Ammo Restrictions at DFW Ranges

[ezypikns]

I went to Elm Fork Range in Dallas this afternoon to shoot my VEPR K. Had some Wolf 7.62 hollow point. I was told that it had a steel core and that I couldn't use it. I realize there may be restrictions on FMJ, but hollow point?
Also there's no place there to shoot offhand, only bench shooting.
Is there some place in the DFW area which might be a little less restrictive?

Thanks

 

[JohnKSa]

Gibson's in Mesquite has no ammo restrictions that I'm aware of.

You can probably find directions in the Rallying Point forum on THR, a lot of the DFW shooters on THR meet there occasionally.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Garland Public Range restricts you to soft point/hollow nose rifle ammunition on centerfire arms. on the pistol side, they don't have such a restriction.

Last time I was out at the Bass Pro indoor range they didn't allow .44 Magnum or above-power loads on the pistol range...not that it was in operation at the time. The Bullet trap in Plano does not have a restriction on handgun rounds or rifle rounds as of the last time I was there, which was about a month ago.

Neither does, as I recall, the Shooting Gallery next to Winchesters in Ft. Worth, where the DFW/THR group has had the monthly shoot previously.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[rbernie]

The Bullet trap in Plano does not have a restriction on handgun rounds or rifle rounds as of the last time I was there

No steel core (and they're smart enough to know the difference between steel-cored and steel cased), no 50S&W, and no shotgun.

 

[Vic303]

Bernie, the Bullet Trap will let you shoot a 500S&W there. They had one to rent last time I looked...

 

[ezypikns]

What I was Going to Shoot was Wolf Hollow Point...

and the fellow at the range said it had a steel core. Used a magnet to demonstrate the fact by placing the magnet on the bullet tip itself. Sure enough, it picked up the bullet. Does Wolf make a 7.62 that's not steel cored or FMJ. This stuff is so cheap.

 

[Aleko]

CCGR doesn't have ammo restrictions IIRC. Backwoods TRAPS has no ammo restrictions on handgun calibers, but only soft point or JHP for rifles.

 

[Gewehr98]

Magnets don't mean much on surplus ammo.

There is steel core ammo, and steel jacketed ammo. A magnet will pick up both.

Steel core 7.62x39 was banned from importation in February of 1994. Those who owned the ammo already imported prior to this date could keep it. 7.62x39 ammo from that date forward could not be imported if it was steel core. Steel jacketed ammo, however, was fine to import, as it wasn't considered to enhance the armor piercing qualities of the 7.62x39 round.

Unless you had some spare ammo from before February of 1994, I'd wager your hollow point 7.62x39 was picked up by the magnet by virtue of the steel jacket.

Depends on the reasons for the range banning steel core ammo - if it's to prevent damage to a metal backstop, I'd understand. Same goes for preventing sparks and subsequent fires on outdoor ranges. Although I wonder how "sparky" steel jacket ammo is compared to steel core...

 

[rbernie]

the Bullet Trap will let you shoot a 500S&W there. They had one to rent last time I looked...

No longer - it was simply eating up the cupolas of the bullet traps.

 

[heypete]

Gewehr98 -- it sparks quite nicely against steel targets, at least the Wolf 7.62x39mm FMJ in the new polymer-coated cases does. Even in bright sunlight.

Didn't seem to do any damage to them at all, not even any dings. My copper-jacketed Winchester bullets in my .30-06 handloads did more damage.

 

[ezypikns]

Went To Gibson's in Mesquite

Nice friendly place. No ammo restrictions other than no tracers. A little far to drive, but well worth it.
Thanks for the tip.

 

[TODD3465]

Steel core???

As far as I know ther is NO Wolf ammo imported that's steel core.

BTW- Wolf has made copper jacket ammo in the past but don't know if they still do. It was marked as such on the package.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Alpine (where I may go early Monday morning) doesn't allow FMJ, I believe.

 

[rbernie]

I'll probably be at Garland PSR tomorrow. FWIW - they allow any HP but don't like FMJ.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Quail Ridge off of I-35W south of Denton only allows (or used to only allow) soft point rifle ammo. Backwoods on Highway 380 between Denton and McKinney only allows soft point rifle ammo.

 

[Jake in TX]

Alpine Range

I can verify that Alpine does not allow FMJ rifle ammo of any kind.

No magnet check; just a visual check. If it's FMJ, it's not allowed. No restriction on pistol ammo.

Jake in TX

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

I did indeed get to Alpine this morning, and as stated, no FMJ rifle ammunition is allowed.

 

[chrisTx]

if i'm going to just shoot pistols, i go to alpine. if i want to bring out the rifles, i make the haul to tac-pro. it's a good drive, but they have 0 restrictions. tracer is ok if the weather isn't dry. they have a 1000 yard range. the last time i went a few weeks ago, i had two 50 yard ranges all to myself. one was set up with targets and the other had the metal spinners and bowling pins. they have several ranges, but they're never crowded. i love being able to pop off hundreds of rounds of cheap FMJ surplus ammo.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Your ammo is likely steel-jacketed and not steel cored but many ranges don't care about the distinction. Even otherwise reasonable ranges such as Targetmaster that are very supportive of RKBA and have few restrictions still use the magnet test on ammo.

Gibson's and Collin County Gun Range are two immediate ranges I can think of that have no restrictions on ammo type.

Tac-Pro does forbid steel core ammo in its rules; but they are quite a bit more savvy than most ranges and can distinguish between steel jacket and steel core.

These days I normally shoot at Tac-Pro when I have the time; but the 2hr trip (one-way) means it is pretty much an all-day event so I don't get to do it as much as I would like.

 

[aerod1]

Where is Tac Pro?

Jim

 

[chrisTx]

http://www.tacproshootingcenter.com/