500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

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500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby plant_one » Sun Nov 12, 2023 9:39 pm

i took the plunge and joined Howell Gun Club this fall.

They have a big project going for 2023 of opening a new 500 yard target berm on the property among some other improvements including Tactical rifle action bays (2024 project to finish the tac rifle bays, but they moved all the dirt for them at the same time they did the 500 yd berms).

Previously their longest rifle berm was at 300 yards.



I've spent several of my Saturdays out there helping finalize this project including putting up the target holder wall down range and getting the safety baffles up near the shoot house finalized.


Image



For reference the little itty bitty white square way down range is roughly 48x48" and the closer targets are 100, 200 & 300yds respectively. Also 48x48 backer boards just for scale.

The white boards hanging from the i-beams are there just to simulate the eventual safety baffles that will hang from them (pics down below)

This photo is before the steel safety baffles were hung.

Image






The club president decided to surprise those of us who came out to help today with an option of doing our certification to use this particular range, which is a club requirement and the only place on the property that you have to go through a supervised live fire testing/certification process to utilize.



Thankfully I was doing some last minute deer season zero checking beforehand so I had my 6.5 Creedmoor RPR with me and was able to take advantage of it and get in early on the certification instead of having to wait for the normal classes to resume.

Image





Even without chronograph data and only my quick-bags I had no trouble clearing the hundred yard certification.

however - I was really struggling at 300 for some reason. Which is the second step in the certification test. I didn't fail out by any definition - you can shoot about a 4 MOA group to pass - but I definitely wasn't performing to my capabilities or what I thought the custom handload I was using was capable of - at least based on its initial 100 yd testing anyway.

It was probably close to a 5-6" group, so at this point i was *really* second guessing this load as i was only in the early stages of proving it out. i dont even wanna post that target lol. its just awful.



So even though I was frustrated I was cleared to try out at 500 yards, dialed my scope up and asked for a spotter to watch and let me know what was happening. Next thing i know - I ended up shooting the best group out of any of the five Shooters who certified today - even after shooting the most abysmal 300 yard group of the bunch. Two guys literally shot one hole groups at the 100 yd targets.



Group approx 1.575" center to center or 0.3006 MOA. (Squares are 1" grid)
6.5 Creedmore - 140 ELD-M @ 2.800" - 42.7 gr 6.5 StaBall - Rem 9½ - Starline brass
Image






As a bonus for our success, everyone who certified got to smack some paint off the new 12" gongs that also got hung today down at the 500yd berm.

Image


They will be adding more steel (12x18 ISPC @ 500, as well as others at 400, 300 and possibly even @ 200)


additionally - the club will have the 300 and 500 yd berms setup for the Shotmarker Digital Targeting system (coming soon - gotta get the electronics mounted) and be buying a LabRadar Chronograph that will also be useable by any members who are certified on the 500 yd range and after taking a training class & certifying on both ShotMarker and the LabRadar anyway.

All in all a wonderful fall afternoon at the range, and I'm ready to go put a 140gr creedmore pill thru a deer this season!
Last edited by plant_one on Sun Nov 12, 2023 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby plant_one » Sun Nov 12, 2023 9:40 pm

crap... i dunno why the images are showing up funny.... i'm gonna have to play with them a little bit and see if i can get them to cooperate. they're working fine on other sites i've posted them to :(
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Sun Nov 12, 2023 10:59 pm

Nice! I just saved the pics so I could view them on my device.
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby coyote wacker » Mon Nov 13, 2023 9:09 am

What Club do you belong to ?

I've been a member in Michigan at Bluewater Sportsman's Association since 1978....there have been a lot of changes to it over the years all for the betterment of the Club.....
Only time we can shoot 600 yards because of the way it is set up using the 200 yard range but have 50 yard, 2 -100 yard, 2- 200 yard ranges and 12- 30 yard a archery ranges of 50 yards, trap and skeet plus a woods walk for 22 during a event muzzleloaders even have there own 50 yard range....
It's a great Club to belong to with over 2000 members....the great part is you can shoot at any range unless there is a scheduled event and there are no range officers to tell you what to do unless theres a event or the weekend before Rifle Season there are range officers .....

I usually go during the week and most of the time there are at the most 2-3 people shooting.....been there many times and I was the only shooter.....
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby plant_one » Mon Nov 13, 2023 9:26 am

Texas Sheepdawg wrote:Nice! I just saved the pics so I could view them on my device.


you can also just right click and "open image in new tab" but ya that works too. :)


coyote Wacker wrote:What Club do you belong to ?

I've been a member at Bluewater Sportsman's Association since 1978....there have been a lot of changes to it over the years all for the betterment of the Club.....
Only time we can shoot 600 yards because of the way it is set up using the 200 yard range but have 50 yard, 2 -100 yard, 2- 200 yard ranges and 12- 30 yard a archery ranges of 50 yards, trap and skeet plus a woods walk for 22 during a event muzzleloaders even have there own 50 yard range....
It's a great Club to belong to with over 2000 members....the great part is you can shoot at any range unless there is a scheduled event and there are no range officers to tell you what to do unless theres a event or the weekend before Rifle Season there are range officers .....

I usually go during the week and most of the time there are at the most 2-3 people shooting.....been there many times and I was the only shooter.....




This is at Howell gun club. just a couple minutes off D-19 exit from i96.

same kind of deal up there - the property is open to members from 9am til 9pm/dusk year round to all members. i think membership is right around 1800 at the moment. its a "members run" club - clean up after yourselves, if the trash can is full - tie it up, throw it on your tailgate and drop it in the dumpster on the way out,etc etc etc

the only restricted area not open to all members is the 500 yd range - you have to pass a live fire certification to utilize it.
no RSO's except for at events
they have 5 ISPC pistol action bays, 3 of which are setup all the time
outdoor pistol
outdoor archery
trap/skeet
100 yd rifle range thats open to all members (and guests) with a 25yd "sight in only" bench + elevated prone platform on lane 1
20 yd heated indoor pistol range thats open 24/7/365 (they do ask for $3/shooter to use the indoor to cover the HVAC costs associated with running the ventilation system)


Access is controlled thru RFID cards - s0 even the clubhouse is open to members if you need to warmup, wanna brew a pot of coffee, etc.
membership dues pay for grounds keeping (mowing/plowing).

pretty nice little setup, especially at $150/yr.
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Fri Nov 17, 2023 1:03 am

;)
I can’t “right click..”.
I’m on an iPhone.
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Re: 500 yard range is offically open! Let The Fun begin

Postby plant_one » Fri Nov 24, 2023 1:08 pm

Texas Sheepdawg wrote:;)
I can’t “right click..”.
I’m on an iPhone.



everyone has their flaws, we wont hold being an iPwn owner against you... well maybe a little bit, but not too much anyway :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :lol: :lol:
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