Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions we here most often. This page is organized into these areas:
If you don't see your question answered here, submit it to info@sksc.org and we'll get back to you in a day or two.
General Questions
Q: How do I join SKSC?
A: Stop in and visit us when our manager is on duty (see times
below)
- You must watch our Safety Video
- Sunday: 10:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.
- Tuesday & Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
- Fill out an application after you watch the video
- Dues + Work Fee + Land Purchase Fee = $140 per year.
- Dues = $60
- Work Fee = $40
- Waived for seniors over 62
- Waived if you provide 4 hours of service the previous year
- Land Purchase Fee = $40 (until the new land is paid off)
- $10 one-time-fee for your electronic key-card
- $10 replacement fee for lost or broken key card
- Attach your payment to the application and leave it with the manager
- You application will be voted on at the next Board of
Directors meeting
- Held the 2nd Monday of each month
- Your membership card and gate key will be mailed to you a day or two after the Board meeting
Q: How do I renew my SKSC membership?
A: Two ways for current members to renew:
- In person, stop by during Trap & Skeet hours, bring
last-years membership card and money,
expect 2 to 3 weeks if you also need a new electronic
key-card.
-- OR -- - By mail (usually faster), send a self addressed, stamped
envelope, a check, and any claims for work credit to:
Renewal
3581 92nd St. SE
Caledonia, MI 49316
Q: What are Work Fees and Work Days?
A: We schedule a club work day on the 4th Saturday of the month from
March through September; from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Members who
volunteer 4 or more hours of work to the club will receive a $40
credit for the next year's membership. The work
fee is also waived for senior members. You can come to a work day,
work the SKSC table at a local gun show, or help us with the many
other projects we have going at the club. SKSC is a member-owned
and member-operated club, so if you see something that needs doing,
let a board member know your plans, volunteer the time and energy
and get $40 off next year's membership.
Q: What is the Land Purchase Fee?
A: SKSC recently purchased an additional 40 acers of land along our
West property line. This additional fee is being imposed until
the land is fully paid for. As of 2011, we have paid-off over one-half the total cost of the new property!
Q: How does SKSC support our local Law
Enforcement?
A: SKSC supports the training needs of local law enforcement.
The special purpose ranges we built for shooting events such as IDPA
and USPSA can also be used by our local law enforcement for their
training needs without effecting access to the ranges used by our
members. The various agencies have SKSC members within their
ranks who act as range safety officers for their training groups.
If your law enforcement agency is interested in using our ranges,
please present your plans at a Board of Directors meeting held on
the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00pm in our club house.
Q: What does SKSC offer for Trap & Skeet?
A: We have 2 Trap and 2 Skeet ranges. These ranges have great
lighting for night time use. Our #1 Trap and #2 Skeet ranges
also have vertical "wobble" capability too. Trap and Skeet ranges
are open to the public on:
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Tuesday and Thursday: 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
You do not have to be a SKSC member to shoot Trap & Skeet, but members do get a discount. We have a limited supply of shotgun shells for sale at the club too. The price of clay targets has been steadily rising over the past few years; but we try to keep our prices as low as we can:
- Members
- $4.00 cash per line
- $35.00 for a 10-punch card
- Junior & Senior Members
- $3.50 cash per line
- $30.00 for a 10-punch card
- Non-Members
- $5.00 cash per line
- $50.00 for a 10-punch card
Eye and ear protection are required on all ranges at all times.
Members may use the Trap & Skeet fields during off-hours from 9:00 a.m. until dusk, but you must use your own targets and equipment (the club's equipment is locked up).
More info can be found on our Trap and Skeet FAQ page here.
Q: Are there member meetings?
A: SKSC holds monthly meetings for our general membership at 8:00
p.m. on the 2nd Monday of each month in our club house. SKSC
is a member-owned and member-operated club, and these meetings are
your opportunity to find out what is going on within SKSC and voice
your opinions and ideas to the membership. Elections for board
members are held at the December meeting where roughly one-third of
the board members are up for election. A full review of the
club's finances are usually held at the meeting in February.
The SKSC Board of Directors meet at 7:00 p.m. on the same Monday evenings. The public and members are welcome to attend our board meetings too.
Q: Does SKSC have a news letter?
A: SKSC publishes a news letter every-other month. Members can
have a newsletter e-mailed to them (preferred because it saves us
postage fees) or sent out via US Mail. Of course the latest
SKSC news is also available from our web site - click
here.
Q: SKSC is a member MUCC Club, how
do I get the MUCC Magazine?
A: MUCC dropped the magazine as part of the club dues two or three
years ago. MUCC has a digital version on-line which is
available to all SKSC members. You will have to supply your
e-mail address to the MUCC (not SKSC) and they will send you the
link for the magazine each month. The MUCC web-site can be
found here.
Questions Regarding Our Ranges
Q: What ranges will I find at SKSC?
A: SKSC has the following ranges:
- 2 Lighted Skeet fields (one with wobble)
- 2 Lighted Trap fields (one with vertical wobble)
- 6 general purpose bunkers (one with two swinging plate machines)
- 1 50/100 yard range
- This range is never in use when the 15 competition ranges are in use!
- 1 rim-fire rifle range
- 1 200-meter rifle range: 50m, 100m, 150m & 200m
- 1 IHMSA range
- 1 500-meter rifle range
- Rim-fire-only: 40m, 60m, 77m & 100m
- Center-fire: 200m, 300m, 377m & 500m
- 15 competition pistol ranges (use requires approval by Board of Directors)
Q: As a member, how many friends can I bring with me to
the ranges?
A: Members can bring as many people to shoot with as they can watch
at any one time; therefore, you can bring as many people as you are
able to safely handle. Each member is the range safety officer
for their group, so everyone MUST shoot on the same range that the
SKSC member is monitoring. If all the other people are
experienced shooters, then the job is a bit easier. If there
are any new shooters in the group, then we suggest you keep the
group small - ideally one-on-one. Remember, not everybody
knows our club rules - so we look to you to keep your friends safe.
Q: My electronic gate key-card
doesn't work any more, what now?
A: Did you pay your dues this year?!? The key-cards may look
tough, but the electronics inside definitely don't like to be bent
or warped - so if you stuff them in your wallet, they won't last
long. If you've paid your dues and the gate won't open, your
key-card is likely broken. Put your old key-card, name, mailing
address and a $10 check payable to SKSC in an envelope and sent it
to the address below; and we'll send you a brand-new key-card.
Turn-around time is usually 4 to 5 days.
SKSC Membership - Key-Card
3581 92nd St SE
Caledonia, MI 49316
Q: Why are there gates on the roads to the 500 and 200
meter ranges?
A: SKSC is a member-owned and member-operated club, therefore, only
members and their accompanied friends may use our ranges. Trap
and Skeet are open to the public when the manager is present on
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; therefore the main gate at 140th
Avenue will be open. The individual range gates will remain
locked when the main road gate is open. The only exception is
when we are holding rifle or pistol matches on either the 500 or 200
meter ranges, our our match bunkers on the 200 meter range road.
As a member, you will receive the combination to these gates, and if you are ever in doubt as to whether an internal
range gate should be locked or left open, the safest answer is to go
ahead and lock the gate. If you see an organized shooting
event (rifle or pistol) on our 200 meter range complex, you may also
leave that gate open as the staff running the match is also
monitoring the use of the other ranges.
Q: Which ranges can I use for center-fire rifles?
A: Here is a simple answer: If the back-stop you are shooting
at is taller that you are, then you may use any rifle or pistol.
If the back-stop is shorter than you, then it is for
.22 rim-fire rifle or pistols ONLY! The only
exception to this simple rule is the metallic handgun silhouette
range at the extreme South end of the 200 meter range, where
straight-wall center-fire pistols may be used. On the
500-meter range, the 40m, 60m, 77m and 100m back-stops are for
.22 rim-fire ONLY as shown below.
Q: What are the rules for proper targets at SKSC?
A: The best way to answer this is with a few examples:
- Right Targets:
- Paper (paper plates make great cheap targets)
- Cardboard, cardboard & wood lathe and cardboard boxes
- Swinging (metal) targets
- But be very careful of ricochets
- Tin cans are OK, but must be picked up when you’re done
- Watch out for sharp edges
- Wrong Targets:
- Anything that breaks or shatters (example: glass, clay targets)
- Anything flammable or explosive (example: propane tanks)
- Anything that may cause a ricochet off the range
- Don't shoot our barrels, posts or rails
- Clean up your mess when you are done!
Q: What are the rules for target
placement at SKSC?
A: All targets must be placed at the base of the back-stop
as shown below. If you wish to shoot at a shorter range, then
move your firing line closer to the target. Your target should
NEVER be more than 1-yard from the base of the back-stop.
Occasionally, the stages of our USPSA and IDPA matches may violate
this rule; however, ALL shooting during these matches is under the
direct supervision of a range safety officer.
You may fasten your target to our target stands, or use your own as long as they are placed above our target rails. Please do not place your targets in front of our silhouette target rails, they take enough of a beating already.
Q: Can I use machine-guns at SKSC?
A: Yes, but we have a few extra rules for select-fire and other
automatic firearms. You may download our
official policy here,
and a few of the highlights are listed blow:
- You must call the Allegan County Sheriffs Department (269-673-3899) BEFORE you begin shooting and let them know that legally registered machine guns will be in use at SKSC.
- In order to be kind to our neighbors, please limit your range use to the period after 12:00 p.m. and finish before 5:00 p.m.
- Shooters shall take extra precautions to control muzzle-rise and be sure all projectiles stop in the lower half of the back-stop.
- Shoot no more than 5-round bursts at a time.
- Sub-machine-guns using straight-wall center-fire pistol cartridges may be used on any center-fire range or bunker. The back-stop MUST be taller than you are!
- The 2 Southern-most general-purpose bunkers should be used for machine guns in order to limit the damage these firearms cause to our back-stops.
Matches and Events
Q: What is IDPA?
A: IDPA - International Defensive Pistol Association
See our IDPA FAQ page here.
Q: What is USPSA?
A: USPSA - United States Practical Shooting Association
See our USPSA FAQ page here.
Q: What is IHMSA?
A: [coming soon]
Q: What is NRA Rifle Silhouette?
A: See our NRA Rifle Silhouette FAQ page
here.
Q: What is CMP?
A: See our CMP Rifle FAQ page
here.
Q: What is the Steel Challenge?
A: [coming soon]
Q: What about Trap and Skeet at SKSC?
A: Have a look at our Trap and Skeet page
here.