Being a retired Army Reservist (With 13.5 years of Active Duty), I’m looking at using the off-duty range at Ft. Lewis.  Before providing the application to register the rifles/pistols I’d bring on post with the Provost Marshal’s office, I was wondering if it’s worth the trouble of shooting there?  

While hitting the Commissary last week on a Saturday, I drove down to the range to just check it out, but the gate was closed at 2pm…  I saw a couple of people walking around, but no other activity.  I figured that a Saturday, they would be busy…. Or is that gate, to the gate always closed, when they’re open?  If so, do you just open it or is their another way to get in, then coming off of Railroad Ave and onto 2nd I.D. Road?

I have several 7.62mm NATO rifles, I’d like to shoot at ranges greater than 100 meters, but I’m not into an anal cavity search each time going thru the gate since apparently, you have to tell the Gate Guards that you’re bringing firearms on post… IMHO, would freak out some poor PFC or SPC who got hosed on a Saturday or Sunday.

Also, as for the “Range Masters/Safety Officers” are they a bunch of pissed off retired SFCs that didn’t make CSM and still pissed that their ex-wives got half of their pensions, so they take it out on everybody else?  I don’t mind safety rules, organization or being“corrected,” I just don’t want to feel like I’m back in Basic.  

Do they allow steel cased ammo to be used?  I have an AK-74 type rifle I need to zero in and are you required to police up all your brass prior to leaving?  Just trying to figure out most everything ahead of time.

If you’ve recently used this range, I’d greatly appreciate any input or thoughts on this range… I’m not too thrilled about providing serial numbers to my firearms, but not paranoid about the govt…  They basically got everything on me anyway.  Just want to make sure that a trip to the range isn’t a huge pain in the ass or a traumatic experience.

Thanks!!

You probably went to the wrong range. East gate is open 24/7. That is how you would access that range from JBLM Main. The other way is to come up 507 to the range before you get to East Gate.

My recommend to you is to NOT SHOOT at the JBLM range. Simply put nothing is user friendly on Fort Lewis to include units trying to coordinate training through Range Ops. You would need to register your firearms with the provost Marshall regardless of if you come through a gate or not to get to the MWR range.

My two cents for you is to find somewhere to shoot in the National Forest because no range in this general area is user friendly. Or the wait list is so long you will be in a wheel chair by the time you can use the range.

Nothing wrong with the Sportsmans Range, if you don't want to go through the gate then drive down to Spanaway and take 507 to East Gate Drive.  For me its convenient, I can drive 10 minutes to shoot for a fee or burn up that gas money and time driving to a public pit an hour or more away.  They give you a target frame and target when you check in, sometimes you have to wait for a bench to open up but otherwise its not bad.  Plenty of steel to shoot at there too.  As far as RSOs go, they walk the line when the line is cold to make sure everything is clear and on safe, and make sure people don't handle firearms when people are down range.  Otherwise they won't talk to you unless you're doing something blatantly unsafe, or you want to spark up conversation.

The range itself is outside the secured area of the post so you don't have to go through post to get there.
Most of the gate guards are MPs who know the regs. I know a lot of people who travel through post with firearms frequently (because it's faster and easier to cut through post to the range than to go around) with no issues. Just don't have them loaded, don't have them on you, and have your registration form. Tell them you have firearms, are going to the range, and here is my registration form. It's very rare that any will do more than glance over the form and want to actually check your firearms. It's too much work for no reason and would slow down the line. Unless they need to get in enough random searches and what the hell, might as well get you since you already added a minute to their day.

Shot a couple rifles there today around noon, less than half the line was occupied.  Little cloudy but otherwise a perfect day to beat on their steel plates.

Tried 12yrs ago. Even then seemed like a lot of hoops to jump through and a PITA

Gave up and went to one of the local gravel pits