We are glad to see that the new steel targets on the range are getting a lot of use. Unfortunately there is already a hole in the 50 yard popper. The cost to replace the target will be around $100, so we will be leaving it in place until we know that we don’t have a problem. We would like to think that this was done by accident, so we will remind everyone to make sure at all times that you know what type of ammunition you are shooting. Steel core bullets can cause damage to the targets, and can cause sparks that can start a fire. Steel core bullets are common in imported ammo, as well as some domestic ammo such as Wolf. To test for steel core bullets, touch them to a magnet, if they stick, they are steel. There is a magnet on the range master’s stand near the flagpole.

Armor piercing ammo can go right through the steel targets. These are typically military surplus, and often have color coded bullet tips. NATO surplus ammo with black, red or white tips are usually armor piercing, or a combination round that is both armor piercing and incendiary or tracer. Bottom line, if it’s military surplus and has a colored tip, it’s probably banned at our range.

We have not yet received our NRA Foundation grant money. With this money we will be putting on an event called 'Introduction to Competitive Shooting.' It’s currently scheduled for June 2, but it looks like we will have to postpone it for a while so that we have time to arrange for everything after we get the money. We may want to wait until fall when the weather is better, we will set a firm date sometime after we have the money in hand. If you are interested in helping out with the event, or would like to shoot, contact Dave Baalman at dpbaalman@msn.com , he will put you on an email list to be updated when we know more about the schedule.

If you receive the newsletter by US Mail, please take notice: it costs $150 each month just in postage to send the newsletter out, not to mention the cost of printing it. We would like to have you sign up to receive the newsletter by email, you will receive it days earlier than you do now, and there is the added benefit that if we need to get in touch with the club on short notice, the easiest way is to send out an email to the entire club. An example of this is when we installed the steel targets, we had less than a day’s notice that the range would be closed for several hours to install the targets, but we were able to get word out to over half the club by email. So we will make you a deal, if you send us your email address, we promise not to give it to a bunch of spammers, and we promise we will do our best to send out club wide emails for important notices whenever we can.

Another notice if you receive the newsletter by US Mail: if we have an email address attached to your name in the club database, we will begin using that email address for you starting next month. This will include the newsletter, special announcements, etc., and you will no longer receive the newsletter by US Mail. So if you gave us an email at some point, but it may have changed since, be sure to give us a new one. You can send an email to the Membership Coordinator at tcmsa11@gmail.com, be sure to include your name so that we can attach your email to the correct person in the club database. And don’t forget to check your junk or spam folder until you receive an email from us with the newsletter. If it does show up in your spam folder, be sure to add the webmaster account to your trusted email list so you don’t miss out on any special announcements.

Our proposal is pretty simple, but before everyone gets too excited, realize that this is NOT a move toward going to range officers like Rattlesnake. Instead what we are proposing is to have a volunteer at the range during peak hours only to act as an advisor. All members will still have to go through orientation, and all members will still have the gate combination and be able to shoot during any daylight hours after they complete orientation. The volunteers would just be another member at the range, however we would ask them to walk the line on occasion, talk to other shooters, and help them understand the rules when needed, answer any questions, and generally just help everyone follow the rules and be safe. We will be making an official recommendation to create the program at the May meeting, and will be passing this off to the Safety Committee. We will be asking the Safety Committee to come back with a formal proposal on how to run the program and a list of what costs if any will be involved, and will put it up for discussion and a vote of the membership at that time. We would like to keep the discussion on this topic to a minimum at the May meeting, since we don’t really know what the Safety Committee will come up with for a proposal right now. We will have an announcement in a future newsletter to let everyone know which meeting we will be discussing this at, so please hold your comment for that meeting, or better yet , if you have an opinion or an idea, we would love to have you volunteer for the safety committee so you can help shape the program. We will need several volunteers to help get this program off the ground, so if you are interested in helping out, contact Greg Hagen at 547-4705, or talk to him at the May meeting, or send an email to the club address.

For now we will be starting this as a pilot program, and hope to have it in place by fall, when range use gets heavy right before the general hunting season. After that, we will revisit it to see if we want to continue as is, make any changes, or drop the program.

Safe shooting, see you at the May meeting!!!

Upcoming meetings: May 2 & June 6 (all meetings are at the Griggs Hunter Ed room @ 7pm)

Upcoming work parties: April 21 (maintenance chair Greg Hagen 545-4705, work parties start @8am)

Our new reactive steel targets have been installed. Thanks to Sam Kniveton for spearheading the project, thanks to JC Steel Targets of Prescott, WA for building them for us and giving us a great deal on them, and thanks to everyone who helped install them. These targets are there for your use, so enjoy them, but please do not abuse them. NO steel core or armor piercing bullets are allowed on steel targets. Also note that the targets in the pistol area are for pistol calibers only, so no rifles on them please.

We have been informed that our application for an NRA Foundation grant has been recommended for approval. We don’t have the money yet, but we will be preparing for it so that when it arrives we will be ready. Our intent is to host an introduction to competition shooting on June 1, starting at 12pm. This event will be open to anyone who wants to attend. Several of our members will be donating the use of their match quality firearms for attendees to try, the club will be donating targets and other equipment, the Touchet Gun Club will be donating the use of some of their 3-gun equipment, and all the ammunition will be paid for through our NRA Foundation grant. This event will be free of charge to anyone who attends (shooters need not be members of the TCMSA, all are welcome), however we ask that shooters limit themselves to disciplines that they have not competed in previously. We will also be needing some volunteers to help put this event on. Match shooters are especially needed to act as coaches, but we can use anyone who wants to help, we will need people to help with advertising, signing shooters in, and overall coordination of the event. Anyone who wants to help should contact Dave Baalman via email at dpbaalman@msn.com or at a general membership meeting.

The club has recently been contacted by the local chapter of the American Legion regarding a possible cooperative effort for an air rifle range. The American Legion has a national youth air rifle program, and the local chapter has plenty of space in their meeting hall to set up an air rifle range, however they don’t have enough members interested in participating to sustain such a program. They have asked if our club would be interested in setting up the range, and having some of our members act as coaches for youth air rifle training and competition. Our club would also then be able to set up some adult leagues shooting the National Match Air Rifle course. At the April general membership meeting, the club voted to authorize the officers to meet with the Board of Directors of the local chapter of the American Legion to work out the particulars of this arrangement, and we will have a final vote on the project once we work out who’s insurance will be covering the events and who will be paying for the range equipment. In the meantime, if you are interested in shooting air rifle in an adult league, or have a youngster who would like to try the youth program, or simply would like to offer your opinion or help out, contact Gaylord Baker at 628-9044.

With the better weather comes heavier range use. If you see any trash laying around, or targets that are not being used, please do us a favor and put them in the trash barrels.

We have reached the time of year when the fire hazard can be extreme. Don’t smoke down range, don’t shoot steel core bullets at steel targets, and don’t do anything else that can cause a fire. If there is a fire at the range, call the fire department immediately, and make sure to send someone to open the gate to let them in.

The rules that seem to be the ones most likely to be broken are (paraphrasing for space and clarity):

Rule 26: Don’t handle firearms AT ALL while the range is cold. This includes cased firearms. If the range is cold, don’t touch it at all.

Rule 27: No one will be beyond the firing line while the range is hot. If you brass falls beyond the firing line, you will have to wait until the range goes cold to pick it up.

Rule 23: All firearms should remain cased when being carried to/from the firing line. If it’s in a case in your car, leave it in the case to carry it to the line. If it’s not in a case, point it in a safe direction.

Rule 2: Don’t point a firearm at anything you are not willing to shoot. Keep those muzzles pointed downrange. Don’t put your firearms on the shelves behind the firing line pointing at other shooters.

We have had a lot of new members in the last few months. It’s also renewal time, so the membership committee has been very busy. If you joined or renewed recently, please bear with us, it will take a while to get your membership cards mailed out. If you mailed us your renewal and have found yourself locked out because you haven’t received the new card, send an email to the club address (listed above), we will confirm that we have the correct address for you and get you the combination ASAP.

If you have moved recently, changed your phone number, or changed your email, please make sure we have your up to date info so we can keep in touch with you for special announcements etc. Just send an email to the club address listed above and we will update your contact info right away.