Indoor Range in Raleigh, NC

miconoakisland · February 11, 2006, 05:28 PM

I am looking for an indoor range in Raleigh to teach a friend about firearms and home defense.
The Yellow Pages list a few, but I am looking for TFL personal experiences.

hutch77 · February 13, 2006, 06:04 PM

There's two that I know of.

Davi's: Near the intersection of Capital Blvd. and Millbrook Rd. They've got a 50 yard indoor range. I believe it's 8 lanes. Very nice setup. $12 for handguns, $15 for long guns. The prices are for an hour, but if they are not busy they will let you shoot until they need the lane. They allow any caliber up to .50 BMG.

Personal Defense: On Tryon Rd. on the south side of town, near Garner. They've got two different ranges. Range 1 has steel targets and such. Range 2 is 20 yards and has 6 lanes I believe. $10 for members, $15 for non-members. No time limit. Primarily a handgun range, but they allow straight-walled rifle calibers also.

I personally prefer the atmosphere at Personal Defense, but I usually end up going to Davi's because it's a lot more convenient for me as I live in North raleigh. I also like to take out some rifles every now and then. One other thing about Davi's: they have a 3 seconds between shots rule that they can be quite strict about.

hutch77

miconoakisland · February 13, 2006, 08:43 PM

Thanks for telling me about that aspect of Davi's!

Olaf · February 13, 2006, 10:16 PM

Well, how about the most obvious place ? The "Wake County Firearms Education and Training Centre". Owned by Wake County, operated by a private gun club, under contract to the county (a nice bunch of guys, I must say). The facilities, which are all indoors, include a combat range...."Bay 1" - (used only by the various local police agencies)...a dedicated pistol range -"Bay 2".....a 50 yard combination range (pistol or rifle) - "Bay 3"....and a 100 metre rifle range -"Bay 4". Each bay contains about 10 or 12 stations (I can't remember the exact number). Bay 2 has the standard, stand-up type pistol stations. Bays 3 and 4 have individual concrete benches, with stools, set up for shooting in the sitting or standing positions. They are roomy, comfortable to use and absolutely stable. The range is always operated under the direct presence and supervision of a range safety officer....and safety rules are strictly adhered to. There are items for rent, such as pistol or rifle rests, spotting scopes, hearing protectors and a chronograph. Various types of targets are supplied, for a nominal charge. Also, some common types of commercial ammo are available for sale.

In order to use the facilities, one must be a member. This costs $15.00 for Wake County residents....and $20.00 (if memory serves) for all others. Included is a mandatory range familiarization/ safety/ basics of firearms class, taught by a certified NRA instructor. The class fee includes one hour of range time. After that, range fees are $10.00 per hour, for Wake County residents, $15.00 per hour, for all others. The membership is permanent...not requiring any renewal....or any additional dues or fees.

Current hours for members are Tues. and Thurs., from 6 pm to 9pm....and Sat. and Sun.....from 1 pm to 6 pm.

A member may bring ONE non-member guest, who must share the member's shooting station....and the member is responsible for the non-member's conduct and adherance to safety rules.

The facility is located just outside of Apex....approx. 15 minutes from Raleigh/ Cary.

There is a website.... here is a link : http://www.wakegov.com/ccbi/fetc/default.htm

The phone number is : 919-303-0851....and is answered only during operating hours.

Try it ! It's a great place...and the people that run it are nice and helpful.

Olaf · February 13, 2006, 10:17 PM

Whoops ! Double post !!

hutch77 · February 13, 2006, 11:36 PM

Oh yeah! Completely forgot about that place. I've never been down there. I guess I'll have to check it out sometime.

hutch77

Megaloman84 · February 14, 2006, 04:29 PM

I never go to Davi's. The only time I did, they asked for my ID the moment I walked through the door. This wasn't even in their range section. This was just their store. Then they tried to kick me out because I was only 20. They did eventually let me pick out a scope mount for my Savage, but only under the close supervision of one of their glowering sales people. The scope mounts they had pretty much all sucked. I ended up with one of those leupold jobbies with the windage adjustment screws that can't hold a zero. All in all, it was a thoroughly bad experience in every respect. I'm 21 now, but I'm still never going back.

PDHSC rocks. They're great people and really easygoing. The only real downside is that their range is pretty much for handguns and shotguns only.

Billy Sparks · February 14, 2006, 08:16 PM

I had the same experience with Davi's. I went there for a Glock match and was basically told that I had to hand over my range bag if I wanted to come into there store. If I asked to look at a gun I was told that I could not look at it unless I was seriously considering buying it.

hutch77 · February 16, 2006, 11:54 AM

They seem to have gotten a little better since they opened up their new building. I guess they figured it's hard to pay for something that large if they drive away all their customers. I stopped going there when they were in the old location. The only thing I go there for now is the range. It's 10 minutes from my house and PDHSC is closer to 30. My range time is limited these days since my daughter came along. It's nice to spend the extra 45 minutes or so actually shooting instead of fighting traffic on the beltline.

hutch77

February 11, 2006, 05:28 PM	#1
miconoakisland Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2005 Location: Oak Island, NC Posts: 134	Indoor Range in Raleigh, NC I am looking for an indoor range in Raleigh to teach a friend about firearms and home defense. The Yellow Pages list a few, but I am looking for TFL personal experiences.

February 13, 2006, 06:04 PM	#2
hutch77 Junior Member Join Date: April 30, 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 9	Ranges in Raleigh There's two that I know of. Davi's: Near the intersection of Capital Blvd. and Millbrook Rd. They've got a 50 yard indoor range. I believe it's 8 lanes. Very nice setup. $12 for handguns, $15 for long guns. The prices are for an hour, but if they are not busy they will let you shoot until they need the lane. They allow any caliber up to .50 BMG. Personal Defense: On Tryon Rd. on the south side of town, near Garner. They've got two different ranges. Range 1 has steel targets and such. Range 2 is 20 yards and has 6 lanes I believe. $10 for members, $15 for non-members. No time limit. Primarily a handgun range, but they allow straight-walled rifle calibers also. I personally prefer the atmosphere at Personal Defense, but I usually end up going to Davi's because it's a lot more convenient for me as I live in North raleigh. I also like to take out some rifles every now and then. One other thing about Davi's: they have a 3 seconds between shots rule that they can be quite strict about. hutch77

February 13, 2006, 08:43 PM	#3
miconoakisland Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2005 Location: Oak Island, NC Posts: 134	3 Second rule? Thanks for telling me about that aspect of Davi's!

February 13, 2006, 11:36 PM	#6
hutch77 Junior Member Join Date: April 30, 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 9	Raleigh ranges Oh yeah! Completely forgot about that place. I've never been down there. I guess I'll have to check it out sometime. hutch77

February 16, 2006, 11:54 AM	#9
hutch77 Junior Member Join Date: April 30, 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 9	Davi's They seem to have gotten a little better since they opened up their new building. I guess they figured it's hard to pay for something that large if they drive away all their customers. I stopped going there when they were in the old location. The only thing I go there for now is the range. It's 10 minutes from my house and PDHSC is closer to 30. My range time is limited these days since my daughter came along. It's nice to spend the extra 45 minutes or so actually shooting instead of fighting traffic on the beltline. hutch77

February 13, 2006, 10:16 PM	#4
Olaf Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2005 Location: not from Svalbard Posts: 346	Well, how about the most obvious place ? The "Wake County Firearms Education and Training Centre". Owned by Wake County, operated by a private gun club, under contract to the county (a nice bunch of guys, I must say). The facilities, which are all indoors, include a combat range...."Bay 1" - (used only by the various local police agencies)...a dedicated pistol range -"Bay 2".....a 50 yard combination range (pistol or rifle) - "Bay 3"....and a 100 metre rifle range -"Bay 4". Each bay contains about 10 or 12 stations (I can't remember the exact number). Bay 2 has the standard, stand-up type pistol stations. Bays 3 and 4 have individual concrete benches, with stools, set up for shooting in the sitting or standing positions. They are roomy, comfortable to use and absolutely stable. The range is always operated under the direct presence and supervision of a range safety officer....and safety rules are strictly adhered to. There are items for rent, such as pistol or rifle rests, spotting scopes, hearing protectors and a chronograph. Various types of targets are supplied, for a nominal charge. Also, some common types of commercial ammo are available for sale. In order to use the facilities, one must be a member. This costs $15.00 for Wake County residents....and $20.00 (if memory serves) for all others. Included is a mandatory range familiarization/ safety/ basics of firearms class, taught by a certified NRA instructor. The class fee includes one hour of range time. After that, range fees are $10.00 per hour, for Wake County residents, $15.00 per hour, for all others. The membership is permanent...not requiring any renewal....or any additional dues or fees. Current hours for members are Tues. and Thurs., from 6 pm to 9pm....and Sat. and Sun.....from 1 pm to 6 pm. A member may bring ONE non-member guest, who must share the member's shooting station....and the member is responsible for the non-member's conduct and adherance to safety rules. The facility is located just outside of Apex....approx. 15 minutes from Raleigh/ Cary. There is a website.... here is a link : http://www.wakegov.com/ccbi/fetc/default.htm The phone number is : 919-303-0851....and is answered only during operating hours. Try it ! It's a great place...and the people that run it are nice and helpful.

February 13, 2006, 10:17 PM	#5
Olaf Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2005 Location: not from Svalbard Posts: 346	Whoops ! Double post !!

February 14, 2006, 04:29 PM	#7
Megaloman84 Member Join Date: September 24, 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 40	I never go to Davi's. The only time I did, they asked for my ID the moment I walked through the door. This wasn't even in their range section. This was just their store. Then they tried to kick me out because I was only 20. They did eventually let me pick out a scope mount for my Savage, but only under the close supervision of one of their glowering sales people. The scope mounts they had pretty much all sucked. I ended up with one of those leupold jobbies with the windage adjustment screws that can't hold a zero. All in all, it was a thoroughly bad experience in every respect. I'm 21 now, but I'm still never going back. PDHSC rocks. They're great people and really easygoing. The only real downside is that their range is pretty much for handguns and shotguns only.

February 14, 2006, 08:16 PM	#8
Billy Sparks Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 1999 Location: Winston-Salem, NC 27105 Posts: 745	I had the same experience with Davi's. I went there for a Glock match and was basically told that I had to hand over my range bag if I wanted to come into there store. If I asked to look at a gun I was told that I could not look at it unless I was seriously considering buying it.