What are your favorite shooting ranges?

[rbb50]

I have been to a bunch of them myself and all the way to ones that were just a junk pile on someone’s land they called a shooting range to some of the finest facilities around the country that were run by a professional business.

The one I shoot at now in the Austin, Texas area is the Eagle Peak shooting range in Leander, Texas
Eagle Peak Shooting Range

It is a nice range and has some good policies put into place to keep the range safe for everyone shooting there.

I have to drive 25 miles to get to the Eagle Peak shooting range only because it is the nicest range around these parts and the $10 for all the guns you want to bring to shoot all day long price cannot be beat by any other range around here.

With a price like that you have to figure on getting there early about 10 am when they open because it can get packed up fast on a weekend even when they do have about 20 rifle benches and 15 pistol benches or so.

They also have a nice skeet range but I kind of like the Bern they have set up just to shoot at a pile of card board boxes to test your shot patterns

Open 365 days a year including holidays sure helps some when the mother in-law is in town, you already have the guns loaded in the car and an excuse about an emergency at work also

Of course one of the biggest and neatest places I get to see every so often is Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico
Whittington Center

Sometimes I kind of wish I lived next door to that place so I could just walk across the street everyday but as it is I live about 900 miles away from it and yet it is worth the drive once I get there anyway.

[wgb_ks]

I live in Eastern Kansas, and I am lucky enough to belong to Millcreek Rifle Club. Its in Desoto KS and I would say it is one of the best shooting ranges around here. There are 4 pistol ranges, from 7 to 50 yards. Each one has enough space for about 15 to 20 shooters. A 200 and 300 benchrest line with about 75 to 100 firing points. We also have a high power range with 200y-300y and if the range is closed 500 yard lines. Finally we have a shotgun skeet "range" but its not really good. The best part is that the membership is only $70's a year and up until only recently it was not very crowded. If you shoot HP like I do, the HP range is usually not used.

I would also say that Bucksnort in Marshall MO is pretty good as well. That range has a 600 yard line to boot!

As for Whittington, its a decent place, but whenever I go there the 1000 yard range is always closed.

[rbb50]

You did not miss much at the 1000-yard range and even when the gate is open what you see are range hills all the way to 1000 yards.

Then you have to go to the flagpole thru a bunch of bramble bushes to run up the flag on the pole, which is inside the compartment at the bottom of the pole to show it is in use

Then drive down to behind the 1000-yard hill to put up the 10-foot square targets full of holes you have to patch over and then the stands that roll up on rollers and lock in place.

Once back at the 1000-yard firing line you have a choice of only one rickety old table and chair that looked like it came from 1959 or you can lie in the dirt and rest your rifle on a coat unless you bring your own portable bench rest.

The rest of the place was fun but that 1000-yard range could have been a lot better if they would have put some concrete and nice bench rest tables in it at the 1000-yard firing line.

[rhillen]

Sacramento Shooting Center. Lots of different ranges. Really nice place. I shoot lots of different games out there. There are different matches going on every weekend, rifle, pistol or shotgun.

[DWARREN123]

Indoor pistol,
The Shell Shop in Hopkinsville KY
The Second Ammendment Gun Store in Springfield TN

Outdoor everything,
The Rock Ridge Range (Whittakers Guns) near Owensboro KY
Any of the DNR ranges in Tennessee near Clarksville

[Gunpowder&Lead]

I belong to GRGC in Warren County, KY. We have a 200 yd rifle range. 2-Clay throwers, Archery Range, Covered Pavillion, Cowboy Action set-up, and a brand spanking new 5-bay Pistol Range.

[Sebring Pop]

I belong to Capitol City R & P Club. It has a 50 ft indoor range in the cellar yes underground. We can shoot there 24 / 7. I live about 5-6 miles away and when trying out a new reload at what ever time grab a few rounds of each and go try them out. I love it.

[lmccrock]

Favorite range? My back yard. Not open to the public, though. Any gun, any ammo. No API or APIT right now because there is a real fire hazard.

Where I used to live in California, The Range, in Grass Valley. I shot the competitions. Some of the web pictures are old, because I am in one of them and I have not lived there for >5 yrs.

Lee

[rbb50]

Those indoor ranges sure are expensive and the same around here also when they charge by the hour like that.

This is really the best place I like to go shoot and it is a friends ranch I can go meet up with him and do some shooting for the whole weekend free.





Still I have to drive 120 miles to get there so both ways I rack up about 260 miles by the time I get back home so I guess it does cost me about $15 in gas plus any food I need to buy along the way.

It is well worth it when I do have the time to do that but until then I have to settle for that outdoor range for all the guns I want to bring for only $10 all day.

During the winter I will just bundle up good before going and it isn't too bad shooting outside if I'm just going to be there a couple of hours or so.

[Guy B. Meredith]

My local favorite for marksmanship and plinking is the Chabot Gun Club:

www.chabotgunclub.com/

For action pistol practice, the Richmond Rod & Gun Club:

www.richmondrodandgun.com/

For a great get away and International Revolver Championship matches nothing beats Morro Bay and the Hogue action pistol range at the San Luis Obispo Sportsmen's Association:

/slosa.org

[oldkim]

Hands down I would say Wade's Indoor Shooting range in Bellevue, Washington. Just East of Seattle about 20 minutes.

http://www.wadesguns.com/

Why? There are lots of indoor and outdoor ranges in Washington State but why my favorite - for the staff, the range rules, attached gunstore and gunsmith and also for fun shooting.

The Staff - very helpful, friendly and willing to teach and make sure your safe.

Range Rules - every range has it's particular rules from no cell phones to no picking your nose. It runs the gammit and they're all different besides your safety rules. At Wade's you can shoot as fast as you can so long as you can keep it on paper. Not many ranges will let you do that. On a side note: You can also shoot their full auto's too (for rent of course). Wade's does have a particular rule - you can't rent a gun if you are alone (stems from people walking in and renting a gun and going to the bathroom to do themselves in). *There are different variants out there I'm sure. From not being able to rent unless you bring in a gun at another range I've been too.

Attached gunstore - great for looking at what's new and dreaming a bit on a shooting break. Also has loads of gear and ammo to look at too.

Fun - It's not just a shooting range - it has good lighting and good air flow to clear gunpowder in the air. They also have classes ranging from new shooter education to advanced tactics.

Yes, there are many ranges in Washington both private and public but overall, Wade's has my vote for an overall positive experience and I'm fortunate to live close by (30 minutes).

Disclaimer: No, I do not work for Wade's :-)

[B.L.E.]

I also shoot pretty often at the Eagle Peak shooting range that rbb50 mentioned in the original post. It's a very good public range, my only beef is that benchrest is all you can do there with rifles, although they do let you practice rifle off-hand shooting at the 25 yd pistol range with a .22 or pistol caliber rifle. If you want to do more than sight in, that is, actually practice offhand, kneeling, or prone at 100 or more yards, you gotta go somewhere else.

[rbb50]

I wish they would open up some more slots out there for a off hand kneeling or prone shooting on the rifle range.

They have room in between the 300 yard rifle range and the shotgun range I think but it would require a lot of bull dozer work.

A long time ago they did not have those covers that hang down in front of the benchrest on there like they do now and you could shoot a rifle off hand like that.

I remember when they did not even have a fence and it was just a little shack with a sign on the door that said so and went to lunch LOL

Things change and maybe someday they will open up more of that range for different styles of shooting.

[GE-Minigun]

While it’s not a public range I like the one I built. Live on 20 acres with 100 yard rifle, 25 yard pistol, this spring/summer both will have insulated and covered benches to cut down on noise, not that it matters. If I get the time I’m going to put in a skeet range and possibly move the 100 out to 500. I belonged to a local club for just over 20 years, after purchasing some NFA items last year the club said; nice…can't shoot them here. I tried to get them to change and had a few similar thinking members with NFA items that I thought would help out...no luck. Every now and then one of those guys asks if they can shoot with me...**** off!

[WhiteH2OWoman]

Hey RB,
Yeah, I used to love Eagle Peak, too, since I strongly prefer shooting outdoors. Between that and one of my family's ranches out near Utopia, I kept my chops up when we lived in Austin up until 3 years ago when we escaped. (Please tell Wendy that Tam Thompson said "hi" and we love it out in Blanco County,a and remind her I'm the one who hooked her up with that $100 used canoe.)

Now we're out in the hill country on 16 acres, surrounded by MUCH bigger places like multi-hundred-acre ranches so our place feels much bigger. Nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away.

And I TREASURE my homemade, junk-pile looking range on our property, since I own it and can do anything I want. (Junk makes excellent free targets...empty cans, Powerade bottles, and for long-range, laundry detergent bottles since you can aim in on the dot over the "i" in "Tide."

Oh, and to answer your question, in case you haven't already guessed, my favorite range is MY PLACE, where I can shoot in my nightgown if I feel like it. Least favorite was that Red's Indoors down in Oak Hill due to loudness, too many wannabee poseurs and gang members, and just being cramped up inside.

[kraigwy]

I've shot some great ranges in my travels with the AK NG Rifle teams. But the best, (which I still shoot) in the one at Lande WY. I do High Power and 1000 yard matches there. Its across the state so I take a camper to the range getting there on Friday morning for a two day match on Sat & Sunday.

The range has gongs out to 1400 yards, so I load up a pile of rifles and ammo and spend most of Friday banging away at the long range gongs with differant rifles. (and pistols too). I only have a 300 yard range in my back yard so its fun to shoot further away. Cody WY has a great range complex, where you can shoot up to 1000 yards with a rifle, plus several differanat pistol ranges, cowboy action, skeet, trap, the works. Range fees is $35 a year, but its just so far away. Worland also has a great HP and 1000 yard range.

Just no dicent ranges on this side of the state.

My only regret is there arnt enough Bullseye Pistol Matches in this part of the country.

Still best if you want the whole range to your self (not many people in Lander) to shoot gongs at long distance of pistols close, while you camp right on the range, Is Lander.

[GunCat]

This is kinda regionally specific but...


For the west Kentucky / Tennessee crowd here is a list of shooting ranges in our area.