The Range Report -- Fall 2010

Vol. 13 No. 4 Fall 2010

Promote a Themeand Pull in Customers

BONUS: Pull-out Poster

NSSF’s Magazine for Shooting Facilities

Breathe Easy: Update on Vent Systems

The Survey Says:You SHOULD Survey

2 The Range Report Fall 2010

3The Range Report Fall 2010

8Features

Breathe EasyA helpful update on ventilation systems for indoor rangesBy Carolee Anita Boyles

Promote a ThemeSpecial events can enhance the bottom line.By Mike Zlotnicki

Be Part of the College SceneJoin NSSF in helping students enjoy organized shooting.By Bill Brassard and Glenn Sapir

Survey Your CustomersCommunication tells you how to provide better service.By C. Douglas Nielsen

Special Pull-out PosterWear Eye & Ear ProtectionA message worthy of posting

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4 Letter from the EditorThe number$ gameBy Glenn Sapir

Sighting InScoping out news for the shooting range communityBy Glenn Sapir

5

Q&AWhat has been your most successful promotion or program to attract youth to your range?By Glenn Duncan, Hall Rogers and Charles Swanberg

The Undercover ShooterSighting in a slug gun in Connecticut

Home on the RangeFirst Shots, 2nd RoundBy Cyndi Dalena

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www.nssf.org • www.wheretoshoot.org • www.rangeinfo.org

On the cover: Themed events, like Deep River’s Side By Side expo, bring customers and exposure.

Photo by Mike Zlotnicki

Vol. 13 No. 4 Fall 2010

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© 2010 National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Range ReportSM, SHOT Show® and all other trade names, trademarks and service marks of the National Shooting Sports Foundation appearing in this publication are the sole property of the Foundation and may not be used without the Foundation’s prior express written permission. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Bonus

14-15

20

18

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www.nssf.org

The Range Report, published four times per year by the National Shooting Sports Founda-tion, is dedicated to serving the needs and to helping meet the challenges of today’s shoot-ing facilities.

The Range Report encourages letters, comments, suggestions, questions and tips. Material to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The Range Report does not assume responsibility for the loss of unsolicited graphic or written material. Correspondence should be sent to:

The Range Report c/o NSSF 11 Mile Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470-2359 Fax: 203-426-1245 E-mail: [email protected]

We reserve the right to edit for clarity and space.

Editor Glenn SapirAdvertisingDirector Chris DolnackArtDirector Deb Moran

Letter from the EditorG l e n n S a p i r

Advisory Committee

Don Turner - president of NSSF’s Association of Shooting RangesShooting park manager Clark County Shooting ParkNorth Las Vegas, Nev. [email protected]

Robin Ball, ownerSharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun ShopSpokane, Wash. [email protected]

Brian Danielson, sales manager Meggitt Training SystemsSuwanee, Ga. [email protected]

Glenn Duncan, ownerDuncan’s Outdoor Shop, Inc.Bay City, Mich. [email protected]

Jon Green, director of education and training Gun Owners Action League (GOAL)Northborough, Mass. [email protected]

Bill Kempffer, presidentDeep River Sporting Clays, Inc.Sanford, N.C. [email protected]

Holden Kriss, directorIndian River County Public Shooting RangeSebastian, Fla. [email protected]

Barry Laws, CEOOpenrange Inc.Crestwood, Ky. [email protected]

Phil Murray, national sales managerWhite Flyer Houston, Texas [email protected]

Tim Pitzer, presidentOregon State Shooting AssociationAlbany, Ore. [email protected]

The Range Report Fall 20104

www.nssf.org

The Range Report, published four times per year by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, is dedicated to serving the needs and to helping meet the challenges of today’s shooting facilities.

The Range Report encourages letters, comments, suggestions, questions and tips. Material to be returned should be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. The Range Report does not assume responsibility for the loss of unsolicited graphic or written material. Correspondence should be sent to:

The Range Report c/o NSSF 11 Mile Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470-2359 Fax: 203-426-1245 E-mail: [email protected]

We reserve the right to edit for clarity and space.

ManagingDirector Mark ThomasEditor Glenn SapirAdvertisingDirector Chris DolnackArtDirector Deb Moran

Letter from the EditorG l e n n S a p i r

The Number$ Game

Whether the game is skeet, trap, sporting clays or a three-gun match, or deer,

squirrels, turkey or ducks, or any other game one recreationally shoots with a firearm, each person pulling the trigger makes a positive impact on our nation’s economy. In late April, National Shooting Sports Foundation staff members and key executives of voting member companies of NSSF as well as officials of NSSF met with the U.S. Senate majority leader, minority leader and other members of Congress to discuss key issues facing the shooting and hunting, firearms and ammunition industry. By releasing results from a newly commissioned report detailing the significant economic impact the firearms and ammunition industry has on the nation’s and each of the state’s economies, NSSF delivered a message that drew attention. It’s a message of which you are a part, of which you should be aware and to which every shooter that goes through your facility contributes. In 2009, jobs in the firearms and ammunition industry rose to 183,424 (88,200 people who manufacture, distribute and sell firearms, ammunition and hunting equipment and 95,250 jobs supplying goods and services to manufacturers, distributors and retailers, as well as those that depend on sales to workers in the firearms and ammunition industry). The total marks an increase from 166,200 in 2008. That work force’s collective wages amounted to more than $8.2 billion, and the combined economic impact on the nation was nearly $28 billion. What’s particularly noteworthy is that a significant increase occurred while the nation battled a sagging economy. “During difficult economic times and high unemployment rates nationally, our industry actually grew and created 16,800 new, well-paying

jobs,” Steve Sanetti, NSSF’s president and chief executive officer, told the gathering on Capitol Hill. “Our industry is proud to be one of the bright spots in this economy.” Let’s look at other numbers coming out of that and another report that should be of interest to you and your patrons. The workforce cited above paid taxes—property, income and sales—somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 billion. Another extremely significant financial contribution the industry made to the nation’s economy came in the form of an excise tax manufacturers pay on firearms and ammunition purchased. That money, commonly called Pittman-Robertson dollars, goes to state agencies that provide public ranges and manage the wildlife within their borders. Larry Keane, NSSF’s senior vice president and general counsel, told the congressmen that in 2009 our industry increased this contribution to wildlife conservation [as well as shooting range management and hunter education] by more than 37.6 percent, which translates into sportsmen contributing more than $7.5 million dollars daily to these efforts. Another significant number came out of yet another study commissioned by NSSF, and that finding resulted in the poster you can find as the centerfold of this issue. The study was conducted in March by Harris Interactive, one of the most highly regarded companies doing public opinion surveys. The number was 44 million. That’s how many people expressed some degree of interest in going shooting and/or hunting if invited by a friend or family member. It’s time to remind your customers and club members of this fact. We can all play a part in adding to the growing number that are getting in the game.

Advisory Committee

Don Turner - president of NSSF’s Association of Shooting RangesShooting park manager Clark County Shooting ParkNorth Las Vegas, Nev. [email protected]

Robin Ball, ownerSharp Shooting Indoor Range and Gun ShopSpokane, Wash. [email protected]

Brian Danielson, sales manager Meggitt Training SystemsSuwanee, Ga. [email protected]

Glenn Duncan, ownerDuncan’s Outdoor Shop, Inc.Bay City, Mich. [email protected]

Jon Green, director of education and training Gun Owners Action League (GOAL)Northborough, Mass. [email protected]

Bill Kempffer, presidentDeep River Sporting Clays, Inc.Sanford, N.C. [email protected]

Holden Kriss, directorIndian River County Public Shooting RangeSebastian, Fla. [email protected]

Barry Laws, CEOOpenrange Inc.Crestwood, Ky. [email protected]

Phil Murray, national sales managerWhite Flyer Houston, Texas [email protected]

Tim Pitzer, presidentOregon State Shooting AssociationAlbany, Ore. [email protected]


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Scoping out news for the shooting range communitySighting In Sighting In

By Glenn Sapir, Editor


Severalstatesofferfundingtoshoot-ing-rangefacilitieswithmoneyfromtheirPittman-Robertsonallocationoffederalexcisetaxesonfirearmsandammunition.Thoughitmaybetoolatetotakeadvan-tageof2010grants,rangesshouldcontacttheirstatewildlifemanagementagencytolearnofopportunitiesavailableinthecomingmonths. Inrecentmonths,pressreleasesfromatleastthreestatespromotingtheirrangegrantprogramshavecometotheatten-tionof The Range Report. TheWashington(State)DepartmentofFishandWildlifeannouncedthe

availabilityofapproximately$50,000incompetitivegrants,withindividualawardsrangingfrom$5,000to$25,000.Thegrantswereforconstruction,maintenanceorexpansionofpublicshooting-rangefacilities.Prospectiveapplicantswereevenofferedamanda-torygrant-writingworkshop.Formoreinformationaboutthisgrantprogram,call360-902-8111,[email protected]. In2010Nevadahadupto$80,000availableforshooting-rangeconstruc-tionorenhancement.Rangesopentothepublicandthatareabletoprovidea

minimumof25percentmatchingfundswereencouragedtocontactJohnMcKay(775-668-1553,[email protected])attheNevadaDepartmentofWildlifefordetails.Hemayhavedetailsaboutupcominggrantsavailability. TheVermontAgencyofNaturalResourcesannouncedthelaunchingofitsShootingRangeGrantImprovementProgramdesignedtoencouragetheimprovementofshootingrangesandtoenhancetheirsafetyandoperation.Forfurtherinformation,contactChrisSaun-ders,huntereducationcoordinator,at802-241-3722.

Recommended Reading TheFutureofHuntingandtheShootingSportsisa261-page,research-basedbookthatcondensesthefindingsofoneofthelargest,mostcomprehensivestudieseverconductedonfactorsrelatedtoshootingandhuntingparticipation,motivationsofshootersandhuntersandsatisfactionwithrecruitmentandretentionprograms. NSSFmemberscanorderthisbookataspecialpriceof$20,withfreeshipping.Abulkorderof25ormorebymembersbringsthepricedownto$15percopyAfreePDFdownloadisalsoavailableathttp://taskforce2020.org/download.cfm. Nonmemberpriceis$225. ContactDianneVrablic,203-426-1320,[email protected],withanyorderquestions.TobecomeanNSSFmember,contactBettyjaneSwann,directorofmemberservices,at203-426-1320,[email protected].

Correction IntheSpring2010editionofThe Range Report,thearticle,“Break-in!”coveredKADisplaySolutionssecuredguncases.Actu-ally,thecompanynowofferingthosecasesisDisplaySolutionsofTopeka,telephone800-444-9685,www.dstopeka.com.

SB1005,whichexemptstrapandskeetshootingclubsmeetingcertainrequirementsfrompropertytaxation,wassignedbyGov.BreweronApril26,reportstheArizonaCitizensDefenseLeague. ArizonaSB1005exemptstrapandskeetshootingclubsthatteach,train,sponsor,coachorhostclinics,shootingleaguesandcompetitivetournamentsorotherevents,includ-inghuntereducationandfirearmsafetyclasses,frompropertytaxesifthebuildingsareusedforeducationpracticesandnotusedorheldforprofitablepurposes.

AbeneficiaryofthisbillistheTucsonTrapandSkeetClub,anon-profit501(c)(3)organization,whichisunderconsiderationtohostthe2012ShotgunWorldCupandtobecomethewintertrainingcenterfortheU.S.Olympicshotgunteam. Inordertoaccomplishthis,theclubmustmakesignificantimprovementstotherangeandpurchasetheadjoiningproperty. Oncetheseimprovementsaremadetheclubwouldfaceanincreasedtaxburdenthatwouldlikelyhavetripledthecurrentpropertytaxes itpays. SB1005exemptstheclubfromhavingtopaythehighertaxburden.

Shooting Program Reaches Milestone TheJuniorUSAShootingTeampatchprogram,administeredbytheNationalShootingSportsFounda-tion,awardsanattractivepatchtoyouthwhodemonstrateabasicaptitudewithrifleandshotgun.Theprogramrequiresthesupervisionofanadult.Thepatches,providedfreetoindividualsandorganizationsthathaveembracedtheprogram,haveproventobepopu-larofferingsforranges. JohnKauza,ofAlexan-driaTownship,N.J.,beganarifleandshotgunshooting

programin1978fortheCentralNewJersey

CounciloftheBoyScoutsofAmerica.Forthelastsixyears,hehasbeenofferingtheJuniorUSAShoot-ingTeampatchesaspartoftheprogram. Fourteen-year-

oldMattJaszynrecentlyservedasamilestone

inKauza’sprogramwhenhebecamethe5,000thriflemantocompletethecourse. ToincorporateJuniorUSAShoot-ingPatches,whichareupdatedannually,intoashootingprogram

atyourfacility,visitwww.nssf.org/JrUSA.

J U N I O R

T EAM2 0 1 0

Federal Grant Reminder

Arizona Bill Offers Tax Relief for Non-profit Ranges

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Q. What is your best promotion or program to attract youth to your facility?

A. Glenn Duncan, owner, Duncan’s Outdoor Shop: Wehavethreeeffectiveprograms.Oneisthebusingofstudentsfromlocalschoolstotherangeforanafternoonintro-ductiontofirearmsafetyandinstruction.Studentsviewsafetyvideosandreceiveinstructiononfirearmsafetyandmarks-manshipunderthedirectsupervisionofNRA-certifiedfirearminstructors.Annually,300to400students,withparentalconsent,gothroughthisprogram.Infact,parentsmustaccompanytheirsonordaughterandstayduringthefirstdayofclasses. Second,wesetupaseparatecorpora-tiontobuild,maintainandrunportable,properlyventilatedtrailerswithfourair-gunshootinglanes.Thesetrailersarecompletelyself-sufficient,featuringairriflesthatmeetstatelaw,targets,pellets,televisions,generators,etc.Thesetrailersareusedforin-storepromotionsandlocalcommunityactivitiestointroduceshoot-erstotheshootingsports.Thesetrailersoperateunderthesupervisionofcertifiedinstructors,andupto500juniorsperyear

areexposedtotheshootingsportsthroughthisprogram. Last,Duncan’ssupportsjuniorcompetitiveshootingactivitiesonThurs-daynights.Juniorsreceiveinstructioninsafety,theproperhandlingoffirearmsandmarksmanship.ShootersstartoutwithairriflesandprogressthroughtheNRA’squali-ficationprogram.Finally,theymaymakethetravelingteams.Manyoftheshootershavegoneontomakenationalteamsandobtaincollegescholarships.Approximately20to30participantsareinthisprogramthroughouttheyear. Asanaddedbenefit,weemploysomeoftheseyoungpeopleparttimeintheshopwheretheycanlearnthebusinesswhileinhighschooland/orcollege,andwe,ofcourse,followallfederalandstatelawsregardingtheiremployment. Thebottomlineisthattheseprogramsaregoodfortheyoungpeople,goodforourfutureandit’sgoodforbusiness.

A. Hall Rogers, manager, Rocky Creek Sporting Clays: RockyCreekSportingClaystriestostrengthenfamiliesthroughtheirpartici-pationinanenjoyablerecreationalactivitybyconcentratingonthebasicsofprovid-ingasafe,fun,affordablevenuewherefamiliesfeelwelcome.LastyeartheSuper-intendantofEducationinSouthCarolinaannouncedanendeavortointroducesport-ingclaysasateamsportintothepublicschoolsofSouthCarolina.Wehavespokentomanycoaches,schoolsandparentsinsupportingthateffort.Theinstructors,staffandothervolunteersdonatetheirtimeheretoworkwithouryouthonteam-work,self-disciplineself-confidenceandproblemsolving,whilealsoworkingonfirearmsafety,sportsmanship,characterbuilding,leadershipabilities,citizenshipresponsibilitiesandappreciationofournaturalresources.Ourgreatestassets,perhaps,areourvolunteersandcommunitythatsupportouryouthandfacility.

A. Charles Swanberg, Fur, Fin and Feather Club: Fouryearsago,shortlyafterintro-ducingmy12-year-oldson,Tyler,totrapshooting,hesaid,“Dad,Ilikeshooting,butthereareonlyoldpeopleattheclub.”Iknewsomethingradicalneededtobedonetokeephiminthesport. First,Iaskedafewofhisfriendstocomealong.Iwaspleasedtofindparentsveryreceptivetoshooting,andmysonresumedgoingtotheclub.Thinkingthatagoodthingcouldbemadebetter,IhitupontheideaofstartingayouthtrapteamattheFin,FurandFeatherClub. Isolicitedthehelpofamemberofourboardofdirectorswhoexpressedinter-estinmyidea.Together,wepersuadedtheboardtounderwrite50percentoftheteam’sammunitionandtargetexpenses.Next,webegantorecruitshootersandcoachesbymeansofadvertisingonourclubwebsiteandonneighboringclub’sbulletinboards. Additionally,wemadepresentationstolocalBoyScouttroopsandcontactedmoreofTyler’sclassmates. Soon,wehadateamofsevendedi-cated,novicetrapshootersandthreecoaches,allthreeofwhomtooktheNRACoachingClasstoimprovetheirinstruc-tionalskills. WesolvedtheproblemoffindingotheryouthclubswithwhichtocompetewhenwecameacrosstheScholasticClayTargetProgramwebsite.Thisnationalprogramofyouthclaytargetshooterswasjustwhatthedoctorordered.TheSCTPprovidedafull-blown“league”ofyouthteamsinMassachusetts.ByjoiningtheSCTP,ourclubfoundworthyoppo-nents,removingamajororganizationalheadache. Today,throughourownhardwork,collaborationwithSCTPandeffective“word-of-mouth”advertising,ourprogramboasts31youthshootersand11NRA-certifiedcoaches.

Your questions answered

Q&AQ&A

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Glenn DuncanOwner Duncan’s Outdoor ShopBay City, Mich.

Hall RogersManagerRocky Creek Sporting ClaysRichburg, S.C.

Charles SwanbergTreasurerFur, Fin and Feather ClubMillis, Mass.

InQ&A,The Range Reportinvites

NSSF’sAssociationofShootingRanges

advisorycommitteememberspastand

present,andotherswithspecialexpertise,

toprovidetheiranswerstoquestions

ofinteresttoourreaders.Ifyouhave

aquestionyou’dliketoseeaddressed,

[email protected].

Ifyouwouldliketocommentonthe

answersgiveninthisedition’sQ&A,orif

youhaverelatedfollow-upquestionsfor

thisteamofexperts,pleaseshareyour

thoughtsatthesamee-mailaddress.


Best Ways to Attract Youth



A good range ventilation system is essential to your operation. Without it, you can’t pass the

necessary inspections to open your doors, and it certainly won’t protect you or your customers from emissions if it isn’t installed correctly Unlike a regular air-conditioning system, a range ventilation system isn’t something you can just call your local HVAC company to install. Only a handful of HVAC companies nationwide know how to properly design and install a ventilation system on a shooting range. Fortunately, however, they’re available to either install a system anywhere in the United States, or work with your own HVAC company to get one installed for you.

Not many changes Ventilation systems for ranges have changed little for the past 40 years, and they aren’t likely to change in the near future. This is good news for ranges for a couple of reasons. First, that means that systems are designed well and still function properly to filter air. Second, range operators whose systems meet current standards won’t be faced with expen-sive retrofitting in the near term. William Provencher is president of Carey’s Range Ventilation in Tinley Park, Ill. He does installations for all the ranges built by Advanced Interac-

tive Systems and regularly presents the section on range ventilation at the National Rifle Association’s Range Development Conference. “NIOSH—the National Insti-tute for Occupational Safety and Health—came out with the standard in 1975 that still is the standard today,” Provencher said. “It’s the basis of the Air Force’s Engineering Techni-cal Letter, the Navy’s Unified Force Criteria and the U.S. General Services Administration criteria for indoor ranges. It’s still the basis of design for all ranges, and it always works when applied properly.” The specific standard is that the velocity of air at the firing line must flow at an average of 75 feet per minute and no less than 50 feet per minute at any point. Besides the NIOSH standards, Provencher said, there are two other sets of standards of concern to ranges. One is from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the other is from the Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA). Provencher says that, in essence, the standard from OSHA regulates the air quality in the range. The EPA stan-dard regulates what a system can emit to the outside. “If you were to shoot the most offensive ammunition you could find into the worst bullet trap you could hit, 24 hours a day and seven days a week,

you couldn’t produce enough pounds of lead thrown outside to violate the federal EPA emissions standard,” Provencher said. “However, on your exhaust duct, it is possible to get surface contami-nation that could exceed the surface contamination level allowed by EPA,” he continued. “Our opinion as a contractor is that if you don’t conform to the applicable standards, obviously we would strongly counsel you to take appropriate steps to address the issue.” Provencher said he doesn’t see anything coming that would change any of those standards.

Three types Provencher said there are two reasons ranges need a different kind of HVAC system than any “average” business does. “The first reason is to keep the contaminants created during the firing of an arm out of the respiratory zone,” he said. “The second reason is to keep a negative pressure to the rest of the building, so that contaminants created on the range don’t leach into the rest of the building.” Installing a range ventilation system doesn’t require any special licensing, Provencher said, but it does require special experience. “The average HVAC contractor may see one shooting range in his lifetime,” he said. “Installing one isn’t

Breathe EasyA helpful update on ventilation systems for indoor ranges

By Carolee Anita Boyles

Photos courtesy of Carey’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.


that hard, but without experience it’s kind of an experiment. It would be like me trying to design a system for a high-rise. I have no experience at it, and I would mess up something. People who do those for a living are experts at it, and people who install ventilation systems for shooting ranges are experts at what they do.” In fact, he said, both he and other suppliers work nationwide because there are so few resources for shooting range ventilation systems. Provencher said there are three types of ventilation systems, only two of which are of serious interest to private or public indoor ranges:

1. Purge or straight-through system “This type of system is 100 percent outside air and 100 percent exhaust,” Provencher said. “This is the least expensive kind of system to install.” A purge system can use a lot of energy, depending on where in the country you’re located. “For instance, if you’re in an area like San Diego that’s 79 degrees year-round, it’s an ideal system,” he said.

“And in drier climates where you can use evaporative cooling, like Colorado or New Mexico, it’s a very good, effi-cient system.” If you’re in an area with extremes of temperature or with high humidity, however, it’s not as efficient a system, said Provencher. “In those areas, the operating costs are more expensive,” he said. One big plus is that it’s the safest type of system to install. “With outside air and 100 percent exhaust, even if you goof up a filter change, you won’t contaminate the range,” Provencher said. This type of system has a two-stage filtration process. “The first stage is a two-inch thick pleated filter like you’d use in a stan-dard commercial system, and it catches 30 percent of the contaminants,” Provencher said. “The second stage is a HEPA filter, which stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air filter, and which is 99.97 percent efficient. That’s the type of filter you use on

incoming air in the surgical suite in a hospital. It keeps all the contaminants from either going outside, or from recirculating, depending on the kind of system you have.”

2. Recirculation system “A recirculation system brings in a minimum of 25 percent outside air to dilute contaminants and odors,” Provencher said. “This system is good because by recycling this much air you’re saving 75 percent of the energy needed for heating or cooling.” However, both the installation of and the maintenance on this type of system is more expensive, and there may be a nine- to 12-year investment return on a recirculation system in most areas. “With this type of system you must maintain it properly, or you could bring contaminants right back into the range area,” Provencher said. In a recirculation system, the filtration aspect is very similar to that of a purge system, except that there’s a middle stage. “The middle filter is 60 percent to 80 percent efficient,” Provencher said.

“That’s just an extra stage for safety.”

3. Energy recovery system This type of system can use 100 percent outside air, but it recovers the energy from the heated and cooled air from the range through some type of exhausted air exchange. “These systems are very expen-sive,” Provencher said. “Typically, only the federal government can afford to build them. On a commer-cial range, if you can’t see a two- to

five-year payback, you don’t have any interest in building it. But the federal government uses a 25-year return on investment to make its decisions. So, it would consider anything that pays back in less than 25 years because it has the ability to do longer-term investments. These are very safe

C.VargasandAssociates,Ltd.ConsultingEngineers8808ArlingtonExpresswayJacksonville,[email protected]

Carey’sHeating&AirConditioning7301W.DuvanDriveTinleyPark,[email protected]

ShootingRangesInternational(aDiv.ofAdvancedInteractiveSystems)3885RockbottomStreetNorthLasVegas,[email protected]

SuperTrap,Inc.ArtFransen,CEO1601CommerceStreetCorona,[email protected]

Range Ventilation-System Suppliers


systems, and they save energy, but they have a very high initial cost.”

Getting the job done If you’re building a range and need a ventilation system, you have two options for getting it done. One is to have someone from the resource list (see side-bar) build it for you. The other is to have one of these compa-nies act as a consultant to your local HVAC contractor. Mike Halverson is president of Shooting Ranges Interna-tional in North Las Vegas, Nev., which is a subsidiary of Advanced Interactive Systems. He said he often works with local HVAC contractors to get ranges built anywhere in the country. “We design the system and provide a full set of plans,” he said. “Then the range owner can take those plans to local contractors

and get competitive bids. We’ll also sell them the equipment directly to help them keep their costs down. When we do that we offer a full set of plans, we give a quote for the major equipment and then we let the range owner find a local contractor to do the ductwork and instal-lation.” Shooting Range International also offers complete modular shooting ranges in both purge and recirculating configurations.

Take care of maintenance With all of that said, there’s no point in going to the trouble of install-ing a good ventilation system if you don’t maintain it properly. “It’s not hard to maintain your system,” said Eileen Reig, one of the owners of Reig’s Gun Shop in Orlando, Fla. “Once you get your standard oper-ating procedures in place, it’s simple. You wear a white suit like painters use and you wear a respirator and gloves. You don’t sweep; you vacuum. All your lead waste goes to a recycler.” Provencher agreed. “You should never sweep inside a

range,” he said. “You should always vacuum. And you should have the system running while you’re clean-ing, so the contaminants you stir up go downrange and stay away from the respiratory zone. When changing filters you should be wearing a Tyvek suit, a mask and gloves, so you don’t get contaminants from the dirty filters on your hands or clothes. These are just common lead-handling procedures.” The key to the whole thing, Reig said, is recycling. “Everything, including your mask and gloves, goes in bags and goes to the recycler,” she said. “So, you aren’t throwing anything away. Once you find a good recycler, you’ve got it made, because they’ll take everything; that’s what makes it easy.”

The chilled-water recirculation system seen from the top of a range in Montgomery County, Pa., above, suggests the immensity of a ventilation system. At top, the diffuser plenum, one component of a range-ventilation system, gives an indication of the overall complexity.

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It sounded like a war—or the open-ing day of dove season—in the red clay hills north of Sanford, N.C.,

last April. The cacophony of shotgun blasts rolled over the countryside as Bill Kempffer, owner of Deep River Sporting Clays in Sanford, N.C., ambled among a crowd of shooters—predominantly out-of-towners—taking a lunch break, shaking hands and patting backs. The happy gunners and the sound of distant reports meant that the 11th Annual Southern Side By Side Cham-pionship & Exhibition was in full swing, and Kempffer’s bottom line would get a boost from the themed event, capitalizing on some hard work and creative thinking. Each year for the last 11, owners of side-by-side shotguns have converged at Deep River Sport-ing Clays for three days to compete in many of the 30 shooting events being held, visit with vendors of the esteemed shotguns and ancillary prod-ucts and services, enjoy food served

on the premises and sit back and take in a blue grass concert, along with the many other social highlights that natu-rally pop up when a group of shooters with a common interest get together. Kempffer is no stranger to range management. His father owned trap clubs in South Carolina and Missouri, and after a stint as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot in Vietnam and 16 years with Merrill Lynch as a stock-broker, Kempffer opened Deep River in 1989. After consulting with indus-try colleagues such as Chris Batha of Charles Boswell and Ken Duglan of Atkins, Grant & Lang (who is still the primary sponsor), Kempffer held his first Southern Side By Side Champion-ship in 2000. It was a less than rousing success. “We had about 65 shooters, and it rained all three days,” said Kempffer. “The shoot was a disaster, but the exhibition was great. The rain killed the shooting profit.” A decade later, Kempffer has an event that has grown to 77 exhibitors

(about $480 per table/booth), 400 shooters representing more than 1,400 event entries (about $50 per entry; more for championship qualifiers) and almost 2,000 total bodies (admission is free) on site for the three-day show. “I learned to treat the shoot and the exhibition separately; they’re two different components” he said. “The exhibitors require covered space and infrastructure. The exhibition has to financially cover itself, and the shoot needs to be priced to cover itself in the event of marginal weather conditions.” The learning curve takes some…learning. Putting on an event the magni-tude of the Southern Side By Side is not just a matter of ordering more than 66,000 clay targets. Kempffer’s to-do list is long and varied. There’s marketing to exhibitors and advertis-ing to participants before hand. He must provide 26,000 square feet of covered vendor space, order decora-tive awards for 30 different shooting events and commemorative pins

Promote a ThemeSpecial events can enhance the bottom line.

By Mike Zlotnicki

Real-life Scenario

The 11th Annual Southern Side by Side Championship & Exhibition brought 77 exhibitors and nearly 2,000 people to Deep River.

Photo by author


and hats, hire 26 extra field judges, arrange catered food for 2,000 people, provide toilet facilities and hire a bluegrass band for the Saturday evening’s entertainment. Site security and trash removal must be lined up, too. One frame tent can run $8,000. Port-a-johns run $70 or so for the weekend per unit. Security is negoti-ated with off-duty sheriff deputies. Someone has to haul garbage. Kempffer shares some of what he’s learned from the Southern Side By Side Championship & Exhibition. Be true to yourself. “Don’t be what you’re not, “said Kempffer, who queried vendors and shooters about hits and misses after his first event. “Be proud of what you are and showcase it. For instance, the first year I had a sit-down banquet. For our crowd, it doesn’t work.” Now, local ladies provide a Carolina pig pickin’ and other Southern church social hall fare. The ladies sold about 2,000 meals this year and got to keep the profit. It works out well for them and Kempffer. “There’s only so much I can do,” he said. “They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. That’s one less thing I have to worry about, and they are making money. They feel like they have a stake in the event and a stake in the business.” Another thing Kempffer learned was more shooters were interested

in the social aspect of the event more than the competitive side, so he factored that into his plan. He built it, slowly and deliberately, and the shoot-ers have responded. “Instead of squadding different groups of shooters, I let the groups shoot together in European rotation,” he said. “I also lay out the course so small-gauge and large-gauge shooters can walk together. I try to meet the desires of customers.” In fact, planning for the following year starts during the event. “I use the current show to query participants and exhibitors to improve

next year’s,” said Kempffer.

Word from the range One group of this year’s customers was the Candler family—father Charles of St. Simons Island, Ga., mother Becky, daughters Lucy, 12 Rebecca, 22, and Paxton, 25, and Paxton’s fiancée, Jamie Keegan. Charles had inherited an L.C. Smith shotgun, and his desire to learn more about it led him to the event. “Look around,” Charles Candler said,

motioning to the parked vehicles. “Three years ago I didn’t know these people. Camaraderie is such an over-used word, but this goes beyond that. I could have gone to the Grand Canyon [on vacation], but I wouldn’t have

Jim Carmichael, former shooting editor for Outdoor Life magazine, and Bill Kempffer, owner of Deep River Sporting Clays, do a photo shoot for Garden & Guns magazine. The annual Side by Side event garnered a lot of coverage — and free exposure.

A Southern pig pickin’ was part of the daily lunch choices. Food was catered by locals, freeing Kempffer of the catering aspect of the Side by Side.




known a soul there.” Candler estimates that he spent $2,000 on the trip, with about $800 of that on site. Elizabeth Lanier of Sandy Hook, Va., shares the enthusiasm for the event. A shotgun instructor, she said, “I love this event. I love to shoot and can’t stand to compete, but I love to come here.” Lanier brought eight women age 47 to 63 with her in April and said that she personally spent $250 on shooting fees alone.

Another event About 600 miles north of Sanford in Millbrook, N.Y., is Orvis Sandan-ona, where Peggy Long, general manager, and her husband, Brian Long, senior manager of sporting tradition, have nurtured the multi-faceted Orvis Cup into an annual destination. Instead of a niche event like the Southern Side by Side, the Longs have spent four years promot-

ing an outdoors-lifestyle product, combining shooting competitions with falconry, hunting dog and fly-fishing demonstrations among others. The Orvis Cup is a two-day event, and though it is still a fiscal infant, the Longs see long-term promise. “The premise is not just with shooting, but with showcasing the sporting lifestyle and bringing traffic to the vendors,” said Brian Long. Peggy Long said a shooter’s spouse can keep busy, too, alluding to the peripheral activities. Last September the Orvis Cup had about 80 shooters in main event competitions and about 1,000 bodies through the gate. The Longs see the down-the-road potential. “We’re maybe break-even, but we’re trying to expose [our event] to new customers for long-term growth,” said Brian Long. “We have two shooting stations for novices or new shooters.” The Longs said that sponsorships,

shooting fees and vendor fees are crucial to support the event. Extra labor is an issue. The Longs prefer to pay cash for extra workers, while Kempffer taps range members to work for cash or credit on member-ships and shooting. “Sweat equity” is always an option.

Intangibles While attending the Southern Side By Side, I noticed Jim Carmi-chael, retired Outdoor Life shooting editor, on assignment for Garden & Guns magazine. In addition, the Charlotte Observer, Fayetteville Observer and Sanford Herald news-papers covered the event, as well as Clay Shooting USA, Parker Pages, Shooting Sportsman and The Range Report. It’s hard to buy that kind of exposure, regardless of your market-ing budget. “Call and invite the press,” said Kempffer. “The exposure is priceless.” You need to host a quality event, however, no matter the size.

Those seeds grow Both the Longs and Kempffer believe in long-term plans, three years at a minimum. “You have to go into this thing with a longer vision,” said Peggy Long. “You have to have a quality event. If you’re going to lose your shirt, lose it in style,” she laughed. One key point both the Longs and Kempffer made is that while imme-diate return on investment is nice, a lot of your return is in the future. Kempffer said of his 11 Side By Side Championships, four were breakeven and two lost money – and he said the two losers were still worth doing for the exposure. His three-day event last April, however, earned immedi-ate profits better than the two weeks of the Christmas/New Years holiday season, normally his strongest seasonal retail and shooting stretch of the year. In others words, start small, part-ner with a primary sponsor, think quality, listen to your market—and dare to dream. With those directives, your shirt is probably safe, unless you want to replace it with something nicer at a later date.

Create Your Own Event

Needideas?Thinksmall,thinkfunandthinkoutsidethebox.Youhaveyourregulars;keeptheminterestedandtargetbeyondthem. Themedeventscanbebasedonseasons,holidays,equipment–thelistisendless. BillKempfferofDeepRiverSportingClayshasagroupoflocalswhomeettoshootblack-powdershotguns.Envisionablack-powdertournamentwithaprizeforbestperiodcostume. Speakingofcostumes,whataboutaHalloweenshoot?Indepen-denceDay?MemorialDay? ContactthelocalBoyScoutcouncilandhostaclinicforShotgunShootingorRifleShootingmeritbadges. Whataboutamodernsportingrifleevent?Revolversonly?ACowboy-Actionweek-end?Pump-actionshotgunsonly? Manyshootershaveoldsingle-shotsmoothbores.Whataboutasingle-shottrap/skeet/sportingclaysshootwithtimeforreloading? Forhelpineventplanning,theNationalShootingSportsFoundationoffersapack-agecalledCountdowntoSuccessthatKempfferuses.Gotohttp://www.nssf.org/PDF/ASR_catalog2010.pdftoprintanorderform.It’sfreetoNSSFmembersand$25fornonmembers.

RR



Visit the CSSI Website

Remember,allofthedetailsontheCollegiateShootingSportsInitiativecanbeviewedattheCSSIwebsite,www.nssf.org/college.

On college campuses across the country, men and women are taking up target shooting in

increasing numbers. From Harvard to Jacksonville University to the Univer-sity of Colorado, the shooting sports are “in” as students discover how they can enjoy these safe, fun activities with their friends. To encourage this growth trend, the National Shooting Sports Foun-dation, the trade association for the firearms and shooting sports indus-try, last year began providing grants through its Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative (CSSI) to support the devel-opment of varsity teams for those students interested in competition and create clubs for students interested in the recreational and social benefits of target shooting. “After just one round of grants, NSSF has seen participation in target shooting grow significantly at colleges,” said Zach Snow, NSSF’s senior shooting sports coordinator. “We’re just getting started, so the sky’s the limit.”

The second round of grants will be decided upon soon. However, it is not too soon to think about next year’s awards. “All it takes to form a team or club is for a dedicated coach, faculty member or student to step up and lead the way” Snow added. “Once that happens, participants follow.” That coach could be a representa-tive of your shooting operation, and your facility could become the home range of the club or team you help to

create or strengthen. Other facilities have already seen that occur during the first year that grants have been offered and put to use. The Range Report (Summer 2010) has already documented the success of one club in building college programs and attracting shooters. Hank Garvey, a member of the Minute Man Sportsman’s Club, which is located 20 miles northwest of Boston, embraced the CSSI concept by working with students at local universities such as Harvard and Northeastern to recruit and develop active collegiate shooting clubs. In one year, with the support of a couple of students, he helped build two official clubs at Harvard—one for undergrads and one for Harvard Law School students—and now more than 300 students have shown an interest in joining and are on the clubs’ mailing list. And that is only one of the univer-sities that calls Minute Man “home.” Here’s how NSSF’s Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative is making target shooting a common activity on other campuses:• Jacksonville University began

a sporting clays, skeet and trap club program thanks to the work of master-level instructor David Dobson, who will join the univer-sity’s faculty this fall to teach a class on the theory of wingshoot-ing and continue as the program’s head coach. Dobson’s work at Jacksonville inspired one of his shooting students to launch a clays shooting club at the University of North Florida, a team Dobson also coaches.

Said Dobson, “NSSF’s grant

A new round of grant proposals will be considered for 2011, and shooting facilities should work with local colleges to launch new or strengthen existing shooting programs.

Be Part of the College SceneJoin NSSF in helping students enjoy organized shooting

By Bill Brassard and Glenn Sapir, NSSF Communications

program has energized both coaches and student participants to promote collegiate target shoot-ing. In NSSF, we now have a resource to turn to for funding and nonmonetary assistance, particu-larly in the early stages of creating a program when support is most needed. NSSF’s support will be significant to our success moving forward.”

• Trinity College and Schreiner University promoted introductory seminars where new shooters learned how to safely handle firearms and were introduced to shooting games for rifle, shotgun and handgun.

• The first New England Collegiate Clay Target Championships, supported by NSSF, featured teams from Harvard, Harvard Law, Yale, Brown, Tufts and the University of Vermont.

• Last month’s ACUI College Clay Target Championships were the largest ever with 40 teams partici-pating, some teams being new or expanded programs thanks to grants from NSSF.

• The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, assisted by a grant from NSSF, finished as the fourth-ranked air rifle team in the country at the inaugural NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Champi-onship at Purdue University.

“We hope these success stories will give interested students or prospective coaches the incentive to start a varsity team or a club shooting group at their college or university,” said Snow. “We’re here to assist them in getting the activity established.” NSSF developed the Colle-giate Shooting Sports Initiative to provide a “next step” for hundreds of thousands of students already partici-pating in youth programs such as the Scholastic Clay Target Program, Boy Scouts of America and 4-H. “When these students go off to college, many will want to continue participating in the shooting sports — just like athletes in other sports want to,” said Snow. “We have a great feeder system in place, but opportunities to shoot at the college

level have been limited. With the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative grant program, we’re expanding oppor-tunities for experienced shooters and newcomers.” Snow said NSSF developed the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative for the following reasons: 1. Raise awareness of shooting sports

and firearm safety at the college level 2. Provide financial and nonfinancial

assistance in developing college shooting clubs or teams

3. Serve as a resource for colleges and students interested in learning more about the shooting sports

4. Help grow the shooting sports at the college level

Get details on how to apply for a Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative grant from NSSF at www.nssf.org/college. Though it is too late to submit for 2010 grants, start thinking about the next round—Round 3—of the CSSI grant program. Lay the ground-work now. RR



Miles Hall spends his days managing the H&H Gun Range, the Five Star facil-

ity he founded in Oklahoma City. However, if you ask him, he’ll describe his job as keeping shooters happy. To do that, he says, you have to ask a lot of questions, not only about any changes you are planning but also about the day-to-day service at your facility. “In order to grow you really need to ask the people who are going to be affected by your business,” said Hall. “Who better to ask than the

guests of your own establishment?”

Survey brings surprises Hall began asking questions with the help of graduate business students from the University of Central Okla-homa in 1988. The students worked with Hall to create and complete a survey regarding specific things they thought the customers might want to see at H&H, but they were surprised to learn the customers had no interest in those things at all. “We thought lockers would be the next logical step, but out of 1,540

people only two thought lockers were a good idea,” Hall said. Instead Hall learned what his customers wanted were more and longer shooting lanes. Two years later Hall moved his range to another location that would accommodate his customer’s expectations. In the years since, Hall has contin-ued to ask his customers questions. Though he typically performs formal surveys every two or three years, Hall said, “The key is to find a pattern, a process if you will, that asks the fewest amount of questions to get the most results.” He believes you have to ask all of the time. In addition to written survey cards, Hall takes advantage of every opportunity to speak directly with his customers. His list of ques-tions includes, “Tell me what you want? Tell me what we need to do? How do we address this?” He wants to know whether they are happy with the way they have been treated, if something could have been done better or if something else is needed.

Survey Your CustomersCommunication tells you how to provide better service

By C. Douglas Nielsen

©iStockphoto.com/William Britten


Hall also is a strong advocate of focus groups as the means of discussing customer needs or wants in an open, small-group forum. He recommends having 10 to 15 prepared questions and then letting them have a round-table discussion.

Silence in not golden “Ask questions only if you want to succeed,” Hall said. “If you don’t want to succeed, don’t ask any because you will fail. You’re in the business to serve the guest. How can you serve the guest if you don’t know what they want?” Holden Kriss, manager of the Indian River County Shooting Range in Sebastian, Fla., agrees with Hall. His focus is on venue improvements and customer service, so Kriss asks, “What would you like to see added? What would you like to see improved? Did you have a good experience here?” The Indian River County facility has only been in operation since 2001 but already boasts 58,000 registered shooters who travel from as far away as 100 miles to shoot. “We average 100 new shooters a day on the weekend and have never used paid advertising. We depend on word of mouth,” Kriss said. A large part of that word of mouth advertising Kriss attributes to his facil-ity’s survey efforts. Customers can find survey cards at collection sites located throughout the facility, not only in the office—but you won’t find them there every day. Kriss recommends pulling survey collection boxes at vari-ous intervals so customers don’t grow complacent. Moreover, he has multi-ple survey cards and rotates them. “If they (always) see the same comment card, they tend to forget about it,” he said.

Provide your contact information In addition to asking questions, Hall and Kriss strongly suggest that you provide customers with your contact information so they can talk with you directly if they feel the need to do so. Joining Hall and Kriss in the survey realm is Don Turner, manager of the new Clark County Shooting

Park in Las Vegas, Nev. He, too, utilizes customer comment cards available at collection sites scattered throughout the park and has done so since the facil-ity opened to shooters in December 2009. Kristen Siquian, park public information specialist, said, “We’re trying to find out what’s working, and if some-thing happens to not be working, we definitely want to know so we can change it.” What you don’t want is for your survey to be a burden on your customer, said Rob Southwick of the research firm Southwick & Associates, so he

Gather Internet Intelligence Since1988,MilesHallhasusedtraditionalpaperandinterviewsurveystobuildhiscustomerbaseattheH&HGunRangeinOklahomaCity.Inrecentyears,however,HallhasdiscoveredthattheInternetoffersyetanotheravenueforgather-ingintelligence–theonlineforum.Hallcreatedaforumpageonhisfacilitywebsiteandcomparesittotheelectronicbulletinboardsofdaysgoneby.MonitoringthisandotherrelatedforumswithinhismarketareaprovidesHallwithvaluableinformation. “Peoplearenotashamedatalltotellyouifyou’vegotsomethinggoingoninternallythatyouneedtoaddressorifthereisanopportunitythatyou’renotaddressing,”Hallexplained.“Monitoringthosesiteshasbeenaneyeopener.It’slikebeingaflyonthewallinaroomfullofpeople,andyoujustgetachancetolisten.Hopefullyyouwon’tgetswattedtoodamnbad.” TheH&HOnlineForumofferssuchsubjectareasasIntroductions,wherenewmemberscansharealittleabouttheirshootinginterests,Announcements,HandgunandArcheryDiscussionsandGeneralDiscussions.Thankstotheforum,HallnowknowsthatnewcomerMichaelis“fairlynewtoguns.MyparentshavejustrecentlynaturalizedtotheUSAascitizens.Myparentswere/arenotgunpeople…Isomehowbecameafanofguns...Iamafairlynewfamilymanandwanttoprotectmylittlecrew…MyCCLshouldcomeinthemailanytime,andIwantsomethingtocarryconveniently.Anysuggestions?” NodoubtHall&companyhadananswertoMichael’squestionsandtheabilitytohelphimfindthecarryfirearmhewaslookingfor.

©iStockphoto.com/enot-poloskun


recommends that you avoid inquisi-tive questions about things like their income or their age. If you already have their address in your database, don’t ask again. What you want to do is word your questions to elicit more than a yes or no answer. You want to know the degree. Also, provide your customers with an opportunity to give credit where they believe credit is due. If you are going to survey your customers, you have to be willing to do something with what you learn. “First, you need to be willing to listen to the answer, period. All criti-cism is constructive no matter what it is. The second thing is you’ve got to be willing to change your operation to serve those needs. Then you have got to be willing to let them know you reacted. They will respond by letting other people know,” said Hall.

Why Survey Your Customers? Ifyouarethinkingaboutsurveyingyourcustomers,agoodplacetostartisaskingwhy.Whysurveyyourcustomersinthefirstplace? “Toknowthedemographicsofyourcurrentcustomerbase,”saidJimCurcuruto,directorofindustryresearchfortheNationalShootingSportsFoundation.“Thatwaywhenyouwanttomarket–toincreasethecustomerbasethatyouhave–youcantailoryourmarketingtowardaparticulartypeofindividual,andeventhoseareasthoseindividualslivein.” Surveyingyourcustomersnotonlyletsyouknowwhotheyare,butitalsoletsyouknowwhoandwheretheyarenot. Rangemanagers“reallyneedtogetanunderstandingofwhotheircustomersarecomparedtotherestofthecommunity.Thatwayyoucanseewhoyouaremissingasacustomer,”saidRobSouthwickoftheresearchfirmSouthwick&Associates.“Byarmingyourselfwiththisinformationyouwillbeabletogetmoreforyouradvertis-ingandmarketingdollar.” Southwickisquicktopointoutthattherearenostereotypicalfirearmsenthusi-asts. “Whatwe’veseeninresearchisthatinterestinfirearmsisinalldifferenttypesofcommunities–urban,rural,suburban,higherincomeandlowerincome–allsortsofpeople.Soifyourbusinesstendstobecateringtowardthat50-year-oldwhitemaleas75percentofyourcustomers,thenyouareprobablynotdoingaverygoodjobofmakingyourbusinessfriendlytoothers.”

RR

Ready. Aim. Click!

www.nssf.org

National ShootingSports Foundation®

Be Where Shooters Go.

As a range owner, you know shooters drive your business. Wheretoshoot.org has thousands of shooters who visit the website each month. Reach those shooters by registering your range today…and best of all…it’s FREE! This is one way NSSF fulfills its mission of promoting, protecting and preserving hunting and the shooting sports.



Sighting in a Slug Gun in Connecticut

A ‘novice’ seeks help at two ranges

Public availability of shoot-ing ranges in Connecticut is limited. Yet, my search at the

“Find a Range” feature of the NSSF website listed more than 50 facilities. My assignment was simple: Feigning novice status, find two Connecticut ranges to offer assistance in sighting in a scoped 12 gauge shotgun. It took several calls, but I soon hit pay dirt with affirmative responses from facili-ties located 50 minutes apart. Both cautioned that I might need to wait an hour or more for individual instruc-tion if the range was busy, a likely scenario for my planned Saturday visits.

Range ARustic and supportive

Located in Wallingford, Conn., Blue Trail Range and Gun Shop has been open since 1945 and adver-tises itself as the largest and safest commercial shooting range in the Northeast. Lush green hills serve as a backdrop when you pull into the large, red cinder parking lot. Both the outdoor range and clubhouse/gun shop/snack bar are within a few yards and easily accessible. A shotgun field is located across the street. Relax-ingly rustic is a fair description of the grounds and facilities. Stepping into the gun shop, I was immediately greeted by a friendly and helpful staffer. When I mentioned that I had called previously to request aid sighting in my scope, he immedi-ately offered to use a collimator (bore sighter) to “get me on the paper.” This cost $5 and took less than five

minutes despite my having grossly misaligned the scope on purpose. I then asked if I could get help fine-tuning on the outdoor range but was politely informed I would need to do it myself as, being the only shop staffer on duty this day, he couldn’t leave the counter area. The one outside range officer on duty, I was further advised, could not provide first-hand instruction as he needed to attend diligently to his own job priori-ties. The shop staffer did take time to explain clearly and accurately how to make the proper adjustments, offered plenty of moral support and told me to return for more advice if needed. He provided a good start, overall, but a true novice might have yearned for more hands-on help at the range.

Range BSimplicity is a plus

Covering eight acres, not quite all of it available for shooting, Wooster Mountain Shooting Range, in Danbury, Conn., is operated by the Danbury Shooting Association and is neither large nor complex. Then again, it is the simple organization, park setting and smooth operation that give this place an “outdoorsy” quality despite its location less than a mile south of the Danbury Fair Shop-ping Mall, a major shopping hub. Nestled into the side of Wooster Mountain State Park, substantial berms serve as your shooting back-drop. Access is via a smooth dirt road that leads to a dirt parking lot. You’ll need to walk 50 yards or so to reach

the range and small supply shop, which offers basic eye and hearing protection, targets and ammo. At the center of operations, you’ll spot a table with a picnic umbrella. Sign up here, pay the $15 daily use fee and then head over to the red barn to gather a target stand. When I arrived on a Saturday afternoon, most of the 48 wooden table shooting stations were already occupied, and a cease-fire period was minutes from ending. I explained to the officer of the day that I wanted to sight in my shotgun but was unsure how to go about it. He smiled and noted the range was pretty busy, but then instructed me to grab a target, get my gun and follow him to an open station. We were ready to shoot with a target placed at approximately 30 yards before the cease fire ended. Once firing was allowed to commence, the range officer inspected my shotgun and scope, assumed a three-point position while seated at the wooden bench rest and fired off four slugs. He paused following each shot and used binoculars to carefully inspect the placement of each round before adjusting the scope. He then announced that I should learn how to sight in myself by fine-tuning his rough adjustments. He continued to stand by and offered instruction as I fired off four rounds before he eventually moved on to other duties. He returned several minutes later to check my progress and offer moral support. After firing 10 slugs, my Browning shotgun and Bushnell scope appeared to be in perfect alignment, and I left quite satisfied. RR


All reports, comments, impressions, opinions or advice expressed in the Undercover Shooter column are solely those of independent, recreational shooting range consumers and do not necessarily represent those of the National Shooting Sports Foundation or its affiliates. Neither the NSSF nor its affiliates make any warranty or assume any liability with respect to the accuracy or reliability of any information provided by Undercover Shooter contributors. Readers are encouraged to and should perform their own investigation of the information provided herein.

Signage, Visibility 3• AsmallwoodensignattheWoosterMountain

StateParkentranceonSugarHollowRoadindicatestherangeisahead.Althoughthedirtentranceroadiseasytospot,therearenoothersignsindicatingthepresenceofthisfacility.

• ThefacilityislocatedjustinsideWoosterMoun-tainStateParkandisnotvisiblefromSugarHollowRoad.

Exterior Appeal 4• Mountainsideparklandsetting.Ampleparking.

Woodenshootingstationsaresolidandinsurpris-inglygoodshapeconsideringheavyuse.

Interior Appeal N/A

Retail Product Availability 2• Smallsupplyshedstockedwithbasiceyeandear

protectiveequipment,targetsandammo.

Staff Friendliness 4• Friendlyandwillingtoexplainrangerules,expec-

tationsandfunctionalityindetaildespitebeing

quitebusy.Staffseemedtomakeastrongefforttoworkwithnoviceandyoungshooters.

Range Safety 3.5• Rangeofficerwasclearlyincommandatall

timesandusedpoliteyetsternlanguagetokeepallshootersincheck.Steppinganywherenearafirearmduringceasefirewasnottolerated,andatleasttwoclearlystatedverbalwarningswereissued.

• Duetocloseproximityofshootingstations,hotbrassisaconcern.Iwasstruckonthebackandarmseveraltimesbyshellsfromasemi-automaticrifleatthenextstation,makingitdifficulttostayhighlyfocusedwhilesightingin.Regularsherecon-siderthisroutine.Eyeandhearingprotectionarerequiredbutabrimmedcapandtight-fittingshirtshouldalsobeconsideredtoreducethepossibilityofahotshellslidingbetweenyourclothesandskinorunderbehindyourprotectiveglasses

Programs/Membership 4• Opentothepublic,$15perday;firstcome,first

served.Childrenunderage14pay$5;$125yearly

membership• OpentraponTuesday,10a.m.-sunset• RifleandpistolonWednesday,1-7p.m.• RifleandpistolonSaturday&Sunday,noon-6p.m.• Rangeconsistsoffourtrapfields,24shooting

benches,48shootingstationsat25to100yards• Variouseventsincludetrapshootsandother

targetshootingcompetitions.

Cleanliness 4• Groundsareveryclean.Spentshellsatallstations

butallelseseemstoendupintheseverallargetrashcanssupplied.

Comments, Impressions• Funandfriendlyoutdoorssetting.Fewamenities,

butoperationiswellorganizedandadequatelystaffed.Staffersarewillingtoprovidesomeindi-vidualinstructionandshootingtipsifrequested,astimeallows.Considerabrimmedhatandtightfittingshirtasnecessaryprotectivegearduetocloseproximityofshootingstations.Arrivewithtimetospare,forshootingstationscanfillupquickly.

Wooster Mountain Shooting Range Customer Satisfaction Rating

Editor’s note:TheUndercoverShooterisanexperiencedrecreationalshooterbutisnottrainedintechnicalaspectsofrangedesignandoperation.

ScorecardEachcategoryisratedonascaleof1-5with5beingthehighestscore.

Signage, Visibility 3• Nosignsleadinguptothefacilityfromeither

directiononNorthBranfordRoad.Largewoodenentrancesigniseasytospot.

• Websitedirections(www.bluetrailrange.com/Directions.html)aresimpleandaccurate

Exterior Appeal 3• Pleasant,ruralsetting.Rusticisaplusinmy

book,butclubhouseandshootingstationscouldstilluseacoatoffreshpaint.Largetreesaroundtheclubhouseprovideniceshade.Ampleparking.

Interior Appeal 3• Officeandclubhouseweredimlylightedand,

althoughcleanenough,coulduseageneralspruc-ingup.GunShopisbright,easilyaccessibleandsmartlyorganized.Imightorderaburgeratthesnackbar,butwouldprobablyeatitoutside.

Retail Product Availability 5• Well-stockedgunshopsportsafulllineofprotec-

tiveequipment,shootingclothing,ammunitionand

firearmsrangingfrompistolstoshotguns

Staff Friendliness 5• Exceptionallyfriendlyandpatientonalllevels.

Range Safety 4• Novisibleshortcomings.Rangeofficerwasfocused

andincontrolatalltimes.Bermsseemedmorethanadequatebehindalltargetareas.Rangeruleslistearandeyeprotectionas“highlyrecommend-ed.”Theyshouldbemandatory.Morestaffondutywouldbeaplus.

Programs/Membership 5• Opentopublicsevendaysaweek,9a.m-5p.m• $29perday,weekdays;$29firsthour,$10each

additionalhouronweekends• $575yearlymembership• Rangeincludes10-point,50-footindoorrange;

15-point,33-footindoorairriflerange;19-point,25-yardoutdoorpistolrange;120-point,“50-ish”and100-yardoutdoorriflerange;afieldforshot-gunuse,whereyouthrowyourownclays.Youcan

rentamechanicalthrowerfor$35perhour,orahand-heldthrowerfor$2perday.

• Offersawidevarietyofcompetitiveshootingprograms;juniorrifleclubformorethan40localschoolteamsrangingfromelementarytohighschool;huntersafetyclasses,firearmssafety,plusNRApistolclassandrifleinstructor’scourses;women’spistol,children’sbirthdays,outdoorssportsfair,pigroast,more

Cleanliness 3.5• Groundsaregenerallyclean,asistheclubhouse,

gunshopandsnackbar.Disappointedinthepreponderanceofspentshotgunshellsatthetrapfieldlocatedacrossthestreet.

Comments, Impressions• Publicshootingonadailybasisscoresbigbonus

points.Plentyofshootingopportunitiesandprogramsfromwhichtochoose.BeijingOlympianEmilyCarusotrainedandcompetedhere.Excep-tionallyfriendlystaff,butmorewouldbemerrier.Overall,anenjoyableandproductivevisit.

Blue Trail Range and Gun Store Customer Satisfaction Rating

BLUETRAILRANGE&GUNSTORE WOOSTERMOUNTAINSHOOTINGRANGE 3116N.BRANfORdRd. 74SUGARHOLLOWRd. WALLINGfORd,CT06492 dANBURy,CT06810 WWW.BLUETRAILRANGE.COM WWW.pAHqUIOqUE.COM 203-269-3280 203-794-9821

NSSF’s First Shots program has been and continues to provide many first-time shooters the

opportunity to learn more and get started shooting at their local range. With 40 percent of attendees return-ing to the range, ranges are seeing increased participation and continued opportunities to sell their services, in the form of range rentals, equipment sales and personal and class training. We at NSSF thought about the other 60 percent that weren’t going back to the range and asked ourselves, “Why?” For many people, finding time and someone to shoot with were top reasons, along with not feeling experi-enced enough to continue on their own Though many different types of shoot-ing activities are available, the truth is that most of them require knowledge or skills more demanding than what the First Shots experience provides. Certainly, First Shots helped them get started and introduced them to basic safety and shooting fundamentals, but they still may be unsure of what type of firearm is best for them, or they may not understand the rules/requirements for specific activities such as action handgun or clay-target games. Enter First Shots, 2nd Round, designed to add an additional layer of knowledge onto the base of the First Shots program. 2nd Round provides ranges with another opportunity to bring new shooting enthusiasts back to the facility and get them shooting tailored more to their individual inter-ests. The core of 2nd Round is based on the foundation of First Shots, providing basic safety and shooting fundamentals along with details about a specific topic. Ranges can run First Shots, 2nd Round for any activity they would like to promote—any handgun activi-

ties from IDPA, USPSA and steel to long-range rifle and clay-target games. 2nd Round seminars can also focus on personal protection or simply be a “try-a-gun” seminar allowing the attendee to shoot various types of firearms. First Shots partner ranges have already seen early success with this new effort. 2nd Round seminars have been offered in personal protection, skeet and try-a-gun, with classes being filled and attendees purchasing range membership

and joining league activities. Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center held its inaugural First Shots 2nd Round for personal protection, specifi-cally for women, in March. The center sent special invitations to these ladies and quickly filled the seminar. Instruc-tors reviewed basic safety and shooting fundamentals, introduced centerfire handguns and discussed carry options and basic draw technique. When heading to the range, attendees were provided with belts and holsters for draw and dry-fire activity that consum-mated in live-fire exercises, providing them both experience and skill drawing from a holster and a new confidence in enrolling in a defensive techniques class to improve on this new skill. “I have been shooting sporadically for about two years, but was on the fence about the type of gun I should purchase,” said one attendee, “I’m tick-led that the class helped determine a semi-auto would be best, and I plan to buy one in the next month.” Another was thrilled with the chance to get to know other local ladies interested in learning more about personal protection with a firearm.

“Now I have a few new friends I can get together with for shooting!” she said. The center recently held another First Shots 2nd Round try-a-gun, where participants practiced shooting funda-mentals with various centerfire calibers and firearms. This four-hour seminar covered revolvers and pistols, as well as

practical use and applica-tion of various handguns and calibers. For many of the attendees, it was the first step in making a purchase decision based on a solid foundation of

knowledge and consideration of how they might use their firearms. Seymour Fish and Game, a private sportsman’s club in Connecticut, has offered 2nd Round for skeet shooting. This seminar provided an overview of skeet as well as live-fire instruction. More than 60 people attended, includ-ing families, and each had a chance to shoot a round of skeet, learning the rules, seeing the targets and getting some great instruction as well. “At the end of the day, we had several new members signed up and lots of skeet enthusiasts,” said Al Anglace, club president. “The support from NSSF in the form of ammunition and targets helped us keep our costs and attendees’ costs to a minimum.” As part of the First Shots program, ranges that offer 2nd Round seminars also receive the same type of support – planning assistance, customized ads, cooperative funding for advertis-ing, loaner firearms, ammunition and targets. For more information or to get started on planning First Shots 2nd Round at your facility contact Cyndi Dalena at [email protected] or 203-426-1320.


Cyndi Dalena is NSSF’s manager of the First Shots Program. Before introducing First Shots and dedicating her services exclusively to this introductory program, she directed the Scholastic Clay Target Program while it was still being adminis-tered by NSSF. Cyndi has been a regular at ranges for years, earning dozens of honors as one of her state’s most accomplished sporting clays shooters.

Home on the RangeHome on the Range By Cyndi Dalena

First Shots, 2nd Round A great new program picks up where First Shots leaves off

By Cyndi Dalena

Views from NSSF staffers and guest contributors

2nd Round — Moving Forward

RR



Documents

The Range Report -- Fall 2010