From: grant@bluemoon.rn.com (Grant DeLorean)
Subject: Re: PC and a place to shoot
Organization: Blue Moon
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 92 15:29:01 GMT

bobd@marune.acs.ohio-state.edu (Bob DeBula) writes:

>I have been looking forward to being able to make use of the 
>"Powder Room's" indoor underground rifle range for some time
>now. I have been checking on it periodically (I was given to
>understand that it was closed down due to the necessity of
>replacing an exhaust fan (it also suffers periodic flooding)).

 The fact that Bob Trowbridge (the owner) has been too cheap to
get the ventilation in either range up to par is fairly well known.
The rifle range is just slightly worse than the handgun range...

>When I arrived, the folks working behind the counter
>(two employees and the apparent owner -- whom I've chatted
>with quite amiably in the past), asked what caliber
>I had brought. I begin to get a queasy feeling.
>I replied ".223". Question number two "is it a semi-auto?".
>My reply was "yes, it is". The response was "I'm sorry,
>but we don't allow semi-autos on the rifle range". 

 Actually, they don't allow anything but bolt action down there
anymore. And a clerk will follow you down to make sure your first
three shots are on the target and if they are not you are
pulled from the range (this is what I got them to tell me, not
from missing targets as I won't shoot at the Powder Room. The
ventilation is too bad (7 people have come down with severe lead
poisoning, all in large part to shooting there)).

>irresponsible and shoot the place up". Mumbled additional
>ramblings to the effect that some damage had just been
>repaired which had been caused by a semi-auto shooter.

 There has been no semi-autos shot on the basement range for at
least 2 years.

>I know a lot of folks in the Columbus area frequent this range
>(and several who post to rec.guns have mentioned it). I thought

 The smart ones use the Lighthouse (at 71 and 36, just west of the
Wendy's) instead. There you get better lighting, better ventilation
(the best I have ever seen in an indoor range), you can get all
your brass back (the Powder Room claims any brass that falls
in front of the firing station), it is less expensive (the Powder
Room is $8 an hour in 15 minute increments, the Lighthouse is
$6 per hour in 5 minute increments and the owner is very lenient)
and you can shoot almost any handgun. The Powder Room forbids
jacketed ammo and full power loads in .357 mag, .41 mag and .44 mag.
The Lighthouse will let you shoot anything as long as the velocity
is 1800 FPS or less (well, any handgun). As I know he allows .454
Casulls to be fired with factory ammo (the 240 grainers are at 2000
FPS and the 260 grainers ar at 1900 FPS) he isn't as strict about
that limit as he could be. The Lighthouse has more lanes, and
divides them into two rooms which makes it nicer. The Lighthouse
has better hours too, to 10:00 PM most nights.

>Now to the proactive side of this post:

>Does anyone know of a range (membership or "pay per hour" based)
>in the Columbus area (I'm willing to drive for an hour) which does
>not have "semi-auto rifle" restrictions? I would certainly
>like to contribute my shooting dollars elsewhere.

 Indoor or outdoor? I don't know of indoor but can point out several
outdoor options. The Delaware range in the park system is back to
being usable as they took out the damned pipes. The range at Deer Creek
State Park is nice. Those are both free and open to the public. The
Deer Creek range usually has some nice people there, though being
public the occasional weirdo shows up. I haven't been to the Delaware
range in too long (since the pipes were first installed) so don't know
what the current state of affairs is up there people-wise.

 Private clubs, such as the Pickaway County Sportsmen or the Logan
County Fish and Game (both within the stated hour) are available as
well. I am a member of both, if you would like a range demo I will
be glad to meet with you and help out (this is to most all the shooters
local to me, which means the Columbus area in general). If you are
local to me I am easy enough to find...
-- 
\   Grant DeLorean  - IHMSA & NRA Life Member -  (grant@bluemoon.use.com)   /

        Good leaders being scarce, following yourself is allowed.

Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns