MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- It is often said, every Marine is a rifleman. However, many Marines only get a chance to shoot only once a year when they qualify with the M-16A2 service rifle. This may not be enough to satisfy the warrior marksman within them.

Station Marines can rest assured because Adair Park shooting range may be just what they are looking for if they enjoy shooting their personal firearms, said Cpl. Jesse D. Spurgeon, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron communications technician.

The park is approximately 14 miles east of the station on Highway 95 and is the only out-door range in the state that does not charge the general public to shoot, said Rony Gissendaner, Adair Park president.

Adair Park offers a wide variety of ranges, consisting of the 1,000-yard big-bore, shotgun trap and skeet, steel silhouette target, black powder, small bore, archery and law-enforcement range.

The 1,000-yard range has target carriages for competition shooting. It has a solid berm and counter-weighted carriages with regular competition target frames, similar to those used on Marine Corps installations.

The steel-silhouette range has thick steel-plate targets at distances of 100, 150, 200, 300 and 500 yards.

"I feel that (Adair Park is) a lot safer place to shoot than the area off of County Nineteen,” added Spurgeon. “People don't walk around in the area at all and the ricochet danger is minimal provided good shooting discipline is followed. People using that range are also good about picking up their litter if they do shoot up targets, which adds to the whole well-groomed image of the range."

There are several basic guidelines which shooters must also follow at Adair Park, said Gissendaner. Because there is no range warden, shooters must coordinate with each other when to cease fire if they want to go down range. Shooting dangerous objects such as glass, televisions and batteries is prohibited. Shotguns can only be fired at the shotgun range. Also, the range is operational only during daylight hours.

Because of the rules, the shooting can be safe and enjoyable, said Lance Cpl. Jonathan T. Hicks, Search and Rescue crew chief.

“It’s a good place to kick back and enjoy shooting without the pressure of shooting for a score,” said Hicks, a Mission Viejo, Calif., native.

Spurgeon said he visits the range frequently to shoot his collection of firearms for pleasure, marksmanship and honing his weapons familiarity.

“I like to be able to use different weapons –– handguns, shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and bolt action rifles –– to increase my all-around familiarity with weapons in general and just to make myself a well-rounded shooter,” said Spurgeon. “By concentrating on good habits, it definitely carries over to the qualification range, because basics remain the same with any weapon.

“A box of five-point-five six-millimeter ammunition costs just about the same as a six-pack of beer, but beer can't increase your accuracy,” he added

"(Practicing here) does nothing but facilitate what they're trying to learn," agreed Gissendaner. "The more shooting they can do in their line of work, the better off they will be in the field."

For more information about Adair Park and affiliated shooting clubs, contact Gissendaner at 726-0022.