A place to shoot, Asheville NC

[gemmer]

Can anyone suggest an outdoor range for black powder longarms wtihin a reasonable distance of Asheville NC.?

Thanks

[wormey]

Polk County gun club just south of Columbus has a nice facility. 100-300 yard rifle range, pistol range, and trap and skeet fields. Membership dues are a modest $160 per year. Membership at present is full, but if intersted you can fill out an application ( available through members) and go on a waiting list. Shouldn`t be long until a slot opens up. Several old codgers who shoot charcoal are members including myself, Judge Fox, and Ron Goodrich (NSSA member). Shoot me a private message if you are interested or if I can help. Getting harder to find a place to shoot!:)

[Southron Sr.]

Here in Georgia the Department of Natural Resources has built ranges all over the state, usually at the entrance of tracts of public land used by deer hunters. They are open to the public and free to use. So, check with your local DNR office first.

I would check by the local gun shops also, as the owners would probably know where the nearest public range is-IF North Carolina has a program similar to Georgia's. In any event, your local gun shop owners should know where the [public and private] ranges are.

GOOD LUCK

[gemmer]

Here in Georgia the Department of Natural Resources has built ranges all over the state, usually at the entrance of tracts of public land used by deer hunters. They are open to the public and free to use. So, check with your local DNR office first.

I would check by the local gun shops also, as the owners would probably know where the nearest public range is-IF North Carolina has a program similar to Georgia's. In any event, your local gun shop owners should know where the [public and private] ranges are.

GOOD LUCK

Thanks. I did check NC's DNR and only found one public range, unlike SC which has quite a few. Upside, it's only about 35 minutes outside Asheville. Downside, only 5 benches. We're thinking about heading there for retirement so maybe the 5 benches won't be an issue, at least on weekday mornings. If we do move there, I've got to have a place to shoot. Hunt would be nice too.

Duane

[gemmer]

Polk County gun club just south of Columbus has a nice facility. 100-300 yard rifle range, pistol range, and trap and skeet fields. Membership dues are a modest $160 per year. Membership at present is full, but if intersted you can fill out an application ( available through members) and go on a waiting list. Shouldn`t be long until a slot opens up. Several old codgers who shoot charcoal are members including myself, Judge Fox, and Ron Goodrich (NSSA member). Shoot me a private message if you are interested or if I can help. Getting harder to find a place to shoot!:)

Thanks Wormey. That club did show up on a search I did. I'll have to wait on that until we make our move down there(if and when).

Duane

[Michael Bodner]

Forget about Ashville - Too artsy-fartsy. Come on down to South Carolina in the Charlotte area!

-Mike

Former NJ Escapee

[RangerFrog]

There is an Asheville Rifle Club down on the French Broad... I don't know whether they are taking members at this time or not. They do have schuetzen matches several times a year on a 200 yd rifle range. I've never asked about BP, though.

Froggie

[Lou Lou Lou]

That is the home of the Buncombe Rifles. Maybe they can help?

[RR Ranger]

I sent you a PM but also wanted to pass on an invitation to anyone else that might be looking for the same thing. The Greenville Gun Club (S.C.) has a monthly long range buffalo shoot that is open to non-members. Information on rules and requirements can be found on their website. We consider 300 yards long range because that's all we have.

[Southron Sr.]

Contact Dave Jackson via e-mail. His address is:

GafferGrip@charter.net

He lives in Asheville and might know of several places to shoot. He also shoots with the local N-SSA team.

Dave is a wonderful person and always very helpful to fellow black powder shooters.

[David Kennard 12146]

Look around Knoxville, TN. One of the best ranges in the South is at Oak Ridge, TN. The Oak Ridge Sportsmans Association (ORSA). Check it out on www.orsaonline.org. :D

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Here in Georgia the Department of Natural Resources has built ranges all over the state, usually at the entrance of tracts of public land used by deer hunters. They are open to the public and free to use. So, check with your local DNR office first.

I would check by the local gun shops also, as the owners would probably know where the nearest public range is-IF North Carolina has a program similar to Georgia's. In any event, your local gun shop owners should know where the [public and private] ranges are.

GOOD LUCK

Effective Jan 1, 2012 GA DNR public ranges require a Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP) for ages 16-64 to use the 31 properties managed by Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division for non-hunting and fishing activities. Annual GORP is $19 and is intended to provide revenue to offset recent budget cutbacks for maintenance and salaried personnel (i.e. Rangers), etc.

Don't know how you might host a skirmish at one of the state facilities given the new recreation pass requirements, as there is only the one "group" pass for a "Small Group" which allows the purchaser to take up to 8 people, including self, to a property. The Small Group pass is nontransferable, and the purchaser must keep the pass on his/her person. Rangers will ask individuals for their licenses. To show compliance, the group should stay in the same general area as the pass holder; OR the purchaser should provide the license number printed on the GORP pass to each member of his party. It is also advised to carry photo identification. The Small Group pass is not intended for commercial outfiitters/guides, educational groups or nonprofit groups. These groups should contact their Regional Game Management office (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/uploads/wildlife/hunting/pdf/contactinformation%26offices.pdf) to arrange for a Right of Entry agreement.

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Look around Knoxville, TN. One of the best ranges in the South is at Oak Ridge, TN. The Oak Ridge Sportsmans Association (ORSA). Check it out on www.orsaonline.org (http://www.orsaonline.org). :D

What the ORSA website does not tell you is how the ORSA High Power range is setup. Back in the late 1980s when I was a member of the Second Army Service Rifle (M-14) USAR Team, we often used the ORSA range in preparation for the U.S. Army Small Arms Championships held at Fort Benning, GA, and attended a NRA match at ORSA the weekend prior to the championships simply because of the range at ORSA. The butts (or pits) have cantilever target frames which make it very convenient to pull and mark targets. The butts are further situated at the base of a hillside flanked by a dense woodland on either side creating almost a wind-free "tunnel" effect, enabling shooters to establish no-wind zeroes back to 600 yards.

Although shooters must encounter crosswinds when shooting from the 1,000 yard line, wind only effects the bullet for the first third of its flight, and with the "tunnel"-like effect commencing at the 600 yard line, the range at ORSA enables shooters preparing for the Palma 1000-yard matches to establish most excellent zeroes from 1,000 yards, even better than establishing zeroes on the Sniper Course range at Fort Benning. The first time I shot 1,000 yards with my M-14 was in 1988, when I was coached by then All Army Reserve Team Coach CWO Billy Atkins, and found the X-ring in just three rounds! That was shooting 168-grain Sierras, not 180s or 190s.

At that particular time the All Army Reserve Service Rifle Team used match grade M-14s with oversized chambers, and shot 190-grain Sierras for 1,000 yard accuracy. So to get on target with 168-grain bullets at 1,000 yards, using open sights... shooting a "clean" at 600 yards or the X-ring at 1,000 ain't shabby... even if it was just practice.