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What ever happened to those great sand pits!

Pilgrims Pride

Pilgrims Pride

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or anywhere else where you could go, be left alone, and shoot till you were cross eyed?
I remember shooting off Rt 80 in Kingston (MA) area.
One day I was out with my old 03A3 and some SSGT from the local
U. S. M. C. reserve unit followed my noise.
I wasn't hard to find.
He says hey Marine where'd you learn to shoot like that!
I'm the Plt Sgt for the STA Plt (sniper plt) with 1/25 down the cape.
I could use a shooter like you!
I thanked him for his offer and kept shooting

That was a great place. Easy 5-600 yd shots or more. No one around (usually) except a dirt bike or two.
Ahhhh the good ole days. Are there any places like this left in MA?
 
Scrivener said:
They are almost all either subdivisions or industrial parks, at least where I am.
Click to expand...

I hear that, I am only 25 and the pits I used to go sledding at are now a Wallyworld, the pit's I used to launch my model rockets at are industrial ( ironicly my dads company moved in to them), and the pit's I used to play baseball in are now houses. [cry]
 
I grew up in Hanson, home of Ocean Spray in those days. We shot in all the bog pits and in the Great Cedar Swamp. When I was a kid, right after the Civil War, population in Hanson was 1700, Halifax was 600. Now Hanson is around 10,000 and Halifax is 6,000. They call it progress.
 
They Still exist up in Maine (and Probably New Hampshire).

I really miss collecting random junk I find on the curb thinking "Man I bet this will be fun to shoot."

I think I'm gonna make a point of going up to Maine and shoot more often!

-Weer'd Beard
 
They still exist....you're just in the wrong part of the state. [lol] [lol] Have several right down the road from us. We also live in the sticks. [lol]
 
MrsWildweasel said:
They still exist....you're just in the wrong part of the state. [lol] [lol] Have several right down the road from us. We also live in the sticks. [lol]
Click to expand...

I call a NES sand pit shoot at the weasels' house!! :D :D
 
We'd have to talk to the farmers that they belong to. We have been concidering it,but then there is also liabilty issues that we are worried about,but it is a possibility.... [lol]
 
Weer'd Beard said:
They Still exist up in Maine (and Probably New Hampshire).
Click to expand...
I grew up in Merrimack, NH and we had these huge sandpits just through the woods where we'd spend all kinds of time causing trouble when we were kids ... When I moved back to NH in '95, I took a drive out there to see the old neighborhood, and sho'nuff ... the sandpits were all condos. [cry]
 
BigWarden said:
Weer'd Beard said:
They Still exist up in Maine (and Probably New Hampshire).
Click to expand...
I grew up in Merrimack, NH and we had these huge sandpits just through the woods where we'd spend all kinds of time causing trouble when we were kids ... When I moved back to NH in '95, I took a drive out there to see the old neighborhood, and sho'nuff ... the sandpits were all condos. [cry]
Click to expand...

[cry] [cry] [cry] [cry]

Well there are several in the South-central parts of Maine (is that a real term for the Sebago Lake Region? 8) )

One of them has a few abandoned cars, and you can't see the sand because of all the spent brass and shotgun shells.

If that ain't a friendly Welcome sign for a gunny, I don't know what is!

Arrrr

-Weer'd Beard
 
I don't know of any here, but my mom lives up in Lebanon, Maine and there's one right down the road from her house. Put a lot of rounds through my Marlin .22 up there. :)
 
If it's out by Hatfields it's all posted now. Unless you join the local ATV club you are not allowed there. That land was cleaned up by the club and in return they were giving exclusive rights to all the land usage. I was under the impression if land was taxed "In Current use" it was open to ALL sportsman? Maybe the law changed, I couldn't tell you. Do you know what street or road your mom lives on? I could tell you if the pit was still open or not. My wife and I own a house off Hubbard Rd. in Lebanon. Nice area. Maybe we can go shooting sometime?
 
There used to be a great sand pit here on N. Broadway, but 13 or so years ago it got developed into a housing development. :( There were a few folks who used to go there to plink....ah....the good old days.
 
ArmedMainer said:
If it's out by Hatfields it's all posted now. Unless you join the local ATV club you are not allowed there. That land was cleaned up by the club and in return they were giving exclusive rights to all the land usage. I was under the impression if land was taxed "In Current use" it was open to ALL sportsman? Maybe the law changed, I couldn't tell you. Do you know what street or road your mom lives on? I could tell you if the pit was still open or not. My wife and I own a house off Hubbard Rd. in Lebanon. Nice area. Maybe we can go shooting sometime?
Click to expand...

I don't think her road has a name. One of those "Rural Route 9" or "Postal Road 323" deals, I believe. [wink]
 
Sparks Pit in Ripton, VT.

The "owner" lets anybody shoot there. You won't any problems, since, YOU own the land (Federal Property, in the Green Mountain National Forest).

Ross has been there, as well as Tank and Mrs Tank.

The down side for a get together is the travel distance.
 
Nickle said:
Sparks Pit in Ripton, VT.

The "owner" lets anybody shoot there. You won't any problems, since, YOU own the land (Federal Property, in the Green Mountain National Forest).

Ross has been there, as well as Tank and Mrs Tank.

The down side for a get together is the travel distance.
Click to expand...

I would be be up for the drive!
 
Used to be a place in Templeton, MA just north of Rt 2. Haven't been out that way for years, but it was a haven for the ATV, dirtbike crowd and had one area where a lot of plinking went on. I remember it being a very busy and popular place.

As for a Road Trip, I might be up for it next year. baby is a wee small for it this year although i can bet you anything he'll be out camping by 6 months. (^_^)
 
Please, no TV's or other stuff that breaks into small pieces at Ripton. Some of the lovals leave awful messes there sometimes, and the Forest Service folks get stuck cleaning up. They're on our side for now, and I want to keep it that way.

Anything you may shoot there, please take it with you after.
 
HEH... Tell them to get a huge dumpster. Then hold a Cleanup where you drag out all the crap in the park, put it on the range, shoot the crap out of it, and then put it all into the dumpster.

I'll bet you can find some old cars, furniture, and other crap lying around.

On a regular outing by my 4WD club back in the late 80's, we'd go into a state forest, have fun on the trails and pull out all the garbage and other stuff we could find. Usually an abandoned car was found that we just piled all the crap into and drag out as one item. Each side got something. The 4WD club got to use some normally off-limits land and the local land manager got a free cleanup that included winch work and other heavy recovery of a vehicle.

(^_^)
 
Actually Chris, that's not correct. They'd just close the pit to everyone for any reason. And it's not that big, and usually not that messed up.

The dumpster would also be misused, mostly by locals that would simply dump their trash in it.

The pit gets picked up frequently enough. I pick up brass about every month or two, and we always pick up our brass when we shoot.
 
IM000250.jpg


20050903-GMM-02-093.jpg


20050903-GMM-03-007.jpg


And, for Ross, a picture of his niece:

20050903-GMM-03-011.jpg
 
I FOUND ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a sand & gravel pit several hundred yards up the road from me.
(No I didn't just discover it)
Anyway on my way home recently I noticed lots of USMC flags and such flyin alover the place.
I got to thinkin there's common ground here. I should stop and introduce myself.

Today I did just that.
Turns out the mans son just graduated PI and is home on leave.
I told some old war stories (which put the boys dad on edge a bit)
We talked for quite awhile and then I asked if they were the owners of the pit.
The man said they are so I asked permission to shoot up in the back.
Permission Granted
 

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