KALAMAZOO ROD & CLUB 7533 N. Sprinkle Rd. Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019 Newsletter April – June 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 Officer Vince Lester 838-6748 Bill Nichols 743-8401 Newsletter Bill Nichols 743-8401 Chris Ronfeldt 492-4021 Mike Tyler 350-6340

Changes to the Process of Purchases for CPL Holders

Many of you have undoubtedly noticed recent articles in the news regarding a change to how the federal government (specifically the BATFE) acknowledges Michigan’s Concealed Pistol License (CPL) law. Specifically, I am referring to how this license comes into play when purchasing a firearm. Previously, those persons possessing a valid CPL could skip the otherwise required criminal background check (the NICS check) when purchasing a firearm, because the background check required to receive and maintain your CPL was considered sufficient. This is no longer the case. Reportedly, Michigan’s recent decriminalization of recreational marijuana is the cause for this change: because marijuana users can potentially obtain a CPL (they now pass the CPL background check because they are breaking no state laws), the possession of a CPL no longer fulfills the requirements of a federal criminal background. For those who don’t possess a CPL, there is no change to the process; you still need to undergo a NICS check. This extra requirement is clearly one of the many unintended consequences of the new marijuana law, one that we must now adapt to.

Bill Nichols, editor

Visit our website: kalamazoorodandgunclub.com Spring Work Party New Walk-Through Archery Mark Your Calendars for the Range Planned First Craft Show/Flea Market This year’s Work Party was by Beth Ronfeldt originally scheduled for Saturday, The Club is still planning on 18 April, but because of the developing a walk-through archery We still have a few tables left for the COVID-19 related stay-at-home range, including a number of 3D CRAFT SHOW/FLEA MARKET order it has been cancelled. At the targets. Be sure to watch future on Saturday, June 6, 2020, which May Board meeting, we will discuss editions of this Newsletter and the runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the the possibility of rescheduling it. Club’s website for updates. This KR&GC Club House for any Please watch the Club’s website for looks to be a REALLY exciting member, or spouse or friend of a updates. project! Time to dust off your member, who is interested in renting If we are able to find another date, bow! a table to sell their homemade crafts please plan to arrive on that day or gently used items. (Please plan on between 8-9am. We will once again keeping your table set up until 2 co-ordinate the various work details Volunteers Needed for Fort p.m. as we will be advertising the from the main room in the Custer Honor Guard hours as 9 to 2.) Set-up the day of Clubhouse, so when you show up the event will begin at 7 a.m. that morning, please report there The Fort is in need of volunteers first. Also, if you have any special for the honor guard. Those If you would like to volunteer to skills -- especially in the building interested must be veterans. They help set up tables and chairs on trades -- please make that known have a different crew for each day Friday, June 5—around 6 p.m., or when you sign in. of the week, Monday thru Friday. help in the kitchen the day of the Because this is typically an all-day, If you are interested, please call event, please contact Beth as club-wide event, all ranges will be Dwight Easley (269) 344-0685. indicated below. closed starting the Friday afternoon before and will remain closed until To rent a table or volunteer to help, all of the Work Party projects New Club T-shirt Design please email me at (including clean-up) have been [email protected] (please completed. The Club has recently redesigned reference “Craft Show” in the Typical projects include building our official T-shirt. In addition to subject line) or call me between new target backers for the ranges, sporting our new logo, it also noon and 7 p.m. at 269-345-6961 building/renovating/painting highlights some of the Club’s (can leave voice mail) or text me existing structures, and improving regular events. These shirts, anytime at 269-743-8441 (please no the landscaping around the grounds. sweatshirts, and hoodies will be calls to my cell as I don’t answer Spouses/significant-others are also available for sale at many of our unknown numbers and I don’t welcome to attend and pitch-in, as larger Club functions. Be sure to receive voice mail on it). With all are responsible youth. get yours and show your pride! forms of contact, please leave your This is one of our biggest and most name, phone number, and what you important annual events. And it is intend to sell. If you haven't heard an excellent opportunity for you to back from me within 2 days, please get involved and to help make this try again--something went wrong the kind of Club you want to belong the first time. Space is limited, so to. So if you can, by all means, please don’t wait to reserve your attend this event. Even if you can spot. only give a few hours of your time in the morning, that too will make a For those who are attending the big difference. CRAFT SHOW/FLEA MARKET, Keep an eye on the Club’s website! we will charge $1 admission and will also be selling lunch. We look forward to seeing everyone at this “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, first time, but hopefully annual the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” event. EMPTY BRASS… by Pete DeWitt & Jason Harris [email protected]

These are just the thoughts of a couple of guys who enjoy target , writing and our Club. Our thoughts are not necessarily the thoughts of the KR&GC President or Board of Directors. We are not attorneys, gunsmiths, engineers or medical professionals. We are not your parents. Do your own research.

THE COVID VIRUS just expanded ownership. Be ready to help…

Our local firearms retailers are selling a lot of firearms due to the Covid Virus. Many of these firearms are being purchased by 1st time buyers. Cool! Let’s help make these 1st timers feel welcome and safe. When the medical authorities tell us that it is OK to mix with other people again, (a) suggest to these new gun owners that they get competent training (like Appleseed!), and (b) bring them to the Club ranges as guests (with completed guest waivers). Help teach these newbies to be safe & responsible firearms owners. This is your time to shine. …Pete & Jason

INTERESTING READING for when you can’t get out to the range…

“First Freedom – A Ride Through America’s Enduring History With The Gun” by David Haryanvi. Geeze, I hated having to write book reports in school. What I really wanted to turn in was a paper with “read this” or “don’t read this” in big block letters and call it good. Not 4 pages of single space type… But I is a graduate. Correction: I are a graduate. So now I can write in big block letters “READ THIS”. A bit more seriously, this is a mainstream history of the importance of firearms and the impact they have had on American culture and history. The book is engaging to read, all of the interesting facts are notated with the source documents, and you close the book with the sense that the right to bear arms is the birthright of a free citizen.

“The Rifleman” by Oliver North. Yes – for those of you who lived through the Jimmy Carter presidency, that Oliver North. Also a retired Marine who earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He captures the harsh reality of our revolutionary war in a historically accurate thriller. The central character is a volunteer with Morgan’s Riflemen, an elite infantry unit of Virginia sharpshooters who fought their war with long . The central characters in this novel - Daniel Morgan, George Washington, Patrick Henry, et al are accurately portrayed in their uphill fights (years and years of uphill fights) that led to the founding of our country. I started reading this for the history and stayed for a great historical novel ... Pete

APPLESEED PROJECT – high quality, family friendly, low cost marksmanship training. I am an unapologetic Project Appleseed fan boy. Go to an Appleseed event. Your marksmanship will improve. Your understanding of early American history will deepen. Read up at https://appleseedinfo.org.

For a useful summary, Google “Appleseed Backwoods Home” to read an interview with Massad Ayoob on Appleseed in Backwoods Home magazine. Ash Hess re-wrote the Army’s Marksmanship Manual several years ago. He references his time in Appleseed classes as a significant input to the updated Army’s Marksmanship Manual. And he calls Appleseed out by name as the most efficient way to learn the basics of marksmanship. Google “Appleseed Army Manual” or type in https://www.arbuildjunkie.com/ash-hess-marksmanship-choosing-the-right-ar/ for the interview. How sure am I that you will consider an Appleseed training event to be the best one or two day training you have ever experienced? This sure. Go. Attend an Appleseed training event. If you don’t think that the training was GREAT then I will give you THREE TIMES the annual salary the KR&GC pays me to write these newsletter articles. Can’t beat that…. Pete YOUR RUGER 10/22 & RUGER MARK IV PISTOL You will about double your purchase price of a Ruger 10/22 rifle or Ruger Mark IV pistol to get a 22 rimfire that shoots really well. Ouch. But these rifles and pistols can shoot like a dream once that investment has been made. Pete is the Ruger 10/22 rifle guy and jotted some notes on building up the Ruger 10/22 rifle. Jason is the Ruger pistol guy and he wrote about the Ruger MK IV upgrades.

The Ruger 10/22 rifle (or the many copies being made by other companies now that Ruger’s patents have expired) is one of the most common 22 rim fire rifles in America. Lots of customization options… • Ruger 10/22® BX-® from Ruger at about $80. User installable. Really – I did it.

• Ruger 10/22 Tsr100 GI-style Sight Set from Tech Sights at about $70. Similar to the “peep” sights found on the Garand rifle. If you’re looking for the best in overall accuracy, it starts with getting an excellent sight like this. User installable – mostly. The front factory sight can be a bear to remove without a specialty gunsmith sight tool. You will want to add LocTite Blue to the screws that hold the rear sight on. You MUST do this with the rifle upside down or the LocTite will drip into the receiver. Do not ask me how I came to know this…

• The Ruger Butt Pad for Ruger 10/22 at about $15. The standard Ruger 10/22 wood is generally too short for anyone 5 ft 6 or taller. Several companies make what are really hard rubber stock extensions that attach with a screwdriver. This improves your stance. Stance improves your accuracy.

• A cotton Garand style with Uncle Mike’s quick release 1 & ¼ inch wide sling swivels. $30.

The Ruger Mark IV pistol (22 Long Rifle) I shoot 22 LR Bullseye pistol all winter long with a Ruger MK IV in the heavy target barrel configuration. I need both accuracy and reliability. My “go to” source for Ruger Mark IV pistol enhancements is Volquartsen. Their website is https://volquartsen.com The following are available individually or as a combined kit. Note that different parts kits are required for the different models of Ruger MK IV Pistols. One size does NOT fit all. This is particularly true for the differences between the Ruger MK IV & MK IV 22/45 models. Pistol Competition Kit for the Ruger MK IV Pistol $170 – 180, depending on model, Includes a machined disconnector, extractor target hammer, hammer bushing, target , target trigger with plunger and spring. it also comes with pretravel and overtravel adjustments. This kit provides a crisp, clean 2.25lb trigger pull, eliminate the magazine disconnect, and significantly improves reliability. I have installed several of these kits for friends. You do not want to attempt to install these parts yourself unless you have some previous gunsmithing experience. There are a surprising number of small parts, some of which are under spring pressure. I recommend that you contact one of the gunsmithing services here in town. For a sense of cost, the full Accurizing Kit for the Ruger MK IV can be installed by Volquartsen for $70. The top ½ of the Ruger MK 4 pistols separates from the bottom half easily. You only send the bottom half to Volquartsen. This avoids the requirement for the shipment to be managed by an FFL. Hogue Monogrip for MK IV $23.00 Available from Volquartsen and many other sources. RUGER “MK” Series Pistols Firesights $65. Available from Williamsgunsight.com. Worth every penny. FUN WITH CALIPERS - NECK TENSION IN RELOADED RIFLE AMMUNITION

My friend, fellow Club member and reloading expert Logan R. showed me how to do this. Thanks guy! There is practical reloading. It is driven by common sense and cost/benefit decisions. At the end of the process you get a loaded at a reasonable cost that accomplishes whatever it was built to do. Then there are the crazies who love reloading as a hobby for all the many rabbit holes you can go down in pursuit of a mythical never-to-be achieved degree of repeatable accuracy. I am one. And do you remember hearing as a child that you should not hang around other kids with a reputation for getting into trouble? Thank goodness that most of my friends are as crazy about reloading as I am. They do indeed keep getting me into trouble and I thank them for it. Which brings me to today’s topic: Determining the neck tension in your reloaded rifle cartridges. Why? (1) You get to play with calipers, and calipers totally rock, and (2) because consistent, appropriate and repeatable neck tension (with properly annealed brass) is a big key to accurate rifle target groups at distance. This article focuses on describing, measuring and a light touch on achieving proper neck tension. I’ll get into the annealed brass in a later article. Cartridge neck tension is the measure amount of force the cartridge case neck is using to hold the bullet in place. When reloading standard rifle rounds, you should work towards having 4 to 6 thousandths of cartridge case neck tension holding the bullet in place. A taper or roll crimp (optional depending on the cartridge and rifle) will increase the neck tension. Measure the outside diameter of the case before and after seating the bullet. (calipers!) Your final dimension (after the bullet is seated) will be about .004’ less then it was. Some Vocabulary: • Bullet: This is the projectile that comes out of the rifle barrel. Including this note here because “bullet” is sometimes incorrectly used in when “cartridge” or “ammunition” is what the speaker really should have said. • Caliper: an instrument for precisely measuring external or internal dimensions. An inexpensive battery powered caliper from Harbor Freight is fine. Set your calipers to use thousandths of an inch. • Cannelure: a visible groove or channel around some bullets that indicates how deep the bullet should be inserted into the cartridge case. Not all bullets will have a cannelure. • Cartridge case: The tubular container that holds all the other components of the cartridge including the bullet, powder and primer. These are the empties that reloaders pick up off the ground after shooting. • Cartridge case neck: The upper part of the cartridge case which grips the bullet, expands on firing to release the bullet, and – in reloading – must be resized to hold a new bullet. • Crimp: There are several types of crimps. A taper crimp squeezes the cartridge case neck around the bullet to hold the bullet in place with a consistent tension. A roll crimp pushes (rolling) the cartridge case mouth edge into the bullet. Crimping is an important topic covered in you reloading manual. The equation: A. Cartridge neck diameter outside of the cartridge case at the cartridge case neck opening after the rifle bullet is seated in the cartridge case = A. B. The rifle bullet diameter at point where it will be visible in the loaded cartridge case (on some bullets this is indicated by the cannelure) measured before the bullet is seated = B C. Cartridge case neck wall thickness at opening of the cartridge case neck = C The cartridge neck tension = A – B – C. Notes: • The unit of measure here is thousandths. Make sure your caliper is displaying thousandths. • Brass cartridge cases expand and lengthen when fired. Fired cartridge cases must be reshaped before the cartridge case can be reloaded. This reshaping process is called re-sizing and trimming. The resizing is done on a reloading press by forcing the brass cartridge case into a die. The trimming is usually done with a case trimming tool. The specifications for the reshaped cartridge cases are published in reloading manuals. The reshaped cartridge cases are measured with calipers to ensure that they meet the published specifications. The measurements in the above equation are all taken after the rifle cartridge case has been cleaned, resized and trimmed to length. • Some rifle cartridge case mouths will have been slightly smoothed down (“deburred”) as part of the case trimming process. To the extent possible, take your caliper measurements so that you are measuring away from the immediate area where the rifle cartridge case mouth has been smoothed down. …Jason

LEARNING ABOUT MY AR (learning by trial, lots of error & some grins along the way)

I am new to the AR platform. The predecessor ArmaLite Rifle platform rifle has been around since 1959, so I must be a little slow on the uptake. I have been accused of as much. Now that I have an AR, I find that I am enjoying it like no other rifle before with the exception of my 40-yr. old Ruger 10/22.

My AR rifle is a Smith & Wesson M&P Model 2 in 5.56 / 223. I chose this rifle because it very closely aligns with the AR mil-specs, the rifle can be serviced locally, and it was reasonably priced.

Most people chose and then may further accessorize a rifle to meet a specific interest. I am working towards being able to compete with my 5.56 AR in casual club level competitive accuracy events out to about 500 yards that require a rifle close to the original military specification. So, these following notes may not apply to someone with interests in 3-gun competitions and similar “run & gun” events, or who are looking for a rifle optimized for tactical use.

What I have learned so far in my quest for accuracy from a lower cost AR:

• The stock trigger will need to be replaced. When selecting a new trigger, go into your purchase decision knowing if you need a trigger with a 4.5 pound or heavier pull so that the rifle is eligible to compete in some of the local events. The 4.5-pound triggers required for some of these competitions are not bad, but they are likely to be heavier than you would choose if you were not planning on competing.

• A sling helps most people shoot more accurately. The sling to start with is a cotton WWII Garand rifle sling. These are not expensive. You will require a set of one & 1/4-inch-wide sling swivels (the standard swivel is one-inch wide) to attach your sling to the rifle. The correct attachment point of the sling to the front of your AR rifle is about halfway up the barrel. The other end attaches to the stock.

• A lower cost rifle such as mine will likely not have a free floated barrel. This is OK so long as you are not using a sling. The sling attachment point on a non-free-floating barrel is to the barrel itself. A shooter using a sling with a proper stance and sling position will put enough tension of the barrel to pull the point of impact off target by 3 or 4 inches at 200 yards. The correction for this is to purchase a handguard. The sling attaches to the hand guard instead of the barrel. Problem solved. Notes: (1) Get a one-piece hand guard, (2) you may need to change the gas block. And (3) consider a gunsmith for this.

• The mil spec front sight post on a standard AR front site is optimized for fast combat shooting. It is not optimized for precision shooting. Replace it with a narrower post if you are an accuracy nut like me. For either a standard front post sight or a narrower post site you will need a special tool to adjust the AR’s front sight height. Check your rifle – it will require either a 4-prong or 5-prong sight tool.

• The 25 yd / 300 yd battle zero. This is just cool. When you zero your rifle in at 25 yards you will also have just sighted it in for 300 yards. This applies to most ARs with standard height sights and using standard ammunition. An interesting fact – this also applies to a Garand rifle, except at 25 and 200 yds.

• Standard scope optics (not a red dot) should be mounted so that the rear of the scope is above the back of the receiver. Optic resolution is a matter of personal choice, but the 500-yard upper reasonable range of these rifles suggests a lower resolution scope. People often shoot an AR more accurately using the lower ranges of an adjustable scope’s resolution. Stay under 4.5 magnification for some competitions.

Related - some advice I received from a seriously accurate AR guy: optics that were purchased without you writing a comma in the amount field of your check should be set for a zero (commonly 25, 50 or 100 yards) and left alone. Don’t fiddle with the knobs. Or, see the next article. …Pete

BOXING YOUR SCOPE (For Compulsive Scope Knob Twiddlers) If you can’t leave the knobs on your scope alone (some of us are just compulsive like that), then try “boxing your scope” to see how well your scope’s wind and elevation turrets return to zero. (1) Zero your rifle to the center of a large target bullseye at 100 yards. Shoot once. (2) Adjust your elevation turret to hit one foot higher. Shoot once. Count your scope adjustment clicks. (3) Adjust your wind turret to hit the target one foot to the right using the same number of clicks in step 2. Shoot once. (4) Adjust your elevation turret to hit one foot lower using the same number of clicks in step 2. Shoot once. (5) Adjust your windage turret to shoot one foot to the left using the same number of clicks in step 2 . This should bring you back to the bullseye. Shoot once. (6) Check your target and see how close your two shots at the bullseye are together. Hey, if the two shots at the bullseye have landed right on top on each other you (a) are a good shot, (b) have a good scope, and (c) have earned the right to fiddle with your scope knobs. …Pete & Jason

THE US ARMY MARKSMANSHIP UNIT (Go Army!) has some very good articles on . https://www.facebook.com/USAMU1956/notes/ …Jason

VOTE. PLEASE. VOTE. Michigan has made the absentee ballot process easy and open to all voting age citizens. Be counted. Stand up for what you believe in. Do this for yourself, your family, and to honor those who have fought and sometimes died to give you this right. …

OUR CLUB IS WILD! So far my list includes deer, turkeys, fox, bats, grey & red squirrels, garter snakes, kingfishers and multiple hawks. Robins build their nests in the rafters of the 50-yard range. Club President Tom Fenwick & BOD member Bill Nichols added seeing a pileated woodpecker. What have you seen? Add to the list! … Pete

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 [email protected] THE BACK PAGES. We goofed off on the Internet so that you didn’t have to. Sourced from the internet, so everything listed below might be true and unbiased. Maybe. Pete. & Jason

Odd Gun Facts Source: https://factrepublic.com

• In 2014, a South Carolina high school student named Alex Stone was arrested and suspended because of a creative writing assignment where he mentioned buying a gun to shoot his neighbor's pet dinosaur.

• The FBI is reported to have almost every gun ever manufactured to use as a reference to solve crimes.

• The filmmakers of "Lord of War" (2005 movie starring Nicholas Cage as a weapons broker) used a real stockpile of 3,000 AK-47s because they were cheaper to obtain then prop .

• In 2013, a Chicago man named Marco Alvarado told police who pulled him over "I'm gonna be real with you, I have a gun in my a*s." The cops then found a gun in his a*s.

• Elvis Presley desired a Narcotics officer badge so he could travel country to country with as many guns and drugs as he wanted. He went to the White House to ask President Nixon for the badge and got it.

• In 2004, a DEA agent named Lee Paige accidentally shot himself in the leg while giving a lecture on gun safety and claiming that "I'm the only one in this room professional enough to handle this Glock 40"

• Vermont (42% gun ownership rate) had the lowest rate of gun murders in 2010: only 2

• Real guns are allowed at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, but water guns are banned.

• In the early 1900s, French gangsters used a weapon called an Apache that functioned as a revolver, a knife, and brass knuckles

• A fur trapper named Ben Cochrum was attacked by wolves in 1922. After shooting seven wolves and beating four to death with his gun, the stock broke and he succumbed to being "torn to shreds". His body was found surrounded by the remains of the 11 wolves he had killed fighting for his life.

• During World War II, three Belgian men (Robert Maistriau, Youra Livchitz and Jean Franklemon) held up a train and liberated 200 Jews using only one gun and some wire cutters.

• Over the past 50 years, gun owners are responsible for over $2 billion in wildlife conservation in the United States by means of a 10% tax on guns and ammo.

• In Arizona, it is legal for any citizen to carry a gun, but it is illegal to carry nunchucks.

• In Switzerland every male must attend military training and is required to keep his weapon afterward, giving the country one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world.

• President Teddy Roosevelt's son Theodore Roosevelt Jr., was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the first wave of US Soldiers attacking Utah Beach on D-Day. He volunteered for the assignment and had to walk with a cane due to injuries he sustained during WW1 and a heart condition. He was the oldest man in the first wave at age 56.

April 2020 May 2020 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 31 1 2

. .22 Silhouette

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sporting Clays/ Board Trap Steel Meeting Pistol Plates 7:30pm

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

4H Trap Archery/ Action Pistol 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Action Trap Pistol

26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

4H Trap Archery/ Action Pistol

June 2020 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 Moving? .22 Board Action Trap Silhouette/ Meeting Pistol Craft New Phone Number? 7:30pm Show- Flea Market Please update your information with the 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Membership Secretary Sporting Clays/ Action Trap Steel Pistol John Ceglarek Plates 10620 Chicory Trail 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Action Trap Precision Pistol Rifle Mattawan, MI 49071

or email 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 [email protected]

Action Trap NRA High Pistol Power

Do you have feedback, suggestions, or an article 28 29 30 for this Newsletter? Send an email to: [email protected] Presorted Standard Kalamazoo Rod & Gun Club US Postage PO Box 19571 PAID Kalamazoo, MI 49019 Kalamazoo, MI Permit 1501

Inside this issue: April – June 2020 Changes to CPL law NEWSLETTER Calendar of Spring Events

All April Events Canceled