Decided to treat myself

[The Annoyed Man]

So ARs are ok, but scoped and zeroed AKs aren't - because they're AKs?

I think that email is saying that AK PISTOLS are not allowed.

No, I know what it says - that isn't the point I'm getting at.

What I'm saying is that, in another rule, AKs specifically aren't allowed. I'm wondering why that is, when ARs are allowed.

It beats the heck out of me. Like I said, it makes no sense.

[The Annoyed Man]

OK, here's the complete exchange of email messages, minus the original contact message I sent from their website. I did not get a copy of that one, so it begins with the range manager's reply to me. But my original question was whether or not Elm Fork's "no pistol grips" rules eliminated my AR15 from use on the 100 yard line. His first name is Dan, but I am not sure he would want me to give anymore information about him, so I'll just refer to him as "The Range Manager" in the following exchange:

Hi TAM,

My apologies for the misunderstanding of that rule. Your AR’s are more than welcome. That rule is best explained as pistol grip only. Therefore avoiding AK pistols, etc. You will need to use something ammo wise other than FMJ’s on the 100 yard line. PSP, Ballistic tip, or hollow point is all acceptable.

I hope this helps to clarify the rule. I look forward to seeing you at the range.

Thanks

Hi Dan, Thanks very much for the clarification. You had me going for a bit there. I thought that something had really changed.

No sir, not on that. Keep on coming… J

Have a great day!

Hi Dan,

I want to presume upon your time with one more question. . .

I don’t own any AK47/AK74s, but I notice that they are specifically forbidden on the 100 yard line. To me, that makes total sense if they have iron sights, since their sights are so poor and their consequent accuracy so suspect. But I do have a friend who has a scoped AK with a Burris 1-4X scope solidly mounted to the receiver, and he is able to hit pieces of wood floating down a river at a laser-ranged distance of almost 400 yards with that AK. It seems to me that an AK like that would be well within any accuracy requirements you might have for the 100 yard line. Again, this does not affect me personally, but would an Elm Fork customer with such an AK be able to shoot it on the 100 yard line, or is the ban across the board, regardless of configuration, and does he remain restricted to the 50 yard line?

I’d like to go shooting with him some time to compare rifles.

Thanks again for your patience.

HI TAM,

No worries, ask anything you want…

The scope requirement is that it must be at least 4x, so that is good. The next challenge is typically the ammo. Most people do not want to get the hollow point or PSP ammo and want to just shoot the FMJ ammo. I cannot allow that on the 100 yard line due to limitations of baffling. That being said, if your friend fits in a small minority (including myself…) who can hit with that sort of firearm and has it properly sighted, he has to shoot the 50 yard challenge to prove accuracy. It is 5 shots at 50 yards in a 5” pattern.

Does that help?

Thanks

Yes, thanks, that is helpful. So, just to be clear... if he can demonstrate 5 rounds at 50 yards inside a 5” circle, he is then “certified” to shoot at the 100 yard line? If yes, then does he need to re-certify each time he comes back? Again, I really appreciate the clarifications.

Hi TAM,

The program mentioned is new. He should not have to requalify every time he comes, but he will need to qualify if it is a new firearm. We have not figured out the best way to assure accountability on this. I would ask for patience and good communication if there is an issue while I figure out how to help those that can shoot have fun and keep out the “wanna be’s”.

Does that help?

Yes, it helps a lot, and thanks again for your time. And I do understand the ammo restrictions and I will make sure to pass them on to my friend.

Excellent. I look forward to seeing you soon.

[rentz]

makes a lot of sense, guess they had too many people spraying all over the place with ak's

[gringo pistolero]

I decided I needed some toys for myself, so I splurged a li'l bit.

I got a Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 iwb holster for my 1911 because my old holsters have given me over 25 years of service. I'll need to get a new gunbelt at some point too because mine's probably almost 30 years old, but that can wait for the moment.

[ Image ]

I also bought a Burris Tac30 1-4x scope to slap onto my AR or AK; I'm not sure I really like this reticle, but I tried it out at Mickey's Lease yesterday on my AK and I was pretty surprised how well it works:

[ Image ]

[ Image ]

I'll need to drag that setup down to Elm Fork sometime to try it out on the 100yd range. Oh, wait - they want minimum 3x magnification (got that covered now), but they won't allow FMJ. How lucky then that I have these:

[ Image ]

Darn - just re-read their rules and they now specifically don't allow pistol-gripped rifles or AKs

Some nice treats and I'm sure well deserved.

When I saw the title, I thought it was going to be about self-treatment for a medical issue because of Obamacare. I'm happy that's not the case.

[rockinar]

ARs and AKs are welcome.

Pistol versions of the AK and AR are NOT ALLOWED on the 100 range (for obvious reasons)



Not allowed.....