Posted: 5/1/2013 11:36:21 AM EDT
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I recently moved here (DFW area) from the midwest and noticed that most of the outdoor ranges (and a lot of indoor ranges) don't allow FMJ Rifles rounds.
Can anyone explain to me why? I was really disappointed to learn that... had to bum some varmint tip rounds from a buddy at the range, since I didn't realize that rule before arriving. The places i've been seem to have decent dirt berms.... would it be a ricochet kind of issue, or is it part of their insurance maybe??? I grew up in MN and always just shot behind our house, and on land in our family. And most ranges in rural MN (where I lived) weren't managed ranges, so there was no rules against types of ammo since no one was there to enforce it. ETA: This is the range i'm talking about. Here are the rules... Gun Range Range Rules (NO FMJ, and signs ALL over at the range) 100 yards is the longest range they have, but that would be fine for a quick sight in. I just built an AR15 and my sights/scope didn't come in for it yet, and I didn't want to rob one from another gun and break that guns zero. I was just going through the break in procedure for my barrel, and was shooting down range (and was hitting on the target boards) with a flat top and I got about 40 rds in to break-in and the Range Safety Officer told me I couldn't shoot anymore b/c I didn't have sights on it. Gayer than aids. |
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I've never seen a range that forbids FMJ....  I went to www.wheretoshoot.org (hosted by NSSF) to try to find alternates to Quail Creek, and Eagle Gun Range to shoot FMJ at and couldn't find any within 30 miles that were OUTDOOR ranges. I hate indoor ranges, and most around here are close range rifle ranges.... like 75 - 100 FEET. |
| I have been to every range around Austin, and there are maybe 5. There is only one range that didn't allow FMJ rifle ammo (FMJ in a pistol was OK), and it is an outdoor range (Eagle Peak). They told me that FMJ bullets ricochet more easily and could hit a nearby house. I never went back to that range again. Both the indoor ranges in Austin allow FMJ. I think if an indoor range bans FMJ it is because their steel back-stop plates are not durable enough. |
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Ranges in the DFW Metroplex compete with each other to be the most Nazi like. I think Elm Fork wins that contest. I agree with that. I think the logic behind the No FMJ thing is that they are afraid of bullets ricocheting and leaving the range. Apparently, hollow points are less likely since they disintegrate on first impact. 
OP, where are you located? My range is private, but it allows FMJ. It also has a couple of falling plate bays, some gongs and a few 200 yard rifle lanes. We have our fair share of stupid rules, but all in all, it's a decent place to shoot. I have never felt un-safe while shooting there. If you are interested in joining, here's the link Haltom City Rifle and Pistol Club Annual dues are $100/yr. ETA....To join, you must attend the monthly meeting which is held at the beginning of the month and get voted in at the next one, so it's a month long process. May 5th is the next one. |
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I recently moved here (DFW area) from the midwest and noticed that most of the outdoor ranges (and a lot of indoor ranges) don't allow FMJ Rifles rounds. Can anyone explain to me why? I was really disappointed to learn that... had to bum some varmint tip rounds from a buddy at the range, since I didn't realize that rule before arriving. The places i've been seem to have decent dirt berms.... would it be a ricochet kind of issue, or is it part of their insurance maybe??? I grew up in MN and always just shot behind our house, and on land in our family. And most ranges in rural MN (where I lived) weren't managed ranges, so there was no rules against types of ammo since no one was there to enforce it. ETA: This is the range i'm talking about. Here are the rules... Gun Range Range Rules (NO FMJ, and signs ALL over at the range) 100 yards is the longest range they have, but that would be fine for a quick sight in. I just built an AR15 and my sights/scope didn't come in for it yet, and I didn't want to rob one from another gun and break that guns zero. I was just going through the break in procedure for my barrel, and was shooting down range (and was hitting on the target boards) with a flat top and I got about 40 rds in to break-in and the Range Safety Officer told me I couldn't shoot anymore b/c I didn't have sights on it. Gayer than aids. Sounds like Alpine. First time I went there they sold me 55gr Fiochi FMJ in their store and they I got yelled at for shooting it on their range lol  Thankfully I moved and have better ranges near me now.
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Ranges in the DFW Metroplex compete with each other to be the most Nazi like. I think Elm Fork wins that contest. I agree with that. I think the logic behind the No FMJ thing is that they are afraid of bullets ricocheting and leaving the range. Apparently, hollow points are less likely since they disintegrate on first impact.
OP, where are you located? My range is private, but it allows FMJ. It also has a couple of falling plate bays, some gongs and a few 200 yard rifle lanes. We have our fair share of stupid rules, but all in all, it's a decent place to shoot. I have never felt un-safe while shooting there. If you are interested in joining, here's the link Haltom City Rifle and Pistol Club Annual dues are $100/yr. I live in Saginaw/West Fort Worth, thanks for the invite. I'm more partial to outdoor ranges, just what I'm used to I guess. A friend of mine is a rancher and has a bunch of land and said I could come and shoot out there, so that is probably going to be my best option. Thanks again. |
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Try Tac Pro out in West in Mingus. Great range. Sorry to have to tell you but the ranges in DFW are a fucking joke and the people who run them are some real winners. QFT. 2nd! Or Tiger Valley near Waco... I havn't been to this one but ive heard good things. Spent quite a bit of time at TacPro though. Good place Pic from the last time I was at TacPro 
Playing with that M2 in the background 
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Uncle Georges in Glen Rose has a 100 yard range. They allow FMJ and rimfire at 100 yards. Love this place. A little primitive but lots of small town charm.
Elm Fork, no FMJ, 10 rounds in mags, 2 second rate of fire, nice facilities, watch you like a hawk. I do not like shooting here, and it is closest to my house by far. The one redeeming factor about Elm Fork is a good functional dueling tree. Alpine is decent but no FMJ at any rifle range and no rimfire past 50 yards. I like shooting shotgun sports here. Thats it. Arlington Sportsman Club is private and requires 2 members to sign off. Nice facilities. There are a couple other private options but they aren't any keys available. IDPA & USPSA are more common at indoor ranges, or a private facility near Cresson (west of Fort Worth). In Fort Worth The Shooting Gallery (aka Winchester) at 820/Lancaster on the east side of FTW is the best indoor range around. Nice facility and awesome staff. Elk Castle in west FTW is decent but is indoor. There is a place in Duncanville that is indoor that was decent 5 years ago. Haven't been back due to proximity. There is an opportunity for a decent range in DFW. A buddy wants to open a 100 yard indoor range but I am not sure there is enough business willing to pay to make that work. EDIT: Here are photos from several local ranges: Elm Fork (50 yard range is all concrete, all shooting positions are shaded which is nice in summer) 
Uncle Georges 100 yard range 
The place in Cresson that has IDPA/USPSA/Steel Challenge matches 
View of the self-operated thrower field at Alpine 
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Ranges in the DFW Metroplex compete with each other to be the most Nazi like. I think Elm Fork wins that contest. I agree with that. I think the logic behind the No FMJ thing is that they are afraid of bullets ricocheting and leaving the range. Apparently, hollow points are less likely since they disintegrate on first impact.
OP, where are you located? My range is private, but it allows FMJ. It also has a couple of falling plate bays, some gongs and a few 200 yard rifle lanes. We have our fair share of stupid rules, but all in all, it's a decent place to shoot. I have never felt un-safe while shooting there. If you are interested in joining, here's the link Haltom City Rifle and Pistol Club Annual dues are $100/yr. I live in Saginaw/West Fort Worth, thanks for the invite. I'm more partial to outdoor ranges, just what I'm used to I guess. A friend of mine is a rancher and has a bunch of land and said I could come and shoot out there, so that is probably going to be my best option. Thanks again. It is an outdoor range. Not really that far from you either, but if you have access to a ranch, I would definitely do that instead. Sure wish I had access to land. Also, my buddy shoots at some new range near the speedway. He says it's a shoot and move range. I have no idea what it's called though. |
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I'd really love (and I think many people would) an outdoor range with a 100 yard range (or longer) that allows FMJ.
I'd think they could do something west of Fort Worth on Saginaw/Main Blvd.... but I don't know the area ALL that well. Something down by the shotgun range off of 20 West by the Fort Worth Trap/Skeet club would be nice also |
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Ranges in the DFW Metroplex compete with each other to be the most Nazi like. I think Elm Fork wins that contest. I agree with that. I think the logic behind the No FMJ thing is that they are afraid of bullets ricocheting and leaving the range. Apparently, hollow points are less likely since they disintegrate on first impact.
OP, where are you located? My range is private, but it allows FMJ. It also has a couple of falling plate bays, some gongs and a few 200 yard rifle lanes. We have our fair share of stupid rules, but all in all, it's a decent place to shoot. I have never felt un-safe while shooting there. If you are interested in joining, here's the link Haltom City Rifle and Pistol Club Annual dues are $100/yr. I live in Saginaw/West Fort Worth, thanks for the invite. I'm more partial to outdoor ranges, just what I'm used to I guess. A friend of mine is a rancher and has a bunch of land and said I could come and shoot out there, so that is probably going to be my best option. Thanks again. It is an outdoor range. Not really that far from you either, but if you have access to a ranch, I would definitely do that instead. Sure wish I had access to land. Also, my buddy shoots at some new range near the speedway. He says it's a shoot and move range. I have no idea what it's called though. Thats cool, I assumed by the location of it it was indoor, until I looked at 121 and Minnis on Google Maps. If I was positive i'd be here for another year, i'd join up. Thanks again for the info. |
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Ranges in the DFW Metroplex compete with each other to be the most Nazi like. I think Elm Fork wins that contest. I agree with that. I think the logic behind the No FMJ thing is that they are afraid of bullets ricocheting and leaving the range. Apparently, hollow points are less likely since they disintegrate on first impact.
OP, where are you located? My range is private, but it allows FMJ. It also has a couple of falling plate bays, some gongs and a few 200 yard rifle lanes. We have our fair share of stupid rules, but all in all, it's a decent place to shoot. I have never felt un-safe while shooting there. If you are interested in joining, here's the link Haltom City Rifle and Pistol Club Annual dues are $100/yr. I live in Saginaw/West Fort Worth, thanks for the invite. I'm more partial to outdoor ranges, just what I'm used to I guess. A friend of mine is a rancher and has a bunch of land and said I could come and shoot out there, so that is probably going to be my best option. Thanks again. It is an outdoor range. Not really that far from you either, but if you have access to a ranch, I would definitely do that instead. Sure wish I had access to land. Also, my buddy shoots at some new range near the speedway. He says it's a shoot and move range. I have no idea what it's called though. Yeah, Quail Creek is just north of the TMS, but there is another one up there I believe too. |
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It's a real shame, Quail Creek in the early to mid 90's was really a nice range too.
Even the RO's were old school nice and helpful guys. Somewhere along the way they lost their minds. Unfortunately there are no really nice outdoor ranges close by. You pretty much need to make a serious drive now. |
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Quoted: Sounds like Alpine. First time I went there they sold me 55gr Fiochi FMJ in their store and they I got yelled at for shooting it on their range lol Thankfully I moved and have better ranges near me now. I live close enough to Alpine that I can hear gunfire whenever someone is shooting on the range. I've shot there exactly once, due to the range rules and the RSO's being complete asshats. It's the only range I've ever had a problem at in my life. |
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I shoot here in Mesquite. FMJ is good. Been three months since I was there but it was fine. http://gibsonoutpost.angelfire.com/ This is run by an elderly couple and their full-blown idiot son. He is a range NAZI. No more than one weapon per person. All the brass belongs to him. Took some friends to shoot. All first-timers except for grandpa who was a Korean War vet. One of the kids shot a hole in a ratty, leaking sand bag. He had never shot before and wasn't skilled at bench shooting. Jr. Nazi pitched a fit and made momma pay for the bag. She really pissed him off when she told him that if she was paying for it, she was keeping it. He had planned to take the $10 and just keep using the bag. But you can shoot FMJ. |
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Never heard of an outdoor range that didn't allow FMJ. Must be a Texas thing. Indoor range, sure. Pretty common. Most backstops aren't built for FMJ and the jackets tend to peel apart and come whistling back at the shooter. I shoot FMJ at Red's Indoor range in Pflugerville when I go. Eagle Peak, a shit outdoor range in Jonestown, won't allow it and the range nazis - I mean officers - there are a bit much. Thank God for Best of the West in Liberty Hill. Tac bays to draw from holster, rapid fire, etc. I prefer to do my shooting out there now. 
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Never heard of an outdoor range that didn't allow FMJ. Must be a Texas thing. Indoor range, sure. Pretty common. Most backstops aren't built for FMJ and the jackets tend to peel apart and come whistling back at the shooter. I used to live in Cedar Rapids and have shot MANY times at the Coralville Res Shooting Range.... can't remember the name, its just off of 965 and around swisher/shueyville. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Try Tac Pro out in West in Mingus. Great range. Sorry to have to tell you but the ranges in DFW are a fucking joke and the people who run them are some real winners. QFT. Alpine just made a huge effort to renovate their rifle and handgun firing lines and berms. They still don't have a handgun range shorter than 50 feet. Fifty... fucking.. feet. For handguns. Also, they just raised the range fee from $10 to $13. I'm going to find somewhere else to shoot next time. |
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Never heard of an outdoor range that didn't allow FMJ. Must be a Texas thing. Indoor range, sure. Pretty common. Most backstops aren't built for FMJ and the jackets tend to peel apart and come whistling back at the shooter. I used to live in Cedar Rapids and have shot MANY times at the Coralville Res Shooting Range.... can't remember the name, its just off of 965 and around swisher/shueyville. Same here. Shot there many times tho its been several years. Hawkeye Wildlife Shooting Range is the official title but no one calls it that. Scary place. Had a death there not to long ago. Guy shot himself. |
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Never heard of an outdoor range that didn't allow FMJ. Must be a Texas thing. Indoor range, sure. Pretty common. Most backstops aren't built for FMJ and the jackets tend to peel apart and come whistling back at the shooter. I used to live in Cedar Rapids and have shot MANY times at the Coralville Res Shooting Range.... can't remember the name, its just off of 965 and around swisher/shueyville. Same here. Shot there many times tho its been several years. Hawkeye Wildlife Shooting Range is the official title but no one calls it that. Scary place. Had a death there not to long ago. Guy shot himself. Wow. What do ya do I guess.... I've always enjoyed going there, been probably 1.5 years now, but I do like it better when there aren't many people there. |
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The DFW metro area has too many fucking stupid people who are a danger to themselves and others. They either end up as ROs or end up causing ROs to say "Fuck it!" and write some stupid rule hoping to control a situation where people with no trainng or common sense have to be trusted with a deadly weapon. If you drive out of the DFW metro area (like an hour or two) there are places that stupid people are too lazy to drive (and where they'll bury you in the new berm if you fuck up). I find the rules at these places very reasonable. Tac Pro is a great example*
*Though to my personal knowledge, there isn't actually anyone buried in the berm there. Not that I doubt Bill would do it though
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