henschman
Member
I think it's safe to say I'd pay a couple hundred bucks a year for something like that. Any more and I would think about it, mostly depending on how close it is to me.
Precision Rifle range membership question
- Thread starter taliv
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I'm with Chris on this, though I'd expect to be able to do night fires some nights if you're renting AN/PVS gear. Now, night fire training should probable include pistol and shotgun in addition to the normal centerfire rifle stuff, so there should be a range dedicated to the shorter range stuff.
< $500 per year is workable.
< $500 per year is workable.
jpwilly
Member
Yes, and $240 to $480 year depending. I could also see $25 to $50 per visit instead of an annual fee / membership.
Really depends on how close I lived to said range. Here in AZ I have some options that are free but have to drive and set up. Other options are much closer but I have to pay. I usually end up paying for the convenience of not driving to BFE.
Really depends on how close I lived to said range. Here in AZ I have some options that are free but have to drive and set up. Other options are much closer but I have to pay. I usually end up paying for the convenience of not driving to BFE.
The Wiry Irishman
Member
What about some sort of identify-and-engage range? Every week or so you could move the targets around so no one knew where they were and you could practice finding them, ranging, and engaging.
MythBuster
member
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- Mar 5, 2007
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- 360
"and quite possibly, no shooting benches for rests and bags, but various kinds of semi-improvised firing positions and/or prone shots."
Correct. If this range is bench only it would be almost worthless to me.
Correct. If this range is bench only it would be almost worthless to me.
MilsurpShooter
Member
I'd sell my right eye for something like that here in NY lol (I'm a lefty, don't need the right 
)
)
Taliv,
That would be awesome. Though would you open yourself up to liability issues if people aer moving and shooting at the same time? I know that it can be safely done but how do you ensure that all the members are safe enough to do it?
Oh and I'd be willing to pay $400 a year, if I had the money and CO was a 2 hour drive from your range.
Here's another resource for comparison. It's a new range opening in NW lower Michigan.
http://www.marksmanshiptrainingcenter.com/
http://www.marksmanshiptrainingcenter.com/
chaser_2332
Member
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- Mar 22, 2009
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Build it Tom and they will come!! Could this possibly be the new stomping grounds for a pmg match?
Taliv,
I would expect to pay a premium price for a range of that sort. $250 would be cheap and $500 would be reasonable. One of the best ranges I can got to is an hour and fifteen minutes from me. The only problem is 600 yd line has at least 3 competitions a month on it. That limits availability to the 200-600 range. It also makes it easy for me to shoot a match and not have to join.
I would expect to pay a premium price for a range of that sort. $250 would be cheap and $500 would be reasonable. One of the best ranges I can got to is an hour and fifteen minutes from me. The only problem is 600 yd line has at least 3 competitions a month on it. That limits availability to the 200-600 range. It also makes it easy for me to shoot a match and not have to join.
GreySmoke2
Member
I live on the Northern side of the Peoples Republic of Illinois and my range charges $280/yr + $15/month assessment until we have a full club - Thats $460/yr. We have only static ranges from 50ft up to 600yrds, skeet, trap etc...on about 200+acres. We do have practical rifle events a couple times a month but not like whats described here.
And it must be nice to live where a range can be joined for less than $100 year...racka smanke sobs....so jealous am I....
And it must be nice to live where a range can be joined for less than $100 year...racka smanke sobs....so jealous am I....
OK so much more specifically...
Let's say the facility was 1.5 hrs east of Nashville and featured the following:
Natural terrain... picture a scenic set of ridges as backstops with elevation change of roughly 400' from valley to peak
$500 / annual membership ($300 for the first year while facilities are under construction)
Three different lanes where you can shoot 1000 yrds, 1200, 1300 yrds respectively, and some shorter lanes. I THINK I can include a 300 yrd 3-gun style bay.
One 100 yrd zero range, paper only, a couple benches
All other ranges are steel targets (provided by the range)(mostly reactive) so you don't need to bring your own, don't need to set up, never need to call the line cold.
A range bunkhouse, where members can sleep (prob $10/night/bunk or something, BYO sheets/bag/pillow), bathroom, etc. i.e. long-distance members could drive in and spend the weekend shooting. or free camping.
First year, range hours would be weekends-only, but shooting all day and night. Weekday hours by appointment. However, about 5 weeks/yr would be reserved for matches, which would preempt member recreational shooting/practice.
Rentals of previously mentioned rifles and NV.
Rules would permit anything you normally do in practical matches, including movement, firing from positions, barricades, even transitions to holstered pistols, etc in the 3gun bays. relatively rapid fire from precision AR15s etc. (as fast as you can keep rounds on a 300+ yrd steel silhouette...) etc etc etc
obviously, the bunks (sleep 6-12 initially) and rentals would be first come first served and i expect they would go quickly.
Let's say the facility was 1.5 hrs east of Nashville and featured the following:
Natural terrain... picture a scenic set of ridges as backstops with elevation change of roughly 400' from valley to peak
$500 / annual membership ($300 for the first year while facilities are under construction)
Three different lanes where you can shoot 1000 yrds, 1200, 1300 yrds respectively, and some shorter lanes. I THINK I can include a 300 yrd 3-gun style bay.
One 100 yrd zero range, paper only, a couple benches
All other ranges are steel targets (provided by the range)(mostly reactive) so you don't need to bring your own, don't need to set up, never need to call the line cold.
A range bunkhouse, where members can sleep (prob $10/night/bunk or something, BYO sheets/bag/pillow), bathroom, etc. i.e. long-distance members could drive in and spend the weekend shooting. or free camping.
First year, range hours would be weekends-only, but shooting all day and night. Weekday hours by appointment. However, about 5 weeks/yr would be reserved for matches, which would preempt member recreational shooting/practice.
Rentals of previously mentioned rifles and NV.
Rules would permit anything you normally do in practical matches, including movement, firing from positions, barricades, even transitions to holstered pistols, etc in the 3gun bays. relatively rapid fire from precision AR15s etc. (as fast as you can keep rounds on a 300+ yrd steel silhouette...) etc etc etc
obviously, the bunks (sleep 6-12 initially) and rentals would be first come first served and i expect they would go quickly.
MtnCreek
Member
If this is getting close to I-75, then I'm in. Assuming you pull the trigger on it, when do you think you'll be up and running?
Thanks.
Thanks.
It would be a doable thing for me. Southern Michigan isn't that far. I could make 3 or 4 trips per year, especially if instruction were made available. The matches might interest me too. I might get my backside dusted, but I'd learn something about 1000 yard shooting. After all, this is why I invested in my precision rifles and Nightforce scopes. Let me know as plans progress.
Geno
Geno
chaser_2332
Member
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Sounds to me like another nice place to hold matches is in the works!!!
Zak Smith
Member
Are here we have 40-80 guys who shoot at least 6 of the Sporting Rifle Matches per year, which is about $200-250 per weekend for around 80 rounds on the practice area and field stages.
Tempest 455
Member
Slam dunk I would do it. That's almost how far I drive now to shoot and I'm north of Nashville.
kaferhaus
Member
I'm a member of a range that's within 25 minutes of my house. Range has provisions for shooting from 5-1000 yds. No rental guns, but I'd never rent one anyway. No night shooting, but night hunting is against the law here. Provide your own targets other than the resettable steel that's already there. The dues are $70 a year. Shoot everyday if you want, no daily fees.
NO way I'd drive more than 45minutes to a range even if it were free. the fuel costs alone would suck and a 2hr drive??? 4hrs on the road to go shoot? Not for me.
I shoot several hundred rds of center fire rifle ammo per month for rifle/ammo tuning and LRBR practice. That's 6-8 trips to the range every month.... at a 2hr drive that'd be 32hrs of driving time and several hundred bucks worth of fuel each month.
NO way I'd drive more than 45minutes to a range even if it were free. the fuel costs alone would suck and a 2hr drive??? 4hrs on the road to go shoot? Not for me.
I shoot several hundred rds of center fire rifle ammo per month for rifle/ammo tuning and LRBR practice. That's 6-8 trips to the range every month.... at a 2hr drive that'd be 32hrs of driving time and several hundred bucks worth of fuel each month.
MtnCreek
Member
Maybe it's been covered, but I think having lanes with multiple targets per lane at varying, unknown distances would be great. You would probably want to re-set everything often (like bi-weekly or monthly) to keep it fresh. Maybe set it up like ‘golf rules’; if someone wanted to stay set up on a lane, they could stop and let the guy behind ‘play through’.
It's an interesting idea. I'm not sure I understand having a 1400 yard range without a single bench. You aren't going to be on the move and shooting 1400 yards. I think you would open yourself to a wider client base if you included the setup for benchrest at least on the longer ranges.
As for what I'd pay, that's tough. The local range here runs out to 600 yards down to 25 yards with multiple pistol and rifle bays. It has a couple skeet and trap fields as well as a very nice indoor airgun and archery setup for the cold months. I think they have a muzzle loader only range too. They charge $120 a year and at one point recently were struggling to keep enough membership at that price. There you get the code to the property and go shoot if there is day light.
I don't have all that many weekends free so a weekend only range, even an outstanding one, would be something I wouldn't pay much to be a member. That's only my situation. If I had the ability to show up during day light hours and shoot on my own, I'd probably pay up to $200-$250, but would be much happier in the $150 range. I can't make this location work, but if such a range opened up closer that would be what I consider, though I'm not a 3-gun shooter and I don't play in the practical matches.
As for what I'd pay, that's tough. The local range here runs out to 600 yards down to 25 yards with multiple pistol and rifle bays. It has a couple skeet and trap fields as well as a very nice indoor airgun and archery setup for the cold months. I think they have a muzzle loader only range too. They charge $120 a year and at one point recently were struggling to keep enough membership at that price. There you get the code to the property and go shoot if there is day light.
I don't have all that many weekends free so a weekend only range, even an outstanding one, would be something I wouldn't pay much to be a member. That's only my situation. If I had the ability to show up during day light hours and shoot on my own, I'd probably pay up to $200-$250, but would be much happier in the $150 range. I can't make this location work, but if such a range opened up closer that would be what I consider, though I'm not a 3-gun shooter and I don't play in the practical matches.
BullfrogKen
Moderator Emeritus
Tom,
I'm not commenting on what I personally like, but what the rifle market demands . . .
Not having the ability to host a CMP or NRA rifle match, or even facilitate practice for one held at another venue, will exclude several options for member recruitment and revenue. If you're fine with that and think you can pick up the difference in the shooter population who don't care a flip about organized shooting sports, OK.
Personally I appreciate both the traditional styles of riflery competition, and the more current styles found in three-gun and the matches you've been hosting down there last year.
Those are my comments just off the top of my head. We can speak more later.
I'm not commenting on what I personally like, but what the rifle market demands . . .
Not having the ability to host a CMP or NRA rifle match, or even facilitate practice for one held at another venue, will exclude several options for member recruitment and revenue. If you're fine with that and think you can pick up the difference in the shooter population who don't care a flip about organized shooting sports, OK.
Personally I appreciate both the traditional styles of riflery competition, and the more current styles found in three-gun and the matches you've been hosting down there last year.
Those are my comments just off the top of my head. We can speak more later.
Ken you raise a good point, but there's a 1000 yrd high-power range an hour east and another one an hour south-west of this location, each with 20-30 pits, but they are paper only and known distance only. I'm not trying to compete with them. Both of them are closer to the high-density population anyway.
Benzy, people who do practical type shooting just don't use benches. They shoot prone or off barricades, walls, trucks, roof, trees, etc. The point is shooting from field positions. I'm not saying i'm morally opposed to benches or anything, but it won't be practical to use them here.
MtnC, yes, the format will be pretty similar to golf course actually.
thanks again for the feedback
Benzy, people who do practical type shooting just don't use benches. They shoot prone or off barricades, walls, trucks, roof, trees, etc. The point is shooting from field positions. I'm not saying i'm morally opposed to benches or anything, but it won't be practical to use them here.
MtnC, yes, the format will be pretty similar to golf course actually.
thanks again for the feedback
I understand that the practical games don't shoot from a bench, but it seems like you cut a huge market out by not having any. I understand you are looking to be a practical only range, but the addition of benches would increase your potential client base by a large amount. Without a single bench and being weekend only this range would be one I'd probably skip by unless it was inexpensive. Just tossing the view point out there from one in the non-practical crowd. Adding a row of benches would realistically be the difference in my money being spent or not. If you have the desired amount of membership without benches it doesn't matter much.
so the problem with benches is that benches generally point in a single direction, but at this range you may be able to shoot steel targets at a dozen different berms from a single firing point. those berms may be located in a 120* fan, and the elevation could be as much as 200' above or below the firing point. it's just hard to construct a bench (and certainly a safe row of benches) that flexible. (especially since people who shoot from benches tend to prefer sturdy concrete ones)
it would only be weekend-only for the first 6mo to 1 yr (hopefully).
thanks again
it would only be weekend-only for the first 6mo to 1 yr (hopefully).
thanks again
Cosmoline
Member
Sounds fantastic! But real tough to get insurance and permits for.
Here's my thoughts, FWIW. The more options you open up for members, and the more shooting styles you permit, the more restrictive you need to be in membership. What you're describing would likely need to be club-based with restrictive entry rules. Nobody gets into the range unless they've already passed safety courses, signed waivers and are members of the insured club entity. Even then it might be a trick to find coverage and get over any local regulatory hurdles.
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