GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

[TOP PREDATOR]

don't know if this topic / question fits in this section, but here goes (long post):

my local shooting club Factoryville Sportsman's club in NE Pa.) has a range 200m to 385 (218y-421y) that has been neglected for 15+ years, and has mostly been forgotten about.

so i started trimming some brush, cutting some trees, spraying weeds in a limited area where a few silhouette target swingers were located.

10 feet wide for personal use became 30, then 50, then more. then i approached the club's board to hold a long range event (this is considered long range at the club) which happened on sept 29th.

the board approved of it with extreme caution, as the way the club ranges are setup, the other ranges would have to be shut down for the day for safety reasons.

there were many other concerns. they also restricted it to members only for this first time, just to see what the response would be. if it was positive, future events (if approved) are to be opened to the public.

as all of this was as at first to be out of my own pocket, i asked long and hard for donations of materials.

so i had some 3/8 steel and 1/4 steel plate donated by one guy.

i thought of alot of target designs, and came up with sizes of most NRA, CMP, benchrest, F class, silhouette, etc. target sizes used to simulate the black scoring area and 10 rings of the thargets used in those disciplines, along with game animal body sizes (elk, bear, dear, turkey, coyote, small game, critters and varmints:

Round gongs are to simulate 10 rings / black scoring areas of paper targets used in NRA or CMP competitions at 200M & 300M: International, High power, F class, Benchrest, National match, President’s rifle, Service rifle, Vintage sniper and to simulate game animal body sizes for ranging.

i figure if you hit a particular gong size at a certain distance, you at least know that you are in the higher scoring rings or 10 ring for the compeition the sized gong represents.

there was 18", 12", 8", 6", 4", 3" gongs, along with an 18" square plate and 8" round plate hung above it at 421Y to simulate a human silhouette target. some paper targets where also thrown in.

after a few attempts to make racks "on the cheap", the final rack design was nicer than i thought, all pieces can be interchanged (legs, crossbars, etc are 5' high / wide 1.5" square perforated stock and fit into the braacket (1.75" square perforated stock to hold them together. minimal welding and abilility to repair any destructive hits within minutes.

i thought windflags would be useful and give a "professional" look to the range, so i used a red bed sheet cut to the shape of range wind flags, hose clamped to aluminum rods that i found from a covered patio swing dumped on the mountain. next year (if there is another event) i'll have red and yellow, just like the world class ranges.

targets were afixed with chain (conveyor belt material in the future) @ 14" & 25" lengths and 5/16 nuts, bolts, and washers for ease of replacement and standardization. basically the only tools needed at the range once built is 1/2" ratchet, 1/2" box wrench, 2 pairs of plieers, and bolt cutters.

here are a few of the building of the targets & racks pictures:

this is what the backstop looked like to the left and right of the single silhouette swinger

with only a machete, bowsaw, shovel, weedwacker and my two best friends left and right (hand) and some blood sweat and tears, started to do what i can, and finally the day of the shoot:

the shooting stations:

the shooting line still has to have some work done, but is still ahuge improvement from what it was just a month or two ago. some benches (some where actually picnic tables for the time being) and some open pad for offhand / prone / sitting / kneeling positions - shooters choice.

due to limited bench space, i had a rotation going - 10- 15 min per station, move to the next distance to alow athers hooters to get in the rotation. you can get back in when all stations are shot.

the way the range looked on shoot day:

the day was successful, no complaints, everyone left with bigger smiles than what they came with and the same amount of holes , fo damage to any property or incidents.

i attached a survey to the range "program / flyer / rules" as to get some feedback so i can get some idea how i can get it better and what i need to do in the future to make a more attractive event to members and non members alike.

tomorrow i go to the board metting with a proposal for a regular scheduled event.

the end cost was 520.00, but the board president did say i will be given a check, which took a load off my mind as mentioned before, it originally was coming out of pocket. i know better quality targets will have to be purchased, as .3006 mad swiss cheese out of 1/4" steel and dimpled the heck out of 3/8 at 200m (mild steel, again it was donated and "expendable"). AR500 in the future, able to handle just about anything. 50 cal (if allowed by the club) could use the paper targets.

so if approved, a better wider groomed backstop and shooting line will be established.


<span style="font-weight: bold"> so i ask of the internet guys for input:</span>


if something like this was added as a scheduled event, would any of you guys in the area come to shoot?

i figure $10-$15 fee, honestly, is that too much, too little or just right?

those target sizes mentioned before....do they agree with you? (they will probably be purchased from a few Hide vendors / members)


any other input is welcome. as far as i know, this is the longest range in my area in a controlled environment that will be (hopefully) opened to the public. hopefully some of the CMP guys at the club will join in and have a full distance sanctioned match, and with some nudgeing other sanctioned "real shoots" may happen. but as it goes now, it's mostly a "fun" or practice range day. maybe a few $ games implemented to win for the day, but that's something to think about for the future.

also they have a kitchen that has one heck of a good menu, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

[THE MGD]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

The only thing I dont dig is the rotations, style of bench and uncovered shooting area
Everything else looks GREAT
Coolest range I went to they had cheap black and white cctv cams at covered targets
Tvs at the bench displaying your target (covered)
. (exposed un covered in between shooter and target) gun & target never got wet . Kinda like shooting gazeebo to gazeebo. Only went to 300yrds.
Big tv behind the shooting line that cycled cams for visitors. An idea but not needed w steel. Also rotations dont seem that bad if im only going for (steel hit) rings vs paper groups.


$10 - 15 is VERY REASONABLE
Id be very intrested in a monthly / annual rate

300yrds is a great start.
Ive made benches from cut / welding discarded weight benches (bench press)
Ill post pics on a edit.

 

[sled_mack]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

You are well within my striking distance. I'd certainly try to make a match like that if it goes public next year.

Why the focus on the benches? Most tactical matches shoot from the ground or other support, but not a bench. Put those resources into a barricade, roof simulator, etc.

You don't say much about COF. But I thought you could work it out so that you have guys rotating in/out of the shooting location based on the stage. Sort of like IDPA, except as soon as shooter 1 is done, shooter 2 is ready to go hot.

It looks like you've done a great job. And getting the club to buy into it is even better. I think your long term challenge will be working with the range you have to keep it interesting and challenging over the long haul. It can be done. NHRPC does a very good job with only a little more distance to work with than you have. Once you start coming up with off the wall ideas, more will come to you. I don't know how much other MDs "protect" their secrets, but you might try reaching out to them for COF ideas as you progress along. They'll have good ideas on things to do, and more importantly, how to do them safely.

Your price is very fair. Don't be afraid to charge more to non-club members. Nothing obscene, but an extra 5 or 10 should not keep people away.

Again, I'd be up for a short road trip for a match like this. I might even be able to bring a few extras friends along.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

thanks for the inputs.

the rotations were to keep the "bench hogs" that might have shown up to get moving to the next distance and to allow the next guy to get a crack at the course. plus we had a limited amount of space on the firing line with either the benches or open area for the positional shooting guys.

the benches definately need to be replaced to a better style a more of them, but i will keep (open space) for positional shooters.

The COF was basically a simple shooting at the gongs l to r just to get a "feel" for shooting at those distances 218Y / 200M, 328Y / 300M, 421Y / 385M on sizes that replicate approved paper targets. the human / zombie targets out at 421Y were basically put up to add a little more interest. i also have some steel woodchucks to put out, but ran out of time to get them completed. I also wanted to reach out to all disciplines of shooter to get a good cross section in attendance, so i put up some paper too. everyone really had fun on the gongs and silhouettes though.

i like the idea of a barricade that was mentioned. more ideas will be implemented, i just had to make sure that my first priority was getting the range reopened first, then i could hopefully do alot more for next year.


their 100 and 200 yard ranges are covered, i don't know if they are going to go the extra mile to put a roof on the longer range. maybe they'll invest in a gazebo style tent or something like that.

unfortunately i'm crawling before i could walk, now that the crawling is over, i'm in the "walk stage". the board meeting is in about an hour, just wanted to check the forum for whatever other input i can bring to the meeting.

annual or monthly rate is a good idea. maybe a discount if paid in advance.

membership up there is $100 + 25.00 NRA membership + selling 20.00 worth of raffle tickets.

i'm going to try to keep it as low cost as possible, i figure i'll get more shooters if the fees are low, making up for it in "volume". that can always be adjusted if need be. it seems to work with my smallbore silhoutte program.

thanks again for the inputs, i really could use it to make it shooter friendly next year if it develops, i should know shortly.

 

[dbateman]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

Looks like you done a good job setting up the range and organising the shoot.


I see what you are saying about having to shut down other parts of the club to use the longer range but overall I think it looks like a pretty good set up.

I'm not in the same area as you but if I was the match that you put on looks like a lot of fun and a $10-15 few would be fine by me.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

thanks for the kind words dbateman.

Getting back from the club board meeting, they said I'm approved for 6 dates for 2013 (4th Saturday of the month) 8:00 a.m. to noon:

April 27
May 25
June 22
July 27
August 24
Sept 28

I'd like to have seen a more frequent opening of the range, but I have to take what is offered.

All of below subject to change to be finalized in the future, hopefully to be set by February 2013:

For right now I think $15.00 for non members $7.00 for members for a fee should be good, they have a kitchen that will be open for breakfast and lunch and has a pretty darn good menu.

COF will probably be changed a half of dozen times before the final COF as alot of it will be put together being put into the matches.

Better benches and wider groomed backstops are a must along with additional targets to be added, along with keeping open spaces for position shooters.

I think for now a timed rotation will work for safety and to keep things moving along, probably 10-15 min each distance to prevent bench hogs and give everyone a shot at the different distances, a cease fire called to tend to any targets that need it (about every 45min). You can rejoin the rotation to shoot more. Plus I think this will work well until I can make sure there is enough room on the firing line and works well with the final COF determination. I thnk this'll also not limit the number of rounds that can be taken, for more trigger time. This may also change as the final COF is set.

Should be a mixture of round gongs (18", 12", 8", 6", 4", 3"), steel "zombie silhouettes" (18" square torso, 8" round heads), some steel varmints, and paper targets with backerboards.

I'd like to get AR500 3/8" or 1/2" plating to handle magnum calibers, if anyone knows where a few sources of supply of plating that I can get to cut later, I'd appreciate it. Will also get already made to shoot steel targets from the 3-4 vendors here on the site. Without that, magnums may have to be retricted to the paper targets.


Thanks for all the forth coming suggestions, I can certainly use your help for popular COF suggestions and any places to get proper material.

More to come when everything, including your suggestions, is taken into account.

 

[sled_mack]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

Way to go!

The entry fee is a gift at that price. I hope people show up early for breakfast and buy lunch there too. The more money your events bring to the club, the more receptive they will be to keeping it going and/or expanding it.

One a month may be a good starting point. If it is too repetitive, it is too easy to say "I'll do (what ever) today and shoot next week". And we all know, next week something else comes up. If it is once a month, people do a bit more to block out their schedule to make that day.

As far as COF ideas, what do you want this match to become? Strictly a "come out and shoot at targets for fun" or into a more tactical match? I assumed tactical because of where you posted this, but there is plenty of need for fun matches to get people interested in shooting more and taking that first step toward more advanced matches. Two years ago I would have liked to have that intermediate step to a bigger match. Depending on the COF, you could even make it both. Put tight time limits on for experience shooters, but let the newer shooters have more forgiving time limits.

If this is like most of the other matches I shoot, you'll end up with a core group of shooters. The same group will make up 75% of the shooters at each match. You'll be able to tailor the COF to the feedback from that group.

I really hope I can make a few of those next year!

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

thanks sled,

i'd like to somehow do a mixture of a tactical type thing with a sprinkling of everything else.

we have a pretty decent high power silhouette and smallbore silhoutte crowd, so many of the gongs will suit their needs along with the actual silhouette swinging targets.

on the "tactical" side of things the zombie / human silhouette target gave it that flavor, with more of that sort of thing to come.

some paper targets tossed into the mix had a benchrest taste.

the guys that just want to see what they can do for hunting can get their time in too, i have a few groundhog targets cut out, but ran out of time to get them on frames and deployed this time around.

that's where i think the rotation thing will come into play - no matter what your there for, you can do your own thing.

thinking about it today a simple out of the box COF:

1. set up a point system for the gongs and the other targets, starting at 200M / 218Y and working your way out.
2. take 2 shots per gong - if you hit on your first shot, move on. if you miss, you get 1 more crack at it. (potentially 32 rnds on 16 gongs at 200, 300, 385 meters)
3. 2 shots to the body and 1 to the head on the zombie at 385M / 421Y. (potentially 35 rnds)
4. i've had the suggestion of a barricade, maybe a shaving cream filled balloon "peeking around" the barricade on either the left or right 1 shot per ballon, 2 balloons (1 at 300M / 328Y, 1 at 385M / 421Y (that's 37 rounds)
5. use another barricade at the 300M / 328Y shooting line...1 shot over, 1 shot under, 1 shot around it on the l and r side (thats 42 rounds)on a 12" gong. that'll throw in a kneeling or sitting shot, a prone shot, and a support side shot.
6. 1 shot at a groundhog target at each distance (thats potentially 45 rounds being used).
7. get bonus points for 1 shot 1 hits by getting extra points for ammo unused

score the hits, and then the tactical flavor match could have their match within the match. then the month after switch up the COF alittle bit to make it different like a n ever channging IDPA scenario. a portion of the fee to be put in for prize money. the ore shooters, the more the prize. then you can get back in the rotation for plinking if you wanted to.

the silhouette guys could do the same on the swingers at the same time, and have their match within the match, the CMP guys could do their thing, and so on. i hope that the CMP guys at the club jump on board and have a full sized match at the 300M instead of reduced target at 100Y. joining forces could benefit both outfits.

theres alot that can be thought up, i figure i have till february to lock a COF into place that's fun and interesting, again taking suggestions and implementing them. though i'm not thinking of having any type of sanctioned NRA, CMP, benchrest or silhouette match at this time, the potential is now there if someone wanted to run with it.

maybe it'll be too much happening at the same time, but a 3 way or more "match within a match" and some plinking may just be the way to satisfy the masses and different shooting styles. i'll analyze the crap out of it and see what happens on paper.

i would like to keep (if i can) the fee to 15.00 for at least the first year to keep it economical. if i'm still in "the black" keep it at 15.00, if in the red maybe a few bucks more.

again, now i've gone from crawling to walking, teetering on jogging. if it works out in 2013, i'll be sucking wind in 2014 and maybe will have to expand to a full day rather than till noon. i think a full day will help to get folks in that can't make it in the morning, and less of a crammed in morning crowd. i just have to take what time slots they are offering me now.

BTW there's a group of guys up your way that come down for the smallbore silhouette stuff, and will now be coming for this too. maybe if your definately coming down, you guys can get a carpool thing going.

 

[THE MGD]

Re: GONG / PAPER FUN MATCH -how did I do?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MGD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Ive made benches from cut / welding discarded weight benches (bench press)
Ill post pics on a edit.

</div></div>

Bench press benches