Airfield Shooting Club

The Black Flags are Down! The work on both of the ranges is completed. The 50-yard and 100-meter ranges are open for normal operations. Thanks to a few very hard-working members we were able to complete the frame holders (PVC) at 15’, 20’.30’, 25,and 50-yard distances. Lane 10, in front of the south wall of the SRB is permanently closed and should never be used under any conditions. Lane 11, immediately to the right of 10, is restricted for use only during rimfire challenge matches.

The reconstruction of the SRB has allowed us to improve the capability of the range. One of the areas that we have improved is the leveling of the ground between the firing points and the berm. Because of this, we can use the same size frame for all distances. As a result, we will be adding more PVC pipe in the ground to accommodate different shooting standards. With the modifications we have changed the rules for the SRB, which only allowed shooting at certain distances to now allowing Target Frames to be placed anywhere there is PVC pipe in the ground.

With the SRB, you are reminded to pay special attention to where your round is going to end up in the berm. Please make sure that your targets are placed in a proper location on the backer to ensure your rounds impact in the lower half of the berm.

It’s that time of year and the combinations to the locks (gate, sign in shed, skeet, and trap) as well as the bathroom doors have all been updated. Use the combinations provided on your new membership card. If you submitted your renewal form and made your payment, but haven’t received your new membership card, contact the club secretary at [email protected]. Please don’t contact me, as I’m not in the loop as to anyone else’s renewal status.

Art Schoner
ASC MO

The 50 and100 are currently closed. The contractor has not finished putting the facing wood on the concrete block on the SRB. That should be completed Monday afternoon/evening. The 50 (including the SRB should open Tuesday morning. But be aware that the 4-H center will be training their counselors Tuesday and Wednesday. When they are finished the 50 will be available with VERY limited selection of target placement. There are 4 or 5 frames available at 15 feet, and one point with a frame available at 25 and 50 yards. The grading/seeding and strawing is complete on the 100. The only thing left to do there is place pipes for the target frames.

We plan to rent a mechanized multi-purpose device that has an auger attachment, this Saturday to dig the rest of the holes. This work party will begin at 9:00 Saturday may 20th and run concurrently with the board meeting. We need members with transfer (flat ended) shovels, garden rakes, and wheelbarrows.

Now to address one of the most misunderstood details of the work that has been done: There will be NO (zero, zip, nada) topsoil placed on top of the granite screenings on the 50. These screening have been graded to drain towards the culvert pipe on the wall side of the range. The screenings should have little, to no. weeds growing in them. They will also be much more conducive to picking up brass and general cleanliness of the range. The 100m range was graded to eliminate the low (aka muddy) spots and will not drain down range to up range and left to right into a swale, all leading into a culvert out of the range. It was also seeded with bermuda grass and covered in straw. There are 3 tripod sprinklers set up to irrigate the 100 as well. The 4-H center is going to help with running these. There is also bermuda seed and a straw mat on both of the earthen berms.

The 100m range is closed to vehicular traffic until further notice, including well after the range itself is re-opened.

Art Schoner
ASC MO

Do you live close to the club and want an opportunity to check out the progress? If so, there is a job that requires at least 2 sets of hands. It’s quite simple in scope. All of the material in the pictures below needs to be moved off the grass and into the shelter, to enable the contractor to grade and spread screenings. If you take a non-member to help, you get twice the hours! If you’re interested, let me know at [email protected]. If possible, I’d like to get this done today, or tomorrow morning.

Thanks,

Art Schoner
MO

Here is your weekly update for the first week of work on the berms:
As I stated in my last post here, the equipment started showing up Tuesday April 18th and MT2 went to work, slicing off 3 inches of the berm at a time and placing it in windrows. They then repeatedly turned the dirt over in order to get it dry enough to be processed. I’m attaching several pictures showing the progress and a video of the machine taking out the large trash out of the berm materials. The SRB is almost completely gone, there is just some remnants left in the side berm.
Yesterday afternoon at approximately 2PM, they were in the process of placing and compacting lifts on the 50-yd berm, while still processing the materials. They had covered the dirt removed on the 100m range in preparation for the coming rains.
While MT2 continues their work, Timberland should be on site Tuesday to begin the job of rebuilding the SRB. More details on this to come, hopefully later this week.
For those wondering, the 50 and 100 remain closed, and the shotgun fields will remain open throughout the rest of this evolution.

Art Schoner
ASC MO