Hawks Ridge 1000 Yd Benchrest Range Announcement

I only got to make one trip to the PA club but I was really impressed with Joe and all the guys. Folks we used to have around 80 light guns and 50 or more heavy guns at almost every match. A lot of guys want a place to shoot. Lets get a group of folks there and get something started. Since the accident in 2010 I havent had much interest in anything. So I would really like to see some type of matchs start back at the Ridge. I will go along with what ever the group wants to do and will help out any way possible. There are really a limited nuber of places to shoot long range and its a shame to let such a great range go unused.
 
Greg best lf luck with your new club. One of the best clubs ever was in N.C.
 
It was a sad day when I heard that the NC club had "disolved" even though an effort was made at Butner. I know a lot of good guns now reside in a safe somewhere. I look forward to seeing the club resurface. If there is anything that the PA club can do to facilitate in this effort, let me know.

Frank Grappone
 
Mr. Grappone:

View things as you want, but those of us who are members of the NC 1000 Yard Benchrest Club -- including those that have set IBS records since the club began holding matches at Camp Butner -- are surprised to learn of our death. Do we have to give the records back? Should the shooters from South Carolina to Pennsylvaina who currently shoot with us make other plans? We enjoyed having Steve Sabo and James Lorenz shoot with us last year. Even if their primary motive may have been chasing SOTY points, they are nice guys & it was fun talking to them.

* * *

What happened to the Carolina club is we lost a range, not a club. Something similar happened to Virginia after they lost the range at Rob Ritchie's farm. Membership diminished for a while, then regrew. Give us the same chance, if you will.

It would be nice to see the Hawks Ridge range open again. That will depend on decisions made by the McNeils, and the shooters who attend the meeting in February. What direction they take will be up to them. Whether or not IBS will allow sanctioned matches there or not remains to be seen -- as does their decision about direction, should a club form, as to whether or not they want any affiliation.

Please let this situation develop without stirring up all the old problems. While a bit of bickering was involved, the situation was far more complex. There are still hard feelings, and even more good wishes overriding those feelings. At the very least, North Carolina, which now has a larger population that New Jersey, can support more than one 1,000 yard range.

Perhaps whatever forms at Hawks Ridge would like to join the Pennsylvania Match Sanctioning organization, like the Montana range. But the time for any such thoughts is in the future.

Let's everybody just wish the McNeil's good fortune, and refrain from using any charged language. If that starts happening, I will ask Wilbur to step in and delete such posts. In the 15 or so years I've been on Benchrest.com (even before it was a dot-com), I've not asked Wilbur many favors. I think he'd grant this one.

Charles Ellertson
 
I would love to comment, but wont. Its not worth not worth the energy.
 
Who wants to shoot?

Who wants to shoot and have a good time... good times thats what we had in the past before all the drama... so come on lets shoot and see what happens...

Brandon McNeil
 
I also want to give a bit shout out to the PA club... Been there several times (did well a couple times) always a nice shoot and a good time... Thats what I thought we had here at Hawks Ridge NC... I'm pretty sure most people enjoyed shooting here and always enjoyed being here... Could I be wrong?

Brandon McNeil
 
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I will comment! Charles when someone in the PA. Club puts out there hand don't try and bite it. We want nothing more than to get more people back in the game, remember me saying a few times on here [I've seen them come I've seen them go] Well none of us like seeing that happen to a club, maybe not desolved but break up. And Charles the records haven't gone any place. There still there just like or 16.5 records are still on the wall at the PA. club. Because or club decided it was time all the clubs were on equil ground. So if you guys figure we don't want to help, we'll stay out of it.


Joe Salt
 
Brandon,

I can't imagine anyone not having a good time at Hawk's Ridge! Personally, the fellowship alone was worth the 700 mile round trip. Loved the two day matches!

It would be great to see you folks get it back to where it once was. Don't think I will be able to make it up there for the meeting but will surely show up from time to time.

The cream will rise to the top my friend...
 
Joe Salt said:
I will comment! Charles when someone in the PA. Club puts out there hand don't try and bite it.


Joe Salt
Click to expand...

When someone offers help, beginning that offer by telling the 35% of the shooters who remain that they aren't worth $hit is apt to irritate them.
 
Charles were did someone say that. Oneflyer was offering help and so was I, so show me were that was said. We all don't need people reading into things that aren't there. I guess I was wrong thinking we are all in this together.

Joe Salt
 
Joe Salt said:
Charles were did someone say that.
Click to expand...

"It was a sad day when I heard that the NC club had "disolved" even though an effort was made at Butner."

We haven't "dissolved." Moreover, Hawks Ridge always was (is) a range, not a club. And the "effort" at Butner isn't a "was," but continues. It is an "is." Check the IBS schedule. The North Carolina 1000 Yard Benchrest Shooters Association continues to shoot, set records, and draws shooters from Georgia to Pennsylvania, etc. etc. Not as many shooters as before, but we're working on it.

Edit:

In short, as we rebuild the number of people who shoot at the NC club, it doesn't help to have someone come on the internet & say the club dissolved. It would be like saying some young upstart named Saltalamachia took over the Pennsylvania club from the old, experieinced leadership, and ruined it. (As you well know, I'm of exactly the opposite opinion.)

A number of people, Joel Pendergraft, David Hodges, Scott Fletcher, Chris & Jenny Collins, R. Jeff Wyatt, Phillip & Debbie Yott, & more I've forgotten to include, put in a lot of time, effort, and money to smooth the transition to a new range.
 
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Well Charles with all the rumors and hear say, thats kind of the what everyones thoughts were. Talk to a friend of mine down that way and he told me money wasn't a problem for the club so I guess you guys can get started again. But I also want you to look at the words before " Disolved ' It was a sad day when I heard about the NC. club. The guy was trying to put his hand out to everyone in the NC. club. Sorry Range. But make dam sure you get a lease that can't be broke before getting to deep in the rebuild. you missed the la.

Joe Saltalamachia
 
I personally don't worry about points or records, just want to shoot 1k with out a lot of drama. Joe I am sure we will be calling on your wealth of experience. Hope to see a bunch of folks there.
 
Hope the guys at Hawks ridge have a great success,wish I could be there, but I will be for a match.

Joe Salt
 
Joe, I am on the board of directors of the North Carolina 1,000 Yard Benchrest Association, that is affiliated with the IBS. That would be a potential conflict of interest. I wish Brandon the best, as well as the other shooters from the Wilksboro area, but they should have the freedom to put together whatever they choose.

Charles

By the way, for those of you who don't know, Brandon McNeil won the 1997 IBS 1,000 Yard Nationals. As far as I know, he was the only junior shooter to win a National Championship outright. Fourteen years later, he is still one of the best.
 
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To everyone who extended their good wishes of success for a new 1000 yard BR club at Hawks Ridge range and offered their remembrances of the time we shared, THANK YOU! You have reminded me that what I miss more than the fine competition and the opportunity to grow as a shooter is the fellowship that we shared during the ten years and 100 matches that I was privileged to attend.

I've heard from folks planning to come to this Sunday's organizational meeting at Hawks Ridge, not just from North Carolina, but also Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. Tony (Barron) wants to come from Mississippi but they won't let him off the rig. We also have a healthy mix of folks who haven't shot at Hawks Ridge before or any 1000 yard BR range for that matter, who want to badly enough to come and help start a new club to that end. So I'm hopeful that we'll reach the "critical mass" required for a good beginning.

Everyone is invited. With some luck and a lot of work perhaps in more than a few years we can look back and claim we helped start a terrific 1000 yard Benchrest Club.

See you Sunday,

Greg

(828) 765-2522
(336) 413-7835 cell
gculpepper90(at)gmail
 
Thanks Charles for the comments. I hope we have a good turn out for the meeting and look forward to seeing each and everyone
who wished to come and participate the more the better. For anyone that needs it the address is
1018 Gladys Fork Rd Ferguson NC 28624

Thanks,
Brandon McNeil
336-984-6281
 
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