FORT GORDON, Ga. (Feb. 20, 2015) - Gun collectors lit up Fort Gordon's Range 16, a multipurpose range, Feb. 14, by firing a wide assortment of machine guns. The fact that it was Valentine's Day did not elude the shooters. Most had brought their spouses along since many of them enjoy shooting too.
Weapons included the .50 Browning Machine Gun, the 7.62 x 54 mmR, the 7.62 x 39 mm, 9 mm, 45 Automatic Colt Pistol, .223/.56 Remington, 300 British, .308 assault rifle and 30-06 weapon. All the firearms and ammunition were privately owned by the collectors and shooters
Before the actual firing began, Range Safety officers and medics briefed the shooters on range policies and procedures.
"All 1934 National Firearms Act rules and regulations apply today on the firing line," said Frank Mihm II, the event coordinator and a National Rifle Association certified pistol instructor.
Prior to the shooters being assigned one of the 10 shooting lanes, they surprised their spouses. They had contacted the local Garden City Chorus, a barber shop quartet, who came out to the range dressed in tuxedos. They presented a red rose and a card, which simply read: "You are the Tracer Fire of my life!" to each spouse.
"The quartet serenaded our spouses with two love songs," said Ron Kazen, the primary medic for the event.
"All the spouses were surprised," said Mary Mihm. "My husband, Frank, gave me a dozen red roses."
Kazen's wife, Songcha, said her husband got down on his knees before her and presented the flowers with tears in his eyes. They have been married 30 years.
After the Valentine Day surprise the range safety officer requested and received a hot time, which allows the weapons to be fired.
"Live shooting took place every 45 minutes with a 15 minute break until 4 p.m.," Frank said. "From 4 to 6 p.m. the range is considered cold with everyone taking a dinner break. Nighttime shooting began at 6 p.m. and continued to 9 p.m."
This semiannual event began 11 years ago with nighttime shooting starting in 2014. "Nighttime shooting worked out great," Frank said. "We use incendiary and tracers."
"Range 16 is an active duty range so we work around the needs of the Soldiers and the Army to arrange the two shooting events," Frank said. "An average 27 shooters come out; but this time we had 25."
"The shooters come from all walks of life," said Mary. "We have engineers, physicians, architects, gun makers, mechanics, wives and daughters, and grandfathers and their sons come out to shoot. Friendships have developed while shooting. It is a good family time."
"We teach youngsters how to shoot these weapons safely," Frank said. "Out here we encourage a very strong safe environment. During the day shooting there's one range safety officer per five shooters and during night shooting we have a range safety officer at each shooting lane."
The range offers hard targets from 700 to 1,865 meters. A tank and storage box located about 800 meters out is one of the targets on the range. There's also a school bus at about 600 to 700 meters out and an armed personnel carrier, located at 640 meters.
During day shooting 86,600 rounds were shot. Kazen, who owns a Romania PSO sniper rifle, took some to shoot. "It is accurate up to 900 meters," he said. "I refurbished a 1943 Russian Mosin Nagang, which I brought six months ago. It shoots accurately up to 700 meters."
"We encourage the public to come out," Kazen said. "If you want to see American War fire power from World War I to the present in action, while being a safe environment, come out to one of these machine gun shooting events. It's a free event for speculators and there are bleachers to sit on. The event will give everyone a realistic understanding what our military fired during the wars."
The next scheduled machine gun fun shoot event is Nov. 7, at Range 16 on Fort Gordon.
Participants must register for each event with the registration window (of three weeks), starting nine weeks in advance of each shoot with a cut off six weeks prior to the shoot thereby, permitting all the required background checks to be completed on each registrant and shooter.
Registration fee is $50 for the November shoot and $100 for the combined day and nighttime shoot, which is held in February. For more information or to register for the upcoming machine gun shooting event, contact Frank Mihm at famihmii@knology.net or call (706) 339-0238.
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