The Tellico Village Shooting Sports Club is for anyone interested in rifles, pistols, shotguns and even bows and arrows.
“We’re an information club,” Bob Ratcliffe, president, said.
The club, which has been together about six years and boasts 280 members, meets at 4:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month on the top floor of the Yacht Club. Meetings usually feature a guest speaker who is either a member of the club or a visiting expert.
Ratcliffe said anyone interested in shooting sports is invited to listen, learn and provide information to other members.
“We also concentrate on safety,” he said.
Ratcliffe said women are welcome to join the group and a number of men attend meetings with their wives. Guests and speakers often include law enforcement officers, military history experts and firearms instructors.
At a recent meeting, the club opened with remarks and updates on recent firearms legislation from Ratcliffe before switching to a few minutes of what he called karaoke. Anyone with an interesting or funny story was invited to share.
Ratcliffe shared a humorous story about the first time his wife shot a .44 Magnum pistol. Another member shared his experiences on an Alaskan moose hunt.
The guest speaker at the most recent meeting was Tellico Village resident and club member Pete Young, whose hobby is long-range, centerfire rifle target shooting. Among shooters, long range is usually defined as 600 to 1,000 yards.
Retired from Hewlett-Packard, Young said he has been around guns all his life and likes the mental discipline required to hit a paper plate from a half-mile away.
He said the Oak Ridge Sportsman’s Association operates one of the few long-distance ranges in the region capable of hosting matches. ORSA also has pistol, rap and skeet shooting ranges.
Long-range matches usually last two days with each contestant shooting 60 rounds per day for a total of 120 rounds for the record. Shooters are allowed practice shots before firing for the record. During each stage of the match, each shooter has 20 minutes to shoot 20 rounds.
Equipment needed to get serious about long-range shooting isn’t cheap but is roughly equivalent to the investment avid golfers might make in a set of clubs and accessories.
Young’s rifle is an 18-pound, bolt-action Ruger chambered in 6.5 Creedmore. The rifle cost about $1,500, but that does not include accessories such as a $1,000 24-magnification scope, a bipod and other gadgets such as a bubble level to make sure the rifle is completely leveled before taking the shot.
Even small deviations can have major impact on a bullet’s path by the time it reaches the target. The 6.5 Creedmore is a modern cartridge favored because it shoots relatively lightweight 140-grain bullets at high velocity. But the bullet can drop more than 300 inches on its way to the target. The scope must be adjusted for bullet drop so the shooter can put the crosshairs directly on the target, Young said.
To get an appreciation for just how far away a target is, Young suggested listening for the bullet’s impact on the target after pulling the trigger. A bullet can take 1.5 seconds to travel 1,000 yards.
He said he reloads his own cartridges, taking care to duplicate precise measurements of powder and bullet seating depth to assure consistency.
Young said he likes attending club meetings because of the knowledge he gains and the fellowship shared with others who like shooting sports.
Jim Vreeland, a retired law enforcement officer and firearms instructor, said he attends to learn more about all types of shooting. He said he likes the variety of people who attend and the subjects discussed.
“You never know what you’re going to find,” he said.
Vreeland spoke briefly to the group about his passion for shotguns. He displayed several Winchester shotguns that are classic examples of 20th century firearms technology. Each of the shotguns had specific sporting uses, including trap shooting, which requires a high stock so the shooter can position his head to see the flying target.
He said he has had good luck investing in high quality shotguns made by leading brands.
“Shotguns have intrinsic value,” Vreeland said. “If you buy something, its going to go up in value.”
Tom Fahl has been a member of the group, along with his wife, for three or four years. He said the club offers a lot of information for firearms enthusiasts, particularly for women who want to learn more about guns. He said he enjoys researching and learning about the history of firearms.
