Should I Join a Gun Club/Range?

[ladder13]

I have a private range about 2 miles from my house. Has 100 yard rifle, 25 and 50 yard pistol, Bianchi plates, and trap range. Cost $125 for the year, shoot from 8 am to dusk.
My friend Louis, who's also a member, prefers Tenoroc in Lakeland Florida He drives down every third month and spends 2 weeks there. Likes to throw the bull with the ol' timers, he says.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Sounds like it's a little ways off, but I reckon it's worth it just for the socializing. Up here in what used to be Fat Teddy's territory, there are actually a LOT of clubs within CLOSE driving distance (which makes up for the fact that you can hardly shoot anywhere else), but, while I do shoot weekly, I just find it good for my sanity to be around sane folks on a regular basis. That may not be as difficult in GA (it's not even really hard on Cape Cod), but it's always good to get together with some folks of similar interests. Leastways, that's how I see it.

 

[PDL]

I have a feeling you'd meet a lot more people with common interest at the range.
Go for it, if it's reasonable. You can always change your mind later.

 

[jkc]

Given the opportunity,I'd develop my own range long before paying fees and driving any distance to a range, assuming the lay of your land permits.

All nearby ranges here are open to the yahoo public, along with dues paying members, and this puts you on the firing line with careless gunhandlers, rude jerks who'll obliviously and uncaringly rain hot semi/full auto brass on neighboring stations, sight in their muzzle-braked elephant guns right next to some poor sap who's trying to fine tune his trigger release on a 500 yard prairie dog rifle, etc. I hate shooting at the available public ranges, and use them only when I absolutely need the stable cast concrete benches and long range sighting-in facilities.

I once belonged to a truly private gun club near Grand Rapids, MI, and this was a joy --- no outsiders allowed. The facilities were adequate for my needs, dues were modest, folks friendly... If presented with a similar opportunity, I guess I'd go for it, at least on a trial basis...

 

[kraigwy]

I have my own range, up to 400 yards, (when I get the 400 yard targets built).

But I'm still a member of a club in town, it makes it easier to use their range when I put on my High Power Clinics. One thing is they have a place for a class room.

 

[Model29Lover]

These guys have

These guys have said it all, I agree with them that a good range is hard to beat. I wish mine was more like S&WCHAD's but I can't complain too much!! I am just about to get into IDPA with my model 29 at the range, and can't wait!!!