Shooting Indoors or Out

I live in Western Washington. Places to shoot outdoors are either commercial ranges or gun clubs with lists of draconian rules on the inside of each shooting bay (seriously, my local club now has a two-page list of rules) and officious, authoritarian range staff, Sometimes it rains. This time of year, if it's not raining, it's windy. Shooting on public land takes a long drive, and you're taking your life in your hands being there with the morons who seem to like shooting for free and leaving literal tons of trash for others to pick up. I used to love shooting outdoors until I got to this area.

We are blessed with a couple great indoor facilities near Seattle and a couple not-so-nice ones on my end of the Sound.

All things considered, though, I would much rather shoot outside -- and for me, it's all about being in natural light. I shoot way better outdoors. I just can't see as well in the typically not well-lighted indoor ranges.
 
Tilos said:
Get a RESPIRATOR...
Click to expand...

Not everyone can medically wear a negative pressure respirator you have to pull air through the filter by inhaling so it isn't a universal answer. Check with your doctor first if you aren't sure you don't have any respiratory, blood pressure, or heart health questions before putting a respirator on.

There are powered respirators that do the work for you, but they are more expensive.

Range ventilation should move enough air that all the smoke at the shooting stations move down range immediately. 100% fresh air should be coming from behind you and moving across you down range OR the range should be using filtration that keeps airborne lead below 0.15 microgram of lead per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) (airborne lead air concentration for the public).
 
Last edited:
Mike OTDP said:
I strongly suspect that this is the real issue. Not lead in the projectiles. It would make an interesting graduate thesis.
Click to expand...
The studies have already been done at military ranges. It is a combination. Higher projectile contribution with unjacketed rounds, but lead primers make the majority of exposures.
 
hso said:
The studies have already been done at military ranges. It is a combination. Higher projectile contribution with unjacketed rounds, but lead primers make the majority of exposures.
Click to expand...
OK. It would also be an interesting graduate study to see what impact suppressors would have on air pollution. I suspect they might be as effective at moderating the air contamination as they are the noise.
 
Mike OTDP said:
OK. It would also be an interesting graduate study to see what impact suppressors would have on air pollution. I suspect they might be as effective at moderating the air contamination as they are the noise.
Click to expand...

Reasonable assumption that you might see some reduction to atmospheric contamination, but it turns out not enough to be protective without effective ventiltion.
 
Like so many other urban gun owners, shooting in my back yard ain’t going to happen.

I do belong to an outdoor range. It is 35 miles each way and I can only use it Fri-Sun. If it’s closed, the creek crossing is too deep, etc. then it’s another week to wait.

Public lands are available. It’s about 80 miles each way to the first place off the highway to legally shoot. No rules, no bays, it’s a throwback slice of the Wild West on weekends.

My local indoor range is about 4 miles away. I am a member here as well, I shoot there 2x weekly, sometimes more. I do hate the racket generated by the compensated AR 15 (or AR-10) rifle crowd, but I guess they need a place to legally shoot, too. If I’m not in the bay next door, I just grin and bear it.

Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Stay safe.
 
Tilos said:
Get a RESPIRATOR...

During winter, I started shooting indoor plate matches with a friend and the smoke/dust was terrible.
Lots of coughing/gagging at the very 1st match, so we both bought respirators for the 2nd match.
We looked like Darth Vadar, but didn't care, no more coughing.
Masks can be had with or without eye protection:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=respirator+mask&crid=3AEB4VU37Z6UJ&sprefix=resper,aps,1551&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_6
When indoor is your only choice, you adapt.
works for me,
jmo,
.
Click to expand...
That's a solution that most people can use, but most will not.

Riomouse911 said:
I do hate the racket generated by the compensated AR 15 (or AR-10) rifle crowd, but I guess they need a place to legally shoot, too. If I’m not in the bay next door, I just grin and bear it.

Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Stay safe.
Click to expand...
I ALWAYS wear earplugs and good earmuffs when I go to the range. The rifles, shotguns, and 357 and big bore revolvers don't seem to bother me anymore. Brings the "racket" down to normal levels for me.

34dB NRR earmuffs and foam ear plugs.
 
Last edited:
chicharrones said:
I remember an old one in Pasadena, Texas that left you feeling like you just came out of a coal mine. I'm not sure if that one is still open or has been improved.
Click to expand...
The last time I drove by it was still open. I went there once a long time ago and never went back. Don't live down there any longer...
 
Styx said:
That's a solution that most people can use, but most will not.


I ALWAYS wear earplugs and good earmuffs when I go to the range. The rifles, shotguns, and 357 and big bore revolvers don't seem to bother me anymore. Brings the "racket" down to normal levels for me.

34dB NRR earmuffs and foam ear plugs.
Click to expand...
Plugs and muffs are mandatory for me, too. :thumbup:

I will say that I do get some sideways glances from shooters at the counter when I double up going in, or as I take them out when leaving. I think half of them think I’m smart for doing so (usually the older guys and women) while the younger male half think I’m being a boob. (Wait till their ears start ringing 24/7/365 like mine do!)

I try to always muff or plug when using power tools, concerts, on the motorcycle race start lines and anywhere else I can be exposed to loud noises. (I want to be able to hear my grandkids when I have a few someday!)

Stay safe.
 
Your stories make me count my blessings.

When I retired and realized I could live anywhere I wanted, I bought 40 acres in the middle of nowhere and started building. A house and outbuildings. A garden and orchard for MrsLuzyfuerza. And RANGES!

This is the backstop for my main range:
1699366288735.png

A rifle bench 100 yards from the backstop:
1699366171632.png

A spot off my back porch to test new loads:
1699366098239.png

A pistol range with a tall 180 degree backstop, complete with my "poor man's" plate rack:
1699369793825.png

And a clays range with a spot where I can permanently mount my electric thrower (no pic).

I've since installed a lot of target stands and steel targets on the main range.

Future plans: a 400 yard rifle bench, and raising and installing "ears" around the main backstop.


When you get tired of shooting indoors, any of you are welcome to come play!
 
I have a number of options.
Indoor range 6 miles
Outdoor range 11 miles
Club range 21 miles
Friend's acreage 55 miles

Indoor USPSA 58 miles
Outdoor USPSA 21 miles, 101 miles, 135 miles
Outdoor IDPA 21 miles, 85 miles, 135 miles

I haven't done any long gun shooting recently but if and when
Trap and Skeet 13 miles
F Class 122 miles
BPCR 135 miles
 
Indoor ranges here limit you to an hour and are usually crowded. Outdoor range that I like is 45 mins away but I can shoot all day and it is usually not crowded on weekdays.
 
And, while it's easy to separate outdoor from indoor ranges as categories, the fact also remains that not all indoor ranges are the same.

The industry "ideal" is to have all the intakes down by the backstop, so that the draft (and a sensible draft is desired) comes across the firing line and sweeps down the range. That's not always a practical way to fit up a brand new indoor range. If only from the amount of ductwork wanted. The filters wanted will also be an issue as they need checking and replacing on a regular schedule--again a complication for building a brand new range. Also, the amount of air to be moved gets immense quickly. Which winds up creating pressure differentials. And, a mer 1/2" pf water column will cause headaches in about 80% of the population.

Those are the issues with a brand new, ground up, range. An existing range is even more complicated. It's ventilation may be "grandfathered" (a sub-ideal situation for customers, if more economical for owners/operators). And, the the disconnect between those owning a facility and those operating it looms larger for indoor ranges, too. This is very true if the facility largely exists to sell ammo or guns, and the range is just a "feature"--most employees will be put on the make-money side, and may not spend that much time in the actual range. So, they may not know if the range gets awful after just a few rounds.

This is complicated sledding, even when there's snow on the ground.
 
Florida is big Det, don't know where you are. Since FWC opened Triple N Ranch outdoor range 30 miles east of me in 2017, I have shot indoors exactly once. This past July I went to Shooter's World in Orlando, nice to shoot in July without melting. Otherwise, October to May outdoors is far better. Fish and Game has 7 or 8 ranges throughout the state. Highly recommended. Stay healthy. Joe
 
chicharrones said:
Some indoor ranges definitely have vastly better air systems than others.

I remember an old one in Pasadena, Texas that left you feeling like you just came out of a coal mine. I'm not sure if that one is still open or has been improved.
Click to expand...
I took my CHL proficiency test there. Wasn’t it formerly a movie theater?
 
The last indoor range I was willing to shoot at closed so I was SOL for awhile for any ranges. Lately I started going to the CMP Marksmanship park outdoor range and it has changed my perception of outdoor ranges. Previously, the outdoor ranges I had gone to were just benches surrounded on three sides by dirt in the middle of nowhere. The CMP range has multiple ranges for different distances, golf cart rentals (with rifle racks) if you don't want to drive your vehicle. And covered shooting areas. All the targets have electronic readouts for instant feedback without having to walk down to the target.

My one complaint for this place so far is how they run their 100 yard range. This is the place where you can certify marksmanship scores to "prove" you can shoot in order to buy M1 garands, lots at the shop up the hill. They don't let shooters switch their electronic readouts on their own. So if you bring 5 or 6 hunting rifles to sight in for deer season, you have to wave a range master over to switch the computer if they are different calibers to prevent folks "cheating" their marksmanship results for the M1 Garand. It can be pretty annoying to do so if you have a limited time at the range to get your rifles sighted in. Look fellas, I know I can shoot. I am just trying to get rifles shooting where they should to go Angry Babe or Bambi hunting. You also have to police call most of your brass when you are done. Which I don't mind being a good neighbor and keeping the person next to me from slipping on cases everywhere.

thecmp.org

CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park - Civilian Marksmanship Program

The CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park is a 500-acre facility for rifle, pistol and shotgun competition and educational opportunities.
thecmp.org thecmp.org
 
I grew up shooting at indoor ranges. When you live in the suburbs / city (Chicago area), that's pretty much your only choice without driving a couple of hours to hopefully find an outdoor range.

When it came time to buy a house after renting into my early 30's, I skipped the normal progression of renting, to home ownership in the city or suburbs, and went straight to home ownership on land out in the sticks - in a different state.

I should've held out for more land but... I can shoot on my 10 acres right off my back porch:
Gongs.jpg

Now if I want to shoot on an indoor range, I need to drive 1.5 hours to find one.

When I worked part time at gun shop range back in the early 00's, we would wear dust masks, nitrile gloves, and eye protection when sweeping the range. Some of our regulars would also wear dust masks when shooting. That's not a bad idea. However, these days everyone will think you voted for the other guy when wearing a dust mask at a shooting range.
 
Well, first of all Thank You for whatever you did after 911. Really sorry to hear about your Lung Issues.

Shooting indoors seems to be hazardous no matter how modern the facility is. I no longer shoot indoors, no matter how bad the weather is. I either don't shoot on nasty days or dress accordingly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
indoor range or outdoor range?
Replies
16
Views
763
Correia
C
D
  • Locked
Sweet taste
Replies
20
Views
3K
esq_stu
E
glove
  • Locked
Indoor Outdoor shooting range N.E. Ohio
Replies
19
Views
4K
BlackRig
B
S
  • Locked
pregnancy and indoor shooting range
2
Replies
40
Views
3K
Kankujoe
K
B
  • Locked
Indoor v. outdoor ranges
2
Replies
43
Views
1K
xjchief
X
Back
Top