New shooter friend of mine finished  dental school and is moving to Minneapolis  to set up a practice, are there any gun ranges you would recommend?  Only shoots ar 15 right now,pistol purchase is next.thanks for your help

Bill's in Robbinsdale is fairly close to Minneapolis.

Depends what and where he will live
Indoor Ranges
Stock and Barrel in Chanhassen
Bill's has three locations Robbinsdale, Circle Pines, Hudson WI
Burnsville Pistol Range
Osseo Gun Club
Total Defense in Ramsey
Target Sports in Rogers
Lakes Trading in Forest Lake
One Up at North Branch

Outdoor ranges are bit more tricky
There is only Oakdale which is private club but offers public hours on weekends in the summer

The private clubs either have significant waiting lists ie Dakota County or they only open membership around the first of the year as people do not renew their memberships.
Of course we have our resident board members who do not care to do work and just think they deserve a place to shoot with no work on their part.  Good Luck with that!

Some private clubs require work as part of renewal like range attendant duty comes to mind like at Elk River and Oakdale.  Most places there is work around the work, you pay extra money for not doing the work hours.  Of course clubs need money to do projects.  As with most clubs it governed by the 10/90 rule.  10 percent of the members do 90 percent of the work.

Others are easy to join and require no work  Gopher Campfire and Cokato come to mind.

There are numerous other Private Clubs in every direction that offer all kinds of membership options or host shooting events
NRA F- Class XTC Highpower @ Elk River Sportsmans Club, North Star in Red Wing, Gopher at Harris and over in Eau Claire WI
There is Tactical Rifle program the NRA AR Tactical Matches—due to the popularity of shooting alongside prone matches in mid-range, this probationary program is in its second year in 2017.
There are numerous clubs that host IDPA and USPSA events around the metro and down towards Rochester
There are numerous clay target venues all over from sporting clays to trap and skeet

There are three ranges with 600 yds ranges Elk River, Faribault, Red Wing
There is one club with 1000 yd range Gopher

The other clubs have lessor distances  from 400 on in
Forsest Lake
Minnetonka Game and Fish/Minneapolis Rifle Club near Nowthen
Beaverbrook near East Bethel
Delano
Carver County past Waconia a bit
Dakota County in Rosemount near CR 46 and
Post 435 at Elko
Rainbow Sportsmans Cokato
Gopher Campfire Hutchinson

Penn and Broadway is a pretty good spot!

Why? That close to your "source"?

Anyone know of a range in MN with public hours that goes beyond 200m?

Still talking cities?  Otherwise Duluth UNS goes to 300.  I know you said MN but Superior WI George Constance goes to 300 as well.

A cheap place to join that goes to 300yds (no work hours just pay the membership) is Cokato
goes back to 300 provided no one else is shooting closer. Rainbow Sportsmans Club

I was hoping for something a bit further, but ill keep those two in mind.
thanks!

Distance costs money and time (Choices near the metro)

1000yd
Gopher @ Harris

600yd
ERSC @ Elk River
North Star @ Red Wing
Faribault R & P @ Kilkenny

400yd
Forest Lake
Minnetonka Game and Fish / Minneapolis Rifle Club @ Nowthan

Not really what im looking for.
I'm already a member at oakdale, i really dont want another membership.
looking for some place with public hours where i can walk in, pay, shoot and leave on the occasions when i want to shoot beyond 200. Thats why i mentioned public hours.
Thanks though

Good Luck with your dreams!  But, short of joining another club etc. you are not going to find public range near the metro beyond 200 meters

There is always Caribou down 169 CGC

And there is always Rush Lake by NY Mills up Highway 10 FB Page

But the clubs are the only way to go for longer ranges

End your Oakdale and Join Forest Lake next renewal time.

In the end most places with the longer ranges especially in the summer are booked on weekends etc.

The range situation in Minnesota is absurd its as if these range operators and members dont want people to become shooters, and that is disastrous the the future of our rights. Multiple year wait lists, mandatory work shifts, members only, invite only. Out in SD there are plenty of ranges open to the public, even the "private" ranges are open to public shooters for a daily fee.

I have given up on my old home state of MN and turned down good job offers just because the range situation.

You're silly.

The biggest issue is the people that want, but are not prepared to put effort or time into things!  
Shooting at distances requires a team effort of at least 2 people more like three.  One shooter, one spotting and one person in the target pits to mark the target.
And, of course everyone wants a no wind no mirage clear day to shoot!  Good luck with that one!


KNOCK KNOCK PEOPLE
#1 Ranges operate with conditional use permits.  And, some have to comply with the extra permit conditions.  Not like any commercial venture is going to plunk down tons of money
to acquire land and then landscape and install berms or target equipment for no cost? WTH  do some of you think?
Yeah what ever happened to the fellows that were going to build a shorter TACTIKEWL range out by Waconia? ???????????
#2 Ranges cost money to maintain not like someone left a trust fund to fund taxes, improvements, maintenance etc.  And, all clubs operate with the 10/90 theory 10% or less of the membership do the work!
#3 Sorry you guys with the problem with range duty, 16 hrs out of year is not much.  Some clubs have people that will work you shifts for a fee!
So that does not fly at all!  Or you buy your hours out. WOW how easy is that?
#4 Ranges do not want bullets leaving their property, they need to be good neighbors!  And, some of your huckleberry doodle types could not put rounds on target
even if the target was in front of you nose! Club members shoot the crap out of their own club property because they are too lazy or inept! More like both!  
See the range in use in the picture.  That is from out at Minnetonka Sportsmans Club.  Look at the target frames etc. look how offset the target backers are. Yet see how shot up things are!
Federal Ammo Rebate Program Picture
#5 Places that have longer ranges want people that have their DOPE aka Zero's for ranges.  This not the time to be working with platform that can not do the job.
Lots of place kick people off the line if you are not on paper!
#6 And, then most will complain about ranges that have competitions on the weekends when you have free time.  Well, geeze!  Most of the clubs were founded for competition purposes!

And, the lazy asses that whine about having to drive!  LOL!  Ask Erud how many miles he puts on going to matches or tryouts etc?  When I shot XTC I drove 80 miles every Wednesday night one way
to shoot league and drove to matches from ND to Harris, MN and Red Wing, MN and Billings, MT.  Of course gas was bit cheaper and did ride share part of the way!  The point is whiners will always whine!  If a person is motivated they will find a way to make things work for them.

Unfortunately someone of you like to pitch a bitch!  But, when reality is served up you have no comeback!  
If you want to shoot you will find a way! And, there are ways!  Whoops they involve work!

When somebody condescendingly calls me "PEOPLE" I know that I'm listening to a real expert.

This is why I'm not getting into precision until I'm retired, or at least at a point where I only work 40 hours a week.  Too much going on right now.  

My Oakdale membership supports everything 200 M and under and that keeps me satisfied for the most part.  Probably try to do more hunting with any extra time.

I have this crazy idea for my next deployment-earnings gun: a couple grand worth of precision .22, bipod, and scope.  That will keep me occupied on the 200M range at OGC for the next 15 years or til I retire, whenever comes first.  Seems to make more sense than buying a bolt .338 WTF Magnum and reloading setup, and then shooting it from the bench at the 100M range.  Not that anyone ever does that.        

As far as "real" calibers, I'm really interested in where the AR-inspired chassis precision bolt guns like Q's offering are headed, so this plan would let that market mature a little before I dive in.

Yeah, not really a "dream" so much as curious if a someplace like that existed.
Not ending my OGC membership, it fits 90% of my shooting needs and is way closer to me than forest lake.
Just thought it would be fun to try some longer range stuff