Range Day 2022
May 21st was Bear Creek Arsenal’s 2nd annual range day which went off without a hitch. Thanks to Lee County Wildlife Club for providing the range and for all their members for joining us. We were privileged and honored to be able to host this event along with the Wildlife Club again this year.
Our guests were members of the Lee County Wildlife Club and other individuals Bear Creek Arsenal has had the honor of working with. These include Brian Estes, the newly appointed Sheriff in Lee County, Charlie Johnson, range day contest winner and proud BCA fan, and Chris Douglas of Carolina All-Out.
Brian Estes is currently the appointed sheriff of Lee County. He is running in the next election for the position.
To help promote Range Day, Bear Creek held a nationwide contest with the top prize being an all-expenses paid trip for two to the event. The lucky Range Day contest winner was Charlie Johnson of Springfield, Missouri. Charlie brought his lovely wife Elizabeth who is also an avid shooter. A raffle was held where the guns used in the shoot were donated. In addition to winning the contest, Charlie won the top prize in the raffle: a Magnum Research BFR revolver in .350 Legend caliber. Several suggested Charlie was on such a lucky streak he should immediately buy a lottery ticket!!!
Chris Douglas is the host and creator of Carolina All-Out, a T.V. series that presents hunting and fishing programs filmed exclusively in North Carolina. In the next series Chris will be featuring Bear Creek Arsenal AR platform guns in several programs. With 15 calibers to choose from, Chris can easily match one with whatever game he is pursuing.
The first event was the “FUN SHOOT” where participants were given tickets to shoot 5 rounds in each of the calibers Bear Creek featured at the event: .22 magnum, 5.56, .300 Blackout, 9mm, 7.62 x 39, .450 Bushmaster, and 12.7 x 42. Several shooters wisely traded their .450 and 12.7×42 tickets for lighter recoiling calibers, this writer included! Bear Creek also demonstrated their newest prototype: a 9mm handgun which performed flawlessly. This will be available for purchase in the near future.
The next event was a 100-yard rifle competition which included some of BCA’s employees. The winners of the event are as follows. We were extremely impressed with their exceptional shooting.
| Adult Division | Youth Division | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Karen Jackson | Ashley Nikki Ragland |
| 2nd | Matthew Godley | Matt Kidd |
| 3rd | Bryan Ragland | Tommy Lineberry |
A comparison was held of sound reduction from a suppressed pistol in a .300 blackout with the same pistol and caliber shot without a suppressor. The audience was amazed at the difference. They also eagerly awaited the chance to shoot one of our fully automatic rifles. The winners that got to shoot this thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Some of the shooters had not fired a full-auto weapon since being in the military and for some, this was their very first time. We must give a huge thank you to the technical team for facilitating this and for ensuring safety all around.
Overall, this event was hugely successful, and we are truly appreciative of the participants and the efforts made by the team at Bear Creek Arsenal. A wonderful day was had by all, and we are very excited for the next year’s event!
