OFFICIAL ZOMBIE COURSE THREAD

[tsafa 2]

Bill, have you tried contacting our "free" brethren on http://www.pafoa.org/ about this?

 

I just want to thank you again for hooking me up with this group. A really nice bunch of guys here. I have been a member of PAFOA for a while now. I will make a post over there and see if they want to join in.

 

I was thinking today, that I think it might be easier to just set a range fee of $30 for whoever comes that day at 11am. If we get 20 people then we run till 5pm as planned. If we only get 10 people, then we cut the time in half so the shootout would run until 2pm. If 5 people show up then the shootout will run for an hour and a half. Two people would get an hour.

 

What do you guys think of this arrangement. I think it takes the pressure off as far as "we must have 20 people" or cancel. I think it will also be easier to pitch over at PAFOA who have not had the privilege of watching this outing develop to its current form.

[fliks 20]

no prob, Bill. it really is a nice bunch of guys. I'm very new to shooting and got very excited myself when I stumbled on this forum. I try to recommend it whenever firearms discussions come up with anyone I know or meet.

we don't have a monopoly on this thing of yours. you were building it before I ever called you the other day. my feeling is: go ahead and market it and discuss it however/wherever you want. you're in PA, so go ahead an use PAFOA as a sounding board. see how they feel about it or what ideas they have. although, I don't know how they feel about zombies... :mrgreen:

[tsafa 2]

Yeah, I think it will work out much better this way and people don't have to worry about other people showing up to make this work. It will be $30 per person on Sept 26 starting at 11am. The number of people that show up will determine how long the shoot runs.

[Wolfy 51]

Bill speaking for myself I would be fine with dividing $600 by the number of shooters and staying open 11-5. My reasoning is it is a 5 hour roundtrip drive and I would like to maximize my time. But I will go along with the group's decision. How about a poll?

[bry@n 195]

I'd be into this as well. My sundays are limited to every other and hoping work doesn't call, but I would be down.

 

As far as the poconos go, I remember being on the mountain and it snowing, getting off the mountain and it was fine. I was in Indian Mountain Lakes in Carbon County. Close to where the Pocono Race track is.

[tsafa 2]

Bill speaking for myself I would be fine with dividing $600 by the number of shooters and staying open 11-5. My reasoning is it is a 5 hour roundtrip drive and I would like to maximize my time. But I will go along with the group's decision. How about a poll?

 

Poll is a great idea. I think only the OP can set the poll up. I have already posted on other websites as $30 per person... so if its going to go the other way I need to change my posts. Lets get the poll done ASAP.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

I am willing to bet you can get 20 people together for this easily.

 

20 saying yes, but 10 showing up.

 

That would blow @ss chunks if I had to double the amount of money to pay for this!

[tommy3rd 132]

 

20 saying yes, but 10 showing up.

 

That would blow @ss chunks if I had to double the amount of money to pay for this!

All the last minute "can't go" does suck.

[fliks 20]

my opinion: make it $30 each. then it doesn't depend on how many people show up & I think $30 is pretty affordable.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

my opinion: make it $30 each. then it doesn't depend on how many people show up & I think $30 is pretty affordable.

 

Is that for the day? And then add whatever prices are for his ammo?

[tommy3rd 132]

Either that or pay for "tickets" for a certain date. Whether you go or not, your slot is already paid for.

[tbtrout 141]

Tammy is in for it as am I.

[bry@n 195]

20 saying yes, but 10 showing up.

 

That would blow @ss chunks if I had to double the amount of money to pay for this!

 

Have somebody organize the day and collect $$ up front or use a paypal thing to pay before you go. If they can't make it, their out the funds.

[tsafa 2]

double post

 

Mod, please delete.

[tsafa 2]

Is that for the day? And then add whatever prices are for his ammo?

I am making an exception to the "no outside ammo" rule on Sept 26 for the NJGF Group Shoot. You can bring your own guns and ammo and only pay $30. No .22 on the Zombie Course. The Zombie Course is for big boy ammo only (9mm and higher). If you do happen to run out of ammo, and I have what you need in stock, I will sell you some. This will also give people an opportunity to try other guns out, because if you buy ammo from me, you get a gun to shoot it. However, this activity will be reserved for the end of the day when every one is done shooting the ammo they came with.

 

Bill speaking for myself I would be fine with dividing $600 by the number of shooters and staying open 11-5. My reasoning is it is a 5 hour roundtrip drive and I would like to maximize my time. But I will go along with the group's decision.

 

Wolfy, I thought about your concern while at the range this weekend. Time should not really be an issue for everyone who is on the range by 10:30. The way it would naturally work out is that if only two people were to show up, they would in all likeliness be done shooting withing an hour or two. The key here is that every one must be on the range at 10:30 for a safety debriefing and ready to shoot at 11am. If someone shows up at 11:05, they will have to wait 30 to 40 minutes until I call a ceasefire and can give them a safety debriefing. Now if someone shows up at 2pm, that is fine too, they will have to wait till we call a ceasefire for their safety debriefing. One important difference here is that for the guys that show up at 10:30am I would be willing to extend the range time so they can shoot out all their ammo. The guys that show up at 2pm... well I will make sure they get a good amount of shooting in. I think this is fair.

 

Don't forget to bring your mom's old pots and pans. It will make the course more fun. It will also speed up the amount of time people take to more through it so people don't have to wait on line very long.

 

I have updated my website with the Group shoot information. I have referenced NJGF.

http://www.poconotactical.com/

Look it over and let me know if there is anything there that seems different then what we have talked about. Thanks.

 

Ray Ray

20 saying yes, but 10 showing up.

 

That would blow @ss chunks if I had to double the amount of money to pay for this!

 

 

Have somebody organize the day and collect $$ up front or use a paypal thing to pay before you go. If they can't make it, their out the funds.

 

This is no longer an issue. Everyone pays just $30. I have resolved the concern the Wolfy had above. This accomplishes two things... it puts a set cap on what each person will pay. It also allows for the possibility that I might get more then 20 people and raise some more money to get the course finished faster.

 

 

If there is anyone reading this who does not have their own gun to shoot but would like to participate. PM me. You must be an experienced shooter already. I will arrange for you to be at the course at 10am before everyone is there. I will provide you with a gun and ammo at my regular prices. You need to get there early, so I can train you ahead of time how to use the gun.

 

Reminder: The Zombie course is only for experienced shooters.

When you arrive, Do NOT Uncase your firearm or load it until you are told to by the Range Officer (me).

[fliks 20]

well, I'm super glad I connected you guys and hope the Zombie shoot works out well and will be a thing going forward in the future. I feel like a douche that I won't be going on Sept. 26, but I have previous obligations. Like I said before, this all kinda happened by accident. I was wondering if there's somewhere I can go shoot when I go visit my wife's family in the Poconos (we usually go in the winter) and I stumbled upon Bill. I called him and he mentioned that he was building a Zombie Course. I posted that info on here and you guys jumped on it - of which I'm very glad... but I hope you don't think me a ______ for not going

[tsafa 2]

but I hope you don't think me a ______ for not going

 

Not at all. It is natural that any date I set would interfere will at least one persons schedule. If this works out well I will plan other Group Shoots in the future. The following Group Shoot after this will be an "Arctic Shoot". Bring your thermals.

[bry@n 195]

Can we bring holsters and such for the handguns?

[EchoMirage 137]

holsters......what about plate carriers, chest rigs, sligs, etc?

 

can we get a list of whos going so far, to get an idea for the 26th.

[tsafa 2]

holsters......what about plate carriers, chest rigs, sligs, etc?

 

Sure.

 

The way that it is going to have to work is that while person is downrange all guns will be unloaded and resting on a table I set up. No one can touch the guns while I am walking downrange with a shooter.

 

When your turn comes, you will first tell me what you are are looking to do. You will then walk up to the table with me, load your pistol and holster it. You then proceed down course (with me behind you), draw with muzzle pointed in safe direction, and shoot on the targets. Only unholster when NOT MOVING. Reason is that I don't want you to trip on a rock as you upholster and shoot your foot. Please use extra care with any 1911's or single action pistols. Keep the safety on until you are on your target. When you get to the end of the range unload, clear and holster.

 

For people not using holsters, you will keep the pistol pointed into the ground as you move down range. At the end of the course, after you unload, clear and lock open... you will walk back with the muzzle pointed straight up. So... muzzle down when going downrange, muzzle up when the gun is clear and you are walking back.

 

For rifles, you may have a sling on the rifle, but you may not sling over your shoulder while it is is loaded. You may start off with the rifle on your shoulder and unloaded, then unsling and load on the course. The reason for that is that unslinging off the shoulder does not allow the same level of control that upholstering does. My concern is that as you unsling, you will flash me with your muzzle. Remember, you will not be walking over a hardwood floor. You may trip over one of the thousand rocks as you unsling your rifle.

 

Eventually, what I want to do is have people go go down range with both a pistol and a longgun. When they run out of ammo in the longgun they can sling it and draw their pistol to continue. That is the way it is suppose to work. However, since this is the first time I am running this, I want to take it slow. So only one firearm on the course at a time. When we take a break, we can discus safe ways to do more advanced things on the next Shootout. (Edit: I will allow two revolvers or pistols to be shot together with the use of a two holsters.)

 

 

can we get a list of whos going so far, to get an idea for the 26th.

 

 

In addition I would like people to list what firearms, ammo and the number of rounds they are likely to bring. This will help me get a better image in my head of the scale of this event.

[njpilot 671]

Damn, I am going to be on vacation. This sounds fun!

[tsafa 2]

I need a head count of who is coming this Sunday by Thursday Sep 23 so I can make a post on my website that the range will be closed to the general public. If I don't get enough people to commit to the event I will have to cancel/postpone the NJGF group shoot.

[tbtrout 141]

This weekend we already have other plans for. Hopefully next time.

[tsafa 2]

Six people came to the Zombie Shootout today. I don't believe any of them were from this forum. Two people from NJ, Three from NY, and one from PA. I ran the course about 4 hours, which was the point at which they shot all the ammo they came with. It was a fun day, everyone had a nice time. No of the shooters had ever done anything like this before. Everyone was very safety conscience.

 

The feedback I got was more along the lines of "grow tall grass faster", rather then make the range longer.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

How many rounds did they fire per run?

[tsafa 2]

How many rounds did they fire per run?

 

 

We had 16 targets. The goal was to double-tap each target. They could take a third shot if they knew they missed. People took between 32 and 40 shots per run. I kept score per run. The scores improved after they went through a few times even through I was moving the targets. They had about 4 seconds to hit their target from cover and 2 seconds if they did not have cover. If they failed to do so I marked a strike against them. If they misses after three shots it was a strike. If they reloaded out in the open that was also a strike. The goal was to get the lowest points. I assumed that the enemy had like weapons. So if they had a pistol, their enemy had pistols only. That is significant to pistol users who needed to get closer to some of the targets to get a good shot. In some of those cases they lost a point not for being exposed to the far target they were approaching, but because as they approached they exposed themselves to another closer target that they did not see because they were fixated on the far target. Rifles generally did much better but pistols had a fun and challenging time.

 

Some of the tall grasses on my property have been producing seeds. I have been gathering up those seeds and spreading them in the Zombie Course. I have a vision that by this time next year it might be necessary to go through the course with a machete in one hand and a pistol in the other

[tsafa 2]

I got a very interesting email last night inquiring about night-shooting.

 

What do you guys think about shooting after dark in the winter (5pm to 8 pm) in the Tactical Range lit by Tiki Torches?

[EchoMirage 137]

add weapon lights and sounds good to me. if only we can get a group to go there now

[tsafa 2]

add weapon lights and sounds good to me. if only we can get a group to go there now

 

In a month or two I will schedule another date.

 

Anyone own an ATV? I had a vision today of driving down the course in an ATV with my big ol' .44. The course is too small right now to pull this off, but it would be awesome when it is over 600 feet long. The ATV needs to be big enough so I can sit on the back and do my job as RSO. We would need to do some dry runs to test safety... but I think we can make it work.

 

 

On a side note, I have updated my website based on feedback and observations over the weekend. I now allow outside ammo and ammunition on the tactical range at a rate of $100 per hour. The logic is that on a normal range you can have 10 guys shooting at once for $10 each under the observation of one safety officer. This is a reasonable rate that grosses $100 per hour. On the tactical range one shooter gets the whole range to himself, so I am targeting the same gross. People have the option of coming with two or more people and sharing the time and cost between them. The rate covers my time as RSO, Insurance, property taxes, money already invested in the range and upcoming improvements. Realistically, I never expect to ever make a profit doing this. This is not a business... it is a hobby. I would like other people to share in this hobby with me and help contribute to the cost and upgrades.

 

When we do the NJGF Group Shoots, I should be able to keep the rate at $30 per person in anticipation of 20 people showing up for the day.

[ronhonda 86]

Just an observation, but how do plan to shoot the target while moving on the atv? I am assuming that the rider will have to stop, then fire whatever weapon they are using ? I am only asking because I have ridden atv's and shot firearms so mixing the two together could cause some safety issues.