The "character" of gun clubs

[Bill Wynne]

Heres another example'
I know of a small club that has premium benchrest facilitys.
It has a small number of shooters and members.
Theres a problem though. One group want one thing another group another and still another group another . I sure wish they would get together. it's a nice club with good guys just pulling in different directions.

Our club could be one like that. Our President and Vice President are primarily pistol shooters but they are very aware and considerate of those of us who are involved in other activities. We have centerfire benchrest, 22 benchrest, Action pistol, Cowboy Shooting, as well as shooters who just want to shoot their rifles or pistols.

When we wanted to build new canopies over our rifle range a lot of the pistol shooters were there with us to help. Several of us 22 shooters have the time to keep the target frames in good condition and so about three times a year we replace everything and the club as a whole pays for the material. We also keep the trash cans all over the range emptied into the dumpsters. Having two rifle ranges separated by a berm keeps one available to the people who want to sight in their rifle or just practice.

We have seen clubs with different activities fall apart. With this in mind, we have made up our mind to work together and diversity keeps us stronger.

Our club is in it's sixty-forth year. http://www.sanangelogunclub.org./

Concho Bill

 

[wolf gray]

To Bill Wynne, hat wearing super moderator.

Bill,
"While personally, I would like to have the place limited to just us 22 shooters we all get along with each other out of a mutual need-Bill Wynne"

Bill, you have hurt my centerfire feelings!

Best,

Dan Batko
(San Angelo Gun Club, Benchrest .22 shooter, Benchrest centerfire shooter, and occasional .22 silhouette shooter)

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"

 

[Bill Wynne]

Bill,
"While personally, I would like to have the place limited to just us 22 shooters we all get along with each other out of a mutual need-Bill Wynne"

Bill, you have hurt my centerfire feelings!

Best,

Dan Batko
(San Angelo Gun Club, Benchrest .22 shooter, Benchrest centerfire shooter, and occasional .22 silhouette shooter)

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"

Speaking of the "character" of gun clubs, Dan Batko is one of our characters. also a very fun guy to compete with.

Concho Bill

 

[wncchester]

The "perfect" club would have a phylosophy of welcoming visiting new guys - and gals - warmly. It would be open to, and encourage all facets of shooting, have rational membership and initiation fees only to actually cover the cost of operations, have controlled access to the facilities and a LONG road from the gate to the range to reduce walk-in traffic. It would have a lengthy term of probation for new the members before being allowing free access to the range plus a written and field test for understanding gun and range safety AND the club/range rules before being approved as a full member.

It would have an annual schedule of competions and club awards for each of several events including BR, NRA position rifle and hand gun in both highpower and rimfire, shotgun, straight-up fun events for factory deer/squirrel/black powder rifles, etc.

Range times would be available by appointment for other groups including Boy Scouts/DeMolay, church groups, etc., and supply club volunteer instructors to help the young shooters.

The club would conduct annual scheduled evening and range courses in Hunter Safety, Home Firearms Safety, Marksmanship, a reloading clinic, etc.

The range would be open a couple Saturdays a year for local hunters to come out and zero their rifles under the oversight of club volunteer RSOs.

Club/range usage and safety rules would apply equally to all shooters, including those who enforce the rules.

There would be a fenced in area well away from the firing line with playground equipment for small kids to play and include picnic tables/shelters for mothers to sit and visit as well as provide a place for the club to hold occasional social gatherings on the grounds.

I was a member of that club in my youth. Still miss those good and wise men.

 

[benenglish]

Agreed on all points. However, this one:

Club/range usage and safety rules would apply equally to all shooters, including those who enforce the rules.

strikes me as a big failing for far too many clubs. I was previously a member of a club where the core folks running the place conducted themselves in a relaxed though never dangerous way but all-too-often engaged in arbitrary enforcement against anyone who wasn't in the in-group. Said arbitrary enforcement often took the form of "Do as I say, not as I do."

For example, we had one shooter carrying his (obviously) unloaded bolt-action pistol in one of those trays that silhouette shooters use. He was behind the firing line during a cease fire. That's fine since, under the rules, cased firearms (a tray counts as a case, under any reasonable interpretation) may be moved during those periods.

Despite that, he caught all kinds of hell from a fellow member about "handling firearms during a cease-fire."

Here's the kicker: Said safety officer, while screaming at this perfectly safe shooter, was wearing a loaded 1911 on his hip.

This was a case of a fellow seeing something that was new to him and assuming it to be prohibited just because he wasn't familiar with it. That sort of rampant a-hole-ism is something that I just don't care to hang around and I ran into it far too many times at that club. I let my dues lapse a long time ago.

I'm still looking for the sort of club you describe.

Just out of curiosity, what club/where was it?