jjg613

Are HP ammunition legal for civilians (non LE) in NJ?

Sounds like it might be worth a road trip!

My wife fired the range master's G19 9mm at first and was dead accurate with it. Her first grouping was incredibly tight for a true newbie, with all shots on the target and most clustered around the center. I thought starting her off with a smaller caliber pistol would be better but he pointed out that the shorter barrels on those pistols would result in more recoil which might challenge or scare off a new shooter. We rented a .380 while we were there and she did fine with that too and could very well see and feel the difference between the two different calibers. She handled the .380 with ease as well and then shot off my P229 for the rest of our time there. I had to drag her out of there before she made me look bad :-) Like I said, these guys were great. So glad that SS is an option and just wish it were closer.

Thanks for all the great input here. Love this place.

Hey Ray Ray -- just saw this. I will check out Bayonne sometime. Thanks for the tip!

According to some info I found buying ammunition in NY State doesn't require any firearms ID or permits at all: "As long as it is outside of NYC, no you do not. If you purchase ammo at one of the supercenter type stores specifically Wal-mart or Dick’s etc, the cashier is automatically prompted to ask you whether your are purchasing the ammunition for a pistol or a long gun before they can complete the purchase. They do this since in certain areas areas around the country it is unlawful for anyone under 21 to purchase ammo that is intended for use in a pistol. The theory behind this is since in most states/ circumstances (not all thought) you must be 21 to buy a pistol/ obtain a CCW then you shouldd therefore not be allowed to purchase ammo for it… However since pistol caliber carbines are both popular and very common the ‘rule’ is ridiculous anyway, not to mention that this is nothing more than a simple store policy that Wal-Mart chooses to keep in place everywhere for continuity i guess." Source*

Essex County folks typically end up at the Bullet Hole in Belleville.

Question on keeping mags loaded for HD. I'd read in a few places that doing so is not a good idea long term because it will weaken the springs and you may find yourself in a situation where the ammo won't load properly. True/false/old wives tale?

What do you do with your spent brass -- collect and sell? Never thought to take it before. Honest question.

Brought my wife to SS for her very first shooting experience and it couldn't have worked out any better. The staff was friendly, courteous and even offered to assist in instructing her in all the finer points. This took a good deal of pressure off of me and also allowed her to hear things from a neutral third party whether it be on how to stand, how to aim, etc. She went from being mildly afraid of my gun to having a lot more respect and appreciation for the weapon. Dare I say she was wondering what kind of gun SHE should get one day by the time we finished. I so wish this place were closer or that they'd open a range in North NJ closer to where we live. Thanks SS!

Definitely not my favorite place to shoot but unfortunately it's about 15 minutes away from my house. Shore Shot is way more pleasant -- it's the kind of place I could spend an entire day at talking with the RO's, employees and fellow shooters. Bullet Hole is hamstrung not only by the staff and the volume of business they seem to get but by the lack of physical space/square footage that seems to create a perfect storm there more often than not. I'm not in danger of actually buying a membership at Shore Shot yet since it's a full hour's drive, but I have thought about it. I will say this, if another range opened up within 30 minutes I'd abandon BH in a heartbeat and never look back.

Yeah, some place near Route 10 would be awfully convenient. Knowing absolutely nothing about running a range I would have to imagine that the costs -- especially for insurance -- are probably challenging. Maybe it's worth looking into...

Thanks for the welcomes everyone. Yeah, I don't get the sense that there are many gun owners in the WO area but I have met a few good people here and there.

Tahnks folks. And any place that can turn up another SRV fan so quickly is just fine with me!

All I ever hear is "I shoot at Bullet Hole but..." a) I wish there was some place closer b) I wish there was some place nicer c) I wish there was just some other place Sounds like a business opportunity. Are the folks from BH even aware of the levels of apathy surrounding their shop? And in the spirit of transparency I'll say that I've shot at BH a few times. I've shot at much better places and I've also shot at much worse. It's the closest range to where I live. My main observation is that because of its size the front of the shop is usually crowded and that seems to add a level of stress to both the employees and the patrons. The folks in the range itself have always been very nice and helpful. It's a tight fit in there when all the ports are full. You've got to sort of fight for room for any range bags, gun cases, targets and boxes of ammo. Lots of LE types at the times when I've been there plus the occasional long gunner. All in all it's OK, but...