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View Full Version : need some help trying to get a gun club rule changed "50bmg"



Ring
08-12-09, 20:11
in the 1st email he said they didnt want 50s because they could penatrate the backstop "30ft + of dirt"

i told him according the the US army tests, that 50 will stop in 16" of sand or 28" of clay.

this was his response


I find the 18" of sand to be a bit understated in that they will go through 4" of armor plate. There are 3 additional factors that we do not want to deal with or worry about with respect to the range.

another over hyped myth, 50AP is rated at 1" armor @ 200
I have personally shot 1.5" steel plate at 60y with AP and no penetration


1) The noise of a 50 BMG is tremendous and our range is not designed to abate that level of noise. The range protection act is based upon noise level beyond the perimeter of the range and the decibel level outside our property will exceed the protection limits providing the neighbors the opportunity to shut us down

1st, is "exceed the protection limits" even part of the range act?
2nd while the 50 is loud, so is a 338 mag with a mussel break.
i have a DB meter that i could take readings



2) The impact crater from the round will greatly destabilize the earthen backstops. While the rounds may not go right through on initial firings, they will cause accelerated erosion. Also there is nothing to stop some fool from firing at the 25-yd backstop just to see the impact blast.

"impact crater"
not sure how to respond to this.... will a 50 displace more dirt then say a 12ga slug?


3) Escapes from the property - a) The backstop is not sifted material and has rocks in it. A 50 BMG has the opportunity to travel farther from a ricochet. Additionally, the backstops are not perfectly 45 degrees and increase the possibility of a ricochet. b) Rounds tend to tidily wink over the backstop even when they impact squarely. A 50 BMG has sufficient energy that it could leave the property and that would cause us a very undesirable photo-op should a neighbor come up with a spent projectile found on their property. c) Should someone have an accidential discharge (AD) the 50 BMG will travel MILES before coming back to earth and still retain considerable destructive energy. It has an effective range of 2500 yards, key word being effective which means still lethal.

the bullet fired from any large caliber or magnum rifle may travel as far as 5 miles.


Finally, that's the rules and are mainly in effect due to our living in such close proximity to a lot of people. If they want a 50 BMG range, I'd suggest they join Tusco. They are out in the boonies and have a lot of property around them.

actually, i would join tusco, but its 1:40 min drive, this club is 20min away.

thoughts, input?

RancidSumo
08-12-09, 20:18
See if he would be open to allowing you to fire a couple of shots after hours and he can check the decibel readings himself and see that it won't go through or leave a huge "impact crater". Also, take him a box of .22LR* and show him where it says, "Range- 2 miles" so any round is dangerous at extre.me distances. If he still won't listen to reason, there is nothing you can do.

threebanger
08-13-09, 17:55
m2c....You tend to get more flys with honey. I'd suggest an after hours shoot (kinda as above but put a PR spin on it) where the members of the board/owner can observe a .50 in action. They are quite intimidating & tend to be more of a pain (ears/sinuses) to by-standers than the shooter.

I've been on a line w/10 .50s & you do great until the shooter next to you pulls the trigger. After 50-100 rnds from each shooter you & every1 else are done.

Also, since they are the board/owner I would not get into a fact proving contest. Just give it a honest shot & be open to criticism. That's about all you can do my friend.

A-Bear680
08-13-09, 18:11
It comes down to gentle persuasion , or....
Get elected to the club board of directors or whatever they call the duly elected group that makes policy for the club. Until then , the guys who won the last election get to make the rules. Either you convince them or you don't.
Or course , even if you do get elected , you might get out-voted by the other duly elected leaders.

Surf
08-14-09, 01:42
Their club and rules. Doesn't sound like they have any intentions of changing them. All you can do is ask, and the worst they can do is to say no. Sounds like their decision has been made a long time prior to you.