Yes, you read it right! The Reading Rifle and Revolver Club in Reading, Mass., is building for the future of the shooting sports.
Our journey started by taking one large range and splitting it into three separate ranges: one action shooting range with no blue sky, a pistol range (25 feet) with some metal targets for rifle and benches at 100 yards and a third range with 20 smallbore spots with benches for rifle and pistol.
The third range has distances at 25 feet, 50 feet, 50 meters, 50 yards, 100 yards and a gong house at 165 yards. All three ranges have covered firing lines. Splitting the range into three gives more flexibility for members and for running matches and other events.
The club did not stop there. The focus was then onto our highpower range with distances of 200, 300, 500, and 600 yards. Gone are the paper targets (we still have them for practice) and the pulling of targets. Now, we have 13 electronic targets for junior and adult training and club highpower competitions. Club members can also bring their own electronic targets and use them for training. No more bribing someone to come and pull your target.
The club also updated the indoor/outdoor house that we use to shoot 200-yard matches all through the winter, with radiant heat to make our competitors more comfortable while shooting or training. This improvement was very welcomed by me – no more frozen fingers or freezing while coaching the junior relay.
You may be saying to yourself, “WOW, that is a lot of improvements!” Well, we are not done yet! Moving inside the clubhouse, we tore out the old kitchen, and in came the new. We use this new kitchen often, especially during junior events.
The clubhouse itself was sided and the inside all freshly painted, including our indoor range. Radiant heat was also added to the indoor range for those cold winter days, along with Wifi and new electrical outlets, donated by our advanced junior team.
The big change inside came from the advanced junior rifle team. After much fundraising (over five long years), the team purchased 10 electronic Suis targets with lifters and monitors. The team uses these targets for training and matches. We hosted our first NCAA match this year and are currently on the schedule to host again next school year, with hopes of expanding to other NCAA teams. The best part is that the kids raised the money for these targets all by themselves and did not have to ask for any money from the club.
After all this, we have not even gotten to the best part yet. The club is adding on a 60×60 building that will house a new air range and classroom. We will now be able to train air rifle without having to move the electronic targets back and forth and have more time for clinics and matches. We can now host matches and run two ranges at the same time: air rifle in one and smallbore in the other. Even more exciting, we are looking at developing new classes for juniors, adults and the entire family. The addition will enable us to expand and promote the shooting sports for all ages and the future.
Find out more on the Reading Rifle and Revolver Club at https://readingrifleclub.com.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
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