Moving to Southern Wisconsin - Any Info?

[GAC]

I am expecting a job offer this coming week and will be moving to Southern Wisconsin, just to the East of Madison and not far from Milwaukee.

Aside from the lack of CCW, and comments about how liberal Madison is, does anyone have any good information on that part of the state? I like punching holes in paper and shoot IDPA, IPSC, etc. whenever I can get the chance.

During the interview I talked briefly with the committee about hunting, shooting, etc. and the area seems to have a couple of good gun clubs nearby.

Any good gun stores, gun clubs, public ranges in that part of the state?

 

[45Badger]

I lived in Lake Geneva for two years. Great place to live, great hunting and fishing. My favorite gun shop was Dam Road Gun Shop in Delavan. Great guys, reasonable prices. Enjoy!

 

[Monkeyleg]

For outdoor shooting, there's Hartland gun club, which is involved heavily in IDPA, IPSC and other competitions.

There's also McMillan, just outside of Eagle, WI. Used to be run by the DNR, now run privately. No rapid-fire, one cartridge in the gun.

Getting closer to Milwaukee, there's Fletcher's Guns in Waukesha. Nice place, nice people, nice range. A little "dated," but definitely a comfortable shop to hang out in.

In Milwaukee, there's the Shooter's Shop on 84th south of Lincoln, and Badger Outdoors on 43rd south of Lincoln. The range at the Shooter's Shop is smaller than Badger's, but is better-lit and has better ventilation. Badger has 18 bays, charges $8 for as long as you want to shoot, and has fewer restrictions.

Heading north a little bit, Jay's Sports in Menomonee Falls has a nice range, a good inventory, and reasonable prices.

As far as shops near Madison, I'm not aware of any with ranges, although I may be missing one. The gun stores in Madison proper are hesitant to carry handguns--a couple do, though--because of the pressure brought by city government.

 

[artjs]

Indoor range at Deerfield Pistol & Archery about 15 miles East of Madison on 94 (then south on 73 for 5 miles).

Here's a link: http://www.deerfieldpistol.com/

 

[Silent-Snail]

Well one good thing is that permits are not required to buy or own a gun. If you like deer hunting there is an extended hunt due to CWD (be sure to get the deer checked). Finally just a bit south there resides the Argyle Rod and Gun Club, just don't mention or shpw up with an EBR. Thats all I know, I dont get out much :banghead:

 

[mpthole]

Check out: http://www.wisconsinidpa.com for IDPA information across the state.

 

[tommytrauma]

Indoor range at Deerfield Pistol & Archery about 15 miles East of Madison on 94 (then south on 73 for 5 miles).

Here's a link: http://www.deerfieldpistol.com/

Yup, Whitey is a nice guy. the range is small, but comfortable.
Otherwise, Portage has a decent gun club, and there are a couple of others scattered around. Gun stores in the madison area are all overpriced though.

 

[GAC]

Thanks!

Excellent info. Thanks greatly. Deerfield is right next to where I may be working, I expect to hear back at the end of the week.

 

[jefmad]

Also,Just south of Madison is the Stoughton Sportsmans Club. 25,50, and 100 yard outdoor range, 50 foot indoor pistol range, 4 trap fields and 2 skeet fields. No IDPA league though. But for $40 a year its a great deal.

 

[loose cannon]

my condolences on your loss of ccw. wi missed the burito by a cats wisker this year. im sure theyll appreciate your political firepower being brought to bear for the next hopefully sucessfull atempt.i espec want wi to get ccw because my demlib antiaunt would have a coniption when i showed up heeled legally.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Stay were you are!!

 

[GAC]

Stay were you are!!

Arizona is close to gun heaven. But, AZ is also far from family and my wife hates the desert.

There was a recent thread on either this board or on Glocktalk about CCWand the WI legislature. Chances are not great that a biull will pass but things look pretty hopeful. If I remember correctly the last vote passed the legislature but was vetoed. The override vote by the legislature missed by only a couple votes.

I got the job offer this morning. All that is left is finalizing pay and start date.

 

[tony4311]

Arizona is close to gun heaven. But, AZ is also far from family and my wife hates the desert.

There was a recent thread on either this board or on Glocktalk about CCWand the WI legislature. Chances are not great that a biull will pass but things look pretty hopeful. If I remember correctly the last vote passed the legislature but was vetoed. The override vote by the legislature missed by only a couple votes.

I got the job offer this morning. All that is left is finalizing pay and start date.

By only one vote. A rather suprising vote.
the thread that you're talking about....I'm assuming

 

[litman252]

Shhhh,don't talk about that vote. Poor old monkeyleg is still recovering from all his hard work for CCW.
There is nothing wrong with that area, nice place to live.
We will get CCW soon, just a matter of time.
Good luck.
Tony

 

[sigmaman]

i think rusk gun shop is still open in madison
milwaukee has badger outdoors and shooters supply
also new berlin has a sportsmans warehouse
note on sportsmans warehouse great deals guys there dont know there a$$ from a hole in the ground though
what job did you take in WI?
oh yeah one more thing if your into hunting deer
wisconsin is deer heaven
a very small percentage of the deer have a brain disease so the DNR is giving out a lot of tags in the eradication zone
a freind of mine owns some land and he got 11 tags last year

 

[tony4311]

yep rusk is still open.

 

[bosshoff]

My $0.02 on McMillian Range

Don't glance over the McMillian range so fast! I really think this may be one of the nicest/friendliest facilities in the Midwest. I am down in Chicagland, and was completely psyched when I found McMillian. They have a 50,100, and 200 yard ranges, sporting clays, free coffee, etc. It was a state run DNR facility, and it is grandfathered, so it should be here to stay. Just my $0.02.

 

[Monkeyleg]

bosshoff, sorry if I sounded as though I was writing off McMillan. It's a very good range, and I used to shoot there often. However, the one-round rule just seems silly.

When the DNR decided they no longer wanted to operate the range, it was put up for bids. One of the bidders was Bob Pucci, the guy who runs the Wisconsin Sport & Military Firearms Collectors shows.

Now, anyone who's met Bob know that he has some strong feelings on issues, and isn't shy about expressing them. His plan was to open the range up to any guns--single shot, semi-auto, or full-auto--and allow any ordnance up to and including a tank.

Gee, do ya think that's why he didn't get the contract?

 

[Grey54956]

Wisconsin is for the most part a very pleasant place. And, if you are well outside Madison, that's good.

Madison is a fun place to visit for a day but is in all actuality, a bastion of liberal-socialism run amok. Definitely one of the least gun-friendly parts of the midwest, and terribly infested with love-nik tree-hugger types. Beware.

 

[jefmad]

Grey,
While you are correct that Madison is full of socialist tree huggers there are a bunch of communities really close by it that are great places to live. Its not that bad, certainly no worse than the Milwaukee area.

 

[sigmaman]

lived in madison for 4 years

it can definately be a freak show

 

[The Plainsman]

How long have you lived in the Phoenix area????

If it's been awhile, you're in for a real climate shock. My son spent nine years in Baton Rouge and then moved to Milwaukee for grad school. BAD NEWS!!!!

Besides all the liberals all over the place, he re-discovered cold weather - with a capital COLD!!!!

Visit the LandsEnd "Inlet" store in Milwaukee (or wherever you may find one) and load up on cold weather outer wear. If you fail to dress appropriately and then venture outside between late November and early April - you'll never live to see the new year.

Back to shooting related posts.....

 

[popeye]

At least you'll have plenty of water in Wisc.. You may have to break the ice to get to it though.

 

[Monkeyleg]

All these comments about Wisconsin being too cold are a little overstated. Yes, it does get below freezing in late November through early March. Most of the time during those months, though, it's in the thirties or higher during the day. We do get some sub-zero days, but not as often as we did years back.

It's also something you get accustomed to, at least when you're younger. I'd often spend hours at the range in winter, sometimes when the temps were just five above zero. These days, though, I've become a wimp. One nice thing about shooting a semiauto pistol after a fresh snowfall is that it's easy to find your brass. Just look for the hole in the snow where it melted its way down.

Shooting in high temperatures is, at least for me, just as bothersome. It's hard to hold a pistol in sweaty hands, and my virgin scalp isn't accustomed to the kind of sun Arizonans get.

So stop picking on us!

 

[GAC]

Weather not a problem

Starting January 10th I am the new library director for Lake Mills.

I grew up in Illinois and lived in Minnesota for four years of school. The change of seasons will be nice. I have lived in Phoenix for five years and the heat here wears me down more than cold weather.

I will likely be moving during the first week of January so it is a good thing I did not throw out all my winter clothes when I moved. I've had fleece and wool garments sitting boxed up since '99 when I got out here.