Shooting Ranges & Memberships

The LONG wait...

Recently I found myself invited to a local members-only shooting range and realized that I quite liked the atmosphere compared to the hustle and bustle of your everyday range. 
Last month I had applied for a membership at the same establishment and after a couple of weeks they emailed back saying that I could start my membership in June... of 2014.
At first I couldn't believe the long wait, but after seeing what a private range looked like I felt like anyone in their right mind would want a membership at a place like this.
Apparently this isn't an isolated instance of long waits either. I heard that some other ranges not too far away have 2 or even 3 year-long waiting lists and after that you still have to prove yourself to be a viable candidate and in good standing with the NRA.
People seem to be weary of long lines in crowded indoor shooting ranges these days. Can't say that I blame them, because I sure am. Now that Autumn is here I feel like outdoor shooting is in its prime in New England. Being stuck inside an echoing cavern with pistols and rifles going off 10 feet away on either side of me isn't my idea of a good time.

Most private shooting ranges are starting to put a cap on the number of new members and from there the only way you're getting in is almost purely based on knowing the right people. So check for local members-only ranges sooner rather than later because they're filling up quick!

On the upside I got the opportunity to shoot an acquaintance’s S&W .357 revolver. He had hand loads of .38 and .357 ammunition for it and it was a hoot and a half to shoot and sadly I can shoot it better than my own Glock, which I've owned for quite some time. Also had the chance to shoot the tiniest 1911 Kimber I've ever seen or held and was impressed by its manageability even for its small size.

AMD-65 and Glock 30SF after cleaning

Luckily I was able to dust off my Glock 30SF and AMD-65 for the beautiful and cool Fall day and share them with new shooting friends. Still find that I get compliments and inquiries for my somewhat unique-looking Hungarian AK whenever I shoot it, which is nice.

Well here's wishing me luck to getting into a private, members-only range at some point in the future...

Practice, please

Savage Axis XP, TGI AMD-65, Olympic Arms AR-15

New Savage in .308 (foreground) and old Savage in .300 Savage (background)

AMD-65 Project (continued)

AMD-65

I've finally come close to finishing my AMD-65 project with the new addition of a Vortex SPARC Red Dot optic, which I have sighted in and tested. So far as an overall weapon system it is very good as well as simplistic without a lot of toys attached. In my opinion it is simply an AMD-65 with a helping hand.

 Project - Weapons page

How Many Different Calibers Should I Own?

Simply put: as few as possible.

It is okay to have some variety, but having a dozen (or even half a dozen) different caliber rounds with associated weaponry is totally unnecessary in terms of survival practicality. Especially if you're mobile and you can only carry so much with you.

If you're a gun collector then this probably won't apply to you.

Here are few guidelines to help you understand my reasoning...

(*For the purpose of this conversation let's put shotguns in a category of their own because everyone should own one for at least home defense)

• Stick mostly with "common" calibers
• Overall availability, purchasing prices and the ability to easily find and scavenge later on if needed (I doubt you'll find a huge cache of 6mm Remington anywhere)
• You don't need multiple calibers for multiple firearms
• It's usually good to have a couple firearms that use the same ammunition (i.e. Springfield M1A and a Remington Model 700 both chambered in .308)
• Between rifles and pistols 3-5 different types of ammunition is good
• It's okay to have at least a couple less-than-common calibers and associated weapons as backups or even for bartering in the future (i.e. .300 Savage or 9x18mm), but don't rely heavily on them

An example of what an arsenal could be: 

• S&W M&P9 (9x19mm) [self defense/short range]
• GLOCK 17 (9x19mm)  [self defense/short range]
• GLOCK 30 (.45 ACP) [self defense/short range]
• Olympic Arms AR-15 (.223) [short-medium range]
• Mossberg MVP (.223) [medium-long range]
• AMD-65 (7.62x39mm) [short-medium range]

There are a couple of basic principals for both the firearms and the ammunition they use in the list above.

1. Useability
2. Practicality
3. Availability
4. Compatibility

In the example list I have: three pistols, two tactical rifles and one hunting rifle.  There are six guns overall and only 4 different calibers.

My theory on shotguns is that one should be loaded and near your bed (if you live in a state that actually trusts you with a loaded gun) so it shouldn't need to be listed.

Complete and Incomplete Gun Projects

Build Concepts (before and after):

AKM CQB

M16A4 MWS Desert Recon

AKM Desert Recon

Special thanks to pimpmygun.doctornoob.com