Joined a local range

[alwie]

Hi all,

I joined a local range and am required to “qualify” before being allowed to shoot on the 100-500 yd range. I asked the owner what constituted “qualifying” and was told ….” We don't give any details about the course of fire. That will be given on the day of qualifying”.

So, given that I only have access to the 100 yd range, what should I be prepared to do on qual day?

Thanks for your input.

[UncleBob]

Relax, and mind the range safety rules first and foremost. At the same time, make sure your rifle is sighted in at 100. Shoot over chrono and work up a DOPE chart that will get you in the ballpark. I have never heard of a range testing marksmanship. Every qual "test" I have seen has been safety related. Good luck and post how it goes.

[grayfox]

I have never heard of "secret" qual requirements before. Sounds fishy - suspect to me. Why keep secrets? So they can up the requirements if they "don't like you"? Weird.

My local range, which is an NRA long range qualified national venue, tells you up front what the requirements are, in writing. For the 500 yd range, 1.5"/100 yds for 5 shots, on a witnessed target signed ahead of time by the RO. Nothing over 30 caliber (even steel targets can only take so much).
For 1000, 1"/100 (they may have changed it to 2"/200), 5 shots, witnessed target. Plus you can practice as long as you want. but when it comes time you want to shoot the qual, you just tell the RO and have him/her sign the target first, then place it out there.
They will record the load, rifle, etc etc and even help you make your dope card. That's the load, the bullet, the rifle, you can shoot out to that range.

If there is any honesty to them, I'd expect somewhere like 1"/100 for 4 or 5 shots, witnessed. For the 500, maybe 5 hits on a 8-10" steel target?

But if it were me, I think I might search for another range or shooting place. Just my 2 cents.

---

edit to add, after reading Bob's, yeah I was told (at my range) they do a qual only so they have some confidence you won't launch projectiles over to the next county or farm.

[Old Bob]

The requirements for membership at the R & P club I belong to: After filling out a membership application which includes a qualification questionnaire (Are you a felon or fugitive or a drug user? Have a dishonorable discharge?) you are given copies of our members guide book & club by-laws to read. Then you take a written test. All the answers to the test are in the guide book & by-laws. Plus it's an open book test. If you can't pass it, you probably shouldn't have firearms. The main point of the test, do you know firearm safety & our specific range rules. The test is a yearly requirement for all club members at time of membership renewal. There is no marksmanship test requirement. There is, however, a range familiarization day for all new applicants. Once all requirements are met & your range fee is paid, you are a full-fledged member. There is no probation. We are an NRA affiliated range - since the early 50s.

When I joined this club back in the mid 70s, all you did was fill out an application & pay your membership fee. There was no test or questionnaire. In this age of liability, the club is covering its behind now days. There's never been a firearms accident at our range since it was founded back in the 50s. Some dudes not paying attention where they were sitting have been bitten by rattlesnakes. That's the worst that has happened since I've been a member.

[grayfox]

without doing any shooting for groups, at my range you can go out to 300 yd. 25, 50, 100 yd with your own targets, 200, 300 for hitting steel (no target placement, club-steel only).

[SpeyRod]

Interesting. I am hoping it is just a written test showing you know and understand the range rules.

A board member brought up the idea that people should be able to shoot X groups to qualify to join our club. I actually laughed until I figured out he was serious. I argued “We all shoot to become better shooters but we have to start somewhere. If we set rules as proposed where would a potential member go to practice? What if they get a bad lot of ammo? What if they don’t know ammo even makes a difference? What if they would never be able to shoot to his standards? No, that type of rule is for elitists. I don’t think that’s what our club stands for.”

[UncleBob]

Interesting. I am hoping it is just a written test showing you know and understand the range rules.

A board member brought up the idea that people should be able to shoot X groups to qualify to join our club. I actually laughed until I figured out he was serious. I argued “We all shoot to become better shooters but we have to start somewhere. If we set rules as proposed where would a potential member go to practice? What if they get a bad lot of ammo? What if they don’t know ammo even makes a difference? What if they would never be able to shoot to his standards? No, that type of rule is for elitists. I don’t think that’s what our club stands for.”

That's where I was with it as well. Most important is that members understand safety and the rules of the range.

[alwie]

The gentleman who owns the range is/was a competitive shooter. And the rules are not open for discussion.

[SpeyRod]

If he was a competitive shooter then it a good chance you will have to show proficiency in safety. I shoot 3 gun and safety is #1 at the range. One violation gets you sent home for the day. A second gets you sent home permanently.

B prepared to show you know and understand the safety rules.

[Wild Bill]

Hi all,

I joined a local range and am required to “qualify” before being allowed to shoot on the 100-500 yd range. I asked the owner what constituted “qualifying” and was told ….” We don't give any details about the course of fire. That will be given on the day of qualifying”.

So, given that I only have access to the 100 yd range, what should I be prepared to do on qual day?

Thanks for your input.

Alwie, I believe in your best interest is to approach it with an open mind. Pay attention and listen to the RSO. Almost all clubs will require a demonstration of safety proficiency protocol. When shooting beyond 300 yards it becomes difficult to see bullet holes at that distance. Since you only have access to the 100 yard range. I would recommend shooting across a chronograph to determine your ammo speed and which ammo you have that shoots the best. Take this data and run it through a ballistic calculator. Print that data and keep it with your rifle. You can then use this data to get on paper or steel until you can get a hard zero for each distance. The last thing most clubs want is someone walking out to the 500 yard line and guessing what their Remington 700 in 300 Win mag will do. Another one would be the guy telling his buddy “Hey watch this” and attempt a standing offhand shot with his 16 inch AR. Some of the clubs are also using electronic targets and the cost to replace them is rather expensive. Other clubs use target pits for target pulling and marking. These require people in the pits which is another set of safety protocols. All it takes is one person shooting over the berm, impacting a housing development and the club is closed. Safety will always be paramount. In most clubs everyone is the range officer. Have fun, be safe, and shoot well.

[Ray R]

My outdoor range has a 200-yard range capability, but it's only available to shooters who can shoot a 1/2 MOA or smaller group at 100 yards with the gun & ammo they want to use at 200-yards.

[SpeyRod]

Interesting. Is this an outdoor range? I’m a good shot but to maintain a 1/2 moa group, even at 100 yds, is not going to happen. Shoot one group to qualify sure but eventually I would dq myself.

[Ray R]

Interesting. Is this an outdoor range? I’m a good shot but to maintain a 1/2 moa group, even at 100 yds, is not going to happen. Shoot one group to qualify sure but eventually I would dq myself.

Yes, it's an outdoor range.

I've seen a lot of members shoot 1/2" or smaller groups.

My #4 MK I Enfield rifle in .303 British shot 1.75" groups at 100 yards with me pulling the trigger. Over the period of a year, it suddenly dropped to 1" MOA, using the same rifle and same commercial ammo.

What happened was that after a year of shooting and then cleaning the barrel a lot, the barrel became much easier to clean and smoother to push a cleaning patch through.

The barrel must have had a substantial amount of old residue and my constant cleaning and shooting reduced this enough to affect the accuracy of the rifle, because I didn't notice any improvement in my shooting technique.

When I started shooting my Savage AXIS II, I was using 105 grain Hornady commercial 6mm ARC ammo and getting between 1/2" and 1" MOA at 100 yards. When I used my own reloads using my spent brass and Hornady's 105 grain BTHP projectile, I was able to get sub 1/2" MOA groups. I use RL-15 at 26.8 grains with an estimated 1606 FPS MV. I think I may improve on that using a harmonic tuning device on my barrel.

[Bassfish1952]

Interesting. Is this an outdoor range? I’m a good shot but to maintain a 1/2 moa group, even at 100 yds, is not going to happen. Shoot one group to qualify sure but eventually I would dq myself.

Yes, it's an outdoor range.

I've seen a lot of members shoot 1/2" or smaller groups.

My #4 MK I Enfield rifle in .303 British shot 1.75" groups at 100 yards with me pulling the trigger. Over the period of a year, it suddenly dropped to 1" MOA, using the same rifle and same commercial ammo.

What happened was that after a year of shooting and then cleaning the barrel a lot, the barrel became much easier to clean and smoother to push a cleaning patch through.

The barrel must have had a substantial amount of old residue and my constant cleaning and shooting reduced this enough to affect the accuracy of the rifle, because I didn't notice any improvement in my shooting technique.

When I started shooting my Savage AXIS II, I was using 105 grain Hornady commercial 6mm ARC ammo and getting between 1/2" and 1" MOA at 100 yards. When I used my own reloads using my spent brass and Hornady's 105 grain BTHP projectile, I was able to get sub 1/2" MOA groups. I use RL-15 at 26.8 grains with an estimated 1606 FPS MV. I think I may improve on that using a harmonic tuning device on my barrel.

Question ? Are you using something like a Caldwell lead sled or BiPod ? I watch YouTube and all I see are devices to steady the rifle. 
Off hand I am good to get 3" at 100 but I have started to shake at 72. In the field I shoot from tree stands or Blinds and steady my rifle on the blind sill or tree stand safety bar OR I bring a shooting stick along that I can secure to the stand.

[SpeyRod]

I’m in the same boat as you. As I have aged my stability has dropped. I just had 3 more vertebrae fused. I’m hoping that as they fuse more I will become more stable!

I shoot mostly from a bipod and occasionally from an old Lyman front rest. A 3 shot .5 moa group is easy with my good rifles. I have shot my GAP into .16 moa at 600, then blew it out too .6 moa with the next two rounds.

Most of my one shot groups are .264”!

[BD1]

I have lived in 4 different states over the years, and belonged to 5 different clubs. The biggest issue for longer range setups is generally the height of the berm, and what is beyond the berm. A test of a members ability to know his come up for a given rifle and load at any of the ranges involved can be critical to keeping all rounds fired in the berm. If the berm is the side of a mountain in a sparsely populated area the hazard is not nearly the same as if it's a 30 foot high gravel berm with a population center a mile or two beyond.

[alwie]

A test of a members ability to know his come up for a given rifle and load at any of the ranges involved can be critical to keeping all rounds fired in the berm. If the berm is the side of a mountain in a sparsely populated area the hazard is not nearly the same as if it's a 30 foot high gravel berm with a population center a mile or two beyond.

 The more I think about it the more I think you are exactly right!

[SpeyRod]

I have lived in 4 different states over the years, and belonged to 5 different clubs. The biggest issue for longer range setups is generally the height of the berm, and what is beyond the berm.  A test of a members ability to know his come up for a given rifle and load at any of the ranges involved can be critical to keeping all rounds fired in the berm. If the berm is the side of a mountain in a sparsely populated area the hazard is not nearly the same as if it's a 30 foot high gravel berm with a population center a mile or two beyond.

Agreed. I just never think of it in those terms since we have so much open space near us.