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No range time

2K views 25 replies 18 participants last post by  ricochet rabbit 
#1 ·
I went to our local indoor range today and got there at 10:15. Place was packed. At least a 45 minute wait time and only one position for both my wife and I. They charge $20 an hour for each shooter even if you only get one position. I told them we wanted 2 positions as there is no discount for 2 shooters using the same position. Good deal for them as they collect twice the price. Not so good for me. No discount.

We left. I will try again after work tomorrow. They really need more ranges around here.
 
#2 ·
Range that I belong to, Texas Panhandle Pistol Club. only has 8 lanes, open 6 am to 10 pm daily. Weekends are always a bit full, but during the week, there are almost always open lanes. Costs $100 per year for the family. I have been a member for about 11 years now, always go during the week, rarely see anyone during my time. Planning to take a friend on Wednesday who is moving to Kentucky. She has a lot of trouble racking the slide of her Ruger .45, maybe she can shoot my Rossi .357 (.38 really). If so, I'll trade her out of the .45. The stainless Rossi snub will suit her much better.

Present membership approaching 600. Now if we could just keep new shooters from shooting the ceiling.. (no range officer) Members control their own groups.
 
#5 ·
Club membership dues for me are @ $200/year (£175). We have a 50 meter outdoor range that we normally use from 25 meters, and a 100 meter covered firing point. We can shoot small bore or black powder any time during daylight hours if we have gone through and passed the Range Officer course. If not, club members need to have a RO on duty with them. We can shoot full bore rifles on the 100 meter range on designated days when we have lookouts for the "danger area"--where rounds would go if they went over the backstop. We have designated "guest days" once a month when we can bring visitors to shoot. Ummm No, we don't shoot the visitors. We let them shoot our guns.

All in all, we have a reasonably good facility that does what we need. There are other places that do shotgun and clays.
 
#8 ·
The only other option I have is a range closer to the city. It is owned by a bunch of old retired cops. I have had to wait 2 hours to get in that one. During the week there is no problem getting in.

I still work full time so at the end of the day I am ready to supper and rest. I must be getting old.
 
#10 ·
My club is $400 for the initiation fee and $175 a year. To join as a full member its $575 and $175 a year after that. I am a shooting member and that is only $80 a year.

A shooting member only gets to use the trap and sporting clay fields. Full members can use the outdoor pistol range skeet and fish a stocked pond.

I have a hard time justifying the fee as they have no real rifle range (other than 22lr) and you can't shoot magnum handguns. I will probably join after I retire anyway as there are not any better option close by.
 
#12 ·
Here at A LGS/Pawn its $10 and 45 min limit if busy . Another location it is $20 a day and between Members reservation. Years membership is $400 thinking of joining when get a chance. Outdoor WMA Range is free and open Dawn to Dusk , it is jammed with Idiots on weekends that really trash the place. I've only seen a WMA Officer drive through one time in two years to check permits
 
#14 ·
Not wishing to rub it in but.. My club. 12 outdoors pistol/gun bays to 50 yards. 100 yard range with a dozen concrete benches. One 200 yard range with one bench. If you want to lay down in the grass then they can fit another dozen shooters. They are building a 300 or 400 yard range. Various long range (600 yard) events, but the 600 yard range is only for the events. Indoor pistol range for special events and LE training. Trap and skeet area. Various clubs such as muzzle loaders, archery, precision pistol, cowboy, three gun. I'm retired so total cost for my wife and I less than $100.00/year. Shooting allowed between 0930 and dusk. Use your member card to open the gate, go where you want, do what you want. No shooting garbage, no tannerite or tracers. No 'range officers' unless at a special event. Generally have at least one LE outfit (Customs, Border Patrol, SWAT, PD, PD snipers (G) shooting every week day. I don't go during the weekend or holidays so I don't know how crowded it gets. The person in charge of membership says the club has a thousand members or more. Life is good! BWSA.club if you want to check it out..
 
#15 ·
My range is 35 minutes away but there is never any body there but me. Its on the back forty up at the farm. There is a public range about 18 miles away over in Alabama that I went to once but too many people with high-powered rifles and giant egos for me.
 
#16 ·
Good Morning All...Though I've never been to a civilian range I hear so many local
folks speak of the BEN AVERY RANGE here in the Phoenix area ...actually seeming always in a pleasing manner and seem to visit the place often....Chief


Ben Avery Shooting Facility - Arizona Game and Fish

https://www.azgfd.com/shooting/basf/
  1. Cached
Founded in 1957, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, formerly the Black Canyon Shooting Range, is one of the largest publicly operated shooting facilities in the country. Our world-class shooting range is a City of Phoenix Point of Pride. It has received a Five Star rating from the National Association of Shooting Ranges.
 
#17 ·
I feel bad for guys who can't get into the range on their day off. That stinks. It makes me feel fortunate to have my own range on my land. Its a 35 minute drive but its always there for me. I also have a good friend who has a private range about 15 minutes away that has up to 600 yards with a pistol bay also.
If I had to go back to public ranges, I would end up shooting alot less
 
#18 ·
I found a range about an hour and 1/2 or so from here. It is outdoor rifle pistol and shotgun. $30 a day to shoot all day. They are open 9 am to 5 pm.

My pistol shooting has gotten bad since I only get out a few times a year for an hour. I am at my shotgun range every week. I am going to check this range out. soon.
 
#19 ·
I found a range about an hour and 1/2 or so from here. It is outdoor rifle pistol and shotgun. $30 a day to shoot all day. They are open 9 am to 5 pm.

My pistol shooting has gotten bad since I only get out a few times a year for an hour. I am at my shotgun range every week. I am going to check this range out. soon.
I don't know the laws, there where you live George, but can you shoot on public land? $30, or $40 a day for admittance to a range will buy a lot of gas to get you to a public place to shoot.

I bought this place where I live 30 years ago because it's out in the country. I shoot right here at home. The community of Elysian Fields, TX, sports a whopping population of 500 people, no traffic lights at all, and only one stop sign. We do have a post office, and a General store, (that has 2 gas pumps) each in it's own building. There is a three bay car wash, a Methodist Church, and a Capital One bank. If you need more than that, then it's a 30 mile trip to a real grocery store, or hard ware store.
 
#20 ·
My range is about 5-10 minutes from the house. No fees, and only occasionally is someone there. LGS on site. Sherriff lives right next to it so stupidity is kept to a minimum.
 
#22 ·
Shoot well; hope you get right in and it's quiet.
 
#25 ·
What a difference. The place was empty. The wife and I had the one section of the range to ourselves. Might as well give a range report.

1) S&W Victory. 1st time out for this gun. With all the problems I had with this so far I wasn't expecting much. The 1st mag jammed 3 times. 2nd mag ran fine. After the initial problems it worked fine. It is accurate but not as good as my Ruger Mark III.

2) My Beretta 92. I shot 2 mags of 124 grain then 2 mags of 147 grain. Groups were not good. I tried some 124 grain Nato and not a lot better. I ended up running 2 boxes of various ammo. Never did get one good group out of it.

3) My S&W Shield. I always like to run my carry gun when at the range. This little gun is awsome. Very accurate and fun to shoot. This gun will outshoot my Baretta any day. I was starting to think I was just getting old and couldn't get any good groups anymore until I shot this gun.

What I learned today was I shouldn't have bought the S&W Victory as my Ruger Mark III is a better gun. It's ok as I can give it to the wife as she loves the sights. My Beretta 92 must need a barrel or something as I can't get a very good group with it. My S&W Shield is awesome.

The wife shot my Ruger 10-22, her Ruger P95 and my Ruger Mark III. She had a lot of fun. Her P-95 is one of the most accurate center fire pistols we own.
 
#26 ·
I live in West Central Illinois right on the east banks of the Mississloppy river. I shoot at public ranges. There are three close to me and they're all across the river in Missouri. Like many of you I don't go on weekends cause the ranges are busiest, but that's usually 4 or 5 people. All three ranges are owned by Missouri Dept. of Conservation, no RO but never met anyone who was an idiot about shooting. Everybody who shoot at these ranges are courteous, polite and cooperative. I'd like to see public ranges open all over Illinois just like this. Yeah right!
We generally take 4 or 5 guns and have plenty of time to shoot them all.
 
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