I know UMR already has a Trap and Skeet club, but myself as well as several others have thinking about getting together a UMR High-Powered rifle club. I don't have specific details on what it would be like, but likely it will consist of CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) style competition shooting and of course, just having fun shooting rifles. The idea of a pistol club has also been suggested. We think the easiest to start out would be vintage service/combat rifles, since many can be had in good condition and for a low price (i.e., M44, K98, M1903). Also, being an official club allows us massive discounts (50-90% off) US military service rifles (i.e. M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, etc).

Of course, being a part of the club wouldn't oblige you to any sort of competing, and I believe it would be a fantastic place to give people who have never even handled a gun an introduction to firearms (handling a firearm, in my opinion, is a neccessary skill that everyone should be at least somewhat familiar with).

Let me know through replies, PM or e-mail on your interest and any input you may have. Thanks.

EDIT: email khhrh7 at umr and karl.hachmuth at gmail

That actually sounds like alot of fun! If I can afford it Id do it!

Some of the benefits of it being a club is that we will get discounts on many rifles. That way, folks who can't afford/don't want to buy a gun can still shoot with guns the club provides. Also, there will be plenty of people who would be happy to let you use their guns, myself included (On many occasions, I've taken friends and first-time shooters out with my guns). I imagine the club will be able to help cover the cost of ammunition as well, even though ammunition for plinking/target practice can be had for very low prices.

Hell, I'm extremely interested. I haven't got to go shooting in a long time, and this would give me a reason to bring up a few rifles from home. What are the minimum requirements to be a club?

Any previous experience shooting high-powered rifles required? Cause if not color me very interested. I'd would much rather join a club like this rather than trap and skeet. How much do you think it would cost a noob like myself who doesnt own a rifle to join in on something like this?

I'm up for it. I'd be interested primarily in pistols though, as I don't have any competition military rifles.

I'd love to get an M1 Garand though.

i'm interested. haven't really handled high power rifles before, but i'm always interested in shootin stuff

Where would it be held? I can think of some open fields around, but are there actually any official rifle ranges around here?

But i'm definitely interested, especially if we're talking the ability to get club discounts on ammunition and such

Hopefully the Rolla Gun Club could be talked into letting us shoot out there like the Trap and Skeet Club does. They have a nice 250 yard rifle range which would work great for the intended purposes.

Thanks for the replies, folks. Since there does seem to be enough interest, we'll be working out the details on getting official club status.


My goal is that we can help new shooters get started... I find it fun to teach new people how to shoot.

As for the cost question, that I can't be sure about. Personally, I have no problem letting people use some of my ammo and guns for free to start out, but of course that can only go to a point. Club dues would probably be in order, and of course for extended shooting sessions I imagine the cost of ammo would also be involved. However, like I said before, you won't have to buy a gun, as there are many of us who would gladly let you shoot ours.

As for where we shoot: We'll likely use the Rolla Gun Club. They have a 250yd outdoor rifle range (and are planning on building an even longer one). They've been really helpful in membership pricing to the Trap and Skeet club. There is also a designated shooting area about 20 minutes out of town that is free for anyone to use, but its really just an open field.

Also, we probably won't be using match-grade rifles, but just military service rifles from the past century (but really, anything goes).

Once again, thanks for the input, and I'll try and get more official answers to your questions soon. Of course, I'll let you know of any developments as they come.

And one more question.

How exactly is "high powered" going to be defined or is it even going to be of a concern? I typically consider the .308 or .303 british about the smallest "high power" rounds, but i have a feeling alot of people would be showing up with stuff that shoots 7.62x39 for the low cost of ammo. Then you get into iffy rounds like the .243 which has the velocity behind it, but not really the bullet size.

Are "intermediate" rounds going to be discounted or is this going to be more of a "centerfire rifle club"?

As far as "high-power" goes, I think it will probably end up just being "The Rifle Club" because there are tons of fun things that can be done with even the .22lr. The rifle being used depends entirely on the class that one is competing in; the old military rifles have their own classes with everything from postal matches to silhoutte matches, and modern sporting rifles have their own classes also. An example would be someone who desires to become more proficient with their deer rifle; they would enter the unlimited class where anything goes, and shoot silhouttes from 100-900m, etc. The .22lr silhoutte shoots are about the most fun since you can shoot all day and spend like $5.

I'd be interested in a rifle club, but like what jtm86 said, it should be open to all rifles. .22 would be good guns to let beginners use and then gradually move up to bigger calibers. I went and shot skeet with the Trap and Skeet Club last weekend and took my 30-06 too. I was able to use the 250 yard range to shoot my gun. There was also another guy from the Trap and Skeet Club that shot his AK on the range too. I think shoots should probably coincide when the Trap and Skeet people shoot becasue people from the range are already there helping with that. Also I have no problem letting people shoot my gun for as long as they pay for ammo.

Well, the owners are at the range every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday regardless. We would have to set up an arrangement with the owners for large gatherings on off-days, but they do provide Rolla Gun Club members with keys to the range (they only really need to be there to operate the trap/skeet equipment). The Rolla Gun Club is open anytime to members who want to go out and shoot.

And yes, you can't go wrong with .22... 1000 rounds for just a few bucks.

I'm interested. I love shooting CMP/NRA high power rifle. Count me in.