Knob Creek machine gun shoot.

Leaving to go there in 4 hours, better get to sleep I guess.

Probably too late for you fellas to read this, but trust me, you'll have an awesome time.
You picked the better of the two semiannual dates to go... anecdotally, April seems to carry a much higher risk of torrential rain/flooding (at least two of the April shows were canceled for this reason).
If you're driving your own vehicle, get there well before the 7am breakfast line and park as close to the gate as possible, in a spot that looks like it won't become a mud trap if it actually does rain.
Double up on the ear pro - plugs in the ear canals, and external protection, as well.
Get to the "rental range" early if you can - the line gets very long, very quickly, and the inventory of available guns declines as the day wears on due to malfunctions, breakages, etc.
I'm guessing you're either camping there or otherwise have accommodations, but I'd highly recommend Louisville's Seelbach Hilton - lovely early 20th century hotel with a haunted reputation for a bit of extra spice.
Saturday just might be the best day to go - the Night Shoot is quite the spectacle.
When the Show closes, there will be a two hour exodus of vehicles - vendors, line shooters and attendees. I simply milled around the grounds until most of them left, or else I'd just be idling and crawling along...

If you happen to go with a pregnant wife, make sure you tip the guy with the mule well, for rushing you back to your truck. Nothing like early labor to throw a monkey wrench in your plans. Almost had to name my baby after a firearm or whiskey brand.

Oh, and if you get stuck at home working like I did this weekend, expect lots of phone calls from your friends to brag and rub it in. I've already got two calls this morning from different friends down there. "CAN YOU HEAR ME?!!"

(BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDATDATDATDATDAT)

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? THE MINIGUN QUIT FIRING!"

"Yeah I can hear you, #%@$%(*)!"

I estimate with 100% probability that in 30 minutes you'll have an empty wallet.

EDIT: and a very big grin.

Your face will hurt for several days once you wipe the smile off. I go to the Saddle Butte shoot every year. It's smaller than Knob Creek, but it still makes my face hurt.

Give us a report (and photos!) when you return.

I just got back home from Knob Creek. I spent a good part of the day there Friday, but the drive from Virginia took me a day and a half going and another day and a half coming back. (I don't like to drive at night.) That's a long, expensive trip for a few hours of shopping. I had a long list of things I was looking for, but in the end I only found about $80 worth of small parts. That said, those small parts are available nowhere else, so in the end I should be satisfied.

As a collector, the shooting aspect of Knob Creek was just an annoyance. The noise and dust were things I could do without while perusing the goods available for sale in the Pole Barn. Maybe they should separate the shooting from the gun show, but I doubt that that would be workable, either.

I got there at 9:00am on friday and most of the good ammo deals were gone by 11:00am that morning. I spent $4500 on ammo. My wife's gonna be furious when I get home:-(

Never even knew about Knob Creek when I lived in KY.

I'll get back down there again one year. Knob Creek, old friends, familiar nostalgia, and so much more in my old Kentucky home.

I've seen the you tube video's from that place. A lot of smiling faces.
That would not happen here, like ever...:banghead:.
I am truly envious.....

I'll post a re-cap of my experience tomorrow but seeing as how I've gotten about three hours of sleep in the last two days I need to get some rest first.

Man, it's hard to believe it's been 5 years since I was there last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZpHmaoBtDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xC7Wokz36I

Couple of my favorites. I was seriously in risk of spending my fuel money and getting stuck down in KY. I think my wife drug me away by my ear and demanded I give her the rest of the money stash after about the 10th rental gun....

Trent said:

Man, it's hard to believe it's been 5 years since I was there last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZpHmaoBtDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xC7Wokz36I

Couple of my favorites. I was seriously in risk of spending my fuel money and getting stuck down in KY. I think my wife drug me away by my ear and demanded I give her the rest of the money stash after about the 10th rental gun....

Click to expand...

Here's mine from October of 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s14zmsDDG8g&feature=plcp

It's not just the guns that I love about Knob Creek.
It's the totality of the experience, and the atmosphere.
It's waiting at 6:30am in the darkness for the chow hall to open up.
It's people-watching and chatting with people from all over the place.
It's hearing the range command of "ready on the..." and never hearing past "the" because guns began firing just a *bit* too soon.
It's the sincerely appreciative and thunderous applause that breaks out at the close of the Night Shoot.
And it's also about the thousands of other people you're milling around with - gawking and talking, and most of all there because of a deep and true love of guns and gun rights...

I'm probably just spoiled, but I really don't have much desire to go to Knob Creek. I would love to attend the gun show there, but shows are crowded and noisy enough without being located right on a dusty, muddy live firing line.

If I'm going to shoot a machine gun (and pay for the privilege), I want to be able to do somewhere I can practice slowly, get a feel for the gun, learn its quirks, take it apart, etc. Not pay $50 for a belt to rip off in a singe burst.

And the last thing I'd do is take my own machine gun to the Creek.