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Before I get into this I should probably explain that I'm kind of new to this whole 'range' thing. I'm from a very rural part of West Virginia, but I live in a very non-rural area of North Carolina now. (my wife decided that regular paychecks were a good thing - go figure) Back home, when you want to go shoot, you don't go to a range. You just grab your gun(s) and a target and you go up the holler, find a flat spot and shoot. As far as I can tell, it never occurs to anyone to be bothered by this. That's just how it's done. Here in North Carolina, that is not how it's done, unless you own enough land, or have a friend who owns enough land to make that a reasonable proposition. Obviously I don't own that kind of land, so if I wanted to shoot down here I was kind of stuck trying to figure out this whole range deal.
The first challenge was in trying to find some place that would let me shoot my pistols and my rifles. I think most hunters in this area are required to hunt with shotguns, so when I'd call and say "I need somewhere to shoot a .30-06" the range owners would sort of freak on me. "You're not bringing that cannon into my range." Cannon? A .30-06? I guess if I'd have asked about my .300WinMag they would have accused me of lugging around a mobile artillery piece.
The second challenge was just finding a range that didn't make me feel like I was bothering them by wanting to give them money to shoot there. I don't know if these places already have so much business that they don't need anymore, or if it's just kind of an 'old boys club' with some of them or what, but several of them really made me feel kind of uncomfortable - even after I'd paid my money, attended their orientation-thingy, passed their test, and shot there a few times.
So this weekend I decided to try out a new place. I'd done a little Googling, and found some info on this Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center. Apparently it was built a few years back by the Wake County government (Wake County is where Raleigh is, for those who don't live around here) but it's staffed by members of some local outfit called the Sir Walter Gun Club.
What can I say? The entire day was just an incredibly positive experience. The 2-hour orientation session was informative and thorough, but it didn't make any of the students feel like we were all ignorant jackasses who were just dying to shoot our own feet off, you know? I didn't feel like anyone was talking down to me at all, which was really a refreshing change. They were very open to questions and comments, and were very patient with the people in the class who were obviously completely new to firearms.
After I passed the test I decided to try out the range itself, and I was really impressed by the facility. It's not as high-tech as some places I've seen, and you actually have to walk out there and change your targets instead of pushing a button so they slide back to you, but it's still pretty cool. Most importantly to me, it's an all-indoor range where they will allow me to bring my rifles (yes, even the .300WinMag - I asked) and they have one section with 100-meter lanes. I've never seen anything like that in an indoor facility.
Once again though, the people were by far the best part. One of the RSO's took a few minutes to give me a few pointers on my stance and grip, which were really helpful - but what impressed me the most was the way that the staff reacted with the people who were complete newbs. They managed to be strict and stern with those folks when it came to the safety aspects, without coming off as abrasive or hostile. They were very patient, very informative, and really went out of their way to make sure everyone had a fun and safe experience.
All in all, everyone there made all of us feel like they were just genuinely happy that we came by to spend some time with them, you know? The whole day was an extremely positive experience for me, and I can't wait to take my sons and my wife there this weekend. If you live in this area and you're looking for a place to shoot that's family-friendly, I couldn't recommend this place highly enough.
The first challenge was in trying to find some place that would let me shoot my pistols and my rifles. I think most hunters in this area are required to hunt with shotguns, so when I'd call and say "I need somewhere to shoot a .30-06" the range owners would sort of freak on me. "You're not bringing that cannon into my range." Cannon? A .30-06? I guess if I'd have asked about my .300WinMag they would have accused me of lugging around a mobile artillery piece.
The second challenge was just finding a range that didn't make me feel like I was bothering them by wanting to give them money to shoot there. I don't know if these places already have so much business that they don't need anymore, or if it's just kind of an 'old boys club' with some of them or what, but several of them really made me feel kind of uncomfortable - even after I'd paid my money, attended their orientation-thingy, passed their test, and shot there a few times.
So this weekend I decided to try out a new place. I'd done a little Googling, and found some info on this Wake County Firearms Education and Training Center. Apparently it was built a few years back by the Wake County government (Wake County is where Raleigh is, for those who don't live around here) but it's staffed by members of some local outfit called the Sir Walter Gun Club.
What can I say? The entire day was just an incredibly positive experience. The 2-hour orientation session was informative and thorough, but it didn't make any of the students feel like we were all ignorant jackasses who were just dying to shoot our own feet off, you know? I didn't feel like anyone was talking down to me at all, which was really a refreshing change. They were very open to questions and comments, and were very patient with the people in the class who were obviously completely new to firearms.
After I passed the test I decided to try out the range itself, and I was really impressed by the facility. It's not as high-tech as some places I've seen, and you actually have to walk out there and change your targets instead of pushing a button so they slide back to you, but it's still pretty cool. Most importantly to me, it's an all-indoor range where they will allow me to bring my rifles (yes, even the .300WinMag - I asked) and they have one section with 100-meter lanes. I've never seen anything like that in an indoor facility.
Once again though, the people were by far the best part. One of the RSO's took a few minutes to give me a few pointers on my stance and grip, which were really helpful - but what impressed me the most was the way that the staff reacted with the people who were complete newbs. They managed to be strict and stern with those folks when it came to the safety aspects, without coming off as abrasive or hostile. They were very patient, very informative, and really went out of their way to make sure everyone had a fun and safe experience.
All in all, everyone there made all of us feel like they were just genuinely happy that we came by to spend some time with them, you know? The whole day was an extremely positive experience for me, and I can't wait to take my sons and my wife there this weekend. If you live in this area and you're looking for a place to shoot that's family-friendly, I couldn't recommend this place highly enough.
) but her eyes perked up when I told her about the picnic areas and the lake. I sent the guys in charge of the place an email asking about camping there and they said it was definately allowed. 
. I might go both Saturday and Sunday, though.
