Discuss the when's and where's of the next range trip.
 #103864  by whatevah
 
As of yesterday, .50BMG is no longer allowed at Elk Neck. I dunno what prompted it, but I'm sure somebody did something stupid. There was a guy there last Saturday shooting on a chrono but I don't think he was annoying anybody. His bolt handle broke before the range got busy so he switched to an AR.

Also, a clarification of the general rules, vehicles are not permitted past the firing line. A guy drove down to the rifle berm to place his targets last weekend. There used to be a sign saying no vehicles past this point but I guess it blew off or something.
 #103874  by Red Alert
 
I liked the place but also didn't care for it. Make sense? My issue is the lack of range safety officer. I went twice and both times there wasn't one. Rifle range was jammed packed. I could see a major potential issue...
 #104007  by whatevah
 
The rifle side gets busiest... usually fills up around 11 until 2 or 3pm. There are 12 lanes, though so you usually don't have to wait long if it's completely full. Try to pick the far left lanes if you can, so you're not getting pelted with brass. ;) The shotgun side has more of a wait since there are only 2 stands and people usually come in groups. Pistol side runs in spurts, 3 tables with room for 2 shooters each (or a group of 3) although one of the tables is technically for 25+ yards only. As long as you're not holding somebody up who actually wants to shoot at the longer distances, you'll be fine.

Remember that you'll need a target stand... center of target should be 54" off the ground (used to be 48", changed a few months ago). This is to keep the bullets hitting the berm and not ricocheting off the ground or into the baffles. Make it with a little weight, at least in the base so it doesn't blow over. Nothing like watching your target fall over a minute after the range goes hot and having to wait 25 minutes for the next cease fire. If you use PVC, only use it for the base. Switch to wood for the top half... wood will take a few hits, PVC will explode after a single impact. I use a PVC base with 5' stakes, 1" square. They fit perfectly inside 1.25" ID PVC. I loaned it out last time and counted 4 rifle rounds in one stake and it was still holding.
 #104064  by FNshooter
 
Thanks for the info....Saturday ended up being a bit too cold for me and ended up not going. Gonna try again weekend after next or maybe a weekday if its nice.

Rich
 #104902  by nphocus
 
whatevah wrote:The rifle side gets busiest... usually fills up around 11 until 2 or 3pm. There are 12 lanes, though so you usually don't have to wait long if it's completely full. Try to pick the far left lanes if you can, so you're not getting pelted with brass. ;) The shotgun side has more of a wait since there are only 2 stands and people usually come in groups. Pistol side runs in spurts, 3 tables with room for 2 shooters each (or a group of 3) although one of the tables is technically for 25+ yards only. As long as you're not holding somebody up who actually wants to shoot at the longer distances, you'll be fine.

Remember that you'll need a target stand... center of target should be 54" off the ground (used to be 48", changed a few months ago). This is to keep the bullets hitting the berm and not ricocheting off the ground or into the baffles. Make it with a little weight, at least in the base so it doesn't blow over. Nothing like watching your target fall over a minute after the range goes hot and having to wait 25 minutes for the next cease fire. If you use PVC, only use it for the base. Switch to wood for the top half... wood will take a few hits, PVC will explode after a single impact. I use a PVC base with 5' stakes, 1" square. They fit perfectly inside 1.25" ID PVC. I loaned it out last time and counted 4 rifle rounds in one stake and it was still holding.
I've been to Elk Neck once and a buddy brought his rickety stands. Do you mind posting a pic or a link to your setup?
 #104903  by whatevah
 
I'll try to get it set up in the daylight in the next few days for a photo. But, in the mean time, here's my process.

It's four 3-way pieces with 10ft of 1.25" inner diameter tube.

- Cut two 4" lengths, stick one into the end of a 3-way and use what's sticking out to connect with the middle section of another 3-way.
- Cut a 14" section and stick that into the end of first 3-way (opposite of the 4" piece).
- Cut another 4" section and use the other 3-ways to mirror the other side.
- Cut two 12" sections and stick them in the open ports of the inner 3-ways. these will serve as the supports for your 1" wooden stakes
- Cut the remaining tube into 4 equal lengths and stick them into the open ports of the outer 3-ways. these will be the legs. I leave mine open and slide 1" steel pipe inside them for weight, but you could maybe plug them and put in some sand.

I'd suggest using PVC glue on the 3-ways where they connect with the 4" and 12" sections to make a solid base. Glue it while it's all assembled so the alignment is correct. The ends don't have to be perfect, I used a hack-saw on mine and sanded off the burrs. Consider using some fine-grit sandpaper on the ends of the non-glues pieced so they assemble and disassemble easier. Mine stick occasionally and need a little force to seperate.

I tried to keep it as compact as possible to fit inside the back of my Wrangler... but, a side benefit of the short vertical sections is that they won't get hit very easily. PVC tends to explode when it's hit, so keeping them short and using wood stakes is a great trick. I see a lot of all-PVC stands at the range and I don't remember many that were intact at the end of the day.
 #104905  by Owen
 
Just curious, but do you see any stands made from 2x4's? I bet I could smack together a stand with scraps I have.