At The Range, Part II
So now we know that yes, Virginia, the Browning CAN shoot. We also know my handloads shoot as well, or better than, the Remington .405gr factory rounds. From my perspective I'm inclined to say better. There is a down side to this, as the bullets I loaded into those cartridges were Remington .405gr FN bullets. And no longer being sold as components anywhere I can find. Yes, I still have some left, but not a lot. So once I've achieved the perfect load, time to start over again with a new bullet.
So there's that.
But then comes the next part. The part where I finished shooting, packed up, and was waiting by the sign in desk for my son to finish his last few rounds up.
It seems some things have changed at the range since my last visit. For one, the nicely finished, heated and well-lit enclosed shooting line now sports 10 shooting benches. For another, the $30.00 per day for non-members fee has gone up to $40.00 per day, which is not unusual or even unexpected. It would make it more difficult to do the thing I resolved to do...shoot more in 2024. They also joined the 21st century and now accept credit/debit cards instead of cash only. Hallelujah!
I inquired at the sign-in desk about membership fees. I'd resisted joining before due to the high fee for first time members. So the R.O. tells me new yearly memberships are now only $200.00. Then he asks if I'm a senior, over 62. Unfortunately, yes.
OK, then it's $180. Then he says, the $40.00 you paid today will be deducted from your fee as well if you sign up before you leave...down to $120.00!
Well, if there was a chronograph in the room, my debit card would have clocked about 3,000 fps, and the crack it made when I slapped it on the counter was like the sound of a .45/70 going off without hearing protection. So now, my shooting outings will cost $4.00 per day and gives me access to not only the rifle and pistol range, but also the skeet/trap, black powder, and archery ranges as well! Take that, Bidenomics!
In former years, with membership pricing the way it was, I would have to shoot 6 times a year just to break even. Now, if I shoot twice more this year I'm even and if I make the once-a-month goal I'm shooting for (yes, pun intended) I'm money way ahead. And I get to shoot a whole bunch. Which was the whole idea in the first place...
Here is a view of the newly remodeled, 10 shooting bench indoor portion of the 100/200 yard rifle range:
Here is a shot of the High Wall on the bench:
A shot of the second target. There are at least 20 rounds in this target. I count six outside the cluster, which means at least 14 rounds are in the huge hole on the right of the X ring. This is with open iron sights at 100 yards.
EDIT CORRECTION: With membership, daily shooting fee is $10.00 daily
