Where do you shoot?

[Servant68]

I grew up about 15 miles from here. It is a very rural area. So, we would just drive to an old gravel pit a couple of miles out of town where everyone went to shoot.

Then my family bought some land and built a cabin near a lake about an hour away and stepdad built an impromptu 25yd pistol range about 30 years ago.

Now, my dad owns 10 acres North of me and is a competition shooter so built a 300yd rifle range with an indoor shooting bench and spotting scope a few years ago.

Since he lives about 12 miles away, I usually go to his place.

I've shot at a public range a couple of times in Iowa when I lived there. And I've shot at the Ben Avery range in Phoenix for BPCR competitions. And I shot at an indoor range twice in AZ when it was simply too hot to go out into the desert.

Other than those dozen times or so, I've never regularly shot at a public range. Oh, almost forgot military qualifications and live fire training... Did a bunch of that plus some Logan's Alley exercises while in the Navy.

But I have head some real horror stories about public ranges. Someone told me to picture shopping at WalMart, then give those people guns... LOL.

Just wondering where everyone shoots and just how bad it is shooting with strangers...

 

[GeorgeJ]

Shot at military ranges for 20 years when I was in the service.

We've got a few ranges nearby. I used to shoot at a nearby gun club, but then they got anal and told us we could only shoot from the bench...no standing, sitting, or prone shooting.

Shot at a 25 yard indoor range. OK for handguns if you just wanna scratch the itch or zero your weapon.

Then I found a public range at a WMA (Wildlife Management Area). It was OK, but a buncha crazies show up and the fun is over...."spray and pray" shooters...shooting when folks were down range, etc. I quit going there.

Then I joined a handgun metallic silhouette club with a 200 yard range. It's a 45 minute drive, but they don't let the loons in to shoot.

 

[Darkhorse]

My wife and I live on 5 acres in rural Virginia, so my range is in the backyard. Our terrain is wooded and hilly, so the natural berms make it safe and the trees muffle the noise. The neighbors don't care (many of them shoot also), and the laws here are very favorable to shooting and gun owners generally.

I learned to shoot at a public outdoor range in California with my parents and brothers. Even then (1960) there were a few careless and crazy types, but not many. I lived in Orlando for a couple of years and used a local indoor range - better than nothing, but I prefer outdoors and no crowds.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

My wife and I shoot at our Club in a small town. Membership is diverse, we have city folk, horse and buggy Amish, old, young, various ethnic backgrounds, most have farm or rural backgrounds like me, and some mutual friends and acquaintances. It is the most welcoming and unpretentious group of people one could hope to be associated with!

We have an indoor headed pistol range, and are currently rebuilding our rifle range to bring it into compliance. It too will have a heated house. We also have a cross-country outdoor range as well; and our most recent cross country shoot, we had about 100 people come out.

Membership is reasonable at $180 CDN per year.

Lots of other activities too!

 

[HannahT]

I know the H and the kids (adults, still kids to me) go to indoor range, because that is all that is available here.

Our retirement property has federal land within 5 miles, and they have a shooting park. You walk the trails, and shoot the different targets. I'm sure in time H will build one for the land as well. We have 35 acres in a rural area. So far there? My son uses his airsoft, and shots down the hills at a target there.

 

[marineimaging]

I shoot at public range but the fees have gone up to the point that it is too costly. To drive to where I can in the national forest is about 2 hours so the wife and I make a day of it. We take several guns and a picnic lunch and go far from everybody when we can.

 

[ChavaK]

I can shoot on my property, and do on occasion, but usually go to a private range to spare the neighbors the noise.
The private range has a much bigger area for movement, target set up, etc than I have on my property so I don't mind a short drive to get there.

 

[marineimaging]

I forgot to add, I purchased several pellet rifles. Two .177 and a .22. When I just MUST shoot I set up targets out back and focus on shooting those just as seriously as I would my .308, .223, or .30-06.. Like this at 50 feet. I was testing different pellets with the .22 Stoeger NP after I got the scope set.

 

[GeorgeJ]

Yep...got me some pellet guns, too. When I got an itch I need to scratch I take 'em out to the backyard to practice.

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

I tend to aim for the head.