Comments on Knob Creek last weekend?

[H&R Glock]

Four of us Michiganders drove down to West Point this week end to see the show at Knob Creek. I went last year too. Both trips were enjoyable.
The management probably ought to hear some complaints about the excessive crowds (Saturday night) which made viewing just about impossible except for the 7 foot tall people. More bleacher seating is needed.
On the other hand the canteen service was pretty quick and the prices were reasonable.
The mini gun Saturday night must have run for 60 seconds straight. Massive amounts of ammo were consumed. All in all a fine show for the money.
I found 44 Rem. Mag new primed brass for $15/100. Good deals on powder, bullets, etc. The 4 of us spent about $1200 not counting gas, motel, and meals. That means we bought lots of stuff at the gun show, stayed in a cheap motel, and ate at the White Castle.

 

[AlexanderA]

I have a different take on Knob Creek. I've been there about 3 times in recent years, mainly for the market in the Pole Barn. As a gun show, Knob Creek is unique. Nowhere else can you find such a selection of machine guns, parts, and related militaria.

The shooting on the nearby firing line, to me, was a severe distraction. The noise, when the firing was going on, made it impossible to carry on conversations with the vendors. This, combined with the dust in the fall and the mud in the spring, added up to a general unpleasantness, in relation to what I was trying to accomplish. This is why I stopped going, once I had bought what I wanted to buy.

The Knob Creek management should seriously consider separating the shooting aspect from the gun show aspect, perhaps by having the events on different weekends.

(In comparison, the SAR East show in Harrisburg, which bills itself as a machine gun show, has machine guns but hardly any MG parts. Therefore, it's not a substitute for Knob Creek.)

 

[Trent]

Stayed in a hotel?

Man you missed out on the full Knob Creek Experience if you didn't camp!

Waking up to "the rain" (what the shoot sounds like from the camping area - a heavy distant rain) is a great experience.

 

[buck460XVR]

I have gotten to love Knob Creek Rye, and enjoyed it thoroughly last weekend. Just sayin'........

 

[SSN Vet]

I like Knob Creek too, but prefer the Bourbon

 

[GarrettJ]

I think this fall was my 5th time at the Knob Creek MG shoot. I hear people lamenting the "good old days" when guns and ammo were cheap and plentiful. I don't know, but I still enjoy it now.

As noted, the pole barn contains a gun show unlike any other I've ever attended. You can find stuff there that seems to be unobtainable anywhere else, including on the Internet. (One guy was thrilled to find some parts for his Stoner 63 that he's been unable to locate for years.)

The main line is fun to watch for a short time. I got to go shoot on the main line, at the invitation of a friend. Running a belt through a Ma Duce is an experience!

But otherwise the main line doesn't hold that much appeal to me. Just dumping rounds into some old cars is fun for a couple of mags / belts, but after that you're just turning $$ into noise. And watching other people shoot is not all that appealing either. Again, good for maybe 10 minutes. I've never stayed for the night shoot, for the reasons above. Fighting crowds and poor viewing isn't all that appealing.

Same thing with camping. By the end of the day I'm tired. I want a shower and sleep, not to listen to drunken, armed people run around yelling all night.

I go for the competitions. The pistol match is okay, and the rifle match is interesting (not that I did all that well this year). But I really go for the Subgun match. The Creek has probably the largest (in terms of participants / runs) and best known Subgun match in the country. It's always been a good time. I had "so-so" runs in three categories, and finally pulled out a good one at the end.

But if it wasn't for the Subgun match, I'd probably go once just for the experience, but I probably wouldn't return.

 

[entropy]

Nice shooting, Garrett!

 

[bannockburn]

GarrettJ

Haven't been to Knob Creek but would like to go there sometime just to experience it. Thanks for the video links; especially enjoyed the one with the Sterling Mk.4 (I have the semi-auto version, Mk.6).

 

[WestKentucky]

Knob Creek is a lot of fun, but it's not something I do regularly. I have been 3 times, and can say with certainty that the comments about mud and dust are absolutely right. I didn't have much trouble talking to the vendors in the polebarn except during the main line shoot. The rental line is noisy, but not so much so as to interrupt folks on the hill. My biggest frustration was finding a bathroom. My suggestion, go constipated.

Back to my earlier point...if you go back to back you see the same stuff and same vendors for the most part. If you let a couple years go by between visits it seems like there's more "new" stuff to see.

And AR500 targets get stinkin heavy walking back to the truck.

 

[AlexanderA]

If you want to do some serious shopping in the Pole Barn, the best time to go is as early as possible on Friday morning. I believe they open for business at 9 a.m., but figure on a long line of traffic going in, the need to find a parking space, etc. For me, that means an overnight motel stay in the area. Add to that a day and a half drive to get to the Louisville area (from Virginia), and another day and a half to drive back. This becomes a major production. Before I go, I need to have a rather long shopping list ready.