Old rifle ranges / leagues in Chicago?

ellen · January 16, 2016, 03:01 PM

I'm researching the history of what happened to the rifle ranges and leagues in Chicago. There used to be a good handful of ranges around the city. Does anyone in this forum have any intel about where they were located. Or, even better, did anyone here used to shoot at rifle ranges in Chicago? I'd love to hear what you know!

Duster340 · January 16, 2016, 04:08 PM

Used to go to Fox Valley range off Rt25. Had plinking pond for 22s, pistol, 100yd and 200yd ranges w a few steel plates. Was a lot of fun. Closed when development in surround area squeezed it out.

DaleA · January 17, 2016, 02:00 PM

Hey Ellen! Welcome to the forum.

I was wondering if you are talking about 'real' rifle ranges with 100 yard lanes or better or are you talking about 'gallery' shooting ranges like they have at state fairs with moving knock over targets.

There's a thread with pictures showing what I mean about a 'gallery' shooting range here:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=571608

shuvelrider · January 17, 2016, 03:23 PM

Many of those ranges were shutdown or forced out back in the 80's, some of those old clubs and ranges were along Lake Michigan in the Northern suburbs. The city and anti-gun crowd figured out how to use EPA rules against the clubs, some of those clubs were skeet and the lead shot fell into the lake. Certain clubs had been in existence for most of the century at that time. I read about that movement in the Chicago Tribune, back when I lived in north central Illinois.

ellen · January 18, 2016, 03:14 PM

DaleA wrote: I was wondering if you are talking about 'real' rifle ranges with 100 yard lanes or better or are you talking about 'gallery' shooting ranges like they have at state fairs with moving knock over targets.

Thanks for your response Dale! I am talking about "real" indoor small bore rifle ranges and their associated leagues. I know there was one run by Commonwealth-Edison and another somewhere on the University of Chicago campus. I've heard there was also a range at Kodak Labs in Chicago and another somewhere in Roseland.

What I'm trying to figure out is when they closed and why. And even better, I'm hoping to find someone who shot at one of these ranges before they went away.

cw308 · January 19, 2016, 04:38 PM

And I thought New York City was bad.

DaleA · January 19, 2016, 06:07 PM

This isn't in Chicago but In my home town the YMCA had a 50 foot indoor range for years. Closed in the late '70's (I think) for not being 'in line' with what the Y wanted to do...their 'mission statement' didn't include marksmanship.

In the Twin Cities a 50 foot indoor range I shot at was closed for 'renovations'. The range was in the basement of one of the park buildings that was being renovated.

As I understood it the main club that used the range was promised the range would be upgraded like the rest of the building. The renovation took about three times the amount of time forecasted and I heard the folk in charge had determined the interest in having a range had 'waned' so they gave the square footage to maintenance equipment storage. Sigh. This was in the '80's.

Art Eatman · January 19, 2016, 06:54 PM

Welcome to the play pen!

Hazarding a guess or two: Many indoor ranges closed due to health regulations. The cost of air control and ventilation was too high for the marketplace.

Other ranges closed as residential expansion led to political pressure against noise and purported hazard.

Another factor during the Vietnam war era was the reduction in ROTC in high schools and college, as well as other public attitudes about guns.

In talking to the owner of a range in Florida, I learned that the mix of health factors and of insurance premiums require a range fee that only the more dedicated shooters can afford.

Rembrandt · January 19, 2016, 07:49 PM

My hometown had several indoor rifle ranges, all were in the basements of businesses and hosted Scouts, 4H, and adult leagues. They all closed when the businesses tried to expand, discovered square footage cost of new construction-vs-using what they already had that was under utilized. Add to it the liability if a round went stray....lawyers and insurance salesmen pretty much finished them off.

jrothWA · January 19, 2016, 10:05 PM

DAILEYIZED!

The last one closed the trap range on the lakeshore to expand the bikeway.

January 16, 2016, 03:01 PM	#1
ellen Junior Member Join Date: January 16, 2016 Location: Chicago Posts: 2	Old rifle ranges / leagues in Chicago? I'm researching the history of what happened to the rifle ranges and leagues in Chicago. There used to be a good handful of ranges around the city. Does anyone in this forum have any intel about where they were located. Or, even better, did anyone here used to shoot at rifle ranges in Chicago? I'd love to hear what you know!

January 18, 2016, 03:14 PM	#5
ellen Junior Member Join Date: January 16, 2016 Location: Chicago Posts: 2	DaleA wrote: I was wondering if you are talking about 'real' rifle ranges with 100 yard lanes or better or are you talking about 'gallery' shooting ranges like they have at state fairs with moving knock over targets. Thanks for your response Dale! I am talking about "real" indoor small bore rifle ranges and their associated leagues. I know there was one run by Commonwealth-Edison and another somewhere on the University of Chicago campus. I've heard there was also a range at Kodak Labs in Chicago and another somewhere in Roseland. What I'm trying to figure out is when they closed and why. And even better, I'm hoping to find someone who shot at one of these ranges before they went away. Last edited by ellen; January 18, 2016 at 06:04 PM.

January 19, 2016, 10:05 PM	#10
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Basicall, any firing range inside chicago got.. DAILEYIZED! The last one closed the trap range on the lakeshore to expand the bikeway.

January 16, 2016, 04:08 PM	#2
Duster340 Member Join Date: December 27, 2014 Location: Illinois Posts: 92	Used to go to Fox Valley range off Rt25. Had plinking pond for 22s, pistol, 100yd and 200yd ranges w a few steel plates. Was a lot of fun. Closed when development in surround area squeezed it out.

January 17, 2016, 02:00 PM	#3
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,317	Hey Ellen! Welcome to the forum. I was wondering if you are talking about 'real' rifle ranges with 100 yard lanes or better or are you talking about 'gallery' shooting ranges like they have at state fairs with moving knock over targets. There's a thread with pictures showing what I mean about a 'gallery' shooting range here: http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=571608

January 17, 2016, 03:23 PM	#4
shuvelrider Senior Member Join Date: October 2, 2011 Location: West Coast of Michigan Posts: 132	Many of those ranges were shutdown or forced out back in the 80's, some of those old clubs and ranges were along Lake Michigan in the Northern suburbs. The city and anti-gun crowd figured out how to use EPA rules against the clubs, some of those clubs were skeet and the lead shot fell into the lake. Certain clubs had been in existence for most of the century at that time. I read about that movement in the Chicago Tribune, back when I lived in north central Illinois.

January 19, 2016, 04:38 PM	#6
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	And I thought New York City was bad.

January 19, 2016, 06:07 PM	#7
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,317	This isn't in Chicago but In my home town the YMCA had a 50 foot indoor range for years. Closed in the late '70's (I think) for not being 'in line' with what the Y wanted to do...their 'mission statement' didn't include marksmanship. In the Twin Cities a 50 foot indoor range I shot at was closed for 'renovations'. The range was in the basement of one of the park buildings that was being renovated. As I understood it the main club that used the range was promised the range would be upgraded like the rest of the building. The renovation took about three times the amount of time forecasted and I heard the folk in charge had determined the interest in having a range had 'waned' so they gave the square footage to maintenance equipment storage. Sigh. This was in the '80's.

January 19, 2016, 06:54 PM	#8
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Welcome to the play pen! Hazarding a guess or two: Many indoor ranges closed due to health regulations. The cost of air control and ventilation was too high for the marketplace. Other ranges closed as residential expansion led to political pressure against noise and purported hazard. Another factor during the Vietnam war era was the reduction in ROTC in high schools and college, as well as other public attitudes about guns. In talking to the owner of a range in Florida, I learned that the mix of health factors and of insurance premiums require a range fee that only the more dedicated shooters can afford.

January 19, 2016, 07:49 PM	#9
Rembrandt Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2002 Posts: 2,108	My hometown had several indoor rifle ranges, all were in the basements of businesses and hosted Scouts, 4H, and adult leagues. They all closed when the businesses tried to expand, discovered square footage cost of new construction-vs-using what they already had that was under utilized. Add to it the liability if a round went stray....lawyers and insurance salesmen pretty much finished them off.