Thread: Rifle range in Hastings in trouble ?

Originally Posted by zimmer

@grandpamac What are the exact issues that caused the range closure? Does the newspapaer article go into detail. Except for mention of signage and flags at the start of this thread I cannot understand exactly what the issue is. Thread is now 3 pages long. If the issue was only signage and flags that is normally something easily resolved. It would be useful for others who are involved in their own range certifications to know.

Here's a photo from June last year so it's obvious a lot of work has been going on.
Attachment 237547

....Gosh there has been a few Police Ministers over the last year....

And not one has had any idea of what the "job" entailed

Originally Posted by Gillie

The main two technical guys in the range design/safety area at FSA are very experienced with military ranges and have great experience with backstop materials and the problems and benefits associated with them. The tyre wall backstop thing was discussed with them more than a few times by the national shooting organisations.
I am not personally aware of an incident of projectiles "bouncing" off the tyres but these guys were. I can only assume it is a very low likelihood event - which speaks more to the underlying risk acceptance part of the range certification regime.

I do agree with your last point though - I don't see how FSA will be able to demonstrate the safety benefits of the range certification regime (and justify the expense) if the "currently non-existent" incident rate doesn't drop even further...

And I can't see the certification of ranges lowering the rate the police shoot themselves, that is down to the Police person handling the firearm, but perhaps they can now charge the acting RO.

Will we ever see the statistics that show ranges are now a safer place because of these new laws and regulations, and given the low incidents on ranges being so successful when are they going to apply the same regulations and laws to the way our roads are built and maintained? That would save more lives than the firearms, clubs and ranges laws and regulations.

Originally Posted by 19Badger

And I can't see the certification of ranges lowering the rate the police shoot themselves, that is down to the Police person handling the firearm, but perhaps they can now charge the acting RO.

I am fairly sure the Police are not subject to the current range certification regime... neither are Defense Force. I don't know how it works in practice with Police using civilian ranges and how much they need to comply with the now mandated RSO and OoD requirement.

Originally Posted by Gillie

I am fairly sure the Police are not subject to the current range certification regime... neither are Defense Force. I don't know how it works in practice with Police using civilian ranges and how much they need to comply with the now mandated RSO and OoD requirement.

Police must comply with Range Standing Orders. The End.

Originally Posted by Trout

I stopped in at Ashburtons rifle range couple of weeks ago.Gates locks,way in the distance 400yds?was a big high,wide concrete wall.May be 8mtrs wide and 6 mtrs high,my guessing could be out.3 big bullsizes painted on it.River bed bank n willows in the back ground.Set up looked impressive.

The Ashburton Rifle Range has firing positions out to 700 yards as well as a 50 metre outdoor smallbore range.
Several clubs use the range which is managed by a Range Users Association.

The wall is a lot bigger than it looks from the gate.

Originally Posted by mikee

Exept that mountain bike track goes behind the butts I believe.
Council have tried to shut it down but I think in the fine print when it was gifted by the army? They can only close it if they provide the same thing else where in country.
That proved troublesome I think, they were looking at somewhere down Hakatere but then all the NIMBY's stymied it so its still in center of town as it were.
i remember as a schoolboy biking thru Ashburton going from home to range with my .22 slung across my back. Would not try it now!!

You're wrong on most of your claims @mikee - the range is on DoC land leased & managed by the Range Users Association.

The backstop had to be rebuilt after the local and regional councils allowed a cycle/walking track to be built alongside and behind the target area.
Those responsible for the cycle/walking track did not contribute to the cost of the rebuild of the range which they caused.

Considerable expense (over $150,000) was spent on the new concrete "Great Wall of Ashburton" backstop.
It is a baffled "no danger" range that has been certified under the old NRANZ and new regulations.

Electronic Targets are used with sand filled plastic drums catching the projectiles.

The baffles make for an unusual noise profile as a noise is made as the projectile passes over each baffle.

As far as I know the Ashburton Range is the only range near the center of town in New Zealand.

FWIW I shoot regularly at the Ashburton Range and am a club member of the Ashburton District Rifle Club.

Originally Posted by Cyclops

The Ashburton Rifle Range has firing positions out to 700 yards as well as a 50 metre outdoor smallbore range.
Several clubs use the range which is managed by a Range Users Association.

The wall is a lot bigger than it looks from the gate.



You're wrong on most of your claims @mikee - the range is on DoC land leased & managed by the Range Users Association.

The backstop had to be rebuilt after the local and regional councils allowed a cycle/walking track to be built alongside and behind the target area.
Those responsible for the cycle/walking track did not contribute to the cost of the rebuild of the range which they caused.

Considerable expense (over $150,000) was spent on the new concrete "Great Wall of Ashburton" backstop.
It is a baffled "no danger" range that has been certified under the old NRANZ and new regulations.

Electronic Targets are used with sand filled plastic drums catching the projectiles.

The baffles make for an unusual noise profile as a noise is made as the projectile passes over each baffle.

As far as I know the Ashburton Range is the only range near the center of town in New Zealand.

FWIW I shoot regularly at the Ashburton Range and am a club member of the Ashburton District Rifle Club.

I stand corrected... mind you it was 24 years ago when I lived there. I do remember there being an investigation into moving the range to Hakatere in the 90s.
I was not aware the mountain bike track was the cause of the range rebuild either.
When I used it Mid 80s-thru late 90s the targets at the butts were definitely not electronic.

Originally Posted by Gillie

I am fairly sure the Police are not subject to the current range certification regime... neither are Defense Force. I don't know how it works in practice with Police using civilian ranges and how much they need to comply with the now mandated RSO and OoD requirement.

The Defense Forces are subject to the law and have Military Manuals which cover all range types , shooting in box & short long & explosive etc ,and have had them for ever and a day . They cover a lot of the usual and things like placing explosive ranges at least 1.5 km from historical buildings etc .
The NZDF is not what civvies think it is and those Majors only get their rank so they can supposedly talk to the big boys with some authority.

Originally Posted by BSA

Police must comply with Range Standing Orders. The End.

Which is why in years gone by the Police have been kicked off NZDF ranges....for not complying with Range Standing Orders.

I am surprised that any range is now permitting Police to use their facilities. With the amount of grief they have delivered to the firearms community, I would think that it was high time they (the organisation, not the individual members) were encumbered with having to build and maintain their own facilities.

Originally Posted by XR500

Which is why in years gone by the Police have been kicked off NZDF ranges....for not complying with Range Standing Orders.

I am surprised that any range is now permitting Police to use their facilities. With the amount of grief they have delivered to the firearms community, I would think that it was high time they (the organisation, not the individual members) were encumbered with having to build and maintain their own facilities.

Absolutely.

B

Our range is pretty sorted but we have still had to do quite a bit to tick all the new boxes, ie, fencing around the shotgun clay range to stop a member wandering out onto it while a round is being shot, etc it’s a bit over the top some of it so I can imagine some smaller club ranges around the country will be struggling to comply (Time & Money)

That's rather strange fencing off ranges. Multi range clay target setups don't have to do that with DTL setups. Are your ranges side be side and the fall of shot zone overlap rifle targets?. We have a rifle range in that situation, it shares space down range with a sporting field, we just stipulated that only one range of the two may be in use at any time.

We have one DTL Trap and skeet trap’s either side but it’s right outside the clubhouse front door, rifle ranges are well separated from them.

Originally Posted by country cuts

As part of the new regulations tyres are not recommended for bullet catchers as the wire belts can cause ricochet or sparks, that's what were were told

My old NRA range had tyres and yes bullets bounced off them and back into the butts where the markers were, so they took them all out and rebuilt the impact area without tyres.

Originally Posted by Percy Jones

My old NRA range had tyres and yes bullets bounced off them and back into the butts where the markers were, so they took them all out and rebuilt the impact area without tyres.

Greetings,
Our local NZDA built a .22RF Running Boar Range on a flat site over 40 years ago. The backstop was constructed of concrete waste blocks about 4.5 metres high. Initially the bullet catcher was rubber conveyor belt draped as shown on some of the photos in the current range manual. This produced the odd ricochet and it was replaced with short lengths of posts end on with the belting fixed over the posts at about a 75 degree angle. The range ran for years until the main motor failed and the club had neither the funds or inclination to repair it. Later the worthless shingle of the block became the highly valuable Gimblet Gravel and was sold and the club relocated. Looking at the requirements for a 50 metre .22RF range in the current Range manual our old range would easily comply.
Not far from there sits the old Roy's Hill Army Range that closed about 25 years ago. As far as I can tell from aerial photos the mounds and markers gallery are still there. Other than land tenure of the backstop and some work on the bullet catcher it may still comply.
Regards Grandpamac.