range, I'm outta here.
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