Update on Chaffee Co Range Issue

Thought everyone would like to know the latest on the range noise issue that Mike (Chaffee2) raised in an earlier thread. The County Commissioners met on the issue today and Mike and I among others were in attendance. DOW officers spoke as well as a couple of range users. Basically, the Commissioners made no change in the current requirement to shoot during daylight hours only. They and DOW have always been very supportive of the range.

There were some other important things about the range that came up at the meeting. I will now do my best to present them to you as I understood them. First it was stated by DOW that Colorado Wildlife Commission rules prohibit shooting .50 BMG caliber weapons at our public ranges. Also, the firing of tracer and incendiary rounds is prohibited. And only shoot paper targets (or the permanent steel ones at the rifle range)- no glass, cans or other objects. (The aforementioned things will be placed on temporary signs at the range until permanent signs can be obtained.) Please also follow all posted range rules and fundamental safety proceedures.

Mention was made of trying to show courtesy to nearby neighbors of the range by keeping the firing of large caliber (excessively noisy) rifles to a minimum during early morning hours.

In short, please enjoy the Chaffee County range if you come out here; but help us preserve it by excersizing common sense and common courtesy. Thanks. WB

Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the update. I was up at the site last Thursday at about 1:30 and did notice three official vehicles leaving the range as we were setting up at the pistol area. I hope the majority of people who use the range have the respect to stay safe and keep it clean like the AR-15 members do.

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Originally Posted by WBAR

First it was stated by DOW that Colorado Wildlife Commission rules prohibit shooting .50 BMG caliber weapons at our public ranges. WB

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If that is true it should be posted somewhere on the DOW website, and I can't find anything about it.

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Originally Posted by MattR

If that is true it should be posted somewhere on the DOW website, and I can't find anything about it.

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It should be posted somewhere as it passed 9 May 11. Maybe they don't have it updated yet but none the less it has passed.

Someone asked today at the meeting about where to shoot the .50 and it was met with the deer in the headlight look. The problem the DOW has with the .50 is not the round or the rifles but the person shooting. Apparently at some range or ranges knuckheads with .50 shot the heck out support posts and steel targets. So it was a matter of 1 or 2 idiots screwing it up for the rest of us as usual.

I'll admit those of us here messed up big time as no one went to the range meeting that was held here in Salida about the .50. It was posted in the Mountain Mail two or three weeks prior to the meeting and as a group we brain farted and forgot about it. So no one showed to show support for the .50. DOW said they would have gladly gave a waiver for the CCR but no one asked. If given the waiver we would still have the problem of 1 or 2 idiots destroying our steel targets and support posts.

I guess its much safer to shoot a 50 in the forest, after all its much safer to just shoot in the forest than at a designated range[NoClue]. They took our public range away here a couple years ago and told us to go shoot in the forest.

Glad this turned out the way it did, although I can see this could be a nuisance to people who do own .50's, It's just one less range to shoot at.

But there is still Pawnee, and Raton isn't too far down the road either, so not too much of a loss for large caliber shooters.