Shooting in Vernonia

[Scoots]

Does anyone know about "The Sword Place" in Vernonia?

I've never been there, so I don't know much about the place. All I know is that it is on private property, across the Nehalem River from downtown Vernonia, and about 4 blocks from the Buckhorn Restaurant & Pub - great selection of beer and GREAT sandwiches!!!

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.85503,-123.19222&z=16&t=h&hl=en

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[Sun195]

If you're out in Vernonia, you might also look up Murray Carter. He makes some great Japanese-style knives. Maybe some of the sharpest knives out there. Not sure if he give tours of his shop, but he's a pretty nice guy, so he just might offer that.

 

[CharlesAFerg]

That doesn't look like a shooting area, where can you shoot? Somebody please pinpoint.

 

[CharlesAFerg]

If you're out in Vernonia, you might also look up Murray Carter. He makes some great Japanese-style knives. Maybe some of the sharpest knives out there. Not sure if he give tours of his shop, but he's a pretty nice guy, so he just might offer that.

Do you know him? You might want to mention...

"I speak Japanese fluently and can ready fairly well. I think that it would have been impossible to understand the "essence" of Japanese bladesmithing without the language ability and I am very thankful for it."
Run on.
I may be picky about grammar, but I just want to help him out because he runs a local business. It's a business website, it's better to be correct.

 

[ZeroRing]

Looks more like a Christmas tree farm... but if it's private property and you shoot AWAY from town it's probably fine??

 

[wakeadrian]

A close family friend lives right down the road, and we've gone up there a couple times to shoot now. The guy seems pretty nice. He has a bench and rest you can use there. I think it's a 100 yd shot. Good for sighting in, not necessarily for plinking or anything like that though.

I can't figure out how to mark it on the map to leave another link, but when you click the link, the house that the map is centered on is where it is. Look at Sword Pl. and zoom in just under the river. His bench is the little covered area right across that little road from his house.

I hope this in some way helps

 

[gunnoob75]

Also has spotting scopes and targets and stuff available for use.

All that is asked is in the donation jar. Not mandatory.

Definitely more for sighting in, but we go there to test our loads as well. Or just shoot at some targets, either way. Target is exactly 100 yards from the bench. Backstop is a big steep hill. Like, a wall of earth. No worries what's beyond.

There's a dog that likes to be friendly; Just make sure you shoo it away to go back home.

Great place for test and tune. The old guy who owns it drives around on his tractor a little working. -GREAT- guy. His tractor never goes down range, but it does go along side of it (kind of.) I held fire while he was there working, even though he was pretty much directly to my side, not in front, and he yelled out that he was fine, don't worry about him. I didn't keep firing, and waited for him to be finished. But still; A very nice man.

 

[wakeadrian]

Yeah, what he said

 

[CharlesAFerg]

Also has spotting scopes and targets and stuff available for use.

All that is asked is in the donation jar. Not mandatory.

Definitely more for sighting in, but we go there to test our loads as well. Or just shoot at some targets, either way. Target is exactly 100 yards from the bench. Backstop is a big steep hill. Like, a wall of earth. No worries what's beyond.

There's a dog that likes to be friendly; Just make sure you shoo it away to go back home.

Great place for test and tune. The old guy who owns it drives around on his tractor a little working. -GREAT- guy. His tractor never goes down range, but it does go along side of it (kind of.) I held fire while he was there working, even though he was pretty much directly to my side, not in front, and he yelled out that he was fine, don't worry about him. I didn't keep firing, and waited for him to be finished. But still; A very nice man.

Wow.
This is good to hear, that somebody still does this.

 

[ZeroRing]

Yeah so make sure to be generous in the donation jar and clean up after yourself when you're done for the day.

 

[Scoots]

Thanks for the replies about the "Sword Place". :yes:

I had heard that there was a place to shoot just outside of Vernonia, but no one I knew had any details on where it was.

Sounds like it would be the perfect spot to warm up the suppressor!

 

[Inspector]

No... but I work with a guy that got shot at just outside of Vernonia... That town comes up alot for me. I grew up in St. Helens and left in 83' when I was 18 and have lived in and around Seattle ever since.

When I was in high school I hunted deer around Vernonia and did some trout fishing as well. Fast forward to 1993 and I found out that the guy I was working for had parents living in Vernonia...

That was around the time I met my current wife... Several years later I find out that her grandparents helped to found Vernonia.

Skip to late 2008 and I find myself working with a guy that lived near Vernonia and worked in a sawmill for about a year in 2001. During that time someone mistook him in his truck for somebody else and proceeded to shoot at him (while chasing him) with their 9mm.

Little did they know, he had a CCW and was packing a Desert Eagle .50. He emptied the clip and they backed off. Long story but it didn't end there.

Witnesses called the cops and both parties lost their guns. The attackers were arrested (they had other warrants as well) and the guy had to wait 6 months to get his .50 back. He had 3 holes in the cab of his Ranger.

The story came up because he and his girlfriend had an attempted break in at their apartment just before Christmas. After the incident in Vernonia he had let his permit expire and made the decision to leave all of his guns at a relatives. He goes to Oregon to visit and shoots them from time to time, but that incident shook him up so bad he didn't want to have his guns around.

Anyway, he's still considering bringing one of his pistols home. The guy that tried to break in was banging the door with his head, trying to smash (drugs or a nut job!) his way through. They were home at the time and his girfriend was pretty shook up.

 

[pr787lv]

Good to know! Been wondering about The Sword Pl for a long time. never got solid word about, not like this.

You may also try Johnson Rd. Good for handguns, rimfire & 30-30. Last time I noticed signs forbidding shooting and other activities but the specified areas are managed by the OR BLM and should be legal to shoot. Go at your own risk. Careful, some areas are private land, thus, not legal to shoot, although folks do anyway.

Clean up after yourself, please!

 

[nwwoodsman]

I like what Sword does at his place, but please please please be careful if you go. There's a park and playground less than 200 yards from his bench and all it takes is one #$&@ up.
There are lots of logging roads a person can go shooting on around Vernonia. Just pick one and drive until you find a spot. I've never had any problems finding a place to shoot. Just pick up when yer done

 

[nwwoodsman]

Looks more like a Christmas tree farm... but if it's private property and you shoot AWAY from town it's probably fine??

It is a Christmas tree farm. And there is a park directly across the river and behind the shooting lane. Love to hear people shoot away when I take my kids to the play ground. He has the shooting lane going through a patch of 15ish year old reprod. Shooting scopes, sand bags, targets, the whole deal. Just drop a few bucks in the can when you're done

 

[Pukwudji]

We just started full-timing in an RV and are staying in that park for a couple months. I love the sounds coming from across the river. Going to pick up some rounds this weekend and head over and check it out.

 

[gunnoob75]

Wha'cha shootin'!?

 

[Pukwudji]

.357m/.38sp, 30-06, 45acp, and .22. I might ask him about setting up an archery target when I see him too.