Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club

Work Day was scheduled for Saturday, April 20th ‘way back in December – long before we could have had a weather forecast.  It was a dark, cloudy, cold day and the High Power Director was accused of scheduling the event since it looked like the kind of day for a lot of the High Power matches last year.  Let it be clear to everyone …  it was not his fault (this time).

But, in spite of a steady drizzle and an occasional downpour, about 12 or 15 folks showed up to try to do what could be done under shelter.

Jim Sweeney and a crew worked in the Wiedeman building to get tractors and mowers ready for the summer.

Denny McNabb and the carpentry crew readied some new target supports.  Denny also cut a lot of fresh 24 x 24 target backers out of the scrap cardboard that had accumulated.

A group including Gary Walker and Bruce Bunting spent time working in the pistol bays.

John Halter put on his rain gear and trimmed up brush and downed trees along the north property line.

Several folks helped Larry Beardsley hold a good cleanup in the Clubhouse.  The pile of cardboard and trash in the corner had started to look like a paper recycling warehouse and had turned into a mouse condo. The windows and sills had become well speckled with spider poop.  The rainy day gave us an opportunity to get a good Spring cleaning done in there.

Snuffling out the dead spiders, sawdust and gunk

No, we didn’t get any real outdoor work done, but we have stuff ready to be put in place when the weather breaks.

Denny cut a lot of 24 x 24 target backers and put them in the box by the door

Thanks to everyone who came out – I know I didn’t mention everyone by name – it’s just old age and failing memory, not any intent to ignore anyone.

 

Housekeeping Notes

 

 

These three boxes are the scrap cardboard and trash we cleaned out of the corner. We’ll burn them some dry day. We no longer have a dumpster, so take your trash home if you would, please.  If not, put it in the cans on the covered firing lines.  If the cans are full, take out the liner and put in a fresh one. We try to keep a new liner tied to the lid of the can.  If not – there is a box of liners under the light switch in the Clubhouse. (Carry the old bag home with you, don’t leave it sitting for someone else).

Since we have plenty of cardboard to make new backers, if your backer is shot up – take it back home.  Don’t stick it in the box “Just in case somebody else wants it”.  That’s how we end up with a box of trash.

 

After our episodes with four legged, two legged and four wheeled trespassers, the fence by the high power pits was improved and mended.  We wanted to make sure that our easy access point had been secured, so we put a camera in a tree by the groundhog hotel.

We didn’t find any unwelcome trespassers, which is a good thing.  But, we did find out that there is a lot of traffic in that corner.  We recorded, mostly at night, several different skunks (who probably live in the groundhog hotel), possums, a small deer, numerous raccoons, a scroungy looking groundhog who has already started moving dirt, and a classy dude – maybe a Foxy Lady.

What does the fox say?

 

The deadline for members to renew their 2019 Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club memberships is rapidly approaching.

The deadline for dues for is February 28th.  Any dues received on March 1st or later are subject to a $25.00 late fee.  Members whose dues are not received by April 30th will be dropped from the membership roll and must reapply for membership.

Any member having questions or who are experiencing extenuating financial issues should contact the Club Treasurer:

martindidion4@gmail.com;

or by mail at:

Treasurer

Fort Wayne Rifle and Revolver Club

P. O. Box 8295

Fort Wayne, IN  46898

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it seems that things just run all by themselves.  We go out to the range and notice that some of the supports on the target frames look like the mice and termites got into them, but the next time we’re out there, they look pretty good again. Guess what folks, things just don’t grow back or fix themselves.

 

Dennie hard at work            

 

Sunday when a bunch of us arrived for the Winter Offhand Match, Dennie McNabb was over under the bench rest shelter rebuilding target frame support.  He had several supports that had been shot up, his saw and power screwdriver and he was patching and splicing things together.  When he finished, the 25 and 50 yard target frames had been repaired and are ready for the rest of the winter.

 

Oh, by the way – did anyone notice the ‘land mines” and “gopher mounds” on the range?  Those are from the wandering horses that got into the range through the fence wire down by the pit area that kept getting turned back .  Thanks to Marty and John for taking the time to drive a bunch of steel posts across the opening to block out trespassers and stray horses.

A big Thank You to folks who take the time to keep things working for all the rest of us!

We have been notified that there is a lot of fresh horse pucky on the range again.  Again we have talked to the owner of the offending beasts about keeping his critters fenced up.

But, the real part of the problem is the breached fence just at the parking area by the high power pits.  Several years ago that fence was cut by someone who used the range as a 4-wheeler park.  We mended the fence, but it was breached again earlier in the fall and we got our first dose of horse pucky then.

Then, a week or so ago – another breach and more pucky.  We rolled the fence back and tied it, hoping to wait for warm weather, but, no luck.  We found it rolled back again this morning after folks told us about new deposits.  Once again the fence is tied back into place, but as can be seen from the pictures it isn’t horses that are opening the hole in the fence.  It is being rolled back and, although we are not expert trackers, there appear to be ATV tire prints near the road.

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are going to do a much more permanent repair in the next couple of days using some barbed wire we have in the Wiedeman building.

In the meantime, please be aware that there may be critters (four legged) loose on the range that may appear out of the brushy areas very unexpectedly.  And, keep an eye out for two-legged critters on 4-wheeled vehicles.  If you see any of the last kind – avoid confrontations, but get as much information about the critters and the vehicle as you can so we can investigate and notify me @ fwrrhpdirector@aol.com.

 

 

Members are allowed to have family and friends come out to the range as guests, but guests are not allowed on the range by themselves as unaccompanied visitors.  But, there are always some folks who don’t get the word.

Ryam Brammer sent these pictures along from a visit to the range last week.  We’ve seen deer, turkeys, rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, dogs and cats – but most of us believe that this is a first.

 

 

Isn’t there a rule somewhere about “No horseplay on the firing line…?”  (groan..)

Some time between Saturday, October 13th and Wednesday, October 17th, there was a break-in at the range.  Someone decided that there was something of interest in the target shed in the pits and then took a crowbar to the left hand door and pried it off its hinges.

 

 

The screws that held the hinges to the frame were ripped out and the aluminum facing was torn and bent.  One initial thought was that wind had grabbed the door some way or another, but when we looked at the edge of the door, it was clear that someone had used a crowbar or similar tool to rip the hinges off the frame.

 

 

The place that the crowbar was anchored shows very plainly in the picture.

Temporary repairs have been made and new screws and additional hinges will be added.  It only took two engineers to try to fix it and a schoolteacher to oversee the work.

Members are asked to keep an eye out for things like this.  Check the locks on buildings and storage sheds to make sure that someone isn’t shopping the range.  We can only assume that someone thought that there was something worth stealing in the shed – since there was nothing missing, I assume they were disappointed!

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING – SAY SOMETHING

After that was finished we went up to the new white building and looked at the heater to figure out why we had no heat.  A spider had set up housekeeping in the combustion tubes for the heater – once he was evicted, everything works well again.

Thanks to Mike and Glenna and Beard for taking time to fix up things like this.