JerseyJim

With the much higher replacement cost of ammo and spot shortages I am revising my usage. The ranges are open but I am being more conservative on my occasional range visits accompanied by the SO: .22LR (two rifles, one revolver, one semi-auto handgun) 50 to 75 rounds. 9MM (two semi-auto handguns) 40 rounds/4 magazines .45 ACP (one 1911 A1) 21 rounds/3 magazines I was fortunate to have placed a big ammo order in November, 2019 at excellent prices. I have not ordered since. I estimate current pricing at 150 to 250 % higher than the 2029 order. Supplies/stock seems better but prices are only slowly returning to pre-Covid levels. For example prices per round for decent brand brass, before Covid, peaked in 2020 and now: .22LR - $0.05, $0.21, $0.11 9mm - $0.18, $0.60, $0.32 .45 ACP - $0.24, $0.91, $0.54 I miss being able to plink 200 rounds of .22 and shooting up more than one target each but there it is.

My nearby ranges, Cherry Ridge and Reloaderz are still closed. Reloaderz's shop is partially open but the range is not. I can see it will be weeks or months before we're able to shoot. It will be a painful drought.

Here are more pictures (externally hosted): Training Room Lane Waiting area w/ coffee VIP only lounge Front counter with video of rentable firearms Target control touchscreen

Visited Reloaderz NJ open house today. Very nice facility. The staff are knowledgeable and the range itself is one of the best indoor ranges around. The target management system is very advanced with many training modes. Only 15 lanes so it could get crowded at peak times. We signed up for monthly weekday membership. More info to come.

On Black Friday Reloaderz is having an open house. We plan on visiting and will give a report. Friday, November 23, 2018 at 10 AM – 8 PM

I usually shoot Cherry Ridge on weekends but would consider a weekday monthly. It depends on their hours during the week (not yet disclosed.) They are only 2 miles from my home and if they were open to, let's say, 10 PM during the week I would be interested. I am an owner and am not interested in rentals nor buying their ammo. From what I have seen at GFH, indoor ranges are no place to be on weekends.

Very interesting pricing. I ran the numbers through a spreadsheet to compare. The monthly plan works well if you don't need the frills. The unit I am comparing is a visit-hour which is one hour at a port with one guest/spouse. As you make more visits each month, the cost per visit drops. Note: The numbers in the table don't include sales tax. Also, the perks like free rentals, other discounts, etc. are not taken into account. This is strictly for stopping by and shooting your own gun & ammo for one hour.

Very interesting thread. I held onto film for longer than average (35mm and 6x6 MF) but I have to admit the time and costs pushed me away. After my last move, I retired my darkroom equipment. I still shoot the occasional roll and use pro mail order to process and print. However, the current digital resolutions (24+ MP) I use give me digital options not available earlier.

The Navy always needs smart, dedicated young ensigns and seamen. But the kind of experience and maturity this surgeon can bring to the Service is priceless. His willingness to serve and take what I imagine is an astronomical cut in pay is heartwarming. Well done!

Indeed. Find the best source, negative or large print. With that and a professional hi-res scan, there are a few optimizations that can be done with PhotoShop/Light Room.

I like the training syllabus. It overlaps (first aid, CPR/AED) with my Scoutmaster requirements. Does CERT work with ARES and RACES for radio communications? I have done ARES drills but did not hear from CERT team people.

Interesting. I am intrigued by the possible dynamics of "Manage “spontaneous/convergent” volunteers" That sounds like real work

This may be the lazy path of least resistance but I have been happy buying all (work and home) PC's from Dell. Sign up for their email offers they have almost every week. Building your own has its rewards but as you said, you need a MicroCenter or such nearby. With all those disk devices, you might consider a multi-port SATA to USB box to keep your files on-line. All your processing needs means sticking with the I7. Don't sweat the GHz clock rate but rather get all the RAM that will fit. RAM is, performance-wise, your best bang for the buck.

I am interested, especially if it is September. October is booking up for me.

I have received recruiting requests from our local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) group. It was my amateur radio license that brought me to their attention. I was wondering if other users have heard about or are members of a CERT. Is it worthwhile? I see the training syllabus but am curious what they do day-to-day in New Jersey. Any shared experience would be helpful, thanks. https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team