Your thoughts about big and glitzty indoor ranges

[johngalt]

Add me to the camp that would rather shoot outside. Inside there is too much noise, poor lighting, and poor ventilation. However, if 'glitzy' means well maintained, I would pick that over dirty and run down.

I always thought a nice addition to indoor ranges is washrooms so you can at least wash your hands and face.

 

[smokindog]

I thought all of Chicago was an outdoor range

I live in the northern suburbs of Chicago and have only been shooting for 4 years. There aren't really any outdoor ranges where I live but several indoor within 30-40 minutes. I usually go to a relatively new one in Crystal Lake which has excellent ventilation or a very large one in Elgin.
I have never shot outdoors but would imagine it is a totally different experience. I get kind of bored after an hour of just shooting paper in a straight line in a confined space.

I would love to have the layout that Hickok45 has. If I lived there I would have to pick up reloading as it would be too expensive to have his backyard otherwise! Note: Although I can't walk out to my backyard and start shooting I do have 4 barbeque grills to keep me occupied.

Karl

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

About a month ago, I visited a certain indoor range in suburban Philadelphia for the first time. It was very large and very glitzy.

The line to sign up for range time was about 25 people deep and it felt very impersonal.

I was not going to wait to get on the range and do not plan on going back.

I am afraid that large and glitzy is the future of suburban shooting ranges.

TSS? It is still fresh and new. Drawing people from Delaware and New Jersey who need to stay out. Weekends are a mess but not so much during the week. Beautiful facility.

 

[pawngal]

I always thought a nice addition to indoor ranges is washrooms so you can at least wash your hands and face.

That is a BIG plus as far as I'm concerned. The range I go to has very nice clean restrooms, including lead removal soap and hot water.

 

[Mike0251]

Indoor, outdoor, fancy, dingy, the important thing here is they are there and growing! This just helps our fantastic gun industry/hobby and our first amendment rights. All positive and makes us stronger as a group. We are fortunate to shoot on the farm that connects to our property. As for the Fairfax NRA range, 10 more minutes up the road is a very nice state of the art indoor range. Nice place, done right, walk in electronic register for a lane. They did a very good job.
Elite Shooting Sports, LLC | Prince William County, Virginia

 

[joe44va]

I belong to a fancy indoor range in Richmond, VA that is very enjoyable and very strict on safety with at least one Range Officer at each range. Frequently 2. I also belong to an outdoor range where I can shoot at 100 yards. Old school but nice. I go mostly during the week with all the other old farts. Few crazies then.

 

[codenamedave]

You know what, y'all have changed my mind. If the $200 initiation & $34 a month place I mentioned was say a ten minute drive, and I could get there at least a couple times a month, it would be worth the membership.

Although I might have to spring for some new clothes...

 

[Wise_A]

Here's what I think is hilarious.

You guys all make fun of me living in the People's Democratic Republic of New York.

My club fee is $100 a year. No hourly charge, no guest fee, nothing. We're the most expensive club in the area, IIRC, but we make up for it by offering the most Stuff.

 

[steamloco76]

The only public indoor range within 30 miles of my home is a five lane, 25 yard facility in the basement of an Army & Navy surplus store. The range is well ventilated but extremely cold in the winter. $9 for a half hour or $16 per hour and you must buy their targets at $2 to $4 each. Outside ammo is fine, but you lose much of your brass because of the ceiling design.

Two issues keep me from shooting there, first the steps are not regulation, they are tall and steep, so carrying gear down or up is no fun. Second, they don't have someone dedicated to running the range. You come in, wait to speak with one of the guys and then usually stand around ant wait a half hour for one of them to man the range. I griped loudly about the "We'll get to you eventually" attitude and asked why they constantly advertise the range if running it is such a bother. I just got dirty looks.

 

[Arik]

Here's what I think is hilarious.

You guys all make fun of me living in the People's Democratic Republic of New York.

My club fee is $100 a year. No hourly charge, no guest fee, nothing. We're the most expensive club in the area, IIRC, but we make up for it by offering the most Stuff.

I'm not sure who's making fun of you but....I'll gladly pay more for a club or better yet not join one but at the same time not have mag restrictions, pistol grip restrictions, muzzle device restrictions, folding stock restrictions, carry permit restrictions.....Etc..Etc...Etc.
I'd much rather have my rights then some low club fee

Personally, I don't do clubs. I show up, shoot, pay, leave. My range charges $15/hr for handgun. Use whatever ammo you want except tracer. I spend 2 hours, pay my $30 and done

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[kpoesq369]

I belong to an indoor and an outdoor club in Suburban Phila, and work part time at a public indoor range, with memberships available, since I re-retired. We open at 900, and by 930 we usually have at least 3 or 4 members there shooting, plus 1 or 2 hourly rentals. By the afternoon, we most of our lanes rented and it's like that for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, at my private ranges, we can have an indoor 22 pistol match with 4 to 10 shooters. But, those 4 to 10 guys might not make it every week, but in the course of a month I'll see just about all of them!
the range I work at is packed all weekend, there are always customers in the gun shop, and I think it's a good thing.

The other ranges and gunshops in the area are the same. on the weekends the parking lots are packed. So our message is getting out, and on the upside there is going to be another range opening in the next county over once construction gets done.

 

[Arik]

I belong to an indoor and an outdoor club in Suburban Phila, and work part time at a public indoor range, with memberships available, since I re-retired. We open at 900, and by 930 we usually have at least 3 or 4 members there shooting, plus 1 or 2 hourly rentals. By the afternoon, we most of our lanes rented and it's like that for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, at my private ranges, we can have an indoor 22 pistol match with 4 to 10 shooters. But, those 4 to 10 guys might not make it every week, but in the course of a month I'll see just about all of them!
the range I work at is packed all weekend, there are always customers in the gun shop, and I think it's a good thing.

The other ranges and gunshops in the area are the same. on the weekends the parking lots are packed. So our message is getting out, and on the upside there is going to be another range opening in the next county over once construction gets done.

Clayton's?

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[cmort666]

My ONLY options for shooting are indoor ranges.

If you don't like "large and glitzy", you should try "large and dirty... and sleazy". That's the best description for the biggest indoor public range here.

Many of us don't have a lot of options, either because of the local environment or work situation.

I've got basically one choice of range here since I started working second shift. They're small and VERY busy. They're also clean, well run and safe. I'm grateful to have that... even though they're expensive.

 

[Gvillecountryboy352]

The 2 indoor ranges I'll go to near me are both pretty well run, one is a few minutes from my house and could be considered"big and glitzy" complete with gunsmith on site, full shop, and a restaurant inside and a belt system under the floor that collects the spent casings and sorts them for recycling (or at least that's what they say).. it's also the range when I did my qualification for "G" license for security..

the other is a little of a drive up to titusville and is located at the police hall of fame near Kennedy space center, a little less Glitzy but also well run, and always keeping up in making sure rules are followed..

If I do any outdoor shooting it's either at the range set up on some property across the street from where I work (it does belong to the company I work for) or we'll set up some plinking targets along the banks of the pond on the property.. this one is great when you don't feel like paying for the range time.

 

[BC38]

We have an award-winning range about 20 miles from where I live. Its called Center Target Sports. Really nice place. I've been there a couple of times. It is a little pricey, but very high tech and slick.

The only thing I have against the indoor ranges is that around here they all prohibit shooting bare lead reloads. They claim that it is for "environmental health" reasons - that they want to limit lead exposure for employees and patrons. But then they'll turn right around and sell you Blazers or Thunderbolts and let you shoot as many of them as you can afford - even though they are both super-soft bare lead bullets!

Seems to me that the real reason behind the ban on bare lead reloads pretty much has to be sell more of their marked-up ammo. That's the only thing that makes sense to me - since they'll sell you bare lead bullets and let you shoot them. I understand that they need to make a profit and I wouldn't even have a problem with that - if they'd just be up front about it instead of giving some BS health reason.

 

[cmort666]

Seems to me that the real reason behind the ban on bare lead reloads pretty much has to be sell more of their marked-up ammo.

I had a range try that with me once.

I went there to zero some guns for 25 yards for Camp Perry. They offered to sell me some hot JHPs... for my Giles .38 Special M1911. I wouldn't have shot them even if they'd fit in the magazine. I picked up my gear, walked back to the car and left. They've been closed for years.

 

[Krell1]

as long as the range is well ventilated and controlled....i like it.....

two new indoor ranges just opened in my area of suburban chicago..............times they are a changin....for the better.....

I've probably been to at least one of these when I visited my son in Libertyville. We've been to two different indoor ranges and both were very nice. No wait at all at either one. I may be getting the name wrong but it was something like 2nd Amendment Sports. Nice range and very nice shop as well.

 

[Mistered]

Never having shot at an indoor range (and only a few outdoor) I can't really form an opinion but if one cannot shoot reloads or lead ammo and cannot pickup his or her shot brass along with possible additional restrictions then this would not really be 'promoting' the sport/hobby for that person. Some of the restrictions that have been mentioned are oppressive to the point of taking the fun out of shooting.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

When I first started shooting the range didn't matter much. And that was a good thing because it was pretty bad by my standards today, but I didn't know any better. I was thrilled with it and only had a couple guns.

Fast forward a few decades... The gun club I belong to is an absolute paradise and I have all the guns I want... and even a few that I don't. Curiously, I think I enjoyed shooting more back in the day.

There's got to be a life lesson in there somewhere...

 

[AJ]

I had a range try that with me once.

I went there to zero some guns for 25 yards for Camp Perry. They offered to sell me some hot JHPs... for my Giles .38 Special M1911. I wouldn't have shot them even if they'd fit in the magazine. I picked up my gear, walked back to the car and left. They've been closed for years.

Off the subject, but I just bought a Giles .38 Special M1911 at the local gun show this morning. Will shoot it tomorrow at the range. had been looking for a S&W 52, but found this instead.