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gun ranges

2K views 18 replies 18 participants last post by  Driverdan 
#1 ·
many threads here about ranges closing or simi-closing, or, or.....
some of us are very lucky in that we can shoot on our own property. if you in your retirement plan to relocate this option should be considered. if this is not the case for you now, think about burning powder in your back yard today. a major stress reliever. also the glue that holds the marriage together. we are at a time we have not seen before, may see again. who knows? part of being a gun guy is shooting. see where i am going with this? just my thoughts for what ever you payed for them.

rick
 
#2 ·
I love that I can walk to my back yard and shoot when I get the hankering. The range near me which opened a couple years ago gets $10/hour for pistol and rifle 100 yard range and $20/hour for 200 yard rifle. I cant even figure how much money I would have spent. Glad my folks bought the property back in 78.
Then in the 80's grandparents bought 30+ in north part of the state which went to my dad several years ago and is now between my brothers and I. I have set up a 300 yard lane so far, hoping to get it to 400 with some work.
 
#3 ·
My local range is my 100 acres out my back door.. ! My grandson (17 years old) was over Sunday before last, and I taught him to reload 100 rounds of 45 Colt. Then we went out the back door and I let him shoot half of them through my Ruger. He then got lessons on cleaning a revolver. It was a good Sunday!(Now with the hunkering down due to Covid, we probably won't do that again for a while....sadly..)
 
#5 ·
What Rick said should be a consideration, I think, if possible. Because of work and a hundred other reasons it isn't always able to be a consideration. Owning at least SOME land has always been one of the criteria for a home since the wife and I got married and, we've always owned enough I could have at least 100 yards. The sole exception was when we lived in Wyoming. Didn't matter then. Our house was less than a mile from alllllll that Bridger Natl. Forest. Heck of that was so much of the forest was inaccessible during the winter except by sled. Never really liked hauling much on mine but we would get out and shoot a few times during the winter.
 
#6 ·
My pistol range is open, only crowd would be on a weekend, when all the working stiffs have time to pop a few caps. All members have a key to the gate and a magnetic type security key to the door of the range, no safety officer, every member assumes that responsibility. I pay $85/year, and try to go almost every week during summer. With the present slowdown, I may be back on the range more often, with a grandson or two, maybe even 3...Membership does require refresher safety training before renewal, still have too many meat heads think that it's OK for them to bring their friends ($5 a pop, required to pass the written safety test) but there are way too many stray hits on everything but the backstop. We did install a video backup, and that helped, but still have few who still allow their kids/guests to blaze away with no regard for the damage that they do to the place. It usually only happens when there are no other members present, sometimes we do manage to track down the culprits from the video evidence.
 
#8 ·
I have a small range in my yard about 60 yds that I use quite a bit, I don't have a lot of property only about 2 1/2 acres. I have a pistol range about 10m min from me, they charge $10 an hour, but they dont allow reloads and I reload everything I shoot. The good news is they don't pay attention so I shoot there once in a while, I like shooting the steel targets. I have 100 yd range available for free but I have to drive 1/2 hr to get there but it gets busy and it can be tough to get table.
 
#12 · (Edited)
About 25 minutes from the house North of Las Vegas.The local county range is closed right now but that's $9.00 for all day.
Sky Road Natural environment Windscreen wiper Automotive exterior

Now around that mountain ahead to the left.
Vehicle Car Natural environment Automotive tire Compact sport utility vehicle

Theres a sign when you pull in for shooters pick up your shells and basically don't leave a mess but people still shoot old TV's etc.etc.and still make a mess.
I hope that doen't leed to this area ever being shut down.I like the freedom of shooting in such a large open area like this.
 
#16 ·
About 25 minutes from the house North of Las Vegas.The local county range is closed right now but that's $9.00 for all day.
View attachment 211596
Now around that mountain ahead to the left.
View attachment 211598
Theres a sign when you pull in for shooters pick up your shells and basically don't leave a mess but people still shoot old TV's etc.etc.and still make a mess.
I hope that doen't leed to this area ever being shut down.I like the freedom of shooting in such a large open area like this.
One thing to do to help insure that range doesn't get closer down is to take more debris than you bring when you leave. You don't have to go crazy but take some, then encourage your buddies to do the same. Once in a while take your pu if you have One and take some of the larger stuff and take it to the dump. A small investment if it helps keep access to a good shooting range open.
 
#13 ·
flyingtiger85, We used to shoot on state trust land just North of Phoenix/Glendale years ago. It was very much like the area shown in your photo, and did finally get shut down due to the trash shooters left. A group of us cleaned it up and applied to the state for a recreational use permit. Believe it or not we got it, along with state issued cards allowing us to be there,etc. The County Sheriff started arresting shooters for trespassing when they continued to shoot in the area, saw them loading some up myself. Two Sheriffs units saw my girlfriend and I shooting in the area, and swooped in to arrest us. Deputies said we were the only people they'd come across who actually had a permit to be there. Happy to say we didn't go to jail that day. It would have jeopardized our employment big time if we'd been arrested.

We no longer live in the Phoenix area, and our current outdoor range is only $50.00/yr., 20 minutes away, available 24/7, and still open BTW. Still envy guys with those ranges outside the back door;)
 
#17 ·
A couple years ago I was home wanted to go shooting in the desert, but City of Phoenix has annexed to like Black Canyon City area (not allowed to discharge fire arms inside of city boundaries). Bloody Basin turn off I guess is or was the closest. I used to do a lot of hunting and shooting up by Sunflower, Sugar loaf mountain but I don't believe you can there any more.

Approx Where up on the Rim are you located if you don't mind me asking?

Our local range is closed due to snowmobile season (April 15) not the Virus.
 
#14 ·
Wow..... I never knew there were ranges that charged by the hour! :eek:

While I was living in Missouri, I was a member of an indoor range. Fees were $15 for the day if you were a member and $20 a day for non members.

I haven’t been out on a range since moving back to Iowa. The closest indoor range is 45 min away and the outdoor ranges all go out of business so often, you don’t know if they’re open or not. If all else fails, I can always drive out to the family farm and pop off a few rounds but haven’t done that either. Starting to get a little bit of an itch in my finger.....
 
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