May 2009
Supersedure:
The following Range Rules, Approved by the Range Committee, supersede any and all previously published Range Rules for The Tewksbury Rod & Gun Club. NOTE: These Range Rules may be temporarily superseded by the Range Committee for special events, however SAFETY must govern all actions at any time.
Purpose:
The purpose of these Range Rules is to provide for the orderly control of all of The Tewksbury Rod & Gun Club ranges when firing is taking place; and to minimize or eliminate the risk of injury to shooters, guests, observers and the club neighbors. The receipt of club membership as signified by the membership card denotes the member’s acceptance of the club rules with all of the rights, responsibilities, and penalties hereinafter.
Safety:
Safety shall govern all actions on each range. Safety must be exhibited to oneself, to others, and to the club.
1) ALWAYS point the muzzle in a safe direction.
2) Keep your finger OFF the trigger until ready to fire.
3) Keep the action open and unloaded until ready to shoot.
4) Know how to operate your firearm.
5) Be sure to confirm that you are using the correct ammunition for your firearm.
6) Be sure of your target and what is beyond.
7) Wear eye and ear protection.
8) NO ALCOHOL or DRUGS during or prior to shooting.
9) Be aware that circumstances may require additional rules unique to a particular situation.
Range Officer:
Neither the Trap nor High Bore Ranges may be utilized without the presence of, and under the direct control of a Range Officer. The Range Officer shall assure that safe conditions prevail, that the range commands are obeyed, and that all Range Rules are being followed. The Range Officer is responsible for reporting range safety or procedure violations to the Chief Range Officer of each range.
High Bore Range – Range Officers for the High Bore Range are required to sign up for two (2) Saturday time slots (9 to 1 or 12 to 4) each Spring. The responsible RO’s name will be posted on the club’s Website calendar and posted in the club’s newsletter for each time slot. Anyone unable to fulfill this requirement will not be allowed to continue as a Range Officer. The Outdoor Range will be open every Saturday April 1st through October 31st from 9 am until 4 pm. The Range Officer list will be annotated to show which Range Officer MIGHT be available to open the Range during the week.
Each Range Officer is responsible for finding a substitute Range Officer should a scheduled opening need to be canceled for any reason. If a substitute cannot be found the Chief Outdoor Range Officer shall be notified.
When on the Outdoor Range, the Range Officer in charge will wear a distinctive vest/armband or other approved apparel to clearly identify them as the Range Officer in charge. Additionally the Range Officer is responsible for insuring that the approved first aid kit is available at the range prior to opening the range.
It is STRONGLY recommended that the Range Officer have a cell phone available when at the range. The phone numbers for the Tewksbury Police and Fire Departments will be prominently posted on the range.
ANY range incident requiring the involvement of the Tewksbury PD, Fire Department or requiring medical attention MUST be reported to BOTH the Chief RO and the Club President as soon as possible.
Range Log Books:
A permanent Range Log Book, conveniently accessible at each range MUST be completed PRIOR to the use of any range (not required for league matches, or club sanctioned functions). The shooter must sign-in, including the starting time and caliber(s) being used (not applicable to the TRAP range).
The Range officer opening the range shall complete the range log book including the names of all shooters participating.
Range Hours:
OUTDOOR RANGES:
Monday through Friday ……………………….. 9 AM to 30 minutes after sunset
Saturday …………………………………………….. 9 AM to 4 PM
Sunday ………………………………………………. Closed
INDOOR RANGE
Daily …………(.22 cal)……………………………………..7 AM to 12 midnight
( > .22 cal) …………………………………………………….7 AM to 10 PM
Littering:
No littering is permitted on Club property. All trash, including paper targets and shell cases, must be properly disposed of in the barrels provided. Keep the ranges CLEAN.
Alcohol or Drugs:
No alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs are allowed on any range at any time, regardless of whether or not firing is taking place. Persons who appear to the Range Officers to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be permitted to shoot or remain on the range.
Firearm Actions Shall be OPEN:
The actions of all uncased firearms shall be open at all times the firearms are on Club property, with the exception of when the firearm is held in the shooter’s hand and pointed at a safe target from the firing line. Firearms in cases may have their actions closed, but must be unloaded. For the trap field only, firearms may be stored with their actions closed (but unloaded) when on the shotgun racks. A pistol holster constitutes a case. Autoloading firearms whose actions cannot be locked open must be cased when not in direct use or have a breach flag used to identify the unloaded status. NOTE: Firearms carried on ones person for personal protection do not need to be unloaded unless they are being handled or displayed.
Targets:
TRAP RANGE – Only clay targets are allowed. No hand held throwers are allowed.
HIGH BORE RANGE – Only paper targets, or Range Committee approved targets are allowed (No glass). No targets closer than 50 yards from the firing bench and no ground targets except at 100 yards. For pistol shooters who want to shoot targets closer than 50 yard, with Range Officer approval, the entire firing line may be moved down range to the 100 yard line with the shooters allowed to back up to the preferred distance.
INDOOR RANGE – Only non-silhouette paper targets are allowed. All targets must be held at 50 feet, completely down range, locked into the target holder.
Ammunition:
NO tracer, incendiary, or armor-piercing ammunition is allowed on any range.
TRAP RANGE: Gauge shall be no larger than twelve (12) gauge, shot size shall be no larger than 7½, with a maximum of three (3) dram equivalent of powder (target loads). No field or game loads.
HIGH BORE RANGE: There are no specific limitations, except as listed above, for ammunition on the high bore range. In no circumstance shall unsafe ammunition be allowed.
INDOOR RANGE: .22 cal thru .45 cal pistol ammunition only, however NO MAGNUM ammunition is allowed. Jacketed ammunition is allowed on the indoor range as long as “splash back” does not occur. .22 cal rimfire rifles may also be used on the indoor range.
Automatic Weapons:
Fully automatic or selective fire (multi-fire triggers) operation is PROHIBITED on all ranges.
Penalties:
Failure to abide by one or more of the above rules MAY result in DISMISSAL from The Tewksbury Rod & Gun Club, at the Board of Directors’ discretion. At a minimum, anyone observed to be in violation of the above rules will be counseled by the Chief Range Officer, and repeat violations require the appearance of the offending party before the Board of Directors.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS