Club Rules

Fredericksburg Rod & Gun Club, Inc.

Club Rules & General Information (As Adopted 5/25/2023)

SHOOTING HOURS: 8AM - 10PM, YEAR-ROUND

General Information:

When bringing guests – spouse, children, etc. – the member must accompany them at all times. Your Club ID badge must be worn anytime you are on the Rifle, Pistol, Skeet or Trap Fields. It is not required at non-shooting social gatherings.

Members are allowed to bring guests to the ranges, remembering they must be under their direct control and responsibility. Skeet / Trap fields are limited to a total of 4 guests at a time and Rifle / Pistol fields are limited to three guests at a time. This does not apply to direct family members, but is suggested.
Any member bringing family or guest(s) to the area of, and/or on the fields shall be responsible for them, ensuring they follow all Club rules. All children, guests and spectators not shooting or being schooled, will remain behind the rope barriers.
All ranges require eye and hearing protection for shooters. Spectators are required to have eye protection, and are suggested to have hearing protection.

The Fredericksburg Rod and Gun Club, Inc. is primarily maintained by service contracts. However, you may be asked to volunteer in order to maintain or improve the Club.

All areas of the Club are available for appropriate membership use. However, at times when the Club is rented, membership usage may be restricted as indicated in the rental agreement. Please refer to following rental agreement to further clarify the appropriate use of Club grounds. Rifle / Pistol and Shotgun ranges may not be rented or reserved except for sanctioned shoots.
Members may rent the Club and covered grounds upon formal request. Rental agreements may be obtained on the website under the “Rental” tab. Club rental dates are managed by the Board of Directors. Members use of the Skeet / Trap fields and Rifle / Pistol ranges are normally acceptable unless it interferes with a specific rental agreement or registered / sanctioned shoots. Respect the rights of the member renting the Club, as you would want your rights respected if you were the renter.

Absolutely no hunting on Club property is allowed. Wildlife management is the sole responsibility of the Board of Directors.

This Club is for the approved members. If you see anyone violating any of the rules and responsibilities as set forth in this document, it is your right and obligation to challenge the offender if conditions are considered safe. If the offender is a guest, the sponsoring member shall also be advised and implicated. If the challenge is not accepted properly and complied with by the offender, it is requested that the Board of Directors be informed so appropriate action can be taken. Please provide the Board with date, names, details of the offense, and your action.

As per above, any offense considered a safety violation will be acted upon by the Board of Directors and may result in revocation of membership. This is nonnegotiable.

It is the member's obligation to keep the Club informed about any changes to your contact information. If you move, change email address or phone information, it is mandatory that you inform us. Failure to notify the Club could result in you not receiving important and timely information or dues invoices.

Clubhouse Rules:

The Clubhouse is a smoke-free environment! No smoking or vaping is allowed in the Clubhouse at anytime.

After use of the Clubhouse – in which doors are unlocked – by a member, it is the responsibility of that member to lock the building when finished. If that member is finished but other members are around, this responsibility may be transferred to a member remaining. Do not assume that the transfer of responsibility is happening. Communicate with the other member(s) so they are aware of the responsibility. If you are unsure of transfer of responsibility, relock the Clubhouse.

If you use the Clubhouse for any reason (this includes setting up chairs and tables), it is your responsibility to put things back when your activity is completed. The Club equipment such as barbecue grills, kitchen facilities, etc. are available for membership use during rentals or for family use. It is your responsibility to clean up after use; this includes sweeping and mopping floors as needed. Any organized meeting or gathering must be scheduled in advance with the Board of Directors. At no charge, associate members may have up to 25 people and stockholders may have up to 35 people.

The bathrooms are heated during the winter. The doors to both bathrooms must be kept closed at all times to keep the heat in.

Skeet and Trap Ranges:

The Club has ten skeet fields and two trap fields. There are instructions for the operation of the skeet machines inside every skeet house! The sequence shall be to open the window and plug the machine in. Follow the instructions placed inside the house... shutting down the house is the exact reverse. Ask if you are unsure.

Eye and hearing protection are mandatory and must be worn by everyone on the Skeet/Trap fields. It is recommended that eye protection be worn even when watching because of deflected pellets and clay target chips, which may project outside of the field area.

When you shoot a round of skeet and trap, you may pay by the honor system. The record book is kept inside the Clubhouse. It contains a sheet for you to record your name, date, number of rounds shot, and total cost for tracking purposes. Members are required to pay their bill by the end of each quarter or when the total reaches $100.00. You may deposit your check and sheet covering the period in the black money box adjacent to the brick fireplace or mail the sheet with check payable to: FRGC, P.O. Box 418, Fredericksburg, VA 22404.

Skeet and trap are shot with shot sizes ranging from 7 ½ to 9. Ammunition shot size larger than 7 ½ is not permitted on the skeet or trap fields. Additionally, ammunition will not exceed a shot load of 1 1/8 oz. rated with ‘target ammunition’ velocity ranges, i.e., 1,100 to 1,250 feet per second. Any 12-gauge gun, or smaller gauge gun may be used for skeet or trap. Patterning your shotgun will only be done on the Rifle / Pistol range. At no time will shots be fired from any location on the skeet or trap fields from outside regulation shooting area.

When shooting skeet or trap, guns shall not be loaded until the shooter is standing within the borders of the skeet or trap shooting station. Putting a shell in any part of the gun is considered loading. The loaded gun shall always be kept pointed in a safe direction which will not endanger other shooters or spectators. When not on a shooting station, the shooter will carry their gun unloaded with the breech clearly visible in the open position. When a shooter is on a shooting station ready to shoot, and a delay occurs (such as an equipment breakdown) the gun shall be unloaded with the breech open and clearly visible until the malfunction is corrected and shooting resumes. Loading of more than two shells in a gun is not permitted at any time on the skeet or trap fields.

Members are responsible for opening and closing the skeet and trap houses. Members may not give the lock combination to a guest or non-member. After shooting is completed, the member is responsible for: fully reloading the skeet and trap machines; removing empty boxes from the houses and grounds; breaking them down and placing them in the Club garbage dumpster; picking up all trash and empty hulls on the ground. In no circumstance will empty hulls be left on the ground.

If targets are required in the skeet or trap house, the member will not remove targets from other houses. Targets will be obtained from the metal target shed located immediately behind the skeet and trap fields – these are accessed via the shed overhead door which is kept unlocked. Afterwards, the overhead door will be returned to the closed position. If you see anyone removing targets from the Club property, please obtain their name and/or vehicle tag and notify either the Skeet or Trap Chairman and/or a Board Member immediately.

The skeet and trap machines are dangerous if misused. Only members are allowed inside the skeet or trap houses. If a machine breaks or malfunctions while in use, shut the machine off, release the cocking arm and close the field down as indicated above. Then, notify the Skeet or Trap Chairman, or send a text notification message to the phone number(s) stated on the dry erase board inside the Clubhouse. It is important to notify someone so the malfunction or broken machine may be repaired quickly, avoiding any safety threat to other members.

The skeet release cord is located inside the skeet low house on each skeet field. The trap release cord is located inside the trap houses. The machine connection for the release cords are located on a post outside at ground level, in the center of the field being used.

At no time will a shooter handle or touch another shooters’ gun on the skeet or trap field(s) without the gun owner’s permission.

Rifle & Pistol Ranges:

Absolutely no 50 BMG, or any derivative wildcat of the 50 BMG parent case may be discharged on FRGC property at any time, by anyone, for any reason.

No full auto, select fire auto (when used in other than semi automatic mode). No firearms equipped with any device such as bump stock, binary trigger, “Rare Breed” or similar mechanical trigger device that allows said firearm to approach the rate of fire of any fully automatic weapon. Discharge of such firearm, on Club property, by anyone, member or guest, will result in immediate loss of membership for that member.

Treat all firearms as if they are loaded. Keep your finger off of the trigger until the sights are aligned with the target. All firearms must be cased, holstered, or have the action open except when on a “hot” firing line. No firearms may be handled during a cease-fire period, or when anyone is forward of the firing line. No one may proceed down range unless all shooters for that range have agreed to a cease-fire period. If you arrive while people are down range, you must wait to handle any firearm or even remove a cased firearm from your vehicle until the other shooters return to the firing line. The 50-yard range is independent of the 100–200-yard range. The lower 25-yard range, and pistol Bays 1 & 2 are independent of the 100/200- and 50-yard ranges. Safety shall always come first. In any situation where safety is in question, an immediate cease-fire must be called.

The metallic ranges (Bays 1 & 2) have special restrictions. Absolutely no rifles over the caliber of .22 rimfire are allowed on either bay one or two, not even to test fire a rifle. No center fire rifles, handguns firing magnum loads or center fire rifle cartridges, black powder rifles or shotguns firing buckshot, slugs or shot larger than 7 1/2. Pistol caliber carbines are allowed. o If you damage the plate rack, you are responsible for the replacement of the plate rack.

Metallic targets on the 100–200-yard rifle ranges may be shot with center fire rifles with less than 3000 fps. projectiles. The shooting of the frames or bolts on metallic targets is a safety violation. Violations will make member or guest subject to disciplinary action or loss of membership.

Only targets on target stands may be shot. Frangible targets are acceptable, provided the shooter cleans up all of the resulting debris. The Club-owned target stand framing must never be shot.

Targets must be placed so that all rounds fired impact the center area of the backstop berm (between knee height and head height). Firing rounds at the range floor or over the backstop berm is unsafe and against FRGCI policy. There is to be no shooting of targets on the range floor. Targets like skeet birds may be placed directly on the berm at proper height.

As per other ranges, courtesy toward other shooters must be practiced at all times. Any request for a cease-fire period must be granted in a timely manner. Everyone on the range, shooters and spectators alike, must wear eye and ear protection. Trash must be placed in containers or dumpster. Leave the range cleaner than you found it. Dispose of your targets in the trash cans.

Rim-Fire Only Range:

The Club’s Rim-Fire Only range is meant for 22 Long Rifle, maximum – no Magnums – and Air Rifles up to 25 caliber. No center-fire cartridge firearm, shotgun or muzzle loader of any description, may be fired at anytime, by anyone, under any circumstance on the Rim-Fire range.

All shooting will be from the shooting bench area. Standing, bench top and prone shooting positions are allowed as long as bullet impact is on the back berm area no higher that eye height.

All spent brass will be swept up and placed in the trash can. Spent brass is a safety concern, causing slip and fall conditions and lacerations.

No shooter shall go down range until a cease fire has been agreed to.

Removal of all non-metallic targets is required.

Shooting Events and Activities:

The Club hosts two to four major skeet shoots each year. These shoots are registered with the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) and shooters are required to be members of the NSSA to participate. A pistol match is held the first Saturday and Sunday of most months, March through November.

Preparation for these events requires a good amount of volunteer work. The work relative to skeet includes grounds, targets, cleaning houses, machines and generally putting the Club and its facilities in top order. With the exception of skeet specific items, the pistol matches require the same type of preparation and member support.

Please contact the appropriate Chairperson or Board member with any questions or concerns that you may have. The current Board of Directors email addresses and phone numbers are listed on the Club website under the Directors tab.

Safety Concerns of Frequent Nature:

Note that as part of your annual renewal, you will be signing a Hold Harmless Agreement and that you will abide by all Club safety rules and regulations. When it comes to safety, there are no excuses. It is everyone's responsibility.

When the electronic gate is locked in the open position for an event or is inoperable, always scan your gate card when entering and leaving in order to maintain a log of who’s on the Club property.

When you are beyond the rope between the Club house and skeet fields or “down the hill” behind or on the ranges, you are in the shot drop area and eye protection is mandatory. Safety first. The lower ponds are in the shot drop area; eye protection is required 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain 100% safety while on and off the range. In any situation where safety is in question, an immediate cease-fire must be called. Once the issue is corrected and all parties have come to a mutual agreement, shooting may resume.

Final Note:

Each individual member will be given a copy of the rules, and rules shall be placed in the Clubhouse and on the Club website. Every five years, members must attend the Safety & Orientation Class. Any time there is a question on the rules, contact a current Board Member of The Fredericksburg Rod & Gun Club, Inc.