At the risk of a minor threadjack:
We went over to our usual outdoor range this afternoon and...well, somebody had lost their minds. The only explanation I could come up with anyway:
1) The 100 yard rifle range was untouched. So far, so good.
2) The 50 yard range looked like the berm/eyebrow combination had been beefed up a bit. Probably needed it.
3) The 17 yard/50 foot range had a brand new berm, *maybe* 10 feet high, with an eyebrow, that stands, oh, 10 yards max behind the poles onto which are strung the chicken wire where one puts up one's targets. And here's where it gets weird....the chicken wire was down almost to ground level. The very top of the wire is probably at (maybe) 4 feet off the ground. Chicken wire is, what, 2 1/2 feet to three feet wide? You get the picture. On this thigh-high wire is where the targets now go.
4) And that was nothing compared to the 7 yard range. A miniature berm, maybe 4 feet high at max, was piled up behind the posts and chicken wire setup. Behind THAT was the continuation of the 17 yard berm/eyebrow. Same setup, with the targets down low to the ground.
I just stood with my mouth agape. We shot at the 17 yard range, as far as we could get away from the 7-yards. Chalk it up to me being an artist, but I could imagine any number of unintended consequences resulting from this very odd arrangement. Given how many people have trouble hitting the paper at 7 yards :banghead::banghead::banghead: I had visions of undershot rounds ricocheting, overshot rounds bouncing off the top of the mini-berm and ricocheting, and wondering precisely what would be the effects of magnum shotgun slugs at that angle and range.
Hang it all, I have enjoyed shooting there since I returned to shooting after many years' away. I like the people. I like the prices (sometimes). But unless we are invaded by an army of munchkins, that range is going to be worse than useless, even for plinking, let alone training muscle memory.
When we came in, Archerandshooter asked the young lady behind the counter why it had been done. We were told that it was because all the shooting tore up the posts that hold up the berm. Whisky tango foxtrot? Thinking that this might mean that it was temporary until the berm had more work done, I asked if it were permanent. She lowered her eyes (I get the impression she'd been answering that question for days) and said yes, as far as she knows, it is.
Well, crud. The only positive thing is that we'll now be forced out of our comfort zone to go check out other ranges and maybe finally take some pistol classes together somewhere. I may occasionally go and shoot at the 17-yard range....or the 50 if I get really nervy
But I won't be shooting over there much again unless they fix this oddity.
Back to your regular scheduled discussion....with the caveat "if you're going to build a berm, for heaven's sake, build it large enough to BE a berm."
Jan
