Sunday, July 31, 2005

Portland, Oregon Bloggerfest

The Analogue Kid (see sidebar) is organizing a shooting event which is a thinly disguised reason for are bloggers to get together. The idea is that people who write, and people who read (no, you don't need to have a Web Log to be welcome), have an excuse to meet&greet.

He got this idea because he plans to attend the Practical Shotgun match at Tri-County Gunclub (TCGC) on Sunday, August 21. He figured he would come down early Saturday and spend that afternoon playing 'mine is bigger than yours' (firearms version) with like-minded folks.

The Practical Shotgun match is scheduled on the regular IPSC match day, which has been cancelled because the range will be co-host (with Dundee) for the Columbia Cascade Section Match on August 6-7. The IPSC folks at TCGC will be busy the week before, and the entire 2-day weekend, putting up stages and administering the match. Nobody is very interested in putting together another IPSC match two weeks later, and I don't blame them.

Unfortunately, the August 20 calendar for TCGC is full; There's a Cowboy Action match (surprising, since Albany is hosting their annual 2-day SAS match that weekend), Hi-Power, and a Hunter Ed class scheduled for the same day. Besides, the Shotgun match will be in the process of being set up that afternoon. The implication is that it will be difficult for TCGC to provide range facilities for this informal range session ... not the least because nobody associated with the event is a member of TCGC.

For various reasons, it appears that other ranges in the area will also be extensively utilized (Geek-speak for "they're all too busy to shepherd a bunch of strangers") during the planned time period, so the only remaining available range is "The Place To Shoot" (TPTS) in Delta Park. This is a certified bummer, becase TPTS is an indoor range and folks can't trot out their shotguns and rifles. Worse, you can't draw from the holster at TPTS.

The point of this whining is that I would REALLY like to find a better range for the event. It's not so much that TPTS range fees are $25 per person, as it is that they only allow a limited variety of firearm types to be used there.

BEGGING ALERT!

If you are a member of a gun club in the immediate Portland area, and would be willing to acquire permission for this informal Saturday Afternoon shooting event, I would be eternally grateful if you would step up and identify yourself as a potential host.

I will be there, I suspect I can talk SWMBO into attending, and the list of guests includes may folks who are referenced on the sidebar. Right now, minimum attendants are AK, Rivrdog, Your Humble Geek, Perhaps SondraK and Mr. Completely. Again, readers are always invited and welcome ... this is not an exclusive event. It's just a bunch of experienced and well-mannered firearms folks getting together to meet, throw a bunch of rounds downrange, and Do Lunch.

You can reach me via the comments section (see below) for this post.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What about the Clackamas County Public Safety Training Center?

Link...

You have to use their cleanfire ammo, which means you can't bring any, you have to buy from them, but their prices are reasonable.

Non member range fee is $15. If you can hunt down a member, guest range fee is $9.

The facility is much nicer than TPTS. Cleaner and MUCH better lit...

Saturday and Sunday they're open from 9am to 9pm...

They're about two blocks away from Clackamas Town Center, just off of I-205.

You have to take about a 15 minute safety orientation/test thingy on their computer. It should be old hat for everyone, if it isn't watch that person carefully. :)

I'm not a member, but I have shot there before...

I'm going to go to the Bloggerfest, also. So you'll have a chance to return the heck I gave you. :)

Jerry The Geek said...

The PSTC website makes it look like a nice place, and I like that they require you to take a proficiency test before you can shoot there.

But they also require you to shoot only ammunition which you buy from them. I plan to shoot .38 super and 10mm with match loads, and they won't have the ammunition that I need for those two pistols.

The PSTC ammunition may have no harmful components, but I need my lead-smoke fix or I just can't get through the weekend.

Mr. Completely said...

I've got a previous commitment to help my fishing club with their County fair booth that weekend, but I will be with you all in spirit!

Maybe a little later in the Summer before the weather starts to suck we can do something up here on Whidbey Island at the CWSA club range. AK and I have been talking about it.....