Welcome to MUSKOGEE GUN CLUB!

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President: Jim Warren—haulgass@hotmail.com  Vice-President: Mike Tye—miketye@att.net  Treasurer: James Tye—jtye@suddenlink.net Secretary: Kathryn McDuffie— peanutfrmsouth2000@yahoo.com Chief RSO: Jim Massman — jmassman@windstream.net

The Muskogee Gun Club is a NRA Affiliate that was founded to encourage organized pistol and rifle shooting among its members.  The aim of these activities is for members to gain knowledge of safe handling and proper care of firearms, as well as improved marksmanship. The club meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm:  Muskogee Public Library, 801 W Okmulgee St.  More Info:

May 16, 2013: Welcome to the Range…

Yes, Welcome to the Range and all of the Activity going on…  Er, that’s a joke, folks.  Once again, we had a dismal showing on May 4th for the Membership Renewal Classes.  Either our Membership is going to drop to 75 Members, or everybody is waiting until the last possible minute to take the class.  And the Last Classes start this Sunday, May 19th, at 1:30 pm and the very LAST CLASS is at 3:00 pm.

Our Scheduled Competition seems to have caught this affliction too.  For the CMP Match on the 11th, we had Zero competitors in the Garand Match, Zero competitors in the Modern Military and One in the Vintage Military.  So, John Dealy took First Place in the Vintage, even though it was his first time out.  He claimed the $10.00 Award Prize (which was his entry fee) and promptly returned it to the Club.

Now, the weather could be blamed for the lack of participation for both of these weekends, but as things turned out, the weather was just fine on those days.  Oh, forgot to mention:  the Swap Meet went on (May 4th) and one person (I believe) was there for that.

Upcoming:  May 25th — IDPA Match;  May 26th — Bowling Pin Match;  June 8th — Swap Meet;  June 22nd — CMP Match;  June 29th — Bowling Pin Match

April 28, 2013: the Lost Weekend

There’s a good reason to call this past weekend a Lost Weekend.  Nothing, but Nothing went the way it was supposed to.  Friday night’s — Saturday morning’s thunderstorms left the Pistol Range a SWAMP.  And the road leading to the Range would have been ruined with a lot of traffic driving through that mud.  So, I had to cancel the Bowling Pin Match scheduled for Saturday.
Jim Warren waited as late as he possibly could on Saturday to determine whether or not to cancel the IDPA Beginners Match for Sunday.  Regrettably, he and I both decided to not try and fight Mother Nature, thus cancelling that event.
 Upcoming this weekend, May 4 & 5:  10:00 am — SWAP MEET! (Flyer);  Also starting at 10:00 am, the 1st of 4 Membership Renewal Classes for the day;  Finally, thus far, the 5th is still Open, but the cancelled IDPA Beginners Match could be penciled in… we’ll see.
We do have fresh coats of paint on the Rifle Range shooting benches, thanks to Kathryn McDuffie and Cherri McClure.  Everyone needs to give a big Thank You to both of them for all of their hard work!

April 24, 2013: Update…

… That I’ve been postponing.  No one believed the results of the Giveaway Drawing.  We had a Member who stayed around that got the unfortunate responsibility of dipping his hand in to draw ticket stubs, not twice, but Three Times!!  Wayne R. drew Jim Warren’s name for the $200.00, 2nd Place Prize.  He then drew Jim Warren’s name AGAIN for the 1st Place Prize!  WHOA!  Wait-A-Minute…  Did I hear Rigged?  Fixed?  Crooked?
Nope.  Just blind luck…  And Jim wouldn’t have a thing to do with it.  He insisted we draw again.  Wayne did, drew Mike Garrett’s name and Jim wouldn’t even accept 1st Place, but gave that honor to Mike.  So, the final results are:  Jim Warren, 2nd Place, Mike Garrett, 1st Place ($300.00).

After some consulting with others, we’ve eliminated half of the scheduled Membership Renewal Classes.  Please refer to the Shooting Schedule for the changed times.  On Sunday, the 1:30 pm Class had exactly 1 Renewal and the 3:00 had None.  Yes, we do donate our time for these events, but this is ridiculous, folks.  The modified schedule should look like this:

Saturday, May 4: 10:00 am — 11:30 am — 1:00 pm — 2:30 pm
Sunday, May 19:   1:30 pm — 3:00 pm   (No 10:00 am Class)

This weekend:  Two Events;  Bowling Pin Match on Saturday, the 27th, starting at 10:00 am and IDPA Match (Beginners) on Sunday, the 28th, also starting at 10:00 am.  Hopefully, Mother Nature will be on our side and the Rain Gods will delay their usual weekend downpour and leave us in peace… piece… leave us alone!

April 18, 2013: Bringing you the latest…

Forgot to mention this one…  Almost Exactly a month ago, Vandalism struck once again big-time — this time the dirty bast**** stole the road signs down at the entrance to the Club road:

Range_Road_Sign_GONE
So here’s the new look…  compare this to the March 4th post and you’ll notice a bit of difference.  HA!  As in NOT funny.  Signs were up less than 2 weeks before someone unbolted them at the base and carted them off.  Jeez, what’s wrong with people!??

Have uploaded a Flyer for the IDPA Match coming up on the 28th of this month.  I encourage everyone that may be interested to download it, print it out (color or grayscale) and hand it out or hang it up someplace public.  Remember, ALL Club events are open to the public.  Should have a flyer ready for the Bowling Pin Match ready very soon now.

Speaking about the Bowling Pin Match:  Had a question arise over on the Facebook page about what caliber handgun is allowed.  Wanted to know if we allowed .22s, 9mm, etc.  Well, here goes:
For the Full-Size Pins, we use 9mm up to 45acp plus revolver calibers
We use .22s on the Pin Heads Only, and right now I don’t have a count on those to determine if there’s enough to put on a .22 shoot.  But, trust me, before it’s time for the Match, I’ll have it figured out.

April 16, 2013: Addendum

Our CMP Match is now listed at the CMP website:  http://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=matchRegistrationListUpcoming&filter=designation&filter_value=GARAND.
To simplify things, in the upper box, click on the box containing the “Filter Criteria” dropdown and select “Competitions and Events by State”, then pick Oklahoma from the list.

About the Bowling Pin Matches:  We’re going to stay within the published parameters, but we no longer will be using the 4′ x 8′ metal Table to stand the Pins on.  Instead, we’re using a 2″ x 6″ x 10′ board, like almost every video you’ll see on YouTube.  It should improve every shooter’s score, by reducing their overall time, thus making a better score.

April 16, 2013, Meeting Results + More…

Election Results:

President:  Jim Warren
Vice President:  Mike Tye
Treasurer:  James Tye
Secretary:  Kathryn McDuffie
Chief RSO:  James Massman

Troy Keeter will remain in charge of the monthly Swap Meet, now scheduled for the first Saturday of each month until winter interrupts things.
The Shooting Schedule is now up-to-date, so checking the Calendar should display all of our currently scheduled events.  Speaking of events, I’ve not received one email nor feedback whatsoever about the April 2, 1947 heading below… that’s my birthdate and no one called me on it!  HeHeHe!

We’re establishing a Committee to investigate the possibility of setting up a Trap-Skeet Range on the property.  Mike Garrett is heading up this committee and can be reached at mike@garrettchevy.com.  I’m posting his email address only if you wish to join or contribute to this committee.  We need resources, a study to find out if the interest warrants spending money on such an investment, land management assessment, etc.  Volunteers are needed, but more importantly, volunteers with trap/skeet experience are needed.

I’ve spent time creating descriptions for every event listed in the Calendar.  If you’re interested in any of the events, please click on the event to get to this description.  Briefly, you’ll find that the CMP, Bowling Pins and the IDPA Events are simple, easy to pick up shooting competitions that we present in the most casual of manners.  We do not get anal-retentive about these Matches, so that first-time shooters will feel comfortable about joining in on the fun.  And it is FUN!  But, also, with IDPA, you’re learning how to handle your firearm in situations that could actually save your life at some time.  So, it’s mixing fun with education with experience.

The annual Friends of the NRA Dinner will be held at the Muskogee Civic Center on the 25th of April at 7:00 pm.  We typically donate $200 – $300 worth of either 22lr rifle(s) or BB Guns or pellet rifles for them to raffle off to generate money for the NRA.

Anybody interested in supporting the Wounded Warriors Project have an opportunity to see them in action playing softball on May 4th at Hatbox Field.  Admission is FREE.  Game time is 1:00 pm.  Also playing that day will be at least one of our Members who plays for the VA-VAMC Team (for those of you who aren’t military-oriented, that’s Veteran’s Administration – Veteran’s Administration Medical Center: in Muskogee it’s called the Jack C. Montgomery VAMC).

About the Membership Renewal Classes:  you MUST show up early and be ready for the Class before it starts or you’ll have to wait for the next scheduled class to start.  We are NOT going to continue to allow Members to interrupt these Classes anymore, delaying the proceedings and forcing us to repeat already covered ground.  The same goes for the monthly Meeting Classes…  They start at 6:30 pm.  We’re now going to lock the door at that time so that there will no longer be further interruptions.  If you can’t be there early enough to make it on time, then plan on making the next scheduled Class!!!

'nuff... jm

April 14, 2013: Range Day Results…

… Are quite good, Thank You very much.

Although my Minolta died on me, I was able to take some stills with the DXG HD movie camera of the construction and finished work done on the 200 and 100 yard Backstop target holders.  And, instead of the cloudy day that was predicted, we managed to accomplish a great deal of mowing and brush hogging in the RAIN.

Returning shooters will notice that the huge brush, tree, trash pile at the entrance to the Sporting Clays Range is now history.  Been there so long, kinda got used to it.  Restroom users best be on the lookout, though.  Soon after we got the fire started, we flushed a skunk out who headed immediately to the back of the restroom and disappeared.  Beautiful animal…  I’d call it an albino, because it’s colors were reversed, mostly white with a black stripe.  But most definitely a skunk.

To use this Gallery, move your mouse over the Thumbnails word in the lower left hand corner and the other images will show up across the bottom as thumbnails.  If you click on Slideshow, clicking it a second time will stop the Slideshow.  The pictures are high quality (which is why they take so long to load), so you can use the Fullscreen feature to see much more detail.

Range_Day_04-13-13

[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_07.jpg]30View showing both 100 and 200 yard Backstops from about the 25 yard line.
View showing both 100 and 200 yard Backstops from about the 25 yard line.
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_01.jpg]40
Right near the beginning of construction, here's Jim digging the last of the four post holes for the 4 x 4's we buried 12" deep for stability. We constructed framework on ground, stood it up and dragged it into the holes. Man, that puppy was HEAVY...
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_02.jpg]30
Temporary bracing holding the framework upright until we can get the 2 x 4 x 4' "feet" installed with carriage bolts. More digging... of course!
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_03.jpg]30
First of the "feet" being installed. As I said, more digging...
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_04.jpg]50
Getting the final, finished bracing ready. Landscape timbers placed behind the two center vertical upright are angled at 45 degrees and anchored with rebar.
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_05.jpg]40
Our Work Crew: Cliff Steele (almost totally hidden), James Tye (left), Jim Warren (right) and Jim (the one actually doing some work!)
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_06.jpg]30
Finished 200 yard board. Blackboard is 'sandwiched' between 2 x 4's so the wind doesn't pull the panel through the flat washers, like it has done in the past.
[img src=http://www.muskogeegunclub.com/wp-content/flagallery/range_day_04-13-13/thumbs/thumbs_range_day_04-13-13_08.jpg]20
Here's the Pistol Range with the Steel Plates restored back to their original positions, ready to be vandalized again. Shame I have to say it that way...

Other results from the Clean Up Day were not so good, I’m afraid.  We Really need to get the No Trespassing signs installed around the outside of the Range and we just didn’t get that done :-( …  But, the trash cans Did get emptied, the shooting bench areas were weed-eated (is that a word?) and the Swap Meet did go on as scheduled.  I’m assuming that it was a success?  Anybody know for sure?
CMP Flyer now available online:  Download & print out, post it anywhere you feel it will draw attention… gun shops, Wal-Mart bulletin boards, pawn shops (that are friendly enough).  Remember, CMP Matches are public-friendly, just like any other match we put on at the Range.

April 2, 1947: Up and Coming EVENTS (IMPORTANT!)

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:  April 15th Meeting Night, after general business has been taken care of.
There are five Elected Committee Member positions: President; Vice President;
Treasurer; Secretary; Chief Range Officer.

Common qualifications for all positions are:
NRA Member
Member in Good Standing
Attends meetings
Expresses interest in Club activities/business

PRESIDENT:
Basically involved in all aspects of Club activities
Responsible for Meeting Organization
Organizes Range Clean-Up
Schedules Swap Meets
Gets quotes and hires contractors for work on Berms, mowing, etc.

VICE PRESIDENT:
Basically assumes responsibility of President when President cannot work
Assists in completing Membership forms
Assists in Safety Classes (if RSO)

TREASURER:

Maintains Clubs Financial Records
Files Federal Taxes (501(c))
Maintains Membership Rolls
Responsible for property taxes, Insurance, any other business dealings
Requires Computer skills
NRA Recruiter
Completes Membership forms
Takes care of all banking responsibilities

SECRETARY:

Responsible for maintaining Minutes of Meetings
Reserves Meeting Rooms
Responsible for Member mail-outs/notifications
Also maintains Membership Rolls
Assists in completing Membership forms

CHIEF RANGE OFFICER:

Must be NRA-Certified Range Safety Officer
Responsible for Range Safety
Responsible for Range Cleanliness/Maintenance
Must be able to visit Range 2 — 3 times per week
Responsible for enforcing Club SOP (Standard Operating Procedures)
Gives Safety Classes

TICKET DRAWING:  WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 20th AT 12:00 pm (HIGH NOON)
Winner need Not be present
Will be held at Range between Membership Renewal Classes
1st Drawing will be for $200.00 CASH
2nd Drawing will be for $300.00 CASH

RANGE CLEAN-UP DAY:  April 13th, 9:00 am
Re-Construction of Backboards on Rifle Range
Empty all Trash Barrels
Install “No Trespassing” Signs
Clean Rest Rooms
Burn Brush Piles (if possible)

SWAP MEET:  April 13th, 10:00 am
$5.00 Seller’s Fee
No Buyer’s Fee
Anything Gun-Related is acceptable

SHOOTING SCHEDULE:  Finally!
CMP  (Civilian Marksmanship Program)
05-11-2013 – Sat.
06-22-2013 – Sat.

Bowling Pin Shoot
04-27-2013 – Sat.
05-26-2013 – Sun.
06-29-2013 – Sat.

IDPA
04-28-2013 – Sun.
05-25-2013 – Sat.

3-Gun
(TBD)

Other TBD:  Just what it says…  to be determined

This Shooting Schedule is quite tentative and subject to change at any time, so bear with us folks, please.  We’re trying to work around all of the scheduled (and required) Safety Classes with a minimum of fuss.  You’ll notice that only Spring Dates have been set.  That’s because we’ve never been in a position such as this before, where we want to have some competitive shooting events, yet everyone is afraid to come out and use up their precious ammo.  Sooo, a minimum of events and only Spring Dates are scheduled right now.  We Have to see what kind of turnout we get before we do any more in-depth scheduling, only to have 2 — 3 shooters show up.

March 18, 2013: Spring News

FIRST:  Meeting Night is tonight at 7:00 pm.  If you want to have a say in what direction the Club takes, attend this Meeting.  If not, then for sure attend April’s Meeting, because that meeting is Election Night.  Considering todays Political climate, it’s time to shrug off the apathy and indifference and get actively involved before we no longer have a Club.

NEXT:  We need a Welder to patch up the Steel Targets from the Pistol Range so they can be replaced out at the Range as previously promised.  Send me an email at jmassman@windstream.net to set up a meeting.

NOW:  About the Shooting Schedule:  I had hoped to have the Schedule completed by now and posted online and on the bulletin board at the Range.  Instead of listing the excuses, just suffice it to say that life kept interfering with progress on the Schedule and it won’t be ready until the end of March.

The FUTURE:  We are looking for any Member who has creative ideas for Shooting Matches or other Events that they think would be of interest to the other Members.  We do have plans for IDPA, CMP and Bowling Pin Shoots, just not scheduled.  Any suggestions will be considered and may be submitted either through using the Forum or by emailing myself or Jim Warren (both addresses are listed at the top).  Just keep in mind that many of our Members are older and won’t join in something that involves a great deal of running activity…

We’re On The Map!

For Real!  Here’s what the entrance to the Range looks like NOW:

DIRECTIONS to the Range have just been simplified!  Just tell guests/general public when inviting them to a Match or other public event to turn off of EW-105 onto Gun Club Road!  Photos courtesy of our intrepid V.P., Jim Warren.  After viewing the pics, I’m sure that we can disregard the date stamp…

SWAP MEET INFO:  For any & all those interested in promoting the April Swap Meet, the Flyer (in PDF format & full color) is available HERE!