[Cortland]

After 33 years of shooting, my gun club finally had to say goodbye to its range today, and this evening I had the melancholy pleasure of putting the very last round down range. It was a shabby, grundgy little range, and I've only been a member of the club for a few years, but it's where I learned to shoot. There will be other ranges, but none five minutes away in a city of half a million, and none like this one. But hey, our lease was up and we had to make way for the latest residential community. More brass was shed on that firing line today than has been in many years, but after everyone else had left I snuck back just before sunset so that I could say I got to put the last round down range:

http://www.vbrpc.org/range/farewell/previews/26.jpg

[psyopspec]

Wow. I'm generally not a fan of urban sprawl, and I hope my range never falls victim to it. Like you said a melancholy pleasure. It's great that everyone came out for a last hurrah, and while sad I find it excellent that you thought to memorialize "the last round" in a photo.

[Dave R]

Melancholy memorial. Nice picture, though.

So, will you be the first to put a round downrange in the new range? ;)

[Cortland]

So, will you be the first to put a round downrange in the new range?

If we're ever able to get a permit for a new range, I imagine there's going to be a lot of competition over who gets that first shot off. I'm the club webmaster and put the above photo up on our website (http://www.vbrpc.org/range/farewell/) -- I already received an e-mail from a disgruntled fellow club member who thought HE got the final shot. I stayed until after sundown, so mine was definitely the last. But I don't want to be greedy -- first shot or no, I just want a new range.

[NHBB]

I love the indoor gunrange I shoot at... it has a baseball field for little leaguers across the street and it is always a pleasure to see the horrified looks of some of the soccer moms who are visually disturbed at the rapid loud gunfire going on inside, even though a single shot is never fired in their direction. :D

[Standing Wolf]

It's always sad to see a shooting range close. The gods willing, there'll be another to take its place in the near future.

[Dionysusigma]

I already received an e-mail from a disgruntled fellow club member who thought HE got the final shot.
Doesn't matter. He didn't take a cool picture befitting the loss of a good friend.

If we're ever able to get a permit for a new range, I imagine there's going to be a lot of competition over who gets that first shot off.
Let him have it, then--the aforementioned Disgrunted Fellow. Buy him a box of the absolute best of his favorite caliber and a Shoot-N-C target specifically for this purpose. Hate to say it, but IMO you kinda cheated there. This seems to be the best way to clear the path. :)