Gun ranges are just boring!

[rubiranch]

I'v only ever been to one indoor range and it was with my daughters.

I'm pretty fortunate and live in rural Utah and can shoot within 1/2 my of my front door and have a private outdoor range within a mile.

The one time at the indoor range we had a blast.

 

[nachogrande]

FUN VS SATISFYING/INTERESTING.

It's a big TEHO, whatever blows your skirt up. For a reloader shooting at paper from a rest, a 1/4" reduction in group size may be a whoo-hoo moment. I agree reactive targets are more "fun", but ringing a gong without knowing where you hit it doesn't tell you much, other than you hit it. For ME I like to mix things up, steel challenge, bowling pin, paper, dueling post, golf balls, turning grapefruits to mist. It's all good.

 

[Faulkner]

I shoot at the department range quite often, and I enjoy working with new officers as an instructor at both our indoor and outdoor range.

But this is when I enjoy shooting the most, putting meat in the pan.

 

[Ribwizzard]

I did join a sporting Clay's, and yes , that is fun . But I like my handguns. And that is where we are lacking. It's time to design that shooting gallery, patent it, and franchise it all across the country.

 

[old bear]

Great ideas suggestions all. Range time should be serious but also needs to be a fun social time.

Ribwixzzard, if you are really bored think about joining us a Battery Oaks sometime.

With the exception of long range rifle shots, all shooting is done form the holster with an electronic timer running. Serious stuff, but it's still a relaxed attitude and lots of fun.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

On the other hand I see so many rifle and pistol shooters firing patterns at close range-"couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from the inside".
Charlie Askins and Bill Jordan-Jordan never talked about his gunfights, Charlie did, both were Bullseye champions, had mastered the discipline necessary to master the handgun. And lived to talk about it.
It's like weightlifting-requires a lot of self discipline, self control, but the results are worth it.
And there's something very gratifying about shooting tight groups-in front of others.

 

[misswired]

I did join a sporting Clay's, and yes , that is fun . But I like my handguns. And that is where we are lacking. It's time to design that shooting gallery, patent it, and franchise it all across the country.

Make it happen! You'll be the next gazillionaire.

When shooting at home gets boring I'll switch to moving targets. There's a nice little East wind behind the cold front in N Al. today.
Those same old easy to hit targets now swinging in the breeze ...are no longer boring...

I've never joined a range,but I'd probably join a shooting gallery with moving targets in a heartbeat.

Build It and They Will Come!
Or??? You can go bust big time using the Banks Money!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

valid points. The guns I had the most fun shooting were my grandfather's Ruger .22 pistol (which I now have) and an old Marlin model 99 22 that looked like a M-1 carbine. The fun I had with a .89 box of .22's!!!!

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

Since I got back into shooting, reloading, casting about 3 or 4 years ago, I haven't been bored. Sometimes I go to the range alone, most of the time with a friend or two.

The most fun is with my wife and daughters, we are planning on going next Saturday morning.

One thing I have found out........ If I invite some of these young sprouts that talk about how good they are, and then I wipe their eye, they are hard to get back to the range. It's embarrassing to be out shot by a 75 year old guy.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[cballman]

To me if the range is boring then You have to make it fun. I am a Scout leader who has permission to set up shooting ranges for our boys. Next Saturday I will have around 24-25 kids whom have never shot a gun. We will instruct and teach each child so they will enjoy themselves. That to me is the best part about shooting. I have spent way to much money on things just to make sure they have fun. Teaching new shooters is the best way to spend time on the range.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Shooting away from the range

I live in the city, and have lived in a town all my life. We had a camp up in Crawford Co., PA. It was on a dirt road, nothing but 200 acres of woods across the road, one house 200 yards up the road and one 150 yards down the road. Nothing but field and then more woods out the back door. I was used to shooting at any target I could, but no birds or animals, except crows & groundhogs. I took that for granted all my life growing up. I'm almost 62 now, and I plan to retire next year. My big plan is to sell this house and move away from PGH to a place in the country where I can relieve my bladder with one hand and shoot a pistol/revolver with the other, if I choose to do so! Yes, the range is boring, but so is city living. Most people say country life is boring! If they only knew...

 

[Chukar60]

I have only been to a formal range a handful of times in my 58 years. Belonged to a local club for two years and was not able to get there as often as intended.
I did get there often enough to learn that other than a great place to sight in high powered rifle, I had little use for the handgun course.
If I lived in a major metro area, a range would be my choice just due to proximity.
I much prefer shooting afield in hilly country that provides safe backstops for safe shooting. Scenery changes, targets change and I get exercise walking the ridges and draws. Target ranges vary and you need to be practiced at estimating ranges. All in all, it is great practice and tons of fun especially when the kids and or grandkids join in.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Well you can always have a $20 pot on the best group.......
but it is a draw!

We do four groups and you never know which is going to be the number drawn.
Rifle is standing, knelling, sitting and prone.

Pistol is offhand slow and fast and slow and fast with a rest.

Low on ammo......... ?

Rapid fire offhand on two targets, with a draw number.
Depending on you skills and jolly's, it can be $5 to $20 a round.
Hay, it is Nevada, you know................

 

[rwsmith]

I loved the woods stomping thing......

That's how I put so many BBs through my Daisy 1894. I did it a few times with a pistol when there were places that you could walk in the woods around here away from civilization.

Yeah, it would be fun to have all kinds of reactive targets, but I never have a boring range session, indoor or outdoor.

 

[S&W Fan]

This is the main reason I joined the indoor range near me. While I hate shooting indoors my options are quite limited. The range has great lighting, ventilation, mostly very good ROs and an excellent target system. It's limited to 25 yards but for me that's good enough for my handgun time. Long arms can be used but have to stay at 25 yards. The majority are AR type though every now and then I'll see a Garand or M1A on the line. Quite a few folks have suppressors and SBRs as well.

One section has preprogrammed options for various drills including duplicating one federal agency's qualification course (one of the instructors retired from said agency, spent time as a SWAT team member). I've seen him work with new shooters and he's really good, very calm and makes it fun for newbies.

It has three levels of handgun drills (mostly oriented towards semis but damn fun to shoot with wheelies) as well as other fun preprogrammed drills.

You can also program all the lanes to one's own preferred drills. Keeps things interesting. It's also great fun to tape the small paper plates up when shooting my 17.

I pay a monthly fee of $30, my initial one time fee to join was just under $250 about 5 years ago. No other costs unless I buy their targets. Online range reservations is another great bonus. Every year I get about 10 guest passes I hand out to some friends or use to take my sons.

They also have supressed and full auto firearms to rent if the desire strikes. A well stocked rental selection is great for new shooters.

Their retail prices are high but when they have members sales some stuff is really great. The gunsmith handles their used stuff (I've known him for 30 years) and prices the items right. I've passed on info about a couple of his old Smiths to a couple folks here as well as made a purchase or two for myself.

Overall it's a great place to keep me going in weekly.