New to 29 Palms?

Blanman

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
May 29, 2008
360
11
Utah
hey guys, I'm about to graduate my LAV school and found out that we're all going to get sent to 29 Palms. No biggie, I would be fine wherever they sent me but I was just curious to ask those who either are there or have been there...how is it?? anything I should watch out for/look for, and the big one, if I were to bring my rifle could I use the rifle ranges??
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Congrats on your pending graduation, Marine.

i can't comment on 29 palms but if it's anything like the Army you can't own a firearm and be in the barracks. If you do, you have to leave them in the unit arms room and only sign out with a CPT's memo.

I would refrain from bringing your rifle until you get there and get to know and trust someone who lives outside the barracks.

I may be wrong on this, so if I am, please someone correct me
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Your going to 29 Stumps BUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Brother there ain't shit in to do in the palms if you have no car,stay away from Palm Springs its full of fags.But Big Bear is nice in the winter.

As Cav said hold off on the rifle till you get settled in,there's more than enough places off base to shoot as far as the eye can see.

Hit me up with a PM when you get there,I'll give you a Hide members name that can hook you up with some places to shoot.And give a wave to my old Batt. 1/7 Mar Div.

Simper Fi!
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Ahh what luck! I spent 4 very memorable years in the stumps with 3/7 from 04-08.

I would stay away from any of the women. It's a good idea to wait until you have a friend off base to store your rifle with like Cav said, but I kept my rifle/pistol hidden in the trunk of my POV. After I graduated from boot status and no longer had senior Marines trashing my room every night, I had them both in my wall locker.

There are many many places to shoot out there. A few miles south west of the gate is a large open area called the sugar bowl. I would go shooting there all the time and never ran into anyone.

Another awesome place to check out is J-tree National Park. It's an awesome place for hiking and camping (as if you don't get enough already) and rock climbing. Even now that I'm out of the Corps, I still make it a point to go climbing there a few times a year. It's amazing how different it is than the rest of the desert surrounding it.

Other than that, your best bet for entertainment is L.A. or Vegas.

PM me if you have any questions. I still have a lot of friends stationed down there. I see you're from Utah, and I don't want to assume anything, but I'm LDS and can help get you set up with others down there if you are interested.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Use to go to 29 Palms once a year in Nov for their 1000 yard match and High Power Regionals, it was always a good match. It deffentaly tested your ability to shoot in the wind.

It was always a pleasure for an army paratrooper to give the marines a shooting lesson.

They put on a good match, marine trainees were hired to pull targets.

What confused me, they had concatina (sp) wire around the range office. Every twenty feet or so there was a sign "DONT SET ON THE FENCE". Only marines had to have a sign telling them not to set on a barbed wire fence.

It was one of the highlights of my shooting year.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BlackWhiskey</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Strickland said:
You want to know how 29 Palms is... well I'll tell you...

Its freaking <span style="font-size: 23pt">HOT</span> </div></div>

Until December and January, that has almost constant 60mph winds 25 degree temperature and snow! There is no time of year in that place that gives comfortable weather.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

CAX in January/February was quite comfortable a few years ago. Granted, the 80 degree temp swings morning to noon didn't help much, but after a week or so it really wasn't that bad.

What got me was the motard desk jockeys who wanted to burn the outside working types for having scuffed boots in the sandy burning-ass desert.

We only had one memorable sandstorm while I was there...ended up losing a Hummer for a good couple of hours. It was 30 feet away, but still couldn't see the Hummer. Great sunrises/sunsets, though.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

The stumps can be a great station if you have a car. You are a few hrs from great spots in all direction. I would wait untill you either have off base housing or find a friend who does to store your rifle.

One bit of advice is: if your 21 or older don't get cought getting beer for hte younger Marines. You will get jammed up big time.

Good luck
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Anyone here shot at both the HP range at 29 and the one at Pendleton? I've learned that civilians with Expert classification can shoot at the fleet matches every spring at Pendleton...elevation there is something like 35 feet ASL.

Boomer, on the other hand, is most likely interested in nothing but tactical matches. Who can hook him up, or is he going to be driving to LV for LVShooter's matches?
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BoomerTG1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">hey guys, I'm about to graduate my LAV school and found out that we're all going to get sent to 29 Palms. No biggie, I would be fine wherever they sent me but I was just curious to ask those who either are there or have been there...how is it?? anything I should watch out for/look for, and the big one, if I were to bring my rifle could I use the rifle ranges?? </div></div>

I would tell you have fun at Range 400 but being that you're in a mounted unit you won't have the "luxury" of running that range under near black flag conditions.

CAX and Steel Knight... Good times, good times indeed.

Like others have said, you're only a few hours away from LA, Vegas, Lake Havasu and a few other hot spots. Get yourself a car and don't get drink and drive or at least don't get caught. A DUI/DWI will fuck up your career big time.

The Stumps is the biggest live fire range the Marine Corps has to offer. Everything from 9MM to 2,000lbs bombs is fair game in that place. Used to love seeing the engineers setting off their MCLCs out in the middle of the desert.

Have fun.

Slapchop
3/7 India Co Wpns Plt
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Remember the gopher turtles,they would stop a convoy while it passed, the tree huggers said if it pissed its self it would die.But we would blow the shit out of the desert floor and nothing was said about flying turtles.

Had a bud pick up a gila monster and put it in his cargo pocket,later that day he was going to feed it an MRE cracker and it bit the shit out of him.Had to have a CH-46 come med his ass to the hospital,guess he did'nt remember it was venomous.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

Pharump,Nv. isn't that far away. The Rio always had the best dance club Lv, the girls that are dressed super hot are hookers. There are or were several clubs to avoid in the downtown but that was a few years back.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Slapchop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Oh and if you EVER get a chance, you have to go for a swim in Lake Bandini. Just try to avoid the floating logs. </div></div>


And don't swim with your mouth open....
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

The stumps offers the best live fire training around. CAX and exercises like that are fucking killer. It's hot as hell in the summer and cold as shit in the winter, though. I knew a guy who kept his personal SASR in the company armory and used the ranges on the weekends. There are plenty of places to shoot and ride dirt bikes and shit like that. We knew some crazies out in town that partied and knew how to have a good time. Beware, crazies like to get too crazy sometime. DON'T DRINK and DRIVE and expect to get back on base...the number one cause of most of my friends getting busted down.
Stay away from the local women, they will probably eat you if they get the chance. Don't stop in Amboy on your way to Vegas, either as you might get eaten there too. Approach Murphy's Bar in Yucca Valley with extreme caution...you might get stabbed, then eaten.
Other than avoiding the cannibals and meth heads,have a good time. Get a car or get tight with someone who has one and get off base every weekend. The stumps is right in the middle of a lot of cool places: LA, Vegas, Palm Springs (if you tolerate gay culture), Big Bear, San Bernadino, Havasu...
There's my $.02 on it.
Take care, Marine...Kill
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

alright, thanks for all the words of advice guys, sounds like it won't be too bad. I hear 3rd LAR just started their work up so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to do stuff but I plan on getting a car eventually. I don't drink either so I don't really have to worry about the drinking and driving..too young anyway
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BoomerTG1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">alright, thanks for all the words of advice guys, sounds like it won't be too bad. I hear 3rd LAR just started their work up so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to do stuff but I plan on getting a car eventually. <span style="font-weight: bold">I don't drink either</span> so I don't really have to worry about the drinking and driving..too young anyway </div></div>

Believe me you will.

As far as Amboy, CA goes is the population of that dump still in the low double digits? One hell of a creepy place to drive thru at night.
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SIERRAWHISKEY</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Remember the gopher turtles,they would stop a convoy while it passed, the tree huggers said if it pissed its self it would die.But we would blow the shit out of the desert floor and nothing was said about flying turtles.

Had a bud pick up a gila monster and put it in his cargo pocket,later that day he was going to feed it an MRE cracker and it bit the shit out of him.Had to have a CH-46 come med his ass to the hospital,guess he did'nt remember it was venomous. </div></div>

LOL DONT TOUCH THE TURTLES! haha i hated that speech. I think an animal that pisses its self and die's needs to accept natural selection and die off...
 
Re: New to 29 Palms?

All personnel residing in Military Family Housing, or BOQs are required to register their weapons with the Vehicle Registration Office. Weapons are any firearms, which includes but is not limited to BB guns, paint ball guns, and cross bows and any knife with a blade length of four inches or greater. To register weapons, personnel must complete the weapons registration form available at the Vehicle Registration Office. Bringing the weapon itself to the Vehicle Registration Office is not necessary. All enlisted personnel (sergeant and below) living in the BEQ must store their weapon in their unit armory.

S Sgt. MLS 3rd Battalion 4th Marines Lima Co. retired