I learned via another forum that the NRA HQ Range in Fairfax, VA recently made a policy change to restrict the use of steel-jacketed projectiles. I checked with the range and they confirmed the new policy.
The range has operated for many years without such a restriction. Does anyone know the rationale for this new restriction? I understand this restriction has been in effect for about a month now.
Last edited by cmoore; 01-01-2019 at 08:11 AM.
This is very common for indoor ranges. Ive seen some that will run a magnet over your ammo boxes. If it catches on anything, you can’t use it.
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It has not been common here in the Northern VA area. There are 5 indoor ranges within an hour's drive for me and only one has a restriction on steel-jacketed projectiles (well actually two now given the NRA Range's new policy). The single range that has had a long time restriction uses rubber chunks for a backstop. I think they are concerned about steel-jacketed projectile sparking creating a fire risk. The other ranges all use steel backstops.Originally Posted by nightstalker865
Last edited by cmoore; 01-01-2019 at 09:04 AM.
IWLA in Centreville recently (in the last year) instituted a ban on their outdoor range as well.
In terms of range rules in general, such a restriction isn't uncommon. What is unusual in my eyes is the sudden change on multiple ranges as if they're only now "discovering" steel jacketed ammo.
Chris
Any idea as to why they banned steel-jacketed ammo?
I don't recall, but they're perpetually obsessing about ricochets and spark-induced fires. The former because the IWLA is surrounded by suburbs and people who want to see them go away. I suspect there's some measure of anti-comm-block-gun bias at work too based on how closely they watch those shooters for steel-jacketed ammo while ignoring the guy shooting a Remington 700 30-06 with Greek surplus steel-jacketed ammo.
Chris
I can see the sparking fire risk if there is a lot of brush. The Fudd factor - not so much.
One of my close friends attended the NRA range development seminar a couple of years back and stays on top of what they are teaching in that arena, and says there was a bulletin on this subject in recent histroy from NRA range development division. Anyone who has worked an indoor range knows that there is a lot of un-burned powder expelled down range in an active range. It requires nightly cleaning, some times multiple times a day on especially active ranges.
The sparks generated by steel on steel impact have enough energy to ignite unburned smokeless powder.
About 15 years ago or so, Glock Inc. had a horrible flash fire resulting from the un-burned powder present in their range facility at Symrna. An employee was severely burned with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over most of his body, not sure if he finally lived or not.
That was a big wake up call on the subject of cleaning those large amounts of powder off the indoor ranges daily.
I suspect that some place where they did not do such a good job of powder cleaning had a recent flash fire as a result of steel on steel sparking. Used to be that you only worried about that mostly with steel jacketed rifle rounds, but there are lots of tin and steel alloy jackets in low end handgun ammo now.
The indoor range I use locally has instituted this policy as well, so it is a thing going around, a fire safety concern.
I understand they recently had to (very prematurely) replace some backstops that had been shot with steel core ammunition; I suspect they are trying to simplify things for the range officers by using a magnet to exclude ammunition.
This is not an uncommon practice at indoor ranges, but still disappointing. I've been shooting Wolf ammunition at the NRA Range for nearly 10 years. Unfortunately I have nearly 2,000 rounds of Wolf 7.62x39mm that is of little utility to me now...
"When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man."
The IWLA range I mentioned is an outdoor range with an earthen berm at 100yds. I doubt there's any powder at the berm where the bullets are impacting. There are stones in the berm and some scrubby grass, so I assume that was the fire concern rather than powder.
Chris
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