Gas Prices and Range Trips

[g.willikers]

Airguns.
Blowback CO2 bb and airsoft with reduced ipsc or idpa targets at 7 yds in the garage.
4X Scoped, break barrel, spring rifle at wine bottle corks at 18 yds across the living room.
Nice weather every day, and the coffee is always hot.

Very effective practice, fun and cheap as can be.
Don't need many trips to the range with the "real" guns nearly as much.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

Most people who have Fullsize trucks have them for a reason, the smaller fuel efficient ones just won't do the job required.

I assumed he didnt use his truck for work when he mentioned his job was in danger of being outsourced to India. Kind of hard to outsource the type of work that requires heavy hauling.

BTW -most people that buy fullsized trucks dont need them.

especially since I expect to be layed off and replaced with a [explitive deleted] guy from India any day now

Of course, if he uses his fullsized truck for recreational use, such as pulling a camper, boat, or other toy, thats a whole other loaf of bread........

 

[Zedicus]

that's why I didn't mention needing it for work

 

[Mr White]

You go Cosmo! I bet that sucks in the winter!

My car gets about 30 mpg and the range I normally plink at is about 6 miles from my home, so that isn't too bad. Where it'll hurt me is for matches. One range where I shoot high power is about 100 miles round trip and the other is about 110 round trip. That ends up tacking on about an extra $13-14 to every match fee. Not enough to make me stop shooting high power matches, but enough that it sucks having to pay and extra $13.

 

[aquapong]

My range is 27 miles away, so 2 gallons of gas or $8.30 for a round trip. Lucky for me, a new pistol range is going to be built 8 miles away that I may be able to use some times.

 

[XD Fan]

I am defintiely going less. I only get there about once a month now. There is a great private range close to my house, but the application fee is $200 and the annual dues are $200. However, that is looking more and more palatable with gass prices where they are.

 

[mike6161]

my dad just got a prius he gets 59 mpg . He needed to replace the mufflers on he semi he put both of them in the back with the seat folded down.
He got 57 MPG taking them there.
I have cut back on shooting because of gas prices. It cost me $20 buck to get to the range.

 

[Bruenor]

Cosmoline,

Nice ride. You just gave me some ideas.

 

[Nate C.]

At these prices, I am doing everything less. It is frustrating.

I keep threatening to buy a mule for my local commuting, but I fear the neighbors would turn me in. (Why did I ever move to town?)

 

[Cosmoline]

I bet that sucks in the winter!

I just put Nokians on my Kona Hoss and I'm good to go.

 

[VPLthrneck]

hauling a Nagant with ammo on a bike

Bruenor--the first image I got was an old German immagrant women screaming "The Russians are Invading, The Russian are Invading!" as you go biking by her.

Flame Red--start by getting everyone that goes to your range to sign a petition to grandfather the range in from any "noise/nusance" ordinance that could result in a complaint by the builders/managers/residents of the new to come retirement center. Have you all checked with the county/city people about neighboring owners say so (impact statements I think?)-I know this has stopped sub-divisions around my hometown in MT.

Also send fliers over to the center offering discounted shooting lessons, self defense classes, range fees, you name it....Kill them with kindness type of deal.

As for gas prices and range trips--gas went up I bought stock in oil companies Oh and signed the Drill Now petition, but thats politics
Hasn't really effected my range trips, I went twice a month before, still do now. However, I stay longer.

 

[Cosmoline]

Bruenor--the first image I got was an old German immagrant women screaming "The Russians are Invading, The Russian are Invading!" as you go biking by her.

I should point out that not only were Mosins carried on bicycles, there were entire squads of Finnish bicycle troops. They swapped out to ski when the snow got too deep. The Soviets were absolutely terrified of them. They could move in all weather with no gasoline or supply column. They moved in near silence over all sorts of terrain, and they could attack and be gone before any heavy weapons were brought up.

http://www.kevos4.com/Wartime Photos 7.htm

There's actually a recent movie about a bicycle squad that's quite good called Rukajärven tie.

And let's not forget the Swiss. This is a little news magazine segment about their long history with military bicycles. They haul not just rifles but machine guns, mortars and RPG's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkjpDZ1O4C0

 

[Cosmoline]

Duplicate

 

[jrfoxx]

Nearest good, safe place for me to shoot (excepting pistol only places, that charge enough to negate the gas saved anyways) is ~1hr each way.Needless to say, I havent been shooting that much the last year. The last 3 guns I bought, sat for several months before I took them out to shoot them. Cant WAIT to get some things taken care of (and the kid to graduate HS so I dont have to listen to hours of crying whenever the subject of moving to a new district even gets hinted at) so I can get my own house with enough land to shoot in my own back yard.

 

[MrBorland]

And let's not forget the Swiss. This is a little news magazine segment about their long history with military bicycles. They haul not just rifles but machine guns, mortars and RPG's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkjpDZ1O4C0

Great vid. I have one of these. Vintage 1945. Single speed, and about 60lbs, without machine gun, mortars & RPGs. You can actually buy one here:

http://www.pinzgauer.com/shpics.php?table=vehicles&idnum=17

A friend of mine used to be on the Swiss Army bike unit when they used these single speed bikes, and tells me they'd load them with a hundred pounds or so of extra gear, then climb the swiss mountains with them - in BDUs. Those guys are tough & very fit hombres!

For us mortals, I can tell you it'd be a tough ride, and, AFAIK, the newer multi-speed versions are very expensive and aren't generally available in the US, but if you're looking for something like Cosmoline's set-up, here's one that might fit the bill nicely:

http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='2753-20'

 

[Poor East Texan]

Responding to Zedicus:

Indeed my '03 Ram 2500 Cummins is my Daily Driver/Parts Room/Work Shop/Office.

The things I do from one day to another require a truck like this.

SHOULD I end up doing a completely different job I WON"T need this truck however....

 

[Flame Red]

No, I don't own a Prius. I personally like to drive US manufactured cars and trucks. I have a Chevy and a GMC truck. My wife is bugging me for a Prius so she can shelp all her relatives around on my dime

I had an almost $600 payment for the GMC because I got one of those 0% loans and put everything on the loan, tag, tax and no trade in. All paid off now

My company, who will remain nameless, except to say part of the name is 'American' brings in the Indians by the plane load and does not hire many citizens anymore. Just a different form of outsourcing. Once they get the taste of the good life, they don't go back. They do everything possible to make the employees miserable so they leave to make more room for more plane loads. Did I mention that the head executive is Indian?

 

[Bruenor]

No, I don't own a Prius. I personally like to drive US manufactured cars and trucks.

I don't know about the Pruis, but they make Tundra's right here in Indiana. Toyota is a company that makes cars and trucks right here in the US, assembled by Americans, providing jobs for Americans.

Cosmoline, good info about the bicycle troops. Now I'm designing a bike trailer that I can build out of some old bicycle tires and PVC piping. If I actually get it built, I'll post pictures.

 

[#shooter]

I feel your pain. My local range is a no center fire rifle range. To shoot rifles is a 1hr trip and more range fees. Going hunting will be worse, that is a 2-3 hr trip to my “sweet spot.” I wish I had a place to archery hunt in Marion County but there is no public land here where hunting is allowed unless you win the DNR lottery.

 

[jackstinson]

I'm not going to the range any less often. Although it is 30 miles from my home, it's only 8 miles from my work. So I shoot there after work once a week to save on fuel costs.
There's a nice indoor range on my way home from work, but the membership cost and hourly fees are not worth it to me.
I also shoot daily in my basement range using Colibri, Super Colibri, and .25acp shells loaded with primer-powered .25 cal air gun pellets. I sometimes still shoot my assortment of air guns. But primer powered .22 and 25 cartridges enable me to use the same .22 rifles/pistols/revolvers and .25 pistols in my basement that I shoot on the outdoor range. Great practice for trigger control, sight picture, and such.
Jack

 

[Dienekes]

I used to be able to shoot high power about 1/2 mile from here until my shooting buddy who owned the land married an insane woman. The local range is only a fifteen minute trip, so no big deal. My preference is some very isolated BLM land about 38 miles out, and my smaller rigs aren't too bad with that. Even went out with the ATV once last year but it took a while to get there. When I was younger I took the mountain bike for a range vehicle and I enjoyed that a lot.

Frankly this stuff has been coming for a long time now. My old '69 Ford 3/4 ton with PTO winch and 16 inch tires hasn't run in a long time and probably won't unless I do a restoration on it.

Those days are over.

 

[scrat]

cosmoline way to go. wish i could do that. i think i would spend the whole day riding though. Actually you cant do it here. its only by freeway and bikes are not allowed. Then there are 8 miles of some nasty hills.

 

[Walkalong]

It's a B****, but what is a person to do. I am sure hose range trips to shoot 10 rounds of a new load will go by the wayside this summer.

 

[Richbaker]

Cosmo, what's that holding the muzzle end to the seat tube? Looks like a great rig...