Dobbs out on the range
Range attendant makes shooting a snap.
Mike Dobbs has been handling firearms since he was a kid. Now he’s working around them.
He’s the new attendant at the Bella Vista Property Owners Association’s rifle and pistol range on Rocky Dell Hollow Road, on the far western edge of The Highlands.
He’s going to be around on weekends, the whole time the range is open Friday and Saturday, as well as Sunday from noon to close. Fall hours, in effect until Oct. 31, are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
When he’s around, he said, shooters can skip Branchwood and drop right in at the range.
“It’s been great and people are loving it,” he said.
When he isn’t shooting the breeze with those coming out to the range, he said, he’s out keeping it tidy and keeping an eye on shooters to make sure everyone is staying safe.
It’s a good job, he said, because he enjoys who and what he works with. Additionally, he said, he gets to be out surrounded by nature, regularly seeing deer and rabbits in and around the range. And it’s relatively peaceful, he said, aside from the gunshots.
“It’s fantastic out here, it really is,” he said.
He’s already added his own touch, marking 25-, 50- and 75yard lines for target stands on the rifle range, he said, and he’s intending to expand services to include rentals of some shooting tools and offer targets for sale.
He started shooting at 5 or 6 years old, he said, back in the 1950s. It’s been a hobby ever since.
“I loved guns all my life,” he said. “It’s a fun sport.”
It’s also fun, he said, to meet the people who come through.
Centerton resident Kris Weigel came in Friday morning to break in his new Savage .30-06. He appreciated being able to come straight to the range.
It makes it faster, he said, and the range in question is cleaner and friendlier now.
“I love it,” he said. “I’m out on the range in 10 minutes.”
“It’s fantastic out here, it really is.” — Mike Dobbs, Range attendant at Bella Vista POA's rifle and pistol range on Rocky Dell Hollow Road