Where to Plink in Tucson

JackThunder · April 26, 2017, 08:09 AM

Hello,

Anyone here familiar with Tucson? I'm trying to find a safe, legal place to go plinking, but coming up empty. There must be plenty of places, as we're surrounded by desert, but after hours of scouring the Web I haven't found anything that's still open in 2017.

Any idea?

Thanks,

Tony

Hunter Customs · April 26, 2017, 08:41 AM

Thanks for posting this Jack, I would be interested in that info myself.
Planning an RV trip to Tucson and may decide to stay permanent.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter

JackThunder · April 26, 2017, 11:32 PM

Thanks Bob... looks like no takers. I know there is at least one outdoor range, and there *used* to be an outdoor plinking area that if I understand correctly was closed down, so maybe people want to keep the other places private.

armoredman · April 27, 2017, 01:56 AM

In Tucson? The are two outdoor ranges I can think of right off the top of my head, the Pima County one by the fairgrounds, and Mountain Park out by the Desert Museum on Kinney Road. There are two indoor ranges IIRC, both owned by The Marksman last time I went through there, one on Flowing Wells and Prince and the other on 29th between Craycroft and Swan.
If you want to travel a little bit, just past Three Points on I-19 is the Tucson Rifle Club, which has public ranges and club only ranges, which include southern AZ's only 1000 yard line. That range is a mile wide, BTW - I worked there MANY years ago.
Further north in the Casa Grande area is an outstanding free public range, unmonitored and city maintained, but it's a ways north of Tucson.
For desert/wildcat ranges refer to Title 13, Criminal Code, and last time I checked shooting was legal over one mile of occupied structures. Drive out in the desert,(public land, BLM, National Forest, NOT national monuments - those are verboten), find a nice small hill as a backstop, check for other people in the area, (no parties going on, perhaps on the other side of the hill!), that type of thing, and see how that setup works. I haven't been out shooting at a wildcat range for years, decided I like regular ranges myself. Last time I did that was Powerline Road off Tangerine in Marana, but they closed that to casual shooting due to slob shooters trashing the place.

g.willikers · April 27, 2017, 08:47 AM

Have you looked at the National Shooting Sports Foundation "Where to Shoot" page?
http://wheretoshoot.org/index2.cfm

Destructo6 · April 27, 2017, 09:58 AM

Don't shoot around the Santa Ritas on a windy day...

Quote:

If you want to travel a little bit, just past Three Points on I-19 is the Tucson Rifle Club

TRC is on Ajo Way (SR 86) at mile post 148-ish. You can reach Ajo Way via I-19. Lots of road construction right now, but not too hard to navigate around it.

PM me for some places I'm familiar with...

Paul B. · April 27, 2017, 02:25 PM

IIRC, neither TRC or the county range allow plinking. I assume you are in the Tucson area so if you want to hook up, PM me and we can discuss it.
Paul B.

FITASC · April 27, 2017, 03:58 PM

Is there no BLM land in the Tucson area?

When I lived out West, it was everywhere; just go and shoot (and please cleanup after yourself)

kilimanjaro · April 27, 2017, 09:56 PM

If you do go plinking on BLM or USFS land, or any other federal ownership, for that matter, don't even think about using any tracer ammo, tannerite, that kind of thing. Big fines and legal issues.

Start a range fire, and you pay for it.

armoredman · April 28, 2017, 03:38 AM

Destructo, you are right, my bad, Ajo OFF I-19, been many years since I worked out at TRC part time. Neat place if you're a member.
Perhaps a good question to the Op would be - what do you mean by linking? Shooting paper or steel targets, or knocking cans all over the place, random targets?

JackThunder · April 28, 2017, 08:02 PM

Thanks everybody. Just want to avoid some of the stringency of a range and shoot at least my .22 and .30 carbine at some old 2 liter bottles or something.

Thanks again!

Paul B. · April 29, 2017, 12:27 PM

Jack. The county range is rather strictly run. I don't go there. The TRC range is more or less self governed. In other words the shooter police themselves. Membership is $60 a year and includes family.
A lot of people run up Redington Pass and shoot there but due to people never cleaning up sometime Game and Fish hassle shooters. Every once in a great while people get together and haul away all the shot up TVs, computers and God know what else. I haven't been up there in some time but the last time the road was quite rough. Had been in serious need of grading for some time.
Paul B.

armoredman · April 30, 2017, 01:45 AM

Last time I went out to Reddington Pass was about 1986 or so, and it was looking rough then.

JackThunder · April 30, 2017, 02:37 PM

I've never been to Reddington Pass, mainly because I couldn't understand the written instructions on where it is now currently legal to shoot. I had understood lots of the area is no longer open to shooters so I gave up pursuing it. Is it even still open?

Paul B. · May 2, 2017, 02:36 PM

Call the AZ Game & Fish. They can tell you if it's still open to shooting and where.
Paul B.

April 26, 2017, 08:09 AM	#1
JackThunder Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2017 Posts: 4	Where to Plink in Tucson Hello, Anyone here familiar with Tucson? I'm trying to find a safe, legal place to go plinking, but coming up empty. There must be plenty of places, as we're surrounded by desert, but after hours of scouring the Web I haven't found anything that's still open in 2017. Any idea? Thanks, Tony

April 27, 2017, 08:47 AM	#5
g.willikers Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 10,442	Have you looked at the National Shooting Sports Foundation "Where to Shoot" page? http://wheretoshoot.org/index2.cfm __________________ Walt Kelly, alias Pogo, sez: “Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent.”

April 27, 2017, 02:25 PM	#7
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	IIRC, neither TRC or the county range allow plinking. I assume you are in the Tucson area so if you want to hook up, PM me and we can discuss it. Paul B. __________________ COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!

April 27, 2017, 03:58 PM	#8
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	Is there no BLM land in the Tucson area? When I lived out West, it was everywhere; just go and shoot (and please cleanup after yourself) __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

April 29, 2017, 12:27 PM	#12
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	Jack. The county range is rather strictly run. I don't go there. The TRC range is more or less self governed. In other words the shooter police themselves. Membership is $60 a year and includes family. A lot of people run up Redington Pass and shoot there but due to people never cleaning up sometime Game and Fish hassle shooters. Every once in a great while people get together and haul away all the shot up TVs, computers and God know what else. I haven't been up there in some time but the last time the road was quite rough. Had been in serious need of grading for some time. Paul B. __________________ COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!

April 26, 2017, 08:41 AM	#2
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	Thanks for posting this Jack, I would be interested in that info myself. Planning an RV trip to Tucson and may decide to stay permanent. Best Regards Bob Hunter

April 26, 2017, 11:32 PM	#3
JackThunder Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2017 Posts: 4	Thanks Bob... looks like no takers. I know there is at least one outdoor range, and there used to be an outdoor plinking area that if I understand correctly was closed down, so maybe people want to keep the other places private.

April 27, 2017, 01:56 AM	#4
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	In Tucson? The are two outdoor ranges I can think of right off the top of my head, the Pima County one by the fairgrounds, and Mountain Park out by the Desert Museum on Kinney Road. There are two indoor ranges IIRC, both owned by The Marksman last time I went through there, one on Flowing Wells and Prince and the other on 29th between Craycroft and Swan. If you want to travel a little bit, just past Three Points on I-19 is the Tucson Rifle Club, which has public ranges and club only ranges, which include southern AZ's only 1000 yard line. That range is a mile wide, BTW - I worked there MANY years ago. Further north in the Casa Grande area is an outstanding free public range, unmonitored and city maintained, but it's a ways north of Tucson. For desert/wildcat ranges refer to Title 13, Criminal Code, and last time I checked shooting was legal over one mile of occupied structures. Drive out in the desert,(public land, BLM, National Forest, NOT national monuments - those are verboten), find a nice small hill as a backstop, check for other people in the area, (no parties going on, perhaps on the other side of the hill!), that type of thing, and see how that setup works. I haven't been out shooting at a wildcat range for years, decided I like regular ranges myself. Last time I did that was Powerline Road off Tangerine in Marana, but they closed that to casual shooting due to slob shooters trashing the place.

April 27, 2017, 09:56 PM	#9
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	If you do go plinking on BLM or USFS land, or any other federal ownership, for that matter, don't even think about using any tracer ammo, tannerite, that kind of thing. Big fines and legal issues. Start a range fire, and you pay for it.

April 28, 2017, 03:38 AM	#10
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	Destructo, you are right, my bad, Ajo OFF I-19, been many years since I worked out at TRC part time. Neat place if you're a member. Perhaps a good question to the Op would be - what do you mean by linking? Shooting paper or steel targets, or knocking cans all over the place, random targets?

April 28, 2017, 08:02 PM	#11
JackThunder Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2017 Posts: 4	Thanks everybody. Just want to avoid some of the stringency of a range and shoot at least my .22 and .30 carbine at some old 2 liter bottles or something. Thanks again!

April 30, 2017, 01:45 AM	#13
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	Last time I went out to Reddington Pass was about 1986 or so, and it was looking rough then.

April 30, 2017, 02:37 PM	#14
JackThunder Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2017 Posts: 4	I've never been to Reddington Pass, mainly because I couldn't understand the written instructions on where it is now currently legal to shoot. I had understood lots of the area is no longer open to shooters so I gave up pursuing it. Is it even still open?

May 2, 2017, 02:36 PM	#15
Paul B. Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 1999 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,802	Call the AZ Game & Fish. They can tell you if it's still open to shooting and where. Paul B. __________________ COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!