KALAMAZOO ROD & GUN CLUB - 7533 N. Sprinkle Rd. Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019

KALAMAZOO ROD & GUN CLUB
 7533 N. Sprinkle Rd.
 Kalamazoo, Michigan
 49019 Newsletter
 January – March 2020
 2020 Officers and Board of Directors (all #’s are area code 269 unless otherwise stated)
 President Tom Fenwick 323-1330 Two Year Directors Jerry Trepanier 366-8281
 Vice President Randy Hendrick 716-0140 Scott Tyler 615-8947
 Treasurer Caleb Miller (517) 420-1789 Dave Van Lopik 207-4494
 Recording Secretary Sonya Terburg 569-2562 Andy Woolf 377-0840
 Membership Secretary John Ceglarek 312-8008 One Year Directors John Ceglarek 312-8008
 Range Safety Officer Vince Lester 838-6748 Bill Nichols 743-8401
 Newsletter Bill Nichols 743-8401 Chris Ronfeldt 492-4021
 Mike Tyler 350-6340

 ATTENTION CRAFTERS / FLEA MARKETERS!!
 By Beth Ronfeldt

In an effort to expand on the success of the Swap Meet, we are trying something new. We have scheduled a
CRAFT SHOW/FLEA MARKET on Saturday, June 6, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the KR&GC Club House for
any member, or spouse or friend of a member, who is interested in renting a table to sell their homemade crafts or
gently used items. (Please plan on keeping your table set up until 2 p.m. as we will be advertising the hours as 9 to
2.)

If you’ve ever checked out the local craft shows, they are VERY expensive—ranging from $50 to several hundred
dollars to rent a table for a day. For our show, each 8 foot table will cost $15 to rent--$10 for the club and $5 for
advertising. A second table is available for an additional $10. If demand makes it necessary to set up more tables
outside of the club house, we have seven 10’ x 10’ canopies available. We can set two tables under each for the
single table rate, or if one person wants the whole canopy, the cost will be $25.

As with the Swap Meet, we will charge $1 admission, and will also be selling lunch out of the new kitchen—
which has been very nicely remodeled—with all proceeds going to the Club.

We will need volunteers to help set up tables and chairs on Friday, June 5—around 6 p.m. Set-up the day of the
event will begin at 7 a.m. We will also need volunteers to direct parking and a few kitchen workers the day of the
Show.

If you are interested in renting a table, or volunteering to help, please email me at bronfeldt@charter.net (please
reference “Craft Show” in the subject line) or call me between noon and 7 p.m. at 269-345-6961 (can leave voice
mail) or text me anytime at 269-743-8441 (please no calls to my cell as I don’t answer unknown numbers and I
don’t receive voice mail on it). I will be asking what you intend to sell. If you haven't heard back from me within 2
days, please try again--something went wrong the first time.

Space is limited, so please don’t wait to reserve your spot.

 Visit our website: kalamazoorodandgunclub.com

Winter Shooting Considerations Winter Airgun League Preparedness Suggestion

With the shorter winter days, the The winter air gun league will begin Club V.P. Randy Hendrick suggests
hours during which we are its weekly sessions on the first we all take a minute to consider
permitted to shoot become far Thursday in January (the 2nd) and certain documents that should be
fewer. Please remember that the will continue every Thursday night photocopied and stored securely in
Club still adheres to strict rules through the last week in March (the case of an emergency (theft, house
regarding shooting hours, as 26th). Shooting starts at 7pm each fire, etc). Great idea! Citing a
posted on the front gate and at all night. The fee is $3 per person ($1 recent article in the Thunder Ranch
the ranges: shooting may begin at for kids under 12). Please note that newsletter, some examples include:
9am, but “all shooting MUST only air guns shooting under 1000 Identification:
cease by 9pm or by dusk, FPS will be allowed. Also, calibers --Driver's License or other
whichever comes first”. are limited to .22 and smaller. This Government photo I.D. (e.g., CPL)
Obviously, at this time of year, is a great way to maintain your skills --Passport
dusk comes far earlier than 9pm, and get in some valuable trigger- --Medical ID/insurance card
The official time for dusk is now time during the cold winter months. --SSI card
posted at all the ranges. Please be Come join in the fun! --Birth certificate
respectful of these rules. It is --Marriage license
important that we maintain good Also, the American Legion Post 36 Estate Planning/financial records:
relations with our neighbors. is hosting a Tuesday-night airgun --Will
Also, please be considerate of the shoot in our clubhouse (Jan – Feb). --Trust
volunteers who keep the pistol See our website for details. --Letters of instruction
ranges clear of snow – if you use a --Powers of Attorney (POA/DPOA)
target backer, please return the Front Gate Etiquette --Documents regarding your house
base to the firing line shelter. and land ownership (deed/mortgage)
When those get caught in the When using the new front gate --Homeowner’s insurance policy
snowblower, it makes for a big system, there are a few things to --Vehicle registration/insurance/title
hassle clearing it out. keep in mind. First, by now --Stock certificates/savings bonds
 everybody’s membership card --Partnership or Corporation
 2020 Officer Election Results should work with the new reader. Documents and operating
 But if you are having problems, agreements
The results of this year’s Officer please call one of the Board --Brokerage and escrow accounts
election are listed on the masthead Members whose name is listed by --List loans you have made to others
of the Newsletter. We all owe a the gate. Second, please do not --Debts that you owe and to whom
big THANK YOU to all those who “piggy back” behind another --Last three years of tax returns
volunteer their free time to keep member when going through. This --Advanced health care directive
the Club running. is mainly to protect YOU – in the --Guardian and Conservatorship
 unlikely event that your card suffers documents
 New Walk-Through Archery problems with the reader, the gate --Medical release forms
 Range Planned may not open up when you are on --Life insurance policies
 your way out, if you depended on --Retirement accounts, 401Ks,
The Club is currently planning on another member to let you in. And pensions, annuities etc
developing a walk-through archery second, if there is a problem on the --Divorce judgment and child
range, including a number of 3D range, you benefit from us having a support orders
targets. Be sure to watch future good record of when you left the --Credit card info
editions of this Newsletter for property, so you will not be --Death certificates
updates. This looks to be a implicated in any investigation into --Bank Statement(s)/account
REALLY exciting project! Time wrongdoing by another person. Be numbers/bank routing numbers
to dust off your bow! safe! Other:
 --List of important phone numbers
 --List of medications and your
 “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
 doctors’ names and phone numbers
 the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

EMPTY BRASS… by Pete DeWitt & Jason Harris kalamazoorodandgun@hotmail.com

NON-CONCEALED REASONS To Get Your MICHIGAN CONCEALED PISTOL LICENSE (CPL)

Quite a few members of KR&GC have obtained their Michigan Concealed Pistol License (CPL). And quite a
few have not. I have my CPL, but do not carry concealed. We can argue about this over a beverage sometime.
But here are a few thoughts on why people who do not have a CPL – and don’t ever intend to carry concealed –
may want to get their Michigan CPL anyways. Note that these are just my thoughts, I am not an attorney, and
this is NOT legal advice.

 • It is your right as a law-abiding citizen to be armed outside of your Michigan home. Every CPL permit
 issued is a clear signal to politicians on how you and a lot of others stand on 2nd amendment issues.
 • A CPL makes traveling to and from the range easier. No concerns about emptying out your mags or
 transporting your range bag in an out-of-reach location.
 • A CPL is its own proof of character. Due to the detailed background checks required to get a Michigan
 CPL, having a CPL moves you towards a category of “known, probably safe, probably a good guy/gal”
 individual with local law enforcement. This is not a bad thing.
 • Even if you do not plan on carrying concealed, you have the option to carry concealed legally if your life
 circumstances suddenly change. These changed circumstances may not allow you the time to get an
 emergency permit or go through the time-consuming CPL process.
 • With a CPL you can – under most circumstances – step off your Michigan property line with a pistol in
 your pocket (preferably in a pocket holster. Check out StickyHolsters.Com). You are “legal” if you get a
 call from an elderly neighbor requesting assistance about the “weird sounds” coming from her garage.
 And you are “legal” if the Police also show up because another neighbor heard noises too.
 • A CPL makes purchasing a new handgun easier in Michigan. Hand the selling FFL your current CPL
 card and you can leave the gun shop with that cool new pistol the same day.
 • There are about 39 states with some form of reciprocity with a Michigan CPL. A Michigan concealed
 pistol license may make it easier to legally travel with a firearm in these states. Pete D.

CONFUSED ABOUT “1st & 2nd FOCAL PLANE” RIFLE SCOPES? Yep. Me too.

You are reading an advertisement or magazine review on a new scope. 1st focal plane? 2nd focal plane? Huh?

1st & 2nd focal plane definitions only apply to scopes with variable power magnification. A riflescope with
variable magnification has a reticle (cross hair) installed by the factory. The reticle is usually etched onto a glass
lens. The position of that etched reticle lens amongst the other lenses within the scope tube will be described as
either the 1st focal plane or the 2nd focal plane. From the rifleman’s perspective when looking through the
scope, the reticle on a scope with a 2nd focal plane will appear to be the same size regardless of the scope
magnification selected. From that same rifleman’s perspective, the size of the reticle on a scope with a 1st focal
plane will expand or contract with the magnification setting is changed on the variable power scope.

Some generalizations:
First focal plane scopes are more expensive to manufacture, so they are generally more expensive to purchase.
Your selection of a new 1st or 2nd plane scope will come down to your preferences, purposes and budget.
There are a lot of conflicting opinions out there on which focal plane is “the best” for any given situation. So,
do your own research. Believe your own eyes. And when shopping for a new variable power scope, consider
picking up similar scopes of each focal plane style and comparing how the reticles appear to you at different
power levels and under lighting conditions. Pete D.

CLUB FELLOWSHIP MAKES KR&GC GREAT. So, please don’t be “That Guy”

I get a lot of pleasure from being a member of the KR&GC. I have made some good friends here. And I
have really grown to respect the volunteers who run the club for their efforts and steadfast dedication to safety.
I consistently meet good people while at the Club. Often interesting people. And almost always helpful people.
A commonly heard phrase is “here – try this out”. In club hosted competitive shooting events, I often see
competitors helping out other competitors out.

I really enjoy seeing club members introducing their friends and family members to firearms. I see a lot of
family’s with smiling kids. I see a lot of smiling “shooting buddies”. Heck, I even smile sometimes.
I recognize that what we have here at our Club is good and special. And like most things in life that are good
and special, our Club needs to be cherished and protected.

But a few Club members can mess things up the for the rest of us. So, please don’t be “that guy”.

 • Don’t be that guy who leaves his target stands up after shooting. Target stands should be brought back
 to the bench area and stored correctly. And put your used targets, brass & empty ammo boxes in the trash.
 • Don’t be that guy who puts old clay shotgun targets out on the rifle and pistol ranges. Or puts junk on
 the ground to shoot at (and likely launch a ricochet headed to gosh knows where). Paper targets on Club
 provided target frames only. And please don’t be that guy who shoots at the target frame intentionally.
 • Don’t be that guy who draws from his holster despite the clear club policy not to. You are a menace to
 yourself and others. Only a very few Club sanctioned events allow holster work, and then we have a Range
 Safety Officer monitoring each shooter carefully. Please practice your holster work somewhere else.
 • Don’t be that guy who hands a brand-new shooter a major caliber firearm with a powerful load because
 “hey, this is going to be funny”. No. It is not.
 • Don’t be that guy who brings female guests to the range who are (a) new to shooting, and (b) wearing
 inappropriate foot ware or clothing. A nail through a “flip flop” can become a medical nightmare. And a
 loose blouse that catches hot flying brass will likely lead to burns and possibly an accidental discharge.
 • Don’t be that guy who is “screwing around” with his stuff on the shooting bench while others are down
 range changing targets. Even if you are not actually touching your firearm, you are scaring me and likely
 most others. So just step well away from your equipment until everyone gets back. Jason H.

USING MY 22 LR RIFLE TO BECOME A BETTER CENTERFIRE RIFLE SHOOTER

We are fortunate to have a great 200-yard rifle range here at the club. Yes – I wish it was a 1,000-yard range so
that I could better practice long-range centerfire rifle shooting. But I know that learning to shoot my 22 long
rifle (LR) rifle on our 200 yd range well is great training for when I will (someday) shoot on a 1,000-yd range.

Using the 22 standard velocity ammo that I practice with, my rifle with a 50 yard “zero” will have a 2.1-inch
drop at 75 yards and a 7.8-inch drop at 100 yards. On those days when I am feeling particularly optimistic, I
have to plan on a 26.4-inch drop at 150 yards and a 48-inch drop at 200 yards. Yes – challenging! A 6.5
Creedmoor rifle sighed in at 100 yards will have about a 20-foot drop at 1,000 yards, so you can see how these
scales up. FYI, when starting out hang a large poster size paper backing behind your regular size paper target.

I have read that the difference between a marksman and a sniper is the ability to read wind. A 10-mph cross
wind will move my 22 LR bullet sideways at a rate of about 10 inches per 100 yards. More training challenges!

I can get surprisingly tight groups at 200 yards with my 22 LR rifle if I am shooting well. When my groups are
not good, then I know that I am doing at least one thing wrong. This is why I call this training. Jason H.

CHEAP INSURANCE #1

 • Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network, Inc https://armedcitizensnetwork.org
 Not legally insurance. Structured as a membership organization to help members in the likely legal fight
 after a justifiable use of force in self-defense by paying for the services of attorneys, expert witnesses,
 private investigators and other professionals required to mount a vigorous legal defense of your self-
 defense. They send a retainer to your attorney the same or next day. I have been a member for 3 years,

 • 2nd Call Defense https://www.secondcalldefense.org
 This is the other similar organization that I hear good things about.

CHEAP INSURANCE #2

 • I have been using Esca Technologies “D-Lead” hand soap after trips to the range and working with
 cartridge reloading components. “Removes lead, chromium, mercury…” according to the label. Pete D.

CONTINUING TO LEARN ABOUT RE-LOADING & HAND LOADING OUR OWN AMMO

We (Jason & Pete) are both enjoying learning how to reload and handload our own centerfire ammunition. We
reload to shoot more often with ammo that at least matches the performance of store-bought ammo, and we
often hand load for performance gains that can exceed store bought ammo. We are not quite as enamored with
it as our friends Jason and Logan at J&L Ammunition (Club members) who liked it so much that they got their
ammunition manufacturing FFL and turned professional. But I could see it happening.

An approach that we picked up from one of the books on the subject is to Identify, Quantify & Mitigate. We
ask ourselves what are the areas-of-improvement variables that we can (a) readily identify and (b) objectively
measure. And then, we ask ourselves how to we mitigate these improvement areas. Answering these questions
can take us as “deep down into the rabbit hole” as we might care to go – there is lots of information available.
Fortunately, discussing these questions over a cold adult beverage seems to add clarity and gravitas to whatever
answers we come up with. And there is a large reloading industrial complex complete with catalogs, websites,
books and magazines out there to support every answer we come up with. Hey – it’s a hobby. 

This “Identify, Quantify & Mitigate” approach is used throughout industry under the names Six Sigma, Total
Quality Management, and similar. So, this is nothing new. But we are finding it useful enough to also apply it
to our pistol and rifle marksmanship efforts. Pete D. & Jason H.

OUR CLUB IS WILD!

To date I have seen deer (including on the 200-yard range – we had to pause a rifle competition once), turkeys,
a fox, bats, grey & red squirrels, garter snakes and multiple hawks. And come spring I will welcome back the
robin who builds her nest in the rafters of the 50-yard range. What have you seen? Add to the list! Pete D.

HEY! INTRODUCE A NON-SHOOTING FRIEND OR RELATIVE TO SHOOTING
This is how were grow our shooting sports. This is how we protect our 2nd amendment rights. A lot of people
have not fired a firearm previously. Give them a chance to do so in a shooting positive, safe environment.

WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE OF AT THE CLUB? Let us know. Would YOU like to submit a page or
two? Emails to kalamazoorodandgun@hotmail.com

THE BACK PAGES. We goofed off with Internet so that you didn’t have to.
Sourced from the internet… so everything listed below might be true, unbiased & accurate…

The “Strange Guns from History” Issue: by Pete D. & Jason H.

In 2012, Mossberg created a line of firearms specifically marketed for the killing of zombies. These
firearms usually have a “ZMB” stamp on them. These are generally your standard Mossbergs other than some
superficial changes.

Vandenberg Volley Gun: The Vandenberg volley gun was a multi-barreled, breech-loading weapon developed
in the 1860s by General Origen Vandenberg. The gun fired .45-caliber rounds simultaneously from as many as
451 barrels. These barrels had to be individually loaded each time the gun was fired. The US and Britain both
rejected it. One was supposedly used by the Confederacy during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia.

A double-barreled muzzle loading cannon firing two cannonballs simultaneously was invented for the
Confederate Army in 1862. Cannonballs connected by a chain and were fired concurrently from both barrels
with the goal of mowing down anything in their path. During testing, it was found that the two barrels rarely
fired at the same time. When they did, the results were not good. During one of the tests, the cannon destroyed
some trees, knocked down a chimney, and killed a cow. None of these were the intended target. Aside from a
brief skirmish, the cannon was never used in any battles. Today, it sits outside city hall in Athens, Georgia.

The punt gun was a large, heavy “boat gun” made to shoot ducks and geese back in the days when wild game
birds were hunted and then sold for food. The punt gun – either a large shotgun or a small cannon depending on
your definitions – was built into a small wooden boat called a punt. The gun had a fixed point of aim, so the
punt gun was aimed by pointing the entire boat at the target. Reportedly up to 1 pound of lead shot was used,
and a single shot could kill as many as 50 ducks at once. Punt guns were banned to protect duck populations.

The duck foot pistol was named after the shape of its multiple barrels, which looked like the foot of a duck.
This 1700’s & 1800’s era pistol had between three and six barrels facing forward at different angles. All barrels
fired at once. The gun was designed for use by people such as bank guards, prison wardens, and ship captains
who could be attacked by several people coming from different directions in a confined area. Ship captains are
reportedly sold these pistols to fight against mutinous crews or pirates.

“Cemetery guns” were utilized in the 18th and 19th centuries to stop corpse theft. Medical schools at the time
required corpses for their studies and research. The legal supply did not meet demand, so robbers would raid
graves for corpses to sell to the medical schools. “Cemetery guns” were created to stop this theft. Strategically
placed by a grave, the gun was mounted so that it turned toward the robber and fired when he/she stepped on
one of the trip wires surrounding the gun. People – probably not all criminals – were killed and injured by these
devices. Eventually (a) these guns were banned, and (b) the legal access by the medical schools to unclaimed
bodies removed the demand for stolen corpses.

Gyrojet guns fired rocket-propelled bullets. Only two variants of the gun (a pistol and a carbine) were ever
made before the business went out of business due to poor sales. The gun’s unique ability to fire rocket-
propelled bullets was the same reason it failed. For one thing, the bullet left the gun at a slow speed, gaining
speed from the ignited rocket behind the bullet propelling it forward. This made the weapon less effective at
close range, and non-lethal at “up close and personal” ranges. And it lacked accuracy at longer distances.

The Puckle Gun was basically a huge revolver mounted on a tripod. The gun could fire both round & square
ammunition. The round ammunition was supposed to be fired at “civilized enemies” like enemy soldiers and
criminals. The square bullets were specially made to fire at Muslim Turks to teach them the “benefits of
Christian civilization.” The Puckle Gun was not purchased by any governments and was never used in battle.

January 2020 February 2020
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
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5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 Board Am Air Gun Board Am Air Gun
 Meeting Legion Meeting Legion
 7:30pm Air Gun 7:30pm Air Gun

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
 Am Air Gun Am Air Gun
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19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
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26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28
 Am Air Gun Am Air Gun
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 March 2020
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

30 31 1 Moving?
 New Phone Number?
 Please update your information with the
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
 Membership Secretary
 Board Air Gun
 Meeting
 7:30pm John Ceglarek

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 10620 Chicory Trail
 Air Gun

 Mattawan, MI 49071

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 or email
 Air Gun membership@kalamazoorodandgunclub.com

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Do you have feedback, suggestions, or an article
 Air Gun for this Newsletter? Send an email to:
 kalamazoorodandgun@hotmail.com

Presorted Standard
Kalamazoo Rod & Gun Club US Postage

PO Box 19571 PAID
Kalamazoo, MI 49019 Kalamazoo, MI
 Permit 1501

 Inside this issue:
 January – March 2020
 Spring Craft
 Show/SWAP Meet
 NEWSLETTER
 Winter Airgun League

 Keep your skills up this
 winter in the Airgun
 League