The members only range we shoot at has been closed for a month now. The owner is adding a wood backstop to all the berms.

This is due to the gov't building a law enforcement range and training center down range of the berms.

As soon as they took occupancy they came at him saying rounds were escaping his range. (code we'll sue/shut you down)

(Unless someone purposely points over the berms I don't see how that's possible.) Regardless this made the safety upgrade happen.

I was talking with some other members and they think there should be a refund or month added for the month we are losing. I see their point and wouldn't be surprised that the membership agreement covers the owner in these situations.

The range is a major upgrade from the public ranges in everyway. Safety, facility quality, etc. I doubt the owner secretly drives a Bentley.

So my thought is basically its a first-world problem. The owner told me before he started it was going to be $8K just for the wood. Losing a month, to me, is alright to keep the availability of this range for the future.

Your thoughts?

I wouldn't give it a second thought, for now. If it's more than a couple of months, then I'll probably start bitching.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yep. Correct answer.

Costs to the owner do not stop if the membership is unable to use the facilities.
If the upgrades are required, necessary or of benefit to the members and the interruption is reasonable for the purpose, then I would not be overly troubled.

But, that is just my perspective on such things.

A month or two is an inconvenience, IMO. Longer, then, yes, I'd think that something like a month added to membership (or whatever the payment scheme is at the facility) sounds reasonable.

I might drive by there to see how things are progressing but otherwise I'd keep my mouth shut and wait a while longer.

I would be willing to donate a few months and even some labor to help the owner out. You are lucky to have a place like that to go to.

I would like to ask why wood ? It couldnt just be plywood. 2x4’s ? $8k seems to be pretty high, understanding that would products have sky rocketed during the last 2 years. Perhaps a logging mill can contacted and add to the height of the berm.
Anyways, 1 month does not seem to be too bad, and really an inconvenience. As another member said, chip in and donate time to get it done sooner.
My .02.
sigguy(the 1st)

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
I wouldn't give it a second thought, for now. If it's more than a couple of months, then I'll probably start bitching.

This ^^^^^

A month or two, and providing nothing changes in what you like about the club, would not be a show-stopper for me.

I did drop my membership in a private club over something similar, but far more egregious.

However...

quote:

Originally posted by Underdog:
As soon as they took occupancy they came at him saying rounds were escaping his range. (code we'll sue/shut you down)

(Unless someone purposely points over the berms I don't see how that's possible.) Regardless this made the safety upgrade happen.

Sadly, it's impossible to build a backstop high enough to prevent rounds going over the top of it when somebody screws up--and members will screw up.

Ideally, at least for you and I, such people get identified and prohibited from using the facilities they can't seem to use responsibly. But membership clubs seem reluctant to do that, IME.

This is why the club to which I formerly belonged completely changed what had formerly been a fairly free-form outdoor pistol range into one that was highly restrictive in how you could shoot. (That was one of the other reasons I left the club.)

Have to agree with 12131's post about a couple of months with no use of the range might be a incovience but would the upgrade be a benifit to you as well as all of the other members that use the range. And would leaving this range would you be gaining any benefits by going somewhere else if another facility is nearby without much trouble. ... Best of luck. ........................ drill sgt.

I don't see that there's much choice but to hang in there.

Any chance of your range's management going over and asking for a favor of the new range's management?

Something informal like, "Hey, we're doing what you've asked, as a courtesy. It's going to take a while, and we're down in the meantime. Might we ask for permission for our members to use your range while we're upgrading?"

Couldn't hurt to ask. Probably would depend on the nature of the LEO, and how involved with the community. FBI/NSA? Maybe not. But county sheriff? I wouldn't hesitate to ask my range's board to check in with the Sheriff's Office, if that were to happen here.

"Rounds are escaping the range"

"Show me"

Guy said rounds were escaping our range and hitting his home. Without investigation, the County Commissioners held a hearing.

The guy ranted for 15 minutes about how we were a safety hazard. Took me about 2 minutes to show him there was no way a round could go out of our range, up and over a hill, back down, level out at 6' above the ground and hit his house.

Conversely, I know of two sportsman's clubs that had neighbors have rounds end up on, or embedded in, their roofs.

At one of those two clubs they had to regularly repair the indoor range roof due to members shooting holes in it.

I agree with ensigmatic. The only way to prevent bullets from exiting a range is to:
1. Only allow firing from fixed points.
2. Only allow firing from the standing position.
3. Install baffles above the shooting points that would trap or deflect bullets downward, and such that bullets not affected would not be angled to fly over the backstops/berms.

Even with the above precautions, it might be possible for a bullet to escape the range.

This is why many outdoor ranges are built looking into flood zones, mountains, etc.--areas where other activity/building would not be possible.

flashguy