AGFC shooting range reopens 

MAYFLOWER — The range is hot once again at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Fiocchi Shooting Sports Complex after a brief closure to update range infrastructure and perform repairs.

According to Bill Haynes, facility manager at the range, most visitors won’t notice a lot of the work that was done. Still, it was essential to improve or repair a few features to increase safety at the range even more than it was.

“We added two 60-foot ballistic coverings to the sides of the instructor-led programs range,” Haynes said. “They are over the previous concrete wall to protect from possible ricochets in the event of an errant shot.”

A  berm-top baffle wall at the public pistol range was rebuilt to help contain possible accidental discharges.

“We always look for every little thing you can do to improve safety, no matter how remote the chances are of needing it,” Haynes said. “If it’s a one-in-a-million chance of something happening, we still need to address it when public safety is concerned.”

Haynes says the repair to the “no blue sky” baffles close to the rifle range shooting stations is a good example of the need to be overly cautious.

“Those baffles are well above any line of fire a person would take when sighting in or shooting at the rifle range, but they still saw some damage over the years since they were installed,” Haynes said. “We made repairs to those while the range was down as well.”

The lobby of the range house also saw some small improvements, including updates to the floor coverings and signs along with the replacement of one of the facility’s two heating and air conditioning units.

“These projects aren’t ushering in anything new or grand,” Haynes said. “Just updating some range features and safety structures in need of new life.”

The updates were made possible by the Wildlife Restoration Program, which collects excise taxes from firearms and ammunition manufacturers on sales of their products nationwide. The project cost roughly $120,000, of which $75,000 will be reimbursed by WRP.

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CUTLINES:

RIFLE RANGE IN USE
The AGFC’s Fiocchi Shooting Sports Complex in Mayflower is again open after a brief closure for upgrades and repairs. AGFC photo by Mike Wintroath. 

REPAIRED BAFFLES
Although out of the typical line of fire, baffles at the facility’s ranges have caught enough errant shots over the years that AGFC staff felt the need to make repairs to these critical safety features. AGFC photo by Bill Haynes.