New range keeps soldiers in form

Brig. Gen. Ronald Bouchard was among the first to brush up on his marksmanship Monday at Fort Gordon's newly revamped pistol range on North Range Road.

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"Pop-up targets make it more difficult," said Bouchard, Fort Gordon's deputy commander, who fired several rounds from a standard Army issue 9 mm handgun after Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

During the past 12 months, the plot of land at Range 2 has undergone extensive renovations to accommodate the new 15-lane combat pistol qualification range. The automated system is an improvement over the former stationary target system, Bouchard said.

"This will help soldiers," he said.

The new range is equipped with a computerized scoring system to provide the shooter instant feedback.

"This is state of the art," the Bouchard said. "It is the best in the Army."

Not only will the troops be using the new site but other law enforcement organizations such as the FBI also will be able to use the training area.

The pistol range is the first of two new ranges on the post. Range 9 will be transformed into an M-16 training site during the next few months.