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BGSL rant (long and whiney).

3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  DevilsJohnson 
#1 ·
Ive been a member of BGSL for 2yrs now. I had not shot there for some time since probably June of last year tho. Then there was that 8month vacation in FL. I am back in KY and re-upping for my 3rd year, but I am a bit upset.

Unfortunately I could never get to a member meeting (hehe gross), but apparently there have been a ton of issues Ive missed.

Apparently some jackholes have ruined a good thing for the responsible members. This wouldnt be too much of an issue if Lexington had a range, but it doesnt anymore, so I am stuck with the range at Wilmore. I know Buds in Paris has a range, but is built into a old bowling ally and the beyond the backstop is a gas station.

The good news: I can now use the Competition Pistol Pits as a normal member. *used to have to apply to the Pistola Division.

The Bad or just silly:
1st Issue: Hours.

Now most of the range have hours of operation dependent on the availability of ROs (Range Officer for the layman).

Before is was sun up til sun down, no official ROs, just a maintenance guy who drove around to see if any nefarious dealings where going down. I can appreciate an RO as I have been swept and seen some pple try to clear their jams in a wreckless manner, but now I have to plan my trip on someone else's schedule.

2nd Issue: Qualifying.

Before only Pistol Division had a qualifier for practical pistol pits area so practical pistoleros could practically practice for practical pistol competitions (IDPA, IPSC, etc) during the week as weekends this area is filled with competitors til early afternoon/evening.

Now we have to qualify to use the Rifle range and the rifle side of the Gen Purp range. And my guests cannot use the GP rifle range at all, which sucks because we like to plink with the .22 there.

3rd Issue: No rapid fire.

Actually I agree with no rapid fire on the Gen Purpose ranges; however BGSL's definition and my definition are quite different. They consider anything faster than 1 round per 3 seconds is rapid fire. 1 round per 3 seconds is ludicrous (yeah I said ludicrous). I can see someone trying to empty their mag in 1 sec is definitely a safety hazard as chances are they dont have a proper sight picture on each round (Rob Leatham and Co. are excluded here), but I can SAFELY aim and shoot 1 round per 1 second.

I am not sure what happened during my off time to cause this sort of rule change, but I am very unhappy and will attend a meeting ASAP to voice this.

Sorry for the long rant.
 
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#2 ·
I know that me and a few other members of my family were talking about joining BGSL this summer so we could have a place other than Buds to shoot. But after reading this i think we might all pass on the membership. It sounds like they are putting to many restrictions on everything. I understand that safety must come first when shooting but there is a point where it goes beyond safety and just gets ridiculous. Thanks for the info!
 
#5 ·
Ive been a member of BGSL for 2yrs now. I had not shot there for some time since probably June of last year tho. Then there was that 8month vacation in FL. I am back in KY and re-upping for my 3rd year, but I am a bit upset.
Since you don't know the "whole" story, I'd say you have gone off half cocked!

Unfortunately I could never get to a member meeting (hehe gross), but apparently there have been a ton of issues Ive missed.
It's too bad that you can't find the time to attend, only bitch. There was a "general members" meeting tonight.

The Bad or just silly:
1st Issue: Hours.

Now most of the range have hours of operation dependent on the availability of ROs (Range Officer for the layman).

Before is was sun up til sun down, no official ROs, just a maintenance guy who drove around to see if any nefarious dealings where going down. I can appreciate an RO as I have been swept and seen some pple try to clear their jams in a wreckless manner, but now I have to plan my trip on someone else's schedule.
Let's see, four hours on Wednesday and Friday afternoon. On Saturday and Sunday the pits are open 12 noon until 8 PM. The GP handgun range is open on weekends from 8 AM until 8 PM. How many hours do you need?

2nd Issue: Qualifying.

Before only Pistol Division had a qualifier for practical pistol pits area so practical pistoleros could practically practice for practical pistol competitions (IDPA, IPSC, etc) during the week as weekends this area is filled with competitors til early afternoon/evening.

Now we have to qualify to use the Rifle range and the rifle side of the Gen Purp range. And my guests cannot use the GP rifle range at all, which sucks because we like to plink with the .22 there.
Is there really a problem with having to qualify? Can't you keep 5 out of 7 shots in a 6" circle at 10 yards?

3rd Issue: No rapid fire.

Actually I agree with no rapid fire on the Gen Purpose ranges; however BGSL's definition and my definition are quite different. They consider anything faster than 1 round per 3 seconds is rapid fire. 1 round per 3 seconds is ludicrous (yeah I said ludicrous). I can see someone trying to empty their mag in 1 sec is definitely a safety hazard as chances are they dont have a proper sight picture on each round (Rob Leatham and Co. are excluded here), but I can SAFELY aim and shoot 1 round per 1 second.
Rapid fire is ok in the pistol pits, of course you have to be able to qualify there.

I am not sure what happened during my off time to cause this sort of rule change, but I am very unhappy and will attend a meeting ASAP to voice this.

Sorry for the long rant.
Maybe it's time you became more than just a "dues paying member". The general member ship meeting is the 1st Tuesday of the month. And you are welcome to attend the Board of directors meeting, the last Tuesday of the month.

Stay Safe,

A.T.
 
#6 ·
I know that me and a few other members of my family were talking about joining BGSL this summer so we could have a place other than Buds to shoot. But after reading this i think we might all pass on the membership. It sounds like they are putting to many restrictions on everything. I understand that safety must come first when shooting but there is a point where it goes beyond safety and just gets ridiculous. Thanks for the info!
Why don't you attend one or two of the meetings? I think you will be more than pleased when you listen to the people that actually use the BGSL. It's like a kid, "you can't beat it". :mrgreen:

BTW, I'm just a member, but a very satisfied member.

Stay Safe,

A.T.

P.S. Check out their web site http://www.bgslinc.com/, they have a "LOT" going on, not just for shooters, but for the family.
 
#7 ·
Pretty sure I said Rant (long and whiney) in my subject line. Pretty sure that kinda covers the fact that I am just bitching/venting.

No I dont know the "whole" story. I even said that it was probably some A-hole that ruined everything for the responsible ones (I belong to the latter). Ive had the President (at the time) commend me and my guest for our safety and moreso for our "leaving the range cleaner than when we got to it". So while yes, I have not been an active meeting goer, tho I have done my part to make sure that I do NOT make anything worse than I found it.

As far as the Range hours. Yeah it will be harder to plan trips out to Wilmore. I have a 30 min drive to get there and having to work around MY schedule as well as a RO is a little inconvenient (as opposed to the complete freedom I felt I had before); HOWEVER I DO appreciate the fact there will be attendees to prevent unsafe gun handling ( I have been swept by a muzzle many times and seen first hand people banging their jammed slides on the benches). I was used to the freedom of just going whenever I damn well pleased.

Of course its within my abilities to qualify, however this is something I HAVE to do and do it when its convenient for someone else. So yeah, I am a lil miffed. I just wanted to vent and I did it.

So, now I am gonna pay my dues and suck it up. Hope maybe someday, Ill have the extra money for gas to make it to meetings so maybe I can get the "whole" story.

And yes BGSL does have more to offer than any other range (at least in Central KY). Its a humongous place for shooters, campers, hikers and that is why I joined. I would recommend it to anyone who asked. YOu can even train your hunting dogs there. Its pretty amazing. I was just disappointed at some finer details that had changed.
 
#8 ·
*UPDATE*


I finally got back to the range today to break in the Kahr P9, which I shot just short of abysmally, if thats a word.

The RSO filled me in on the WHY on all the new rules and I would like to retract most of my rant now.

Apparently some yay-hoos were shooting over the berm, which is probably 20-30feet high, and a neighbor probably quarter - half mile away was diggin rounds outta his house and barn. So to prevent total closure, they decided they needed to update the range safety with some major, and welcome renovations (sp*) including RSOs, and baffled shooting areas.
 
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