How far would you drive to go to the range?

[Straight Shooter]

This post is part curiosity and part rant.

There are few ranges within reasonable driving distance from me, all indoor. Only one that is conveniently close, it’s about 10 minutes from my house. This is the one that I am a member of due to its convenient proximity, however, you must buy their ammo.

I have been ok with buying ammo there because their prices were reasonable (for buying at the range), a buck or two higher per box than I would normally pay and they are very close to my house. However, during the past few months their ammo prices have gone up to $24.95 for .45ACP and $19.95 for 9mm (American Eagle) .

The next closest range is about 30 minutes from me and you can bring in ammo but no reloads or aluminum or steel cased (even though they sell Wolf there) or WWB because Wal-Mart sells it . Also, their staff is very unfriendly. I only go there once in a while to shoot my carry ammo since I can’t shoot it at my range :banghead:.

There is another range about an hour from me; I just went to shoot there for the first time to check it out. Very nice facility, very friendly staff. The only restrictions on ammo are no armor piercing and if you bring reloads you can’t shoot them in their guns (fair enough). And as a bonus their membership is $60 less per year than I am currently paying.

As my membership nears its end I am considering moving to the range that is an hour from me. It’s less expensive and better customer service, but it’s an hour away!

So my question again, how far would you drive to go to the range?

P.S. I'm jealous of all of you who can just go out to your back yard and shoot.

 

[Walkalong]

I drive about 22 miles. Half of it is interstate, so it's not a long drive. I certainly miss the days of being able to shoot closer to home. I have driven farther.

 

[EddieNFL]

For three years I drove 130 miles round trip at least one weekly. There was a closer range, but I don't like looking down muzzles.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Mine is about 40 miles from my house.

It's worth it since it's a members only type of place, with few restrictions, and generally not very busy at all.

Well worth it to me. I usually just make a day of it. Pack a lunch and some drinks and stay a while.

Apparently I'm not the only one willing to make the drive either. The range has a 300 member max limit and there are over 75 people on the waiting list. I waited 4 years.

 

[mannac]

About 10 mins from my house. But it's only a 100 yard max range.

 

[oneounceload]

When I lived out West, the city had a park designated for shooting - rifle/silhouette section, pistol section and machinegun section - all outdoors (covered benches), and was less than 10 minutes away.

Now, here in the South, the closest open to the public range is in a National Forest - (went once, never again - too many yahoos) or I drive about an hour and 15 to a place that has sporting clays, pistol range, 300 yard rifle and a 600 yard rifle range. It has cut down on my metallic shooting being so far away

 

[Texas Gun Person]

The range I normally go to is around 20 minutes away. Just a little mom and pop type place. Only bad thing is the longest range is 100 yards. Some 50's and a pistol range.
.22 has their own range. Also has skeet and trap.

Another much nicer range is about 20 minutes away as well. Indoors.

Trap and skeet club about 30 minutes away. Very nice facilities.

Two other indoor ranges about 35 minutes away.

 

[Sam1911]

How far would I drive would depend on what the facility has to offer me, in the areas of my interest.

I am fortunate enough to live within 30 minutes of a club that promotes modern practical shooting very extensively. Right now, I visit that range at least once a week. If it was much farther, I'd probably have to cut down.

But, I know folks who do drive well over an hour (sometimes more) to shoot with us.

It all comes down to the value I'd get for the time spent.

-Sam

 

[CoRoMo]

My usual range is just minutes from my house. But if it weren't, I'd probably only want to drive about an hour or so if that was the distance to the nearest IDPA type of club/range.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I can shoot pistol & rifle in my backyard, to about 60 yards. That being said, I still belong to a rifle range about 22 minutes away to give my neighbors a break, and fire at longer ranges. I often drive to the formal range to test loads over my chronograph on a real crappy day, as they have a nice covered roof over the pistol range. I could do it in my backyard, but there is about a foot of snow I'm not dealing with just to test loads. I have also driven 75 minutes to a range fascility that had 600 yards and a great side range that you could shoot almost anything on. I did that for several years, but got tired of driving and didn't use it enough to justify the money.

 

[41magsnub]

There is a public range about 10 miles from my house that I used to go to. The live-in range master is a bit psycho though.

I joined the private range about 20 miles away for $55/mo and it is most definitely worth it. Individual berm divided lanes for pistol along with a shared 25 yard range with about 15 benches, 2 100 yard ranges with 15 or so benches each, a 300 yard range with 15 or so benches, a trap range, a 1000 yard range, and then 1 dedicated 50 yard range for shooting games, training, and etc. All the shared ranges with multiple benches are covered.

Other than right before the deer season opener you can generally get an entire range to yourself or at worst have one or 2 other folks on it.

The only minor annoyance is when they do hunters safety classes and they take over the 300 yard range to set up training stations.

 

[Golden_006]

I have to get out there more often. I didn't shoot this weekend because I didn't feel like driving 15 miles - 25 miles depending on the range. The 25 mile away one was outdoors and 100 yards. It was 15 degrees in all fairness.

 

[ByAnyMeans]

When I lived in NY I drove three hours round trip with no traffic to get to Calverton on Long Island. Me and my friends would pack drinks and lunch and make a day of it. I would go a little early and shoot at the rifle range then ten dollars a person and you could shoot skeet as long as you had ammo and skeets. We spent hours shooting shotguns, still my first love


Now that I have moved to PA I shoot shotguns a lot less but the range is much closer.
I go five minutes for a ten dollar all day bench with 35 yards targets and they hang reactive targets. Five dollars an hour for a pulley bay and five dollars for 25 skeets.
No restrictions on what you shoot.
Or I can go for a thirty minute drive to a free SGL range which has ten and twenty five yard pistol targets and fifty and hundred yard rifle ranges, no skeet shooting. They have a 6 round pistol and three round rifle limit. Here is where I shoot my handguns for bullseye practice and run mag change drills. Rifles are mainly bolt action and I leave the AK's for the closer range.

 

[Straight Shooter]

I am fortunate enough to live within 30 minutes of a club that promotes modern practical shooting very extensively. Right now, I visit that range at least once a week. If it was much farther, I'd probably have to cut down.

That’s my concern. I’m usually at the range once a week, sometimes more. I would hate to pay the membership then not go as much because of the drive. But the savings on ammo and being able to shoot whatever I want is very appealing.

 

[Sam1911]

Where in the state are you? I drive 30 minutes to get to my club because it is really terrific for practical shooting. However, there are at least 7 other shooting clubs CLOSER to my house.

My club is $55/year and has 12 ranges (including an archery range and trap range) and very few restrictions of any kind. (Well...you do have to apply to a "special use committee" to have unrestricted use of full-auto or the shoot houses.)

I've checked the few commercial ranges around and I can't imagine paying their rates...ONCE...let alone all year. I calculated one time that if I shot down at Freedom Armory in Shrewsberry instead of at my club, I'd be paying nearly $6,000 a year!

And as for the game lands ranges... I don't like extra holes in ME, so they don't work so well for my needs. LOL!

PA is generally awesome for shooting. Hard to imagine it's so hard to find a real range!

-Sam

 

[WoofersInc]

Depends on what type of shooting. For me there is the BLM land just outside of town which is 30 miles for me one way. However Clark County just opened their shooting park which is a grand total of 1.5 miles away from me..

 

[searcher451]

At the moment, the range I currently use is a 3-hour drive from my house. But I have to make the drive from time to time anyway, so it's not a big deal. The ranges that are closer to home are crazily expensive and not all that welcoming, which necessitates the long drive, in my view. Wish it were otherwise, but it's not.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Where in the state are you?

SEPA, west of Philly.

My choices are to go W, NW of me or into the city without crossing state lines.

I used to be a member at a range in Philly a few years ago but I stopped going there after a couple of incidents with the RO. The first time he pulled me off of the line because I was shooting double taps, I wasn’t emptying a magazine, just two shots, pause, two shots etc. He explained to me that he considered that rapid firing; I acknowledged and agreed not to do it anymore. The second time he pulled me off of the line again for rapid firing except I wasn’t rapid firing, even by his standards. I explained to him that he had the wrong guy and he said “I heard the shots, they were big bore shots, and you’re the only one shooting a .45”. I stopped going after that

 

[svaz]

When I lived in New Orleans, I had an indoor (pistol only) range just a couple of miles down the road (Jefferson Indoors), but for rifle shooting I would have to drive out to the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area, about 50 minutes away.

Now the range, the closest one anyway, is about 30 minutes away. It's outdoors; BYOA, no .50 BMG

 

[nwilliams]

The outdoor range I'm a member at is about a 30min drive from where I live.

The only indoor range I got to is about an hours drive away.

 

[Watt Tyler]

You guys don't know how to suffer.
In order to shoot anything interesting I've got to drive from Dundee to Glasgow in Scotland, fly from there to Newark usually then on to Knob Creek in Kentucky or Florida or Arizona depending on whats on. Then get a hotel a hire car a rental gun and ammo plus all the other incidentals like being harrassed by the TSA and CBP goons. Usually no change from $5000 in a week, more if I take a training course.
Take care it doesn't happen to you!

 

[blkbrd666]

I would drive probably 1-5 miles to shoot at an indoor range(pistol calibers only), and I do that now(1 mile). I would drive up to 30 miles to shoot at a private outdoor range, and I do that now(15 miles). I wouldn't go to a public outdoor range unless it was empty.

 

[Sam1911]

SS, the most active/awesome group I know of down in your area is Lower Provedence Rod & Gun Club: http://www.lowerprovidencerodandgunclub.com/

I've never shot at their facility but shoot quite often with a number of their members (mostly the "Tuesday Knights" IDPA crew), and they're really AWESOME shooters.

I know they have a few hoops to jump through (classes to take) to become qualified to shoot certain types of disciplines. They have suburbia right on each side of them and take great precautions not to get shut down. But, they are building like 5 new pits this year.

If you want to give them a try, show up to an IDPA match. They are open to the public, so you don't have to take their classes or pay a membership fee to get to shoot there.

I feel for you. If you ever get out towards Harrisburg, West Shore Sportsmans Association is my hangout.

-Sam

 

[gossamer]

All the ranges are across town from me. The closest *indoor* range to my home is about 30 minutes away and the staff there is IMO, mostly unfriendly (one man is friendly but I don't see much of him lately). From there the closest is at least 40 minutes and 45. The closes outdoor range is 40 minutes and the people who work there are great. It's a state conservation department range.

The indoor range says no center fire rifle cartridges. but I can bring my own ammo and their prices are reasonable (+/- $2 from street prices).

I guess I would drive 40 minutes because I have no choice.

 

[Golden_006]

When I lived in NY I drove three hours round trip with no traffic to get to Calverton on Long Island. Me and my friends would pack drinks and lunch and make a day of it. I would go a little early and shoot at the rifle range then ten dollars a person and you could shoot skeet as long as you had ammo and skeets. We spent hours shooting shotguns, still my first love


Now that I have moved to PA I shoot shotguns a lot less but the range is much closer.
I go five minutes for a ten dollar all day bench with 35 yards targets and they hang reactive targets. Five dollars an hour for a pulley bay and five dollars for 25 skeets.
No restrictions on what you shoot.
Or I can go for a thirty minute drive to a free SGL range which has ten and twenty five yard pistol targets and fifty and hundred yard rifle ranges, no skeet shooting. They have a 6 round pistol and three round rifle limit. Here is where I shoot my handguns for bullseye practice and run mag change drills. Rifles are mainly bolt action and I leave the AK's for the closer range.

What's so special about Calverton? There are closer ranges that are 100 yards. Is Cal 100+ or is it for the skeet ?

Also I would think it would be about an hour each way in any case . . . at least if I were driving