SGL 157

[Wesson Smith]

Google search shows it was supposed to open in 2009....Anyone have any inside info on the range???

[Wesson Smith]

Got an email from the Game Commission....

The shooting range on SGL #157 was closed because of safety concerns. The backstop and sideberms did not meet NRA recommended heights and there were houses in the down range “impact area.” Lead remediation at the old range was completed. We are looking for an alternate location to reconstruct a new shooting range so that we do not have down range safety hazards. We do not have a set timetable for constructing or opening a new range.






I guess I won't hold my breathe.....

[kadar]

Got an email from the Game Commission....

The shooting range on SGL #157 was closed because of safety concerns. The backstop and sideberms did not meet NRA recommended heights and there were houses in the down range “impact area.” Lead remediation at the old range was completed. We are looking for an alternate location to reconstruct a new shooting range so that we do not have down range safety hazards. We do not have a set timetable for constructing or opening a new range.






I guess I won't hold my breathe.....

He is trying to blow smoke up your ass.

The closest house is 500yrds... behind the firing line!



Downrange, the closest is .66miles (house on the left). There's a 89ft ascent and 62ft descent in that distance.
Next closest is 1.29 miles (house on right). There's a 128ft ascent and 128ft descent in that distance.
Next closest is 1.78 miles (house in middle). There's a 187ft ascent and 344ft descent in that distance.



As you can see in the photos, the range is completely surrounded by dense wooded areas and has haycock mountain as a backstop. Any house within 2 miles is completely safe.

The only danger would be someone shooting straight into the air. In that case, houses within several miles would be in danger, as would apply to virtually every other shooting range in the state!

Read old discussion here:
http://forum.pafoa.org/ranges-18/197...ing-range.html

[ErSwnn]

Unfortunately we are not going to see that range ever again. The area rsidents were successful in keeping it closed once the lead remediations were started, oh, about 6 years ago now?

Besides the claims of houses within a bullet's distance to a house, they also had complaints of traffic (true), late night shooters (definately questionable) and dangerous shooting practices (sadly true). Spend just a small amount of time on some of the SGL ranges and you meet the people who screw this up for everyone. One of my daughters was shot in the head at that range in 2000. But of course I don't blame the range nor the state for that, I blame
poor safety of the shooter. She was fine, a depressive fracture to her forehead and 22 stitches. We call her Crackhead now. Yeah, I know "fine" isn't a very apt description of a headshot but there was no penetration or permanent damage other than a smallish scar at her hairline. All in all if your going to get shot, that isn't too bad an outcome.

[kadar]

Yup, 6 years.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/loca...c2cba061e.html

By Hilary Bentman
Staff writer Calkins Media, Inc. | 0 comments

Hunting season is here.

But if you’re looking to practice your shooting skills at a public range in the area, it could be a long wait.

Six years after the Pennsylvania Game Commission closed the Haycock public rifle range because of safety concerns, officials say they are still looking for a new location.

But there are no places pinpointed at this time, nor is there a timetable for a move.

Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said the agency would prefer to find a place near the former range, which sat off East Sawmill Road on the edge of state game lands.

The range, which permitted rifle and handgun shooting, closed in 2005 amid safety concerns that stray bullets could reach nearby homes. The backstop and side berms did not meet National Rifle Association regulations, said Feaser.

“In looking to meet certain minimums we found it is not feasible to continue to have this range in that area,” he said. “We’re looking for an alternative location that will not have the down range safety hazard.”

Feaser said there were no real specifications in place when the range was created, nor were there homes down range.

In 2009, the Game Commission considered making some safety modifications to the site and reopening it.

Ultimately the idea was shot down.

The area had changed because of development and the necessary safety requirements would have been costly, said Feaser.

At the time, Haycock residents expressed concerns about a reopening, fearing the site would not be properly supervised and problems of lawlessness would return, they said. They worried about after-hour shootings, reckless gun users and drinking.

The Haycock site was the only public rifle range in Bucks or Montgomery counties. The closest Game Commission-operated ranges are in Chester, Lehigh and Berks. There are 29 statewide.

Area shooters have missed having a range so close to home.

Shirley Donley, who owns Donley’s Gun Shop in Quakertown, has heard these laments on more than one occasion.

“People have missed it. Since it’s closed, there have been stories that it will reopen,” she said.

There are a number of private gun clubs in the area. But Donley said some people are turned off by having to pay fees.

Hilary Bentman: 215-538-6380; hbentman@phillyburbs.com;

Twitter: @hilarybentman

[SigShooter]

Just a bump to see if anyone has heard anything new...sigh...its too bad some local homeowners have been so successful in keeping a range paid for by our hunting & fishing licenses closed for so long...

[Dogpupkus]

Just a bump to see if anyone has heard anything new...sigh...its too bad some local homeowners have been so successful in keeping a range paid for by our hunting & fishing licenses closed for so long...

Not just the home-owners; IIRC, there were a bunch of idiots that went up there a few years ago from NY/NJ that killed all hopes of it reopening.

I have a feeling we'll be waiting forever for it to be re-opened.

Perhaps we can start a fund collection, buy some acreage, and open our own outdoor PAFOA Bucks range. Start a LLP, and put the deed to the land in the name of the LLP with each of us having equal ownership percentages.

[RebelRaider5]

BUMP

I took my little brother to his Hunter Safety class a few months ago. I asked the game warden about this and he said the PGC is in court right now with the area residents to reopen it. It will be open in the near future.

[d.delzingaro]

so how long are we talking, spring 2013 or winter 2020. i would pay for this range to open again and now that i think about it i have been paying but still, any more info would be great on this.

[ErSwnn]

so how long are we talking, spring 2013 or winter 2020. i would pay for this range to open again and now that i think about it i have been paying but still, any more info would be great on this.

I highly doubt the range will ever be open again. I walked back in there last summer and it was completely obliterated. A lot of trees were cleared (acres of them) along the road going in but the range itself....gone.

As far as I am aware the fight is over, the range is closed, and it's not coming back. I hope I'm wrong.