Jump to content

Setting up an Airsoft shooting range?


Mike 8-{>

Recommended Posts

I am thinking about organising an airsoft shooting range at an event, think village fete kind of thing but it isn't a village fete. The problem is I was going to be getting some help and advice from a mate who is ex military and had experience running live firing rifle ranges. Unfortunately he was recently taken ill and is no longer able to assist.  The event wont be open to the public per se, Only folks with some connection to the venue will be present. They are likely to have no previous shooting experience.

 

My idea is to have a small selection of RIFs; some AEGs, one or two pistols and possibly a bolt action rifle, for them to shoot. Instruction / guidance would be one to one with experienced airsofters. The range would be set up somewhere at the venue with a shooting distance hopefully in the 20 to 30m range. If possible with a solid wall as a backstop. Eyepro would be provided (via off the shelf CE EN 166 class F safety glasses).

 

I have already got a target shooting kit which I take to my local site for players to shoot at on the sites' practice range. Comprising steel target supports with a 6" stainless steel square plate in the centre. Over the square a head and shoulders fig 11 photocopy glued to a foam board fame (A3 size) can be mounted such that you get a rewarding "ping" when you hit the target centre.

 

Each "punter" would get to shoot a magazine down the range. Where a magazine would probably have a limited number of rounds for the boltie and AEG and just be a mag full for a pistol.  A bit TBD but thinking 10 rnds for bolt action and 100 in a hicap for the AEG (measured using some kind of container to pour out ~100 rnds in to before emptying the container in to the mag.)

 

Not sure how much help I will get with building the range from the event organisers. Thinking about netting for the range sides perhaps. Depends a bit on the suitability of a number of locations I have been recce-ing at the venue.

 

There could also be a static display of more RIFs and camouflage gear that folks could look at but not touch. Dont want any RIFs disappearing!

 

The organisers of the event are interested in having the range and I think it could be a good way to promote and raise awareness of airsoft as a hobby/pastime.

 

So my questions are:

Has anyone ever done anything like this before?

Does anyone have any experience running a short range at a public event?

 

I have seen, in the past, airgun ranges at fairgrounds including the BB machine gun things where you had to shoot out a star to win a prize. I also remember, in my youth(mumble years ago), shooting .22 rounds at an Army display. So similar sorts of things can be done.

 

Any constructive thoughts on this very much appreciated.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Bolt everything down or it will walk.

 

Call me cynical, but have lanyards on the rifs attached to the table/bench and keep an eye on mags. Kids are theiving little *fruitcage*ers.

 

You'll need insurance too I'm guessing, unless you're happy for little timmy to turn round when you're not looking and perform rapid unwanted cataract surgery with a mag dump on Mrs Miggins who will kick all sorts of fuss for that.

 

A courtesy call to the cops both beforehand, and on the day, to pre-empt the 999 'man giving guns to children' calls.

 

Good luck!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep,  All good suggestions. Thanks for the feedback. :)  Looking in to insurance. Contacting the local police is already top of the list.  Trying to avoid the "timmy" issue by having one to one with each shooter and a lower age limit of 14 or so probably. Don't think it would be safe to try and run a range with one person trying to supervise more than one shooter.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't mean to sound like a *rickroll*, but why bother with AEGs? At the very least just a midcap? But it's not going to make for an interesting range shooting experience.

 

Why not get a bunch of cheap KJW Glocks and M9s, and run a CQB kill house with knock down targets?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well mostly because I have no funds for anything fancy? Building a kill house for families with kids seems a little excessive when just shooting "something" will probably be thrill enough. Building knock down targets? I have useable targets no need for anything else. As I said this is for folks with zero shooting experience. This isn't like doing something for folks with some experience at an airsoft boot sale or a shooting show.... This is a family event.  I am only going to use kit I have. As to the mags which is quicker? Pour some BBs out of a measured pot in to a flashmag or constantly reload a speed loader to pump BBs manually in to a midcap. I have got thumb fatigue loading my own midcaps between games ;)  I am looking at simple quick and easy. I wont have the resources to have the airsoft equivalent of a powder monkey loading mags for me.  I really am looking for the simplest solutions here at minimal cost. :) The only thing I wont compromise on is safety.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We have a couple of weekend events where I live where there are short airsoft ranges, always really popular.

 

Blokes in camo and black t shirts, cam netting galore, and cool looking posters = profit!

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you're dealing with anyone not used to airsoft (or any other shooting sport), definitely let them shoot only tutored. Even the smartest people will make the stupidest mistakes.

For fun, there are a lot of fun targets around the web that you can print, also there's a game I used to do at fairs: hang a soda/beer can (empty :) ) with a piece of string. load a pistol mag and tell the shooter to see how many times he/she can hit the can. 

First shot is real easy, follow-ups not really... :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I dunno, I just don't see anyone choosing it as a family activity, rather than sending dad and the kids to a day of paintball/Airsoft?

 

I think, perhaps, I haven't explained the way the whole event is set to work. Which is difficult for reasons I cant go in to. Suffice to say it is an event which will be attended by families (with offspring of all ages and other family members up to parents and grandparents). The intention isn't to make money out of anyone it is for folks to share their hobbies with others who will be at the event. It isnt a public event but it will involve a lot of different things going on which people will wander round. Dont think of it as an airsoft event. Think of it as a stall which is a plinking range for folks who might give it a go as it is something they can try at the event. ... If that makes sense.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I used to do airsoft "awareness" booths on several youth and outdoor related fairs here in Porto. Believe me, people will like to take a couple of pot-shots at a target.

First things: lots of attention, and be on your guard at all times.

Don't do this alone. Get two or three mates to help you out. (Nature will call at the worst time possible)

If you can, get a GBB M93R / Mac11 / MP7. Letting rip with one of these on FA causes lots of manic giggling.

If you have a static display, use AEG's without any battery or BBs in them. People will ask to take lots of pics, that way there's no chance of accidents.

We also did a "special" gag once: Had a mannequin dressed in a full ghillie suit, and holding a rilfe. During a lull, we took out the mannequin and a friend of mine got in it's place, all ghillied up.

The looks on some faces made it definitely worth it. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 months later...

... Some time later.. On Satruday just gone we had the event. There had been quite a lot to do leading up to the day itself. I had to get the OK from management. There was a meeting with representatives of Security, Health and Safety, SIte Facilities, Event Project management and a couple of other interested parties. I brought a large selection of airsoft guns to the meeting. It couldnt have gone better, worries were satisfied, concerns addressed and all told me it was the best meeting they had ever attended. We were on for running the range.

 

Location. I needed somewhere on the site where we could safely run a range. Fortunately we found a service corridor around 3m square in cross section and 25m long. I already had targets I used at the site I play at so we had the makings of a range and the H&S guys and Facilities guys agreed to the use of the corridor and to help convert it / make it safe.

 

I looked at organising my own insurance but in the end the company had taken out insurance for the whole event which covered our activity. I did get a quote but couldnt get anything less than a month and the event it'self was only 4 hours and the ~£200 price tag was more than I could afford out of my own pocket.

 

Next up volunteers. I needed some folks I could trust to talk to the visitors and to help run the range. I figured I needed around 8 people to man the range and the stand/display of airsoft kit. I eventually managed to get 8 folks from our site's FB group to put their names down.

 

Planning the display itself was pretty easy... just take most of the kit I own and stick it on tables. I managed to pick up some lightwieght chain very cheaply so that was used to prevent any of the pistols "wandering off".  I printed off and laminated a stack of A3 posters about airsoft; what it is, UK legal issues, site rules, safety, a beginners guide, info about types of guns... all sorts. I also printed some range safety posters. The standard only point weapons down range, finger off trigger until instructor tells you it is safe to fire, safety on until the instructor tells you to fire, only point the weapon at something you are prepared to destroy kind of thing. Also "eye protection must be worn" posters.

 

There were some tense times getting things sorted but and ready in time: getting the corridor made safe (we used decorators dust sheets to protect woodwork and doors and some rigid plastic to cover/protect a smoke detector and fire alarm button) Facilities knocked up some bases for my targets out of MDF and 8mm studding so we could set the targets at varying heights from 500m off the floor nearly 2m.

 

My local Airsoft shop, Combat-UK, donated BBs and Gas to the cause (Big Thank you to Ed)

 

The afternoon/night before the day I shifted 2 car loads of kit. guns, uniforms/impressions, load bearing gear, targets, posters, tables and other parephenalia to the site and set up the stand. I left the guns safely locked away until the morning.

 

The day itself  I got to site with the first of my volunteers (thanks Smoke :) ) around 8am. We got started on setting up the range and sorting the targets. We had been given some cubicle partion type panels which we used to make a chicane type entrance in to the range area so that folks looking at the display area couldnt see in to the range or be hit by stray shots or ricochets. I had a bunch of my camo gear hung from budget clothes rails from Argos at the back of the display. The tables were covered in RIFs.

 

The other volunteers trickled in over the next couple of hours with everyone on site by around 10am.  We had a quick discussion/briefing about how we would run the range. Intially we decided on 3 shooters per session although we later revised this up to 5 once we got to grips with running the range. 3 guys ran the range, reloaded mags and instructed shooters. One was on eyepro duty(issuing before entry and retrieving on exit (The first visitor we had was our site H&S man and he had to be called back as he wandered off with his eye pro on! ;)  )). Another guy did initial safety briefings before folks entered the range.  This left 4 to talk to folks visiting the display. The plan was 2 would do the talking and 2 would get a chance to look around the rest of the event. We were supposed to rotate around the roles but in the end we were so busy we never really got a chance to rotate round.

 

The gates opened at 12noon and once visitors made it up to where we were from the entrance to the site we were busy pretty much non-stop until the event closed at 4pm.

 

The range ran pretty much flawlessly. Very nearly all the shooters had never shot anything before. They would go in to the range with the slightly worried look of someone not knowing what to expect and would leave with that big silly grin we all know so well :D .

 

Everyone also mucked in at the end to help clean up and put everything away. There were a *LOT* of BBs to sweep up.

 

Stand out moment: A lovely little grey haired granny letting rip at anything and everything with an MP5K with considerable accuracy much to everyones surprise.

 

Lessosn learned: Needed a couple more people to help. Needed to make sure folks rotated and got a break. Needed someone permanently reloading/regassing mags. Needed a few more AEGS and pistols on standy. (we had several go down during the day).

 

All in all a really great experience. Every one of the guys, either working the range or chatting to visitors did an awesome job and everyone seemed to have an excellent time. I really cant thank them enough. I hope we managed to give a positive impression of what airsoft is about.

 

 

.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and the use of session cookies.