All posts in Gun Clubs

Hunting Season is here and it’s time to sight in your guns

This is usually the time of year that I avoid gun clubs becaues the season shooters usually show up around now and sight in  their guns for deer season.  In Pennsylvania it’s almost time to put your crossbow down and pick up a rifle.   They have recently opened up many areas of the State to hunting with crossbows because firearms are too dangerous in the highly populated suburbs but but archery is something for those in better health and strength than others.  Crossbows do not take as much energy up as compound bows and many people with disabilities are actually taking advantage of the new rules and getting out for deer season.   Some crossbows now have really good sights and optics on them and you can even see that Trijicon has some nice sights and mounts for them.

Trying to find a good gun club or gun range that will allow you to sight in your gun for 100yds, sight in your crossbow and maybe shoot archery is hard.  Many people looking for a gun club listings in your State have a hard time getting email addresses or phone numbers to even get information.  Some gun clubs want to be off the radar but this actually hurts them in the long run when long time members die off and nobody even knows how to join up.   We’re doing some work to the website  but trying to do more than just talk about guns and tactical gear and get information out to people with feedback about gun range conditions and options.

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Where to shoot?

There are some really good gun clubs out there but finding them is a hard thing.  Now that this whole Zombie apocalypse thing is going on, it’s actually a great way to find out where all of the cool ranges are.   Concealed Carry is a growing and more widely accepted thing unfortunately due to the changes we’ve seen in society certain people in society, namely small business owners are becoming the targets of crime.  Crime has always existed but certain crimes are on the rise.  Competition is a great way to train and I would actually highly recommend playing paintball.   Teaching people the importance of movement and cover and concealment are things that you learn in a basic game of capture the flag.

There are indoor ranges and outdoor ranges and range rules can vary dramatically.  While I would never want to bash a gun club, many gun club listings don’t give you all of the details but the best places are usually found out about by word of mouth.  Word of mouth is how some gun clubs really want to be found out by because they might not want to advertise where they are due to some States Political climates.   Some indoor pistol ranges are not very good for Carbine use and some outdoor ranges have very restrictive rules on magazine capacities.

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Where to find a good place to shoot at?

Trying to find a good place to shoot long guns is hard, anyone living in an Urban environment is going to have trouble finding an out door range.  Many outdoor ranges near cities are very restrictive and even here in the Philadelphia region the ranges are just not any fun to be on because of the range rules.  I’m not saying you need to find a place to shoot full auto but a place that is safe to shoot at, has maintained target back stops and has a covered table means a lot to someone that likes to spend all afternoon there.

Range rules are important because violating them might make things very unsafe and good signs and nice people help too.   It took us a very long time to categorize the information but The Rally Point gun club listings because so many ranges have closed down or do not have websites that it’s hard to find information.  Some clubs don’t want to be on a map but that is kind of bad in the long run because most of the ranges will probable have little membership involvement and may eventually just die out.

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Zombie Shoot this weekend

Come out and see us at the New Holland gun club this Saturday.   We will be bringing a small sample of our inventory including Original Swat boots, tactical gear, gun magazines, tactical apparel, Smith Optics Elite and ballistic eyewear.   There is always a very limited amount of gear we can bring but its a fun chance to meet our customers face to face and show our face at one of the best gun clubs in Southeast Pennsylvania.

We will be bringing in a large amount of gun accessories, but we will also be sponsoring the Contagion 2011.   We are one of the largest tactical clothing suppliers and tactical pants and tactical eyewear suppliers in Pennsylvania and we will be announcing our new tactical gear shop in the coming weeks.  Come out and see us at this Zombie shoot and have some fun walking the grounds at the New Holland gun club.

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Tactical gear and clothing

There are a lot of words that get thrown around in the firearm industry that are fairly broad.    Tactical clothing these days may sound like BDUs to one person and 5.11 tactical clothing to another.    Tactical gear can mean anything from a folding stock to a knife, or a $1500 rifle scope.    The word “tactical” doesn’t really tell you what something is going to be used for in the field.    I have some pretty dressed down AR15 rifles that to some people, just look like violent weapons and scare them, while most of us that are familiar with the accessorized M4 Carbine, will find a A2 style AR15 to be  pretty bland.

The so called tactical clothing and concealed carry markets seem to be new markets and these terms get thrown around a lot but don’t really tell us much.  To the trained individual, they can spot a knife in the pocket and 5.11 style pants from a mile away and loads of pockets full of tactical gear and usually that’s a dead giveaway that someone is carrying a firearm.   Think about what purpose your clothing is to serve and adapt to it.   There are more than a few good clothing companies that are making concealed carry friendly apparel.

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Ammo price deflation

Texas Gun ShowsThis week I got an email from an ammunition manufacturer that made me smile.   He was selling Russian 7.62×39 ammo for $209 per 100rds.   I haven’t seen that price since before the Obama election.   It seems that a bad economy and high unemployment is having an impact on the consumption of ammo buying.   I didn’t get caught up in the panic buying because in my opinion, I never thought that 1000rds of any kind of rifle or pistol ammunition should cost as much of the frickin gun.   I remember the days of $79 Wolf ammo and IMHO we are going to go back to that as long as there is not another major upheaval.

I wouldn’t rule out problems coming before the November election given the types of Politicians we have running the Country, and as they slowly run the economy into the ground, there may be people that might run out and panic buy, but other than that, most of the Country knows not to push any crazy anti gun agendas given past repurcussions, Politically, for doing so.  I strongly suggest bringing cash to Texas Gun Shows in your area and look and see what kind of ammo you can pick up for a good price.   Ammo prices are on their way down and you may run across some really good deals.

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Empty ranges in the Summer

Shooting Ranges If there is a time to get out and shoot and you know that you’ll get a range to yourself, it’s probable going to be in the mid to later Summer months.   I know this can also be uncomfortable to shoot in if its really hot, but if you can shoot in the shade and bring plenty to drink.  You might be able to shoot all day and call cease fires at will without having to wait for the guy next to you to stop shooting.   The worst times to get out are usually in the pre-hunting weeks when ranges are crammed with people trying to verify zero before the upcoming hunting trips.

A few years ago I got to test out the new scope mounts I had on my DSARMS STG58.   I took it to one of Pennsylvanias shooting ranges where I was lucky to get the whole thing to myself.   At this time of the year so many people are on vacaction and not hanging out at the gun club.    It probable took me no more than 5rds to zero the gun at 200yds and after approximately 25rds I  had my rifle setup to shoot out to 500yds.   You can drive out to the burms to speed up target changes, but it was even nicer to not have to call for a cease fire and wait for everyone to get done shooting.   Even better was knowing that when I came back from 500yds, I was the only 0ne there and could just begin plinking at will.    The Sierra 168gr Matchking performed very well for a NATO relic.

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Gun parts and accessories at gun shows

Texas Gun ShowsThis weekend there is another Gun Show in my area that is one of my favorite places to go.   I hear a lot of gun  shops complaining about how the internet is taking away a lot of their business because people just go online and buy stuff and have it shipped to their homes.    The reality is that this is true, but sometimes you still want to feel something in your hands and a gun shop or a gun show is the best place to pick something up and hold it in your hands.   If you bring cash with you, you  are more likely to get a better deal on ammo prices or gun accessories.   One hint I would suggest is to go on the last day for the best deals.

Last year I was with a friend that was looking to get a Glock, but most of the gun shops in his area didn’t have many.   He knew he wanted a 9mm, but wasn’t sure what size was best for him.   He tried out a G17, G19 and a Glock 26.    He realized that the G26 was just the size he wanted for CCW and did not feel under powered with the magazine capacity.   There are various generations of Glock pistols and there are plenty of opportunities to pick up Police tradeins for under $400  for hardly used handguns.   It’s best to open the action and see how much where there is an not judge them by the outside wear.   Holster wear seems to be very common on police tradeins, but the barrels are often in very good condition, find out about Texas Gun Shows in  your area and see TheRallyPoint.org for other State shooting range info.

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Indoor Ranges- understanding the limitations

Shooting Range ListingI’m not aware of any indoor shooting ranges that are longer than 50yds, but I assume there are some out there.    I’ve probable been to and shot at over a hundred different firing ranges in the Country and some were very impressive.   I’d have to admit that at 90% of the ones I was in, there was either a bullet in the table or a bullet in the ceiling far too close to the tables.   This tells you that there is always going to be a certain percentage of risk when dealing with the public.   I’ve seen about as much negligence on firing ranges that I see on a daily basis on the roads with people driving, so theres the reality of being with gun owners.

Indoor shooting ranges are a better starting point for teaching handgun shooting skills.  I’m sure many of you won’t agree with that because your idea of teaching a novice is getting Grandpa to take out the old 22LR pistol and shooting soda cans.   That’s fine, but I’m talking about what my experiences are with taking teenagers, women, and adults to the ranges for the first time.   My favorite reason for going to an indoor shooting ranges is the auto return back stops.   I get tired of some of the big shooting ranges where cease fires are called way too often or not enough.   At an indoor shooting range, you can adjust from a 7yd-25yd in seconds and not have to worry about cease fires.   You are shooting on level ground which is also a better starting point in my opinion.   Sign up at TheRallyPoint.org and tell us where you shoot and help us update our gun club  shooting range listing.

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Private Ranges and Fun

Texas Gun ClubsFinding a gun club that fits our style of shooting can be difficult in some States, but for other States there are so many gun clubs around,  but trying to find out where they are and who to contact is difficult.  We have been compiling as much info about Texas gun clubs as possible so gun owners can atleast be pointed in the right direction.   We realize that some gun clubs like to be off the radar, but for the majority of the shooting ranges we’ve dealt with, they lacked the money and the resources to advertise and many were running on 20-30% of capacity.

A good gun club is should be a safe environment, but also be fun and hopefully, opportunities for advancements in shooting skills.   I’ve been on some ranges that ran like an airport and time slots were filled almost everyday with some group or training event.  This can be nice if you have the time to be involved, but it’s always nice to belong to a range where you know you’ll always get a seat and the target posts aren’t shot down.   Not everyone has private property to shoot on and the notion of showing up and finding out there is nothing to hang your targets on is shockingly common at outdoor ranges.

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