My visit to the Whittington Center (lots of pics)

[Streetstar]

I inquired about this place right here a few months back

Giving a little photo essay from my trip to the Whittington Center in Raton NM --- a great place and I wanted to share at least a small handful of photos with the group
--- its a great place to visit and I look forward to going again soon


Entrance to the center





Fittingly enough, a Charlton Heston statue astride a horse greets you as you drive in the compound



Still plenty of snow around on the drive to the lodging



The digs are nice, not up to the level of a luxury hotel or anything, but much better than roughing it -- pricing was reasonable as well, but its community housing, basically the common area pictured serves 4 different bedrooms in each big cabin, so you have to get along with people ---- I shared a cabin with a pair of elk hunters, -- if anyone was going to be ill behaved from strong drink, it was going to be me





First mornings breakfast was a good sized beef tenderloin seared in my cast iron pan, with a couple of eggs fried in the grease left behind by the steak


Well rested with a great meal, it was time to hit the range (gratuitous selfie)



I broke out the .22 autoloader to break my shoulder in on the 100 yard pistol silhouette range



Next up was Mr Dan Wesson, results at 100 yards for me and Dan were not great ---- I don't shoot pistols much, and I had never fired this one, but was a great place to break it in --- it was more than up to the task on the 25 yard sight in range and anything within 50 yards is in big big trouble though
--- basically the thing will shoot better than I can

[Streetstar]

Now we are warmed up and its time to break out some big iron

The Ruger 45/70 --- I have not fired this one since acquiring it last February --- I do not know how much I will ever fire it again --- OUCH
It definitely lets you know it is there, --- the recoil is noticeably sharper than my Guide Gun, -- but I made sure it was on at 100 yards and quickly put it back in the scabbard --- darn thing bites on both ends



Unfired until this great day Canadian Centennial 30/30 w/ 26" octagon barrel -- after throwing some lead downrange with the 45/70 #1, my shoulder was admittedly pretty tender, so the crescent buttplate on this one immediately got my attention , - but it was manageable and I was able to take a poke at a few of the 200 yard silhouettes with mixed results (they are little chickens , and are perhaps 8" tall, but are tough to see without fresh paint ) --- but its a 2" rifle with open sights at 100 yards on the sight in range easy enough




pic looking down the barrel on the sight in range


I messed around with my little .45 Carbine a little bit, its a model 94, not a 92 --- its a nice little 50 yard gun, but stock sights weren't up to 100 yards with me shooting




I took my dad's 30/30 out as I had just installed a bullseye Ghost ring type rear sight apparatus -- as well, I just enjoyed shooting my dad's rifle --- the ghost ring is on at 100 yards, --- I didn't do much at the long distance silhouette range with it, -- the silhouettes start at 200 , -- so with this rifle I either need to come back with an optic , or make a trip to an optometrist, -- LOL

But it felt good celebrating his memory by throwing a few bullets downrange in this great place





The M1A got in a lot of action at the silhouette range --- I did not have to mess around with any holdover theatrics with the 7.62, so it was much easier to make the chickens fall --- next time I come back though, this thing will be wearing an optic of some sort





Plate hanging front and center over the high power silhouette range letting you know what you can work up to --- you can see the buffalo pretty clearly in the trees, --- but that I know of, I did not hit it once --- I used my scoped guide gun to try to see if I could rainbow one or 5 in there though

[Streetstar]

This is the view from my cabin at breakfast overlooking the high power range - not a bad sight to wake up to




I would be remiss if I didn't share a few pics of one of my favorite parts of the visit, -- the numerous wildlife sightings -- I didn't get a pic of the turkeys I saw but a couple looked as if they would dress out at 25 lbs easy

----- since I ceased my hunting activities a few years ago, I really miss getting up close and personal with nature --- these critters do not have a care in the world as most folks here are here to shoot paper and steel, --- but they really added to the enjoyment of my visit

this is just a handful of pics - I took more, but basically its just mule deer and speed goats












Another pic to close it out of the cabin --- neat place




Thanks for checking out the pics -- I cant wait to go back

[Chuck 100 yd]

Wow , great pics of your stay there. Looks like fun! Thanks for sharing.

[GunnyMack]

I don't remember the Charlton Heston statue but last time I was there was back in'93 or '94...
Looks about the same from memory.
Wouldnt it be grand to live 20 miles away again like I did!
It's a great place for sure!

[Streetstar]

.
Wouldnt it be grand to live 20 miles away again like I did!
It's a great place for sure!

Yes it would

I believe I would be perpetually broke from expenditures on lead and powder if I lived that close, --- and I would have a small assortment of rifles dedicated to long range shooting to boot

--- I was under-equipped and under-trained for that kind of shooting, --- but I do know , -- the silhouettes I was having trouble with on the bench --- guys shoot them offhand with iron sights all the time

I'm going back with some glass on the M1A, --- some of the levers may get left at home sadly

---

[GunnyMack]

A few of us from Trinidad St Jr College Gumsmiff skool went down to Wittington quite regularly.
Even shot the 1000 yd range a couple times. We got into a bit o trouble for using our belted mags on the silhouette range!

[Sixgun]

What a super post Streetstar! Cool pics.....I really like the crow! .....yea, I'll give you an "A" for the selfie.

What were the temperatures? I've never been there and I thought it was "like desert temps".....man...I got to get out of Pa. a little more.

What was your reasoning for going ....play? Can any NRA member do this? Somehow I always thought that there had to be a match of some sort in order to go there. Thanks for taking the time to post all those pics. I learned somethin' new today.----6

[Terry Murbach]

We were married there on the Field Pistol range at the Shootists Holiday 2001.

And so it goes...

[earlmck]

What a nice tour of "our" place. Thanks for posting that, Streetstar.

[Pitchy]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[Streetstar]

What a super post Streetstar! Cool pics.....I really like the crow! .....yea, I'll give you an "A" for the selfie.

What were the temperatures? I've never been there and I thought it was "like desert temps".....man...I got to get out of Pa. a little more.

What was your reasoning for going ....play? Can any NRA member do this? Somehow I always thought that there had to be a match of some sort in order to go there. Thanks for taking the time to post all those pics. I learned somethin' new today.----6

My reasoning for going? Other than just to shoot ? -- my wife left me back in May after 15 years. I coped with it the only way I knew how, by diving headfirst into work - stayed as busy as I could. (haven't been very active on this forum the last few months as a result )

After a few months of that , I was burnt out, still quite sad, depressed and just needed a quick mini-vacation to recharge --- getting to the mountains is therapeutic for me



its right off 1-25 3 hours straight south of Denver --- If Jr is still in the area there, perhaps you and he can hit it one day

Temps this time of year vary from full blizzard to 50's and 60's --- so I had been watching the weather looking for a short window of opportunity to go

You don't even have to specifically be an NRA member to shoot there, -- it is open to the public but if they are having a match, whichever range they are having the match on will likely be shut down but with access to the rest of the ranges --- I couldn't tell you how many separate shooting ranges there are, but probably 10



I was going to stay and shoot for 3 days, but after I bruised my shoulder with the 45/70, I was faced with the prospect of shooting rimfires, handguns and AR's --- trust me, at this place , shooting a rimfire or a 5.56 AR kind of feels like throwing rocks , I left a little early . My target 10/22 can hit the 200 yard chickens so often it was getting boring, but it wont knock 'em over

It is heavily geared towards silhouette shooting there, but you can shoot for groups on a 200 meter sight in range as well as a high power competition range that has distances out to 1000 in 100 meter increments

They have a neat little museum on site , and from what I've been told, ex military with verification shoot for free

they have a pretty decent website

http://www.nrawc.org/

[Griff]

Been there 6 times over a 5 year period, '90-'94, twice for the NRA Nat'l Championships for BPCRS and four times for the National Shootout for Cowboy action put on by the Old West Shooters Assoc.

Stayed in the housing, trailer park and the primitive campground. During almost every match, you'd better get your reservation in EARLY! I've only been during the summer, days can be hot, but at its altitude, nites can still be cool.

[crs]

Thank you for a great report and pix! +1 on the benefit of getting out into the mountains.

I have hunted cow elk with 86er there(one morning the darn things were out on the rifle range), spent a couple of nights there while enroute to points north and always enjoy the place.

You did not mention the sporting clays range, but if you are a shot gunner, you would enjoy a round or two.

[AmBraCol]

One of my all time favorite places out west. That white buffalo is a real hoot. Mic McPherson helped me get onto it a few years ago. I was shooting my bubba-build Swedish Mauser with standard iron sights, couldn't see where i was hitting. He talked me through the difference between the load they were built for and the lighter bullet hunting load I was shooting. DUH! Using the 1,000 meter setting I was shooting a mile high over the thing. Once I dialed it down (850 meter setting, IIRC) hitting the buffalo got boring. Those rifles can SHOOT! The chickens are a hoot with a handgun, if you can judge the holdover correctly. Last time I was there it was too wet to spot misses so wasn't able to try anything further out. It's a great place and if you can go with friends it's even better.

[Old No7]

Very nice pix, with good commentary too.

Thanks for sharing!

Old No7

[flightsimmer]

I gotta go to work but I'll be back later and share my experience there at the center.

OK, I'm back.

About two decades back I and a friend of mine flew out to Raton, NM in my Beechcraft and spent a whole week there.
I was loaded to capacity with all kinds of guns and ammo, try doing that now days!
Anyway, it was the best week of my life.

We rented a car to get around and to transport all the weapons, ammo and personal items.
We had the whole place to ourselves, it was the middle of September and not much going on.
We got one of the large buildings, I forget what they called them, it wasn't one of the cabins, very roomy with a full kitchen, I think they call it a lodge.

One night after we retired we heard a loud squealing outside the window so I got out my night vision scope, it was pitch black outside and low and behold it was a heard of Elk passing by. There were deer and I think they call them Antelope everywhere and yes, snakes.

There were 12 different shooting ranges back then for pistol, center fire rifle, black powder. 1000 yard high power rifle and yes I shot the white steel Buffalo up on the hill at the rifle steel silhouette range. We thought we were in Heaven.

I took the plane up to look the whole place over, it's about 10 miles wide and 20 miles deep with hunting trips when in season.
Oh, I'd love to go back again but Homeland security would have me locked up nowadays.

You gotta go and see it for yourself, you'll never regret it.

[Mike Armstrong]

Thanks for the neat posting! Glad to see our dues go for such a great place.

I sympathize about your Ruger No. 1. Got one thru a small "trailer park" dealer back in the late 1970s. Fortunately it arrived when I was at his home and I got to open the factory box. He later confessed to me that if HE'D seen it without me there, I would never have seen that particular one--the wood is downright edible lookin'!

Sighted it in (OWWWW!) with factory 405s. Then tried 300 gr. Still not a gun for much range shooting, by me anyway, and I wasn't much interested in elk at that time since the elk season and the bird season ran concurrently and I could get a load of chukars, huns, quail, and phez in half a day 5 miles from town, instead of having to drive a hundred miles and stay overnight, at least, for a bull.

Finally, after that beauty sat in my safe for three years, I swapped the beautiful buttstock wood onto a new 1-A .243, sold the resulting plain-stocked .45-70 to a more recoil-tolerant shooter, and still shoot the .243 all the time. Killed deer and pigs with it since then, plus a passle of 'yotes.