To get back on topic here, good clubs do exist here in MA. Mine is one of them. The only mandatory meeting I ever attended was when I got sworn in. I do attend the members meetings when I can because I like to support the club and know what is going on. I have encountered few, if any, FUDDs here as well. Usually, I am the only one on the rifle range if I time it right. Today I caught one other member on his way out while I was setting up, then I had the place to myself for 2+ hours. On my way out, I locked the front gate. Shooting at a public pay per use range, or public area doesn't sound very appealing.
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Gun Ranges vs Gun Clubs
- Thread starter SPO38
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Private ranges are the only way to go IMO, got to buy it or know somone.
This is my last year of mantaining 4 memberships to places that dont let you do anything and full of a**h***s.
Im sorry if this isnt very helpful.
As for quitting smokeing, get angry, stay angry and rage your way through it. I quit for alittle over a year. Wish i never started again..over $10 a pack is a total crock of shit.
This is my last year of mantaining 4 memberships to places that dont let you do anything and full of a**h***s.
Im sorry if this isnt very helpful.
As for quitting smokeing, get angry, stay angry and rage your way through it. I quit for alittle over a year. Wish i never started again..over $10 a pack is a total crock of shit.
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I retired from tech work about 2.5 years ago, and have found that I am now spending more time at the club fixing or installing stuff than shooting. I guess it is part of the natural cycle of life.
My wife can be so supportive. Had a DQ at a USPSA match (first match with Pistol Caliber Carbine) and told my wife I lost my spoon. She was very sympathetic "maybe you should just go the matches to help keep score".
My wife can be so supportive. Had a DQ at a USPSA match (first match with Pistol Caliber Carbine) and told my wife I lost my spoon. She was very sympathetic "maybe you should just go the matches to help keep score".
Rob, my wife used to say similar things, but she really meant "get out of my hair".
OK. Let's get serious. ALmost every club is a non profit organization run by volunteers.
Last time we needed to replace the rubber backstops we put out an email to over 1100 members asking for help from 7-9PM at night. We had 3 people show up. 2 of the 3 are the same people that will respond to any request for help.
The only people who come to meeting are the Directors and officers. Out of 1100 members we NEVER have more than 5 or 6 non Directors come to the monthly meetings and 95% of them are there to sponsor new members.
At the last election of Officers and Directors we needed to call people up and ask them to consider running for Director. We finally got 2 people to run so that we could fill the 2 open slots we had. On election night 64 people out of 1100 showed up to vote.
THe idea that you will join a club and somehow be surrounded by people forcing you to do what you don't want to do it just not a reality.
Finally - Gun clubs in MA are under constant assault by anti gun groups. complaints to police, town officials, etc. happen CONSTANTLY. If you are not aware of that then you do not deserve to belong to a club. When people complain that they cannot shoot before 10AM on Sundays and blame the club directors etc. they are just showing their lack of understanding of the reality of the situation.
Everyone complaining of FUDDS etc. should be thankful for the very few people who get involved in run the clubs as volunteers otherwise you'd have nowhere to shoot.
Last time we needed to replace the rubber backstops we put out an email to over 1100 members asking for help from 7-9PM at night. We had 3 people show up. 2 of the 3 are the same people that will respond to any request for help.
The only people who come to meeting are the Directors and officers. Out of 1100 members we NEVER have more than 5 or 6 non Directors come to the monthly meetings and 95% of them are there to sponsor new members.
At the last election of Officers and Directors we needed to call people up and ask them to consider running for Director. We finally got 2 people to run so that we could fill the 2 open slots we had. On election night 64 people out of 1100 showed up to vote.
THe idea that you will join a club and somehow be surrounded by people forcing you to do what you don't want to do it just not a reality.
Finally - Gun clubs in MA are under constant assault by anti gun groups. complaints to police, town officials, etc. happen CONSTANTLY. If you are not aware of that then you do not deserve to belong to a club. When people complain that they cannot shoot before 10AM on Sundays and blame the club directors etc. they are just showing their lack of understanding of the reality of the situation.
Everyone complaining of FUDDS etc. should be thankful for the very few people who get involved in run the clubs as volunteers otherwise you'd have nowhere to shoot.
Really?? The Old COlony that I belong to (in Pembroke) had the indoor range closed over 2 years ago and the the youth rifle team was disbanded (because they have no indoor range). THe gallery pistol team matches are hosted at the Satucket club in Bridgewater.
Is there another Old Colony?
I thought they were doing construction on the indoor range.
I only shoot outdoor due to lead, so I dont follow it too close. Oh well, I guess going to the meetings is not a bad idea
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Why does the website still have the fundraiser?
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When I belonged to Ames, they served a free dinner at every meeting. Therefore they had ~50 members show up for meetings. Makes sense since it's right after most folks get home from work and they don't have time to eat and make the meeting.
I quit that club and joined Mansfield F&G due to the way Ames was being managed. MF&G also served dinner at their meetings for a $5.00 contribution. With ~250 members we were seeing ~50 members showing up at each meeting. Other than deep Summer (vacation time) we still see ~50 show up at meetings, with ~600 members presently.
Braintree R&P president was complaining about too few members attending meetings (~3500 members back then), so I suggested that they serve dinner. They serve a free dinner before each meeting and other than Summer vacation we now average ~50 members/meeting.
So it might be something to think about to bring members to the meetings. It may not just be disinterest, but lack of time between getting home from work and meeting time meaning no dinner to attend a meeting.
I quit that club and joined Mansfield F&G due to the way Ames was being managed. MF&G also served dinner at their meetings for a $5.00 contribution. With ~250 members we were seeing ~50 members showing up at each meeting. Other than deep Summer (vacation time) we still see ~50 show up at meetings, with ~600 members presently.
Braintree R&P president was complaining about too few members attending meetings (~3500 members back then), so I suggested that they serve dinner. They serve a free dinner before each meeting and other than Summer vacation we now average ~50 members/meeting.
So it might be something to think about to bring members to the meetings. It may not just be disinterest, but lack of time between getting home from work and meeting time meaning no dinner to attend a meeting.
Actually, I'm a member of two clubs right now have been a member of one other, and while they do like you to participate a little, you really don't have to. That Woodville post if it's true is over the top. Most clubs do a little screening and you're in. I would suggest joining a larger club because they would most likely require less of each individual member. Smaller places just need more participation.
Also, club officers need to understand that they can't expect everyone to be 100% participation and really deep down, don't want it. The club officers are "all in" and all the other members should be grateful for their service of running the club. If every one of 500 members showed up for every meeting with something to say, nothing would ever get done.
Also, club officers need to understand that they can't expect everyone to be 100% participation and really deep down, don't want it. The club officers are "all in" and all the other members should be grateful for their service of running the club. If every one of 500 members showed up for every meeting with something to say, nothing would ever get done.
45collector
NES Member
I had a Barnstable range key from 1998 until they shut it down in 2012. Like many others I was pretty pissed when it was closed, but in hindsight I'm glad to not be there anymore. I saw more unsafe gun handling at that range than all others I've ever been to anywhere, ever. I've described two of the worst incidents I witnessed there on this forum over the years. One of them was a bullet fired perpendicular on the pistol range and passing right in front of my chest. Another was some guy opening up with a full auto M1 carbine while a woman was still downrange putting up targets.
If they do ever open that range up to the public again, I hope they take steps to make it more safe than it was in the past. I have no reason to go back there since I've joined several clubs since '12.
spt_1955 pretty much hit the nail on the head. I belong to several clubs and am an officer in one. I am 86 years old so I guess you could call me a fudd. I am still shooting and participate in the club activity. I have always supported each club with money and time. The one I am an officer has no clue as to the amount of money I have put in. It is in the thousands, with equipment for the junior rifle program, buying targets and jackets for the same program.
Most such clubs are not rich but merely getting by on a shoestring. Most have spent considerable fighting the neighbors and towns as they try to close them down. Yes we have stringent rules and application standards to prevent getting people that are a detriment to the sport and club. We even pay to do background checks on new people to prevent antis fron trying to subvert our programs.
Yes there are different types who belong, just as there are many types of people anywhere you go. There has to be some leniency or a club would die from lack of members. Yes there are shoots and programs that I don't particularly like but we have do to meet the standards of the organizations that support us such as the NRA, SAM etc. We did try to get help from the state range programs but they have so many hoops to jump through we gave up. As in any group, a few do all teh work and the many do all the bitching. Many times I have almost said to heck with it but then I meet someone nice and stay.
This world is not perfect so why should any of it organizations be? Make the most of it and don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I hope the guy who started this thread is able to quit smoking!
i guess you
Most such clubs are not rich but merely getting by on a shoestring. Most have spent considerable fighting the neighbors and towns as they try to close them down. Yes we have stringent rules and application standards to prevent getting people that are a detriment to the sport and club. We even pay to do background checks on new people to prevent antis fron trying to subvert our programs.
Yes there are different types who belong, just as there are many types of people anywhere you go. There has to be some leniency or a club would die from lack of members. Yes there are shoots and programs that I don't particularly like but we have do to meet the standards of the organizations that support us such as the NRA, SAM etc. We did try to get help from the state range programs but they have so many hoops to jump through we gave up. As in any group, a few do all teh work and the many do all the bitching. Many times I have almost said to heck with it but then I meet someone nice and stay.
This world is not perfect so why should any of it organizations be? Make the most of it and don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I hope the guy who started this thread is able to quit smoking!
i guess you
Because they are still raising funds to get it done????I thought they were doing construction on the indoor range.
I only shoot outdoor due to lead, so I dont follow it too close. Oh well, I guess going to the meetings is not a bad idea
Why does the website still have the fundraiser?
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Clubs are not businesses, and do not have to operate on a "we need members" basis.
When a club starts to get "full", there are a couple of options - add a few more hoops to jump through to join, and hopefully get more carefully screened new members at a slower pace, or institute policies like "waiting list" or "annual membership joining meeting". The Hopkinton club chose the former. Sponsorship is necessary, and sponsors are expected to vouch for the competence of the sponsoree. A limit of two sponsorees per year per member adds a bit to the selectivity. If a member has used up their two sponsorships and finds an exceptional candidate, and an introduction to the president or a board member can often result in a sponsorship.
Some of our most productive members (Sjan, Brian, Shane I am talking about you among others) have joined the club in recent years, and an arbitrary "wait list" policy would have deprived us of some of our most valuable members. Us older guys cannot keep pace with everything that needs 2b done.
What you will find at Hopkinton is that the "obstacles" disappear once you are a member and been through the orientation/qualification process.
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Well, it does only take one idiot to shut the place down.
![[laugh2]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/014.gif "Laugh at above [laugh2]")
Unfortunately I believe that the majority of gun club members do not realize this.
AHM
NES Member
That's not even a self-consistent statement in my personal experience.
The one time that my club sponsored an introduction to pistol marksmanship class, I couldn't participate because they were going to spend time shooting forward of the benches. (And this was a true introduction class - not "intro to shooting steel" or "intro to firing from tacticool rolls" or some other fancy discipline).
Why couldn't I participate? I owned no holster for our sole (outsized, target) pistol. It wasn't an .88 Magnum, but it was no derringer either. Gun owners are very generous, but I wasn't about to accidentally encounter a loaner holster.
It's not reasonable to stand around getting instruction in grip, stance, sight picture, ... out on the range floor when you have nowhere to set aside your own piece. No one wants some noob holding their firearm while watching and risk them finger-bleeping the trigger and having an ND. I could have brought a hiker's end-table, but decided to blow it off.
I dont see the problem here. Too many are under the impression that all gun clubs are in dire need to increase their membership numbers. My club is not hurting for members. The current total is enough to keep plenty of money in the bank......and has a total membership where it's not crowded on Saturday and Sunday. So.....we either "cap" the membership and create a waitist or make it more difficult to join.......it's called good management.
Absolutely!
A club I used to belong to had some total Meatheads. A work party installed new 4X4 posts on the pistol range.....to string the wire between to hang targets. Not a week later someone had at them with a shotgun with buckshot......shot at them till they were cut in half and fell down. No cameras....nobody had signed in. Never found out who it was.
This is why at least some "vetting" of members is prudent.
AllaSnackbah
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No problem, im sure your gay little buttboy club f***ing sucks anyways.
