HiPowering Along
New member
There's a very heated riff between the membership and the current officer in charge of the indoor range at our gun club. The current indoor range rules are as follows:
The only damage noted to the backstop that is several decades old is where some bloody idiot fired a mess of .223 rifle rounds from the center right lanes. The steel wasn't shot through but in one place, and a patch can be put over that fairly easily. There's also a few places where the backstop curtain is shredded from some idiot (every public range has them) used a shotgun inside. The evidence was found in the form of several plastic wadding units found down by the backstop and along the walls. Not to mention where the roof / ceiling is shot up from AD's and not having the muzzle pointed downrange before putting the finger on the trigger....
One of the club's training groups has special permission to shoot jacketed bullets on training days only. This has been going on for years, and with the amount of training hours/person versus the average shooting member from the public, there's more rounds downrange lately that are jacketed -vs- lead only. Even with all that "evil jacketed" ammo hitting the backstop, there's no damage that can be attributed to it.
I honestly don't believe that jacketed ammo has a higher degree of probability to richochet -vs- a full lead bullet. With most lead bullets being pretty hard on the Brinell (sp?) scale, there shouldn't be too much difference.
Plastered on the three walls behind the range tables are signs for lead abatement and safety. Three walls worth. Inside a range that prohibits FMJ as a lead abatement option. Any irony in that, or is it just me?
The OIC of the indoor range adamantly wants to keep it as lead only. The membership is clamoring for it to be changed; with the current BoD coming in, I don't think that will be a problem, but you never know.
Anyone else frequent a gun club (NOT a commercial range) that has a lead only rule for the indoor range? Any movements afoot to get that changed? What is the major argument to keep it as lead only?
- No magnums
- No hollowpoint ammo
- No centerfire rifle
- No jacketed ammunition - lead or "washed lead" only
- No shotguns, period.
The only damage noted to the backstop that is several decades old is where some bloody idiot fired a mess of .223 rifle rounds from the center right lanes. The steel wasn't shot through but in one place, and a patch can be put over that fairly easily. There's also a few places where the backstop curtain is shredded from some idiot (every public range has them) used a shotgun inside. The evidence was found in the form of several plastic wadding units found down by the backstop and along the walls. Not to mention where the roof / ceiling is shot up from AD's and not having the muzzle pointed downrange before putting the finger on the trigger....
One of the club's training groups has special permission to shoot jacketed bullets on training days only. This has been going on for years, and with the amount of training hours/person versus the average shooting member from the public, there's more rounds downrange lately that are jacketed -vs- lead only. Even with all that "evil jacketed" ammo hitting the backstop, there's no damage that can be attributed to it.
I honestly don't believe that jacketed ammo has a higher degree of probability to richochet -vs- a full lead bullet. With most lead bullets being pretty hard on the Brinell (sp?) scale, there shouldn't be too much difference.
Plastered on the three walls behind the range tables are signs for lead abatement and safety. Three walls worth. Inside a range that prohibits FMJ as a lead abatement option. Any irony in that, or is it just me?
The OIC of the indoor range adamantly wants to keep it as lead only. The membership is clamoring for it to be changed; with the current BoD coming in, I don't think that will be a problem, but you never know.
Anyone else frequent a gun club (NOT a commercial range) that has a lead only rule for the indoor range? Any movements afoot to get that changed? What is the major argument to keep it as lead only?