range dues, good news

[oldfool]

hard to find those bright spots in the dark clouds of burdensome financial disarray these days, so little bright spots can mean a lot, and put a small glimpse of sunshine in your day

Saturday.. bill day here... got my annual range dues billing today

Local semi-private 100 yard range, 8 stations covered, high backstop and side berms, house trailer with utilities for a clubhouse; nothing fancy but pretty nice, must reside in county to belong, no range officer, honor system combination lock on gate, mind your manners and clean up after yourself.
They provide stands, targets, etc., free, county mows the grass and such, 15 minutes from my front door. I have been a member for a couple of decades now.
You show up on a weekend morning, odds are better than 50/50 you will have the whole place to yourself.

You pay your annual dues one time a year, one charge, and your spouse is automatically included as a member, no extra charge. You can take along a non-member guest any time you want. Use it, don't abuse it. BYOB (bring your own bullets)

This year, they (again) voted to reduce the annual one year fee, vs. the $36 "std" annual dues.
Cannot even remember the last time they charged $36

$24

funny how such a small thing can put a little smile in your day

What's happening to you other folks out there, range dues ?
good news, bad news ??

 

[altitude_19]

It's ridiculous around Omaha. Even rural spots in Iowa want $75 a year (cheapest I've found nearby). And most range rules are a little stringent (no steel plates, etc). Don't even get me started on what it costs to fire indoors.

 

[robMaine]

I feel lucky, range where I am a member, they have 2 traps ranges, patterning range, 25 yd range, 50 yard range, 100 yard range, 200 yard range(currently closed for renovations), and a steel target pistol range. Nice facilities and clubhouse all for $80 a year. An extra $60/year plus a qualification gets you 24/7 access to an indoor 25 yd pistol/rimfire range.

 

[joeq]

Only close range to me is indoors and they want $15.00 per hour. Not exactly reasonable.

 

[Philippe]

The only private range near me is over crowded and charges an initiation fee of $100 and then $150 in annual fees plus to renew your member ship you again pay your annual fees of 150 dollars and you have to put in at least 16 hours of work at the club. The only local indoor range wants 17 dollars an hour to shoot and if they are really busy they like to rush ya out. Luckily, i have a conservation ran ranged near me that only costs 3 dollars an hour but they are a little anal on the rules and they watch everyone like a hawk. In other words i need to buy some property...

 

[buck460XVR]

What's happening to you other folks out there, range dues ?
good news, bad news ??

The good news is, my local range(5 minutes away) sounds a lot like yours. Thursday nights are trap league and they have a chicken shoot about twice a month in the summer. Generally those are Sunday afternoons. I'll be going out here in a few minutes and don't expect I'll see anybody else there. Only time it really gets used is the month before gun deer season. Bad news here is they doubled the fees from last year. From $10 to $20 a year.

 

[Sam1911]

Life is pretty good (range-wise) up here.

Our club is $55 a year ($75 family) for covered 50 yd. pistol range, covered 100 yds rifle range (with steel to about 200 yds), indoor pistol range, seven other pit ranges (including two shoot houses), archery range with 3-D targets and crossbow butts, trap range, and some hunting land.

Open 365 days, 8 am until dark (or until ~11:00 on the indoor range).

Hosts IDPA, SASS, and DCM High Power matches, as well as various trainers and defensive shooting programs throughout the year.

 

[NightWolfe]

Man ... the nice outdoor private range here is $274 the first year for yourself and $194 thereafter ... if your spouse want to shoot that's another $149 a year

Don't get me wrong ... it's a great range ... they've got 50/100/300yd ranges ... action pistol setups ... they run IDPA/USPSA/ICORE/3 Gun/Cowboy stuff everyweekend ... don't have to be a member to compete but you do get a discount ... it just always seemed expensive ... guess I was right

 

[Lex Luthier]

Wow. Some of you guys got it cheap.

My favorite LGS has a nice range in the basement. Any fire arm may be used, but automatic night costs a lot. They also have many guns for rental. You can pay $21 per session, or buy tokens (cheaper by volume) and get the same thing for as low as $12 per session. I would like to start bringing my own paper targets and save that couple of bucks too. This is a full service place, and everyone in the store carries.

Second range is $14 per half hour and a little too far away. A lot of old guys there who seem to think they own the place. You can become a member for $100 a year and save three bucks a session.

There is an outstanding outdoor range about forty five minutes away that has everything a guy might want to spend a lovely afternoon plinking. They have an application process, and after you are approved, you have to pay $400 for the pleasure, and after you work eight hours you get your money back. As a returning member, you must work eight hours a year at various jobs to earn your membership.

The Gander Mountain store south of us has opened a new indoor range, but I am concerned about the newbie factor.

 

[Sam1911]

There is an outstanding outdoor range about forty five minutes away that has everything a guy might want to spend a lovely afternoon plinking. They have an application process, and after you are approved, you have to pay $400 for the pleasure, and after you work eight hours you get your money back. As a returning member, you must work eight hours a year at various jobs to earn your membership.

Wow, that's a winner right there! Everyone who is a member of a shooting club should put in well more than 8 hours a year to make it a worth-while place, so that's a no-brainer! And usually clubs are pretty flexible on what that work is, too. Doesn't have to be mowing and picking trash. Usually helping run matches or set up for events is credible "work" too. Wouldn't be too hard to rack up 8 hours a MONTH for some of us. 8 hours a YEAR is a screaming deal!

Unfortunately though (as everyone doing the work likes to point out) 90% of the work is done by 5% of the membership, as a general rule.

 

[au01st]

Love my local place. $3 per person for a day pass. Covered 6 benches, 5 with chairs, 100yds, with ability to set up at 25yds and 50yds. No range officer, though the park rangers may ride by to verify that passes were purchased. Only seen them twice since I've started going there.

 

[Hesenwine]

Dues

My range/club is private/limited membership and costs 125.00 annually for seniors 62 & over.

300 yd. covered rifle range/30+ stations, 50 yd. rimfire range w/about 30 stations, 25 & 50 yd pistol range (covered, about 20 stations), trap, skeet (lighted), sporting clays and archery. Nice clubhouse, etc.

Too many self-appointed range Nazi's though. On any given weekday, one can find himself alone at any or all of the facilities.

15-20 minutes from my house.

Not bragging since it's the ONLY facility in the area......

 

[HOWARD J]

No range dues at the MI state rifle range I go to.
Big drawback for me-140 mile round trip---I don't run up there twice a week anymore. Infact--if the gas Co's were relying on me for profit--gas would be about $1.00 a gal with tax. I fill my tank about every 2 1/2 months

 

[Lex Luthier]

One of the application questions was "What work would you prefer to do?", and I said I would prefer to be barbecue chef. That would be worth it. Everybody loves the chef.

 

[plunge]

my range is 15 minutes. $5 a year to be a member of the sportsman club that owns it, 100yd range roughly 10 covered stations. otherwise i just go shoot at my father in laws camp or my camp.

 

[22-rimfire]

My renewal was $125. It is a very nice outdoor range with multiple ranges running from a plinking range, up to 50 yd, 100 yd, and 300 yd. Indoor ranges run more around here, but I have dropped that membership in favor of a single visit fee since I do not go often. There are two indoor ranges within about 10 miles of me.