Following a Trail

We've talked about the Blue Trail Range before, or at least about tinkling there.

TJH sends an update:

Part of Blue Trail has been reopened, much to the disappointment of the editors of the Hartford Courant.

Information has been sparse, and I didn't want to comment without knowing more. My club includes a member who is a Connecticut State Trooper. When asked about the status of the case--during our monthly club meeting--he said that both sides have their lawyers, and everyone is tight-lipped at this point.

However, since the editorial staff at The Courant has brought up the subject, and made accusations of their own, I figured I can speak up. I have to say that I suspected that this would be the outcome. I've visited this range, and I am familiar with its layout. The following will be helpful:

Visit: http://mapper.acme.com/

Click on the 'hybrid' mode link.

Paste these coordinates into the search box, then hit 'Find':
N 41.45638 W 72.74771

This should mark the firing line of the 200-yard range. You should be able to see the reservoir to the right. This is the range that will be closed to rifles "for the foreseeable future".

The 100-yard range is here:
N 41.45464 W 72.74822

The reason why I am pointing this out is the difference between the two ranges, made obvious by the feature shown at N 41.45450 W 72.74711 : the berm. The 200-yard range doesn't have a berm like this. All the ranges are constructed so one is shooting down into a depression, and the 100-yard berm is an imposing feature that I would guess is at least 15 feet high, if not more.

I include this quote from the editorial:

"Ms. McCarthy's confidence is misplaced. Bullets have been hitting trees in the state park and homes in Durham for years. Yet only recently has Mr. Lyman has seen fit to invest in safety improvements."

The author is attempting to paint David Lyman as some careless yahoo who has done nothing to address concerns over the years. I strongly suspect that the author has no personal experience with Blue Trail range. The 100-yard range has 50-yard target holders. Patrons have been barred from using them. Considering the investment in building the 50-yard apparatus, I can think of no other reason than additional safety to do so. All the 100-yard stations also have a sheet of plywood that makes it pretty clear that the muzzle must go no higher than a certain point. Shooters must only shoot from the bench. It is impossible to clear the berm without being so careless as to raise the muzzle into the wood and cause damage to the building.

I am even skeptical that anyone on the 200-yard range could clear the 450 foot peak in the state park (click on 'Topo' mode) from the angle of incidence on a ground ricochet. I don't have a reference table, but I imagine the one-mile distance to the mountain top would result in a considerable amount of bullet drop--especially after losing energy tearing up dirt.

Still, the range buildings bear the scars of careless idiots. These are most prominent on the pistol range. The presence of rust in the holes suggests that these have been
around a while. The editors at The Courant don't seem to understand the value of doing something (anything!) to reduce liability, even if there is nothing technically wrong with the range in its current state. My last visit was in the Fall of 2006. I did not notice anything amiss. The same rules are posted, and, as always, there were at least two range officers present.

The Courant accuses David Lyman of conducting himself "in bad faith", and suggests that the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection shut down the range and re-write its rules. I wonder if the editors would like to take a crack at this, since they are convinced of wrong-doing, and obviously know the right way to run a shooting range.

--Reference: Blue Trail Range