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Shooting for perfection: New pistol range opens on Camp Hansen

USMC News
Story by Cpl. Ryan D. Libbert
Story Identification Number: 200321018513

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan(Feb. 7, 2003) -- Numerous guests were present to witness the recent opening of the new pistol range here.

Col. Kenneth D. Dunn, chief of staff, Marine Corps Base, cut the ribbon marking the grand re-opening of the range.

The new range has several new features compared to the old one, which has stood on the same site since the late 1950s, claimed Gunnery Sgt. Dennis E. Shepherd, range safety officer.

"The range has been completely remodeled," Shepherd said. "The biggest thing that was added to it was an automatic target pulling system. In the past, we've had to pull the targets manually. Now, we do it with the help of a computer program and a pneumatic system."

The pneumatic system for pulling the targets is the first to be used on Okinawa. However, the Marine Corps has been using the system for pistol ranges on other bases for several years now. Hansen's pistol range was the last in the Marine Corps to switch to the pneumatic system.

Other new features include rubber walkways and yard lines. Before all were made of asphalt, now the softer padding will be easier on the shooter's feet.

A new lighting system was also installed so that shooters may fire on the range at any time of day, no matter how dark it gets.

The target system is the biggest change of all. Forty targets are aligned in four separate banks with 10 targets per bank. The computer program allows the controller to turn any 10 targets at any time. This gives range personnel the option to fire 10 shooters at any time they want instead of 40 shooters altogether.

The wall guarding the pits was also replaced by a 10-inch thick combination of rubber padding, four-by-four wood planks and a cement wall. The rubber wall guarding the pits absorbs the shock of bullets fired at it as well as the bullet itself, causing less worries about cleaning up ordinance. Every five years a cleanup crew will come through and suck the rounds out of the rubber wall with a vacuum.

The project for remodeling the pistol range started over six months ago, according to Rey Mare, quality control chief.

"We started the project back in July of 2002," Mare said. "We had a total of 30 Okinawan contractors as well as workers from mainland Japan working on it."

The range opened just in time for the 2003 Far East Division Rifle and Pistol Championship. Competitors started firing Jan. 31, and were the first Marines to fire pistols on the new range.

Even though the range has been remodeled and opened for Marines to train on, Shepherd said that doesn't mean the range hasn't stopped expanding.

"We also plan to make a bigger parking lot leading up to the range," Shepherd added. "Preparations are being made so we can fit five busses, seven 7-ton tactical vehicles, 14 `humvees' and a little over a hundred privately-owned vehicles."

The plans for the future of the range are in the works, but with the recent achievements, the staff couldn't be more pleased.

"I'm very proud for how this turned out," Mare said. "It came out so well that we plan to use this as a model for building other ranges on Okinawa for the other military services here."