OT: Costs of range trips

[J Miller]

Here in my area there is two indoor ranges, a couple of gun clubs, and and one pay per day range.

The two indoor ranges are as follows:
A: 25 yds indoor, anything but black powder and full rifle cartridges. Handgun caliber rifles are OK.
He charges $9.00 per hour. I like the owner, he's a great guy and is my FFL here for receiving guns. It's the best of the two indoor ranges.

B: 25 yds indoor, any handgun caliber including black powder.
$10.00 per hour.
50 yds underground indoor rifle range. Anything goes as long as you can bench shoot it.
$20.00 per hour for the first person, $10.00 per hour for the second person in the same lane.

There is one gun club fairly close but their membership is $150.00 per year and you have to be sponsored in. It's almost impossible to get a sponsor, and their ranges flood out during the rainy times.

Another club down near Taylorville, about 35 miles or so away. I haven't been able to find contact information for them. I did look them up on the web but the phone numbers were not valid.

Then there is the outdoor 100 yard range about 45 miles away.
He charges $15.00 per day, but is only open Noon to 5:00 Tuesday thru Friday and 9:00 to 5:00 on Saturday. He is a Class 3 manufacturer and seller of machine guns and other fun toys.
His range is OK, but there are things I don't like about it.
The biggest thing is the targets are stationary and the shooters move forward and back to change distances. If your wanting to shoot 100 yard rifles and there are people shooting at 25 yds you're SOL till they leave. I don't care for that, I much prefer the shooter be stationary and the targets mobile.
Not to mention the nearly 100 mile round trip just eats up that $3.00 ± per gallon gas.
jd45 and I met up there several years ago and the wind just about blew us to Chicago. It was so bad a couple of his rifles laying on the cases got blown off the tables.

..............................................

Ok, said all that to say this:

I'm sick to death of gun ranges. I want to go out to the boonies and shoot till I just can't shoot no more and I don't wanna pay range fees!
I have projects I've completed that need test fired and then guns I just wanna shoot. But I just can't bring myself to spend the very hard to come by cash to pay range fees. It's bad enough paying for the gas.

Not sure what I wrote this for, maybe just to vent. Nothing any of you guys can do about it.

Unless......somebody here in IL that has land would invite me to shoot . That would thrill me to the core.

Joe

[kimwcook]

Sorry to hear that professor.

We have a nice range here, about 12 miles from the house that I keep a yearly membership in. Runs me $60 for the year. They have an indoor 22 range, which I've never used. A clays range, which I've used once. A long range, about 280-300 yds. A police 25 yd. bay. A 25, 50 and 100 yd. range. I usually use the 25 yd. and 100 yd. ranges. If the 25 yd. range is busy I use the police bay. The 25, 50 and 100 yd. ranges are covered and have concrete shooting benches with stools. Actually have it pretty good.

[wecsoger]

Wow, I feel blessed. (but I am very thankful)

Local club, about 12 miles away. Membership, $50/year. 25, 50, 100, 200 yd ranges separated by berms, facilities available from covered to tables. Ranges are self-policed. Skeet and trap fields other side of road, two ponds, archery range, mini campground and RV location.

Almost every weekend is taken up with IDPA, SASS, three gun, NRA high power and other activities. Just recently had an Appleseed shoot that I participated in.

Southwest Ohio.

[Charles]

I have a nice range owned by a friend and good guy. It is about 20 miles from my house and have pistol ranges (several) and several rifle ranges out to 300 yards. It also has a combat shotgun range. He charges $10.00 per day or $100.00 per year. I refinish some stocks for him, so I don't have to pay for a range membership.

[J Miller]

Just gassed my Pathfinder:
13.43 gallons @ 3.149 = $42.28

It's a wonder I go anywhere at all.

Joe

[Sixgun]

Yea, it ain't cheap to belong to a gunclub, but it sure is cheaper than paying the electric bill or stupid car insurance.

My buddy Tom charges $10 an hour and you can shoot just about anything there except tracers. He even has full auto guns to rent. But.........you gotta buy HIS ammo for rental guns and he probably has over a hundred to rent. Jacketed handloads are OK for YOUR guns. I don't shoot there but rarely.

My gunclub (Atglen Sportsmans Club) is $85 a year and has a pistol range, archery range, trap shooting range, walk through sporting clays range, muzzleloader range, indoor 25 yard range, 100 yard rifle range and an additional 100, 200, 300, 385, and 500 meter rifle/handgun range. The last range is the club's silhouette range but is open for shooting when no events are scheduled. The club membership is capped. We have a metal gate to get in with a lock on it so when shooting there, I feel comfortable--you know, no dirtbags sneaking in to steal your stuff.

We have just about every discipline/competitiion of shooting, including small bore silhouette, big bore silhouette, cowboy silhouette , indoor pistol and airgun, sporting clays, trap, cast bullet, archery and other stuff. We are one of the most active gunclubs in the state.

The 100-500 meter silhouette range

[Ben_Rumson]

Well, we had a wonderful place to shoot on public land ... It was about a 60 mile drive there, but well worth it...the short road in sometimes could be problematic depending on how high the creek was...But it got graded once a season, so all was good.. Let me tell you the place was great.. Big old oak shade trees to park under...and an open area about a 100 yards wide and long for tin cans & clays, backed by hills with scrub and open places with rocks and other plant features that were perfect for the milsurps or whatever to blast at, on out to, I’m guessing, at least 400 yards...We’d always make a day of it...pull out your folding easy chairs, card tables, ice chests and a small BBQ sometimes too! Sit there Bee Essing and plink with our pistols or whatever...A little piece of shooter's heaven..
But that’s all changed and in the past now because a bunch tweaker scum wannabe Rambo types liked to practice their right to bear arms.. AT NIGHT BY THEIR UNATHORIZED CAMPFIRES ,and twice shot up and left smoldering hulks of stolen cars they brought there to riddle with their cheap thing Chinese imports... Oh the place is still available... but the boulders placed across the connector road down to the spot now make it a 15 min hike in... Furgitaboutit...

[shooter]

When I lived in Roswell, NM the gun club there was great. It has various ranges dedicated for pistol, rifle, .22, cast bullets only, etc. The silhouette ranges run out to 500 yards, and there is a 1000 yd range. It's a pain to use because if you shoot past 500 yds you have to close down parts of the rest of the facility. It is a $60 membership for the year, and that's all you pay to shoot all you can. It's self policed, and is an awesome place for scrounging range lead.

Now that I'm back in the D/FW metro area I'm limited. I have a decent range about 10 miles from my house. It's $12 a year plus $12 a day every time you go. It's got pistol ranges to 25 yds and rifle at 50, 100, and 200.

[Leverdude]

Theres a few indoor ranges nearby but I dont frequent them much. Not at all actually. I shot in one that seemed ok when I got my permit. It was $20.00 per hour unless you joined then its 10 bucks every time you use it but no time limit. Another is in a gun shop I used once because I bought a Win 94 44 mag trapper and got 1/2 hour range time with the purchase. I believe theyre $25.00/hr.

The one I use most is an outdoor range about 30 minutes away. They charge $20 a day or you can buy a 5 trip pass thats $80 or $125 a year. I paid yearly for myself & two boys for years but now get comped because I help out as an RO and NRA certified instructor as well as do whatever needs doing around the range. Theres about 5 of us that do the lions share of the work but its well worth it IMO. Its much more to my liking than the indoor ranges. This is on state park land leased by a LLC and open to the public. We operate for rifle & pistol on Sat, Sun & Wed during the warm months from noon till 5 Sat & Sun and till sunset on Wed. In the winter we stay open on Sundays until the snow gets deep. Tuesdays theres a trap program I'm not involved with yet, thats all year and the local PD's often rent it on Thursdays & Fridays. Great bunch of guys I'm real glad I got involved with. Only downside is its a 50 yard range. You can get 100 going across but not when its in operation. We used to shoot that way but theres an airport a few miles away & people have trouble hitting a 12' berm. The way we shoot now theres a mountain behind the berm so most guys do fine.

I joined another club a couple years ago but it takes me an hour to get to. Its got a 50, 100 & 200 yard rifle range, a 50 yard pistol range & 50 foot indoor rimfire range. That ones $180 a year includeing a $50 assesment from buying a neighboring property. Its a great facility except for how far away it is. So I guess I pay $180 a year plus time doing things I like doing in exchange for places to shoot.

[Bruce Scott]

The annual subscription to my local club is $50 and we pay $10 for each scheduled (fortnightly) shoot attended. Members may use the range at any other time without charge provided there are two in attendance. We shoot Field Pistol, IHMSA, Field Rifle, Benchrest Rifle and Military Rifle diciplines.

I can also shoot on my 200 acres any time I get the urge.

Unleaded petrol is $1.37 per litre in Narrogin today !!

[Old Savage]

Here is A Place to Shoot.

I spend most of my time there on range 7.

http://www.aplacetoshoot.net/html/shooting_ranges.html

[J Miller]

The annual subscription to my local club is $50 and we pay $10 for each scheduled (fortnightly) shoot attended. Members may use the range at any other time without charge provided there are two in attendance. We shoot Field Pistol, IHMSA, Field Rifle, Benchrest Rifle and Military Rifle diciplines.

I can also shoot on my 200 acres any time I get the urge.

Unleaded petrol is $1.37 per litre in Narrogin today !!

Let's see, "IF" my memory is even close there's 3.somthing litres to a US gallon. If so then your price of gas is pretty close, maybe a bit higher, than ours.

Shooting on my own land is my dream. But not here in IL.

Here is A Place to Shoot.

I spend most of my time there on range 7.

http://www.aplacetoshoot.net/html/shooting_ranges.html

OS,
Looks good to me. Nothing similar to that near enough to me to make it worthwhile ... "that I know of".
I think I'd split my time between ranges 3,4,6 and 7. I do like my short guns.

Joe

[Bruce Scott]

Unleaded petrol is $1.37 per litre in Narrogin today !!

Let's see, "IF" my memory is even close there's 3.somthing litres to a US gallon. If so then your price of gas is pretty close, maybe a bit higher, than ours.
Joe

Joe, 3.78 litres to the US gallon so we're paying over $5 a gallon. City prices are lower but give me the bush any day.

[El Chivo]

I have a membership at the indoor range near the Van Nuys Airport and it's nice for before work or other times when I don't want to make a day of it.

I usually go to ASR but will be trying out "A Place to Shoot" again. I like the fact that they have memberships available.

I don't think I'll be joining the silhouette club this year, it's now $60 per year plus $7 a visit, and I haven't had much chance to practice there. I can still shoot matches without being a member.

ASR has half-price Thursdays ($6.00) which is when I usually go.

We have it pretty good out here.

[stretch]

I think my local club is $60 a year for family membership, $40 for
a single person. (I think......). Outside has 2 25 yd. pistol ranges, a
25 yd. rimfire range, and a 200 yd. rifle range. All have covered firing
points except one of the pistol ranges. The 50 ft. indoor range has
about 15 firing points - 6 centerfire and the rest rimfire. Indoor is
lead only, no magnum cases, 1000fps limit. The indoor range requires
orientation and a shooting test. After passing those two little hurdles,
the shooter is given the combination to the lock and can go 24/7/365,
except when matches are running.

It is, beyond doubt, the BEST entertainment value in Central Maine.

-Stretch

[olyinaz]

Just gassed my Pathfinder: 13.43 gallons @ 3.149 = $42.28

It's a wonder I go anywhere at all. Joe

A small, REAL, 4x4 that got something like 30mpg sure would be a Godsend wouldn't it?

At any rate, I'm lucky with a good range close to my house, and wilderness close at hand as well, but I hear you. I grew up on a farm where the "range" was simply walk out the door! I miss that a lot. If I could help ya I would.

Best,
Oly

[fordwannabe]

I am pretty lucky,I have a range about 2 miles from work(which is only 6 miles from home, so 4 miles or so to the range from home) and it only cost $25 a year(I think, whatever it is I'll pay it). We have a dedicated pistol, trap, and rifle ranges, only two issues with the place. #1 you can't pull your car/truck up close to the rifle range, which shouldn't be a big deal but I often take 4-5 rifles at a time so I am making multiple trips, which means I am leaving some of my firearms unattended and I don't care for that. #2 NO standing/off hand shooting at the rifle range. A group of houses was built behind our rifle backstop(which is huge 60 ? feet) and they had the insurer place a restricrion on the range. Course the sportmans club has been there since the 1920's and they built houses behind an existing FIRING RANGE, so we all have to change..gotta love people. Sorta the same issue it is only 100 yARDS AND CAN NOT BE LENGTHENED UNLESS WE BUY ALL THE HOUSES AND PROPERTY BEHIND US, which at $25 a year ain't gonna happen. It's a good club with trout raising, active trap shooting, NRA courses ect. Tom

[fordwannabe]

oops double post

[HEAD0001]

It sure is nice to live in WV. I can shoot out my back window to about 400 yards. My friend has a covered 600 yard range that is about a 2 minute drive on my four wheeler. Then we have a 1,000 yard BR club that is about a five minute drive from my house. Then our gun club is about a 20 minute drive. It has an indoor shooting house. Rifle ranges to 200 yards. Pistol to 50 yards. With two skeet ranges and two trap ranges. The gun club dues are $75 a year and $2.50 a round for trap or skeet, and the 1,0000 yard club dues are $50 a year. That keeps the grass cut. Tom.

[Malamute]

I can shoot in my yard, but don't do it too much so as not to annoy the neighbors. They don't mind some, theres a number of people around the neighborhood that shoot a little now and then. I have to drive about 3 or 4 miles to public land. We can shoot way past what you can see a bullet strike, realistically to about 1200 yards or so. We have a couple steel plates @ 300 and 600 yards. I just bought a couple more from a scrap pile I'll put out, maybe one at about 900 or so yards. I see somone out at the shooting spot about once a month or so. It's usually someone I know.

[new pig hunter]

here in SoCal, Burro Canyon Range is close to home. $10 to shoot all day, rifle and pistol and shotgun.
www.burrocanyon.com

Cheers,

Carl

[Booger Bill]

Reading this I didnt know how lucky I am. We live at cedar city utah. The county has a free nice range about 9 miles out of town. Not long ago I was rideing less than a mile in the boonies behind the house and found a small gravel pit people have been shooting pistol and shotgun at. No indoor shooting ranges anywhere that I know of, but there is plenty places to shoot on blm land every direction from here. I need to start takeing better advantage of it all! Life is rough where we live!

Cedar City- Range to 1,000 yards in planning stages. Has been surveyed and staked out. Will become the future home of the Utah Summer Games shooting events. 275 acres have been deeded from BLM to Cedar City for a range. Iron County commissioners supportive. Police range, hunter sighting in range, and smallbore ranges are in use.. Contact Woody Powell or Utah State Rifle & Pistol Association if you can help.

Cedar City - Cedar City Trap Club, Kitty Hawk Way, 1150 West 1200 North, Cedar City, UT. Contact Jack Matheson (435) 586-8921.

Cedar City- (Three Peaks area)- Iron County unsupervised range at 3 Peaks area. 300 meters to berm and about a dozen concrete pads. No overhead or butts. Go out Highway 56 west of town, turn right at sign for WECCO and follow signs to range. Outdoor Pistol (300 yd), Outdoor Rifle (300 yd), Muzzleloading. For more info call (435) 477-8300.

[medicdave]

Don't feel bad guys since I moved over to the Philippines, its a $1500 plane ticket and 27hrs each way to come back to the states to shoot my guns. $20 in gas and range fees sounds like a deal. Just remember its all relative. I'm going to a rental range in the PI this time home and I'll fill you in on the details from that adventure afterwords. I just gotta drop the hammer on something. Good shooting...Dave

[Chas.]

Wildlife Management range about 4 miles from me. The bench rest range has target stands ate 17, 50, & 100yds. There are 20 covered benches to shoot from and same number of benches behind for storage, ammo, etc. They also have shotgun/trap range, pistol range w/covered benches, archery range, and 300yd range for special events. The bench rest range is $5.50/2 hours & pro-rated after that. They also have annual range fee for $101 for unlimited access. The ranges are only available 1PM-dark on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday; 10AM - dark on Saturday. Bench rest and shotgun ranges are supervised by 2 RSO's each. On the bench rest range, live fire is usually about 20-30 minutes each session, then cease fire is called by RSO's for target pulling/posting. The RSO's are very diligent at their duties. No firearm handling allowed during cease fire when folks are downrange. I've got my name on the list for RSO duty as there are some privileges attached. The RSO's have a prox-card which allows them access anytime for use. Although they're not paid for their service, each works 1-2 days/month for the privileges.

[El Chivo]

#1 you can't pull your car/truck up close to the rifle range, which shouldn't be a big deal but I often take 4-5 rifles at a time so I am making multiple trips, which means I am leaving some of my firearms unattended and I don't care for that.

Tom, pick up a bag-lady cart or some other collapsible luggage frame with wheels and you will be happy.

El Chivo

[OldWin]

My range is about 8 miles away. Dues are 30.00 a year. There is rifle 25, 50, 100, 200yrd ranges and a handgun 25yrd range. Benches are roofed over but noise is amplified considerably. There is a skeet range and a running deer/coyote on a cable. It's not too sophisticated but very informal and 9 times out of 10 I am alone there. Winter access is very iffy.

[dkmlever]

I have not gone to a public range in quite a while, the state has some here in CO that are free but can be crowded. I have my own on my own land a pistol, 100 rifle and a 200 yard rifle.

[Hillbilly]

Wow.. I guess I've been blessed the last few years. Up north... our township zoning rules gave me enough area to shoot on my own 10 acres... and I could hunt on the neigbors farm. Best part... we were 5 miles from the 'mall' and close to work.

The local conservation club had cheap memberships... skeet, trap, sporting clays and a 200 yard rifle range... about 7 miles the other way for me.

OKC is the mecca for action shooting sports... you can hit a SASS, IDPA or USPC match within a hour of here every weekend (Sat or Sunday) if you want too.

I live about 10 miles from the OKC Gunclub and Silverleaf Shotgun sports. Leasing over 150 acres in the middle of a family cattle ranch lets me shoot just off the back porch if I need to.

[Griff]

Two or 3 outdoor public ranges inside a 15-20 mile radius. There are several indoor ranges in the Metroplex, the closest I believe is on I-30 in Mesquite, about 18 miles from the house.

I usually go to Gibson's Outpost in Seagoville, TX. They have rifle & pistol ranges from 25 to 200 yards. An annual membership is available, plus a daily fee. The annual fee usually pays for itself in discounted daily rates if you shoot a few times.

I thought for a minute that OS's post was referring to this site: NRA: Find a Place to Shoot.

There's a private gun club closer, but... I just don't feel the need to join. Would have joined many, many years ago if they'd have had better reaction when first approached about hosting a cowboy club. But they say "not steel"; that removes many fun games from the agenda.

Shoot ocassionally out in my pasture. Probably my most fun times.

[Ben_Rumson]

I have two outdoor ranges about 80 mile round trip for either one I go to...One range is $20 the first hour and $9 every hour after..15 min relays...No rapid fire permitted on any range.... 15 lanes pistol, 25&50 yd covered, pistol caliber rifles allowed @ 50 on pistol range.. Rifle side is covered has100 & 200 yd target frames 24 lanes w/ benches and 2 25yd special short range sight in target frames. Swinging gong @ 350yd... RSOs for both pistol & rifle.. PA system coordinated by the head RSO. The other range is $18 a day 15 min relays.. Covered 25 lane pistol 7, 15, & 25 yd. A 40 yd tin can range, rapid fire allowed, but only 22 rimfires and no where else on the entire range, 20 firing positions all calibers, rifle, pistol and shotgun. Covered 50yd rifle & pistol,w/25 sit down benches plus a 40yd backstop for shotgun patterning. 25 lane rifle w/ sit down concrete benches. At the side of the 100 yd target frames at one end is the 100yd tin can range. RSOs on those ranges, coordinated by the head RSO. And finally a Skeet Range, semi supervised and not coordinated with the other ranges
The closest range is a 30yd indoor... $12.50 hr.. with automated target frames...It’s OK but of the few times I’ve shot there shooters turn off the ventilation system cause they feel cold with it on, so it’s a battle with me turning it on to have fresh air to breathe and then someone coming along and turning it back off.. I’d of thought the folks that run the place would make sure it stays on as a safety issue, but I’m beginning to think they’d rather save a buck with it left off... So I stay away from the fools and don’t go, they can stay warm and take home a headache and a chest full of lead dust for all I care...

[wolfdog]

The club I belong to has anual dues of $100. All ranges outdoors. 1 range is 25-100 yards, 1 50 yard, 1 100 yard only,1 200 yard only, 1 300 yard only. 3 25 yard pistol ranges, 2 steel plate pistol setups out to 25 yards, and a dedicated arcery course. Its about 10 miles from home.

[Hanzerik]

It costs me the price of gas and whatever ammo I bring. All of my shooting is done on State Trust, National Forest, or other public lands.

[Mike D.]

It only "costs" me a 20 minute drive to our local ranch. Shooting is free at our range, which is nothing more than a lane with levee backstop. Sometimes we all go to the boat dock and "kill" bottles in the slough. It's 15' so nobody will cut their feet while swimming.

[Olevern]

Wow! Forgot how expensive shooting in congested areas is as I have been retired and moved to N.E. Pa. for seven years now.
Shoot 25 and 50 yds from inside my 40'X80' shop, shooting bench in front of window, put window up, send target downrange on wire then shoot. For 100 yd. I actually have to go outside, but still in my own backyard. No neighbors to speak of, those who are close enough to hear my shooting shoot on their own property. One guy about 1/2 mile away shoots a Barrett 50 semi auto, so I definatly hear when he shoots. If I want to shoot further I belong to a club about four miles away which costs me ten dollars a year. 47 miles from the nearest Walmart and 75 miles from nearest mall. I love it.

[Alan Wood]

Most of you guys have me green with envy. Not that the range I use is poor by any means but it is a 45 minute or more drive each way. Great range other than that. There is a 300 yard range, a 1000 yard range, a skeet setup, a CAS setup etc etc. On top of the normal range.

But as I said it is 45 minutes each way on a slow weekend! There is at least one closer municpal park district range but...
Last time a former coworker (in good standing) was there there was a severe range saftey violation that went completely unnoticed or at least ignored. Add to that the range in question is at least 25 minutes away each way on a slow weekend and is now surrounded by housing developments and shopping centers. The one I use is much nicer anyway. Oh yeah the cost not counting fuel. 10$ a day beings I wont join the club. Not that I object or they are hard to join (that's just a matter of paying the membership fees) but the legal issues if something goes wrong and they don't have all the I's dotted and T's crossed. Too much to loose if there is an accident and they club doesn't have it's incorporation in order. I'd rather just sign in and pay the 10$ than risk it. Yes members get a discount but for me the risk isn't worth it.

Alan Wood