Same place as before, all top info stolen from Brian's original thread. Date: Jan 3rd, 2009 (open for discussion) Time: 10:00 for food (Brunch?) or eat post shooting, at a restaurant of choice, 12:00PM we will be at the range. Where: Bills Gun Shop in Robbinsdale Why: To blast evil paper targets (and have a lot of fun doing it) Who's Invited: Anyone and everyone who's interested. Gun ownership not necessary I'll update this first post with the EXACT time and date, location, cost, people, and weapons that is going to be coming. For those who don't know me, I'm a Marine Corps combat engineer, and have a secondary occupation of combat marksmanship coach. Between the two I have what I'd like to think of as an extensive knowledge of shooting fundamentals, etc. I will be more than happy to help anyone out who wants it, and depending on what the range provides, we can throw tactical stuff in there. :yumyum: I know both Brian, Jason, Martin and other, have a much further reaching knowledge of firearms than I do, and are all open to throw out pointers and walk new shooters through the ropes. There will also be people there who can help you improve on your current shooting skills, even if you are a practiced shooter. For those who have never shot before, or are on the fence about it, Come. There are going to be experienced shooters there to coach/help you, good guns for everyone from novice to professional. If you are still concerned, there really is no safer environment for learning to shoot than a controlled, safety conscious range. Guns are available for rent. If you rent a gun, you will need to purchase the ammunition the range provides. If you are bringing guns: 1) They need to be in a case (even a cheap on works) at the range unless in use. 2) Guns and ammunition need to be transported in different compartments of your vehicle. Per Federal law, firearms need to be in a trunk or far rear compartment, appropriately secured, unless you have conceal and carry. I generally lock ammunition in a separate box in one of the backseat floorboards. 3) It may be a good idea to make sure that the case is locked, or you have trigger locks on your pieces. Since we'll be separated from the vehicles for the stuffing of our faces. Who is coming/bringing: Confirmed list: Ryan: SKS, 20ga shotgun, 9mm *possibly bringing* unknown .45ACP M1 Garand, AR-15, and unknown .40 Readymix: Renting Dynapar: M1A 7.62 and XDm .40 Boomer and significant other: 10/22 and 1911 Pra4sno and 3+ guests: Unknown Firearms. Whatever I can get my paws on Maybes: Scooby02: N/A TSTRBOY: N/A Musashi: No Firearms Brian Shorten: 870 PD Mag, Kimber .45ACP, Kimber .22 Rim Fire Carl: 2x.22 rim fires
I definately want to attend this. And I'll definately help anyone with their shooting that wants help. 6 years Navy, pretty good with just about any pistol you can hand me.
once a date is established I would love to try to come along.. shot my first pistol EVAR earlier this year... .45 it was awesome.... then we shot snowbanks with a shotgun... ha ha
Count me in, I've been trying to get involved, just scheduling been keeping me away. I currently don't own any fire arms and would greatly benefit from the level of experienced participants involved. I will chime in once there are some tentative dates selected.
i've got a couple of old .22 rifles i inherited from my grandpa - if i brought them could someone go over them to see if they are safe to fire?
Carl, I can take a look at them. I grew up around old .22's. I might even be able to bring my great grampa's .22 long, single shot bolt with manual drag firing pin and twist safety. The thing is primitive, but he could shoot a squirrel at 50 yards iron sights. I haven't tried target shooting it very much, for fear of how miserably I will fail in comparison.
And jason, carl, dao, and nate, what dates are you guys thinking? I was going to throw out the first saturday in January. So, my proposed date. January 3rd. Say, 2pm? Figure we could all meet up somewhere and grab some lunch before heading to the range. Is everyone good with going to bills? Any other indoor ranges that are better? What guns will everyone be bringing?
I don't own a gun yet, but this trip to Bill's I was going to spend some time upstairs Jan 3rd would probably work, I'd have to check the schedule.
I may finally invest in a sidearm while I'm home. Had my eyes on a H&K USP .45ACP What you thinking about jason?
Sara and I should be there if it is on the 3rd. It will be nice to have it in the afternoon instead of early. For those interested I will be bringing my Ruger 10/22 and my Colt .45ACP 1911. The Colt may be up for sale if anyone wants to give it a whirl.
Go pick up a box of .22 cal ammo at Walmart, you can probably get 500 of them for next to nothing. Seriously, one of the cheapest guns to shoot.
They make HP ammo for .22 rimfire?!?? I had no clue. The 3rd sounds like a good date to me. I have a friends B-Day party to go to later. As such, also in regards to securing a couple lanes at the range, I would vote for an earlier time (as per previous range days) but if that isnt possible I will come anyway ;-). I will bring about 500 rnds of .40S&W for my XDm, and probably 120rnds or so of 150gr. .308Win (got some Rem and Win to burn up) for my M1A. If you want to shoot some .308 let me know and I will bring more, but FYI .308/7.62x51mm isnt cheap so please pitch in for ammo costs. For those thinking of renting. IIRC it is $15 for the first rental and $10 for every rental after that. You have to buy the range ammo if you are using a rented gun. Range ammo will be expensive compared to Wally World prices. (7.62x51mm runs about 30% more expensive at Bills than you can find it for elsewhere, around $1 a shot)
We're thinking about renting a USP45, range .45ACP shouldn't be too expensive. Yeah, it wont be Wal-Mart prices, but still, I'm thinking for about 30 bucks each, we can get a box of 45 ammo and a rental pistol.
I may be in to! Anyone have a springfield XP40 or XP45? I have been looking at buying one of the two but want to fire them to see what I like better.
I don't see why I wouldn't be able to make this.. knowing it's right next to my house. Just a few comments on the first post. It sounds like OP hasn't been there before. I would *NOT* bring a cleaning kit because there really isn't anywhere to clean a gun there nor do I think they want people breaking down and cleaning guns right there in the store. Gun case is required to bring any firearm into the building. It doesn't haven't be something spendy, but it does need to be a case of some kind. Time for weapons. Some of you may know I have access to a small arsenal of weapons. My father in law now owns his own business selling add-ons for scopes. He's also big into competitive shooting. What I have at my house right now and could bring: SKS, 20g shotgun, 9mm. (1917 is still being rebuilt.) Fun items I might get to bring if my father-in-law gives the ok: 45acp (can't remember the brand), M1 Grand (I *really* want to shoot this), AR-15, 40 cal. He's got more random stuff but I don't remember all the exacts. What would be really fun is to borrow his 6mm competition gun. 600 yards here we come! No, I don't think he's loan that thing to me and there's no way i'm taking it to that range.
Bring the AR, and the SKS for sure. The Garand would be a blast too. Definitely surprised by the fact there isn't an area to clean guns. Is this a good range? Should we be looking for somewhere better? I cant believe a range that doesn't offer facilities for its clients to clean and troubleshoot a firearm. That's a safety requirement at many of the ranges I've been to.
You might see if they have the new HK45 there for rental. I was looking at those not too long ago, and it is a very nice piece. They are slightly more expensive than the USPs but I found it to be a nicer gun, and fit my hand perfectly. I will probably get one... sometime. I am bringing my Springfield XDm .40, its alot like the XD40 except it has some more features. The Garand would be fun to shoot. I have been toying around the idea of picking one up through the CMP and getting a chance to shoot one would be great. Also those .45 long colt single action revolvers were a blast to shoot. (I want one now)
Depending on whether or not my fiancee has to work will determine if I can make this or not. It's her birthday that day, so she's got first priority If I do come, I'll bring the usual suspects of mine, 870 Police Magnum, Kimber TLE II .45ACP and my Kimber Rimfire Target in .22LR. (Yes Martin, they do make .22 hollowpoints). As far as range guns, Bills has USPs in everything from 9mm to .45ACP, as well as the compact versions in .40, 9mm and .45ACP. I don't think they have it in .357SIG, but I could be wrong. Bills is one of the best ranges around here, and they will do their best to accomodate you. If we do have an issue on the firing line with a weapon malfunction, between Jack, myself and Jason we should have more than enough know how to clear/correct it. If it's more serious than that, we can case it up and bring it to the counter to see if they can help with it. One thing about range guns to keep in mind: They get used. A LOT. Usually with only a cursory cleaning. Something to keep in mind, the HKs that I've rented there shoot like champs, even though they could use some serious TLC.
lol. I forgot about those. Yeah, I could probably get my hands on those for sure. Might as well bring the 22 single action revolver too.
Carl, I could probably give those a once over for you. Let me know when works for you and I could swing by. I'll be around for most of the weekend.
Oh, and one other thing I almost forgot... If you are planning on making a purchase you'll want to make sure your permit to purchase is current. If you don't have one, they're easy to get. Go to your local PD and let them know you'd like the paperwork to get your permit. Fill it out and turn it in, it usually takes about two weeks and then you're set. There isn't a cost to apply for the permit, and they're good for a year.
No worries, I know they've got great stock in HK stuff and you really can't go wrong with them. I will own a USP, but likely the Tactical Compact. The only thing that swayed me from getting a USP over my Kimber was the trigger. The stock USP trigger isn't that great, but it's not really a fair comparison to a 1911 either.
It varies by department, some I've heard of taking more than 3 weeks. Two weeks is a pretty safe estimate.
sounds like a plan! Just bring her brian. I will finally be able to make one of these, you best be there. Can I get confirmation of those who WILL be there, also, the guns you will be bringing, how many guests might come with you. We need to put together some numbers and then get a hold of bills. The HK USP is unbelievably reliable. We have quite an assortment of pistols in our armory, and lets just say that there was a bet made over reliability between an HK USP .45ACP, one of our M9s, and a Glock model 22 .40. Im not sure who came up with the test mediums, but later that day on the firing line, I saw the HK USP shoot 3 magazines (speed reloads) without a stoppage, with jiffy chunky peanut butter, and sand in the chamber. I'll also say that we only had two mags for the glock, and it fired both flawlessly. The old M9 had a magazine malfunction due to peanut butter on the 14th round of its 1st mag and the rail would not seat. :laugh:
I will be there. I will have my XDm and M1A with me. I may also bring one friend, I will find out if he wants to come. depending on numbers we might want to try and make a reservation at the pizza joint across the street.
Alright guys, I have updated attendance and gun count. I've moved up the time for being at the range to noon instead of 2pm. If anyone thinks we should move it earlier, I'm all for it, but I'm trying to please the majority, and increase our head count. I think the best for this would be getting food afterwards. Nothing is better than getting a bite to eat when your hands smell like gun powder and the ringing in your ears drowns out everything except what your companions are shouting. A pizza or burger joint will be the best, and cheapest. Also, if you're going to be bringing guests, let me know. I'd rather call and tell them we're bringing more people than show up with too many shooters. Also, same thing for the restaurant reservations.
