I don’t know where to put this but I wanted my fellow south Florida shootin‘ buddies to be aware that JTAC is going bye bye. This saddens more than words can say. It’s been an oasis for many of us.
JTAC Ranch Closing!
- Thread starter Rockdoc173
- Start date
As you know, there are a number of Hide members that go there. @lash, @Mike Casselton, @atepointer, @Northfl.
Maybe we'll run into our favorite card-carrying instructor this week.
It's always good for a laugh or three.
It's always good for a laugh or three.
Well, this REALLY sucks... no place to shoot ELR anywhere in the state now.
Often had the precision range literally to ourselves, no RSO's staring over your shoulder, what a dream place to shoot.
I don't get it. I mean, there wasn't much infrastructure there, but the access road and berms alone must've cost well into six figures.
Who would make that type of investment without an ironclad long-term lease ("landowner's desire to repurpose the land"???) AND knowing that adjacent land being developed would be the death knell for the conditional use permit. I doubt those guys even recouped their investment, what a fucking shame.
We come down from Pasco, and gave up on the Manatee shitshow years ago before JTAC even opened.
There's Ares in Leesburg with 850 which is the most I can find. Anyone been there?
Often had the precision range literally to ourselves, no RSO's staring over your shoulder, what a dream place to shoot.
I don't get it. I mean, there wasn't much infrastructure there, but the access road and berms alone must've cost well into six figures.
Who would make that type of investment without an ironclad long-term lease ("landowner's desire to repurpose the land"???) AND knowing that adjacent land being developed would be the death knell for the conditional use permit. I doubt those guys even recouped their investment, what a fucking shame.
We come down from Pasco, and gave up on the Manatee shitshow years ago before JTAC even opened.
There's Ares in Leesburg with 850 which is the most I can find. Anyone been there?
Got an email today, looks like the wheels are in motion to purchase land nearby to start over.
Made the last trip yesterday with my son, got the email today. Said there's an LOI to purchase the land, but I'm sure that's contingent on approvals- and I'm not getting my hopes up.
We had a couple of newly acquired milsurps to check out at the 100 yard range before we moved down to the precision range. Had it to ourselves save for one guy playing with his AR. He gives us a heads-up that he's getting ready to sight in his Barrett M95....
He had a bunch of targets stuck on a piece of cardboard- at about 50 yards. After watching him send 3 rounds- and not seeing a single one hit the berm at 100 yards, much less his target- I decided to politely check him out as he didn't seem to know what the fuck he was doing. Asked him how he set the scope up, and he said he just "eyeballed" it- whatever that meant.
I asked him if he minded if checked his setup, and to his credit he said absolutely- please do. I hadn't handled an M95 before- and there might be a way to disassemble the ass end of the rifle to be able to boresight it, but it wasn't happening there. I looked at the elevation turret on the Leupold MK IV (he bought the rifle/scope used) and it was spun about halfway up. Glanced at the integral rail- clearly a significant down-angle (looked it up- 27 MOA) and he didn't even know what that was...
Obviously, this guy was lobbing the 750 grain boolits over the berm to impact who the fuck knows where several miles away
I had my Leupold Zero-Point boresighter (great piece of kit, no idea why they discontinued that gem) and quickly confirmed that he was a mile high though it was obvious anyway from the turret being dialed halfway up. Bottomed out the turret, couldn't quite get to a 100 yard zero because of the 27 minute base but it was close. Then, explained to him that the easiest- and fastest way- to get on paper is to pick something out on the berm and send a round while we spotted the impacts and walked him in. He had no clue how to dial the scope based on our instructions and had to explain it to him...
We got him on paper and then left to go send some of our magnums at the precision range.
All the times we'd been there over the last couple of years, and we've never run into anyone this inexperienced- and dangerous. This is exactly why Manatee had their 1000 yard range shut down years ago- yahoos lobbing bullets over the berm at the end of the "ditch" ending up in the park behind it.
I hope they can pull off a new ELR shooting range- but not holding my breath for the necessary regulatory approvals.
Hell, still don't understand how this shutdown happened in the first place but it's none of my business. Just bummed that there's no place anymore to test our skills. 600 yards isn't even a challenge.
We had a couple of newly acquired milsurps to check out at the 100 yard range before we moved down to the precision range. Had it to ourselves save for one guy playing with his AR. He gives us a heads-up that he's getting ready to sight in his Barrett M95....
He had a bunch of targets stuck on a piece of cardboard- at about 50 yards. After watching him send 3 rounds- and not seeing a single one hit the berm at 100 yards, much less his target- I decided to politely check him out as he didn't seem to know what the fuck he was doing. Asked him how he set the scope up, and he said he just "eyeballed" it- whatever that meant.
I asked him if he minded if checked his setup, and to his credit he said absolutely- please do. I hadn't handled an M95 before- and there might be a way to disassemble the ass end of the rifle to be able to boresight it, but it wasn't happening there. I looked at the elevation turret on the Leupold MK IV (he bought the rifle/scope used) and it was spun about halfway up. Glanced at the integral rail- clearly a significant down-angle (looked it up- 27 MOA) and he didn't even know what that was...
Obviously, this guy was lobbing the 750 grain boolits over the berm to impact who the fuck knows where several miles away
I had my Leupold Zero-Point boresighter (great piece of kit, no idea why they discontinued that gem) and quickly confirmed that he was a mile high though it was obvious anyway from the turret being dialed halfway up. Bottomed out the turret, couldn't quite get to a 100 yard zero because of the 27 minute base but it was close. Then, explained to him that the easiest- and fastest way- to get on paper is to pick something out on the berm and send a round while we spotted the impacts and walked him in. He had no clue how to dial the scope based on our instructions and had to explain it to him...
We got him on paper and then left to go send some of our magnums at the precision range.
All the times we'd been there over the last couple of years, and we've never run into anyone this inexperienced- and dangerous. This is exactly why Manatee had their 1000 yard range shut down years ago- yahoos lobbing bullets over the berm at the end of the "ditch" ending up in the park behind it.
I hope they can pull off a new ELR shooting range- but not holding my breath for the necessary regulatory approvals.
Hell, still don't understand how this shutdown happened in the first place but it's none of my business. Just bummed that there's no place anymore to test our skills. 600 yards isn't even a challenge.
With only 600 yards, you might as well get a really good .22 and use that. Then after a bit come shoot some PRS22 matches. 13-14 mils at 310 yards with a 30 moa rail using subsonic ammo for positional and barricade fun from 25-300+ yards.Made the last trip yesterday with my son, got the email today. Said there's an LOI to purchase the land, but I'm sure that's contingent on approvals- and I'm not getting my hopes up.
We had a couple of newly acquired milsurps to check out at the 100 yard range before we moved down to the precision range. Had it to ourselves save for one guy playing with his AR. He gives us a heads-up that he's getting ready to sight in his Barrett M95....
He had a bunch of targets stuck on a piece of cardboard- at about 50 yards. After watching him send 3 rounds- and not seeing a single one hit the berm at 100 yards, much less his target- I decided to politely check him out as he didn't seem to know what the fuck he was doing. Asked him how he set the scope up, and he said he just "eyeballed" it- whatever that meant.
I asked him if he minded if checked his setup, and to his credit he said absolutely- please do. I hadn't handled an M95 before- and there might be a way to disassemble the ass end of the rifle to be able to boresight it, but it wasn't happening there. I looked at the elevation turret on the Leupold MK IV (he bought the rifle/scope used) and it was spun about halfway up. Glanced at the integral rail- clearly a significant down-angle (looked it up- 27 MOA) and he didn't even know what that was...
Obviously, this guy was lobbing the 750 grain boolits over the berm to impact who the fuck knows where several miles away
I had my Leupold Zero-Point boresighter (great piece of kit, no idea why they discontinued that gem) and quickly confirmed that he was a mile high though it was obvious anyway from the turret being dialed halfway up. Bottomed out the turret, couldn't quite get to a 100 yard zero because of the 27 minute base but it was close. Then, explained to him that the easiest- and fastest way- to get on paper is to pick something out on the berm and send a round while we spotted the impacts and walked him in. He had no clue how to dial the scope based on our instructions and had to explain it to him...
We got him on paper and then left to go send some of our magnums at the precision range.
All the times we'd been there over the last couple of years, and we've never run into anyone this inexperienced- and dangerous. This is exactly why Manatee had their 1000 yard range shut down years ago- yahoos lobbing bullets over the berm at the end of the "ditch" ending up in the park behind it.
I hope they can pull off a new ELR shooting range- but not holding my breath for the necessary regulatory approvals.
Hell, still don't understand how this shutdown happened in the first place but it's none of my business. Just bummed that there's no place anymore to test our skills. 600 yards isn't even a challenge.
man roger that, manatee and another range I went to got shut down for that exact reason. Guys buying 50 cal and not even knowing how to use a gun launching 50 cal all over the place and not even hitting the berm. I was at a range once and a guy and his kid came in by helicopter with a 50 cal. They could not even hit the berm. It just so happened that the owner was there RO ing and he sent the guy away. Happens all the time.Made the last trip yesterday with my son, got the email today. Said there's an LOI to purchase the land, but I'm sure that's contingent on approvals- and I'm not getting my hopes up.
We had a couple of newly acquired milsurps to check out at the 100 yard range before we moved down to the precision range. Had it to ourselves save for one guy playing with his AR. He gives us a heads-up that he's getting ready to sight in his Barrett M95....
He had a bunch of targets stuck on a piece of cardboard- at about 50 yards. After watching him send 3 rounds- and not seeing a single one hit the berm at 100 yards, much less his target- I decided to politely check him out as he didn't seem to know what the fuck he was doing. Asked him how he set the scope up, and he said he just "eyeballed" it- whatever that meant.
I asked him if he minded if checked his setup, and to his credit he said absolutely- please do. I hadn't handled an M95 before- and there might be a way to disassemble the ass end of the rifle to be able to boresight it, but it wasn't happening there. I looked at the elevation turret on the Leupold MK IV (he bought the rifle/scope used) and it was spun about halfway up. Glanced at the integral rail- clearly a significant down-angle (looked it up- 27 MOA) and he didn't even know what that was...
Obviously, this guy was lobbing the 750 grain boolits over the berm to impact who the fuck knows where several miles away
I had my Leupold Zero-Point boresighter (great piece of kit, no idea why they discontinued that gem) and quickly confirmed that he was a mile high though it was obvious anyway from the turret being dialed halfway up. Bottomed out the turret, couldn't quite get to a 100 yard zero because of the 27 minute base but it was close. Then, explained to him that the easiest- and fastest way- to get on paper is to pick something out on the berm and send a round while we spotted the impacts and walked him in. He had no clue how to dial the scope based on our instructions and had to explain it to him...
We got him on paper and then left to go send some of our magnums at the precision range.
All the times we'd been there over the last couple of years, and we've never run into anyone this inexperienced- and dangerous. This is exactly why Manatee had their 1000 yard range shut down years ago- yahoos lobbing bullets over the berm at the end of the "ditch" ending up in the park behind it.
I hope they can pull off a new ELR shooting range- but not holding my breath for the necessary regulatory approvals.
Hell, still don't understand how this shutdown happened in the first place but it's none of my business. Just bummed that there's no place anymore to test our skills. 600 yards isn't even a challenge.
This is why numerous ranges close. When I was growing up there was an unsupervised range we went to a few times. It had a 30+ foot berm for just a 100-yard range. All it takes is someone downrange who doesn't like it to say that a round landed in their yard and it's all done.
The 100-yard range I go to for load development was temporarily shut down because a rancher downrange lost one of his herd to a gunshot. Fortunately, the range had gone to extreme lengths to ensure it was impossible for a round to make it out of the range. It still took a lot of effort to get it back open again.
The crux of the issue in Florida is that unless you buy a crapload of land, it's too easy for a round to land on someone else's property. The highest hills in the state are landfills
Bringing this thread back to life...
I hated the place when we used to go there, but I jumped on Manatee's site just 'cause I was trying to find a place to shoot while my son's home on leave over the holiday for a week.
Apparently they just opened a 1K yard range (or did they just re-open the old ditch?) but it looks ridiculous to try to actually shoot there.
Gotta qualify at 300 to shoot at 600. Gotta qualify at 600 to shoot at 1K. Then, apparently you need to make a reservation, pay an additional fee they don't specify, then have 4 "hot" cycles to shoot- then go home I guess...
Anyone know anything more about this bullshit? No point in owning long range sticks when there's nowhere to drive 'em. I'm soooo depressed...
I hated the place when we used to go there, but I jumped on Manatee's site just 'cause I was trying to find a place to shoot while my son's home on leave over the holiday for a week.
Apparently they just opened a 1K yard range (or did they just re-open the old ditch?) but it looks ridiculous to try to actually shoot there.
Gotta qualify at 300 to shoot at 600. Gotta qualify at 600 to shoot at 1K. Then, apparently you need to make a reservation, pay an additional fee they don't specify, then have 4 "hot" cycles to shoot- then go home I guess...
Anyone know anything more about this bullshit? No point in owning long range sticks when there's nowhere to drive 'em. I'm soooo depressed...
I don't see Manatee getting any of my money. I bailed on that place almost a decade ago.
I'll have to wait until something else opens. Or, I drive across the state to the east coast or up to Altus.
If I just need to go shooting, I have a range 8 minutes away and another 22 minutes.
It'll do until something new comes along.
I'll have to wait until something else opens. Or, I drive across the state to the east coast or up to Altus.
If I just need to go shooting, I have a range 8 minutes away and another 22 minutes.
It'll do until something new comes along.
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