Posted: 5/11/2011 6:48:06 AM EDT
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We finally closed a deal on a house, and will be moving to the Puget Sound area this month. Now I have to find a new gun club where I can practice. Hopefully, one that doesn't have too aggressive of Range Officer nazis, and allows me to load more that one round at a time in semi-auto rifles.
I'm OK with range rules, and range officers to keep things safe. I'm used to them. I'm trying to avoid places where some rules are truly idiotic. Things like requiring black rifles to single load rounds while all other semi-auto firearms can load more than one round at a time, are the sorts of things I would like to know about ahead of time so I don't waste my time checking out those clubs' facility. I'll be in the Tacoma/Gig Harbor area, and any ranges within about an hours driving time is OK. I like to do long range shooting, and practical rifle matches, so hopefully, the club will have more than a 100 yard rifle range. I have found that the Paul Bunyan club has a 500-600 yard rifle range, and that one really interests me, but I would like more information about the club, and the type of people who shoot there. Any information about the Paul Bunyan club, and any other clubs in the area where I could join will be greatly appreciated. For what it is worth, I don't mind shooting outside in rain, mud, or "rough" conditions as that is "real world" shooting. I try to avoid areas where Bubba's who are drunk or high on meth show up to shoot up old TV sets or old appliances. I actually prefer the safety of range officer nazis to the drunk or high Bubbas. Thanks very much in advance. |
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There's some helpful information here that might help. Some things might be a little outdated, but it's a good place to start:
http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=444 Welcome to the area! What parts are you coming from? I don't get down to Tacoma much, but we've got a bunch of people here from that area and they might be able to provide more localized advice. |
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I have been living in Clackamas county...the first county to the south of Portland, and Multnomah county.
I would really like to find some practical/precision rifle matches where the shooting is done outdoors at distances of 200-700 yards, give or take a few hundred yards. Thanks for the leads. I appreciate it. ETA: I had already reviewed the Washington state game dept's range list, and this list of ranges. I know where the ranges are, I just don't know much about how the ranges are run, if they are full of stick-in-the-mud old farts who hate black rifles, hate anyone who shoots more than one round every 10 seconds, or won't let you use a loaded magazine. I had heard that one range even prohibited loading more than one round at a time into a semi-auto rifle. The justification was that the rifle could go full auto at any time, and no one would know when it was going to happen. I wondered if they also required all semi-auto shotguns, pistols, and sporting rifles to do the same thing. Although the same logic of a runaway firearm would apply, I think that such decisions are NOT based on logic. It is probably one of those "Don't bother us with facts, our minds are made up" sort of things. Those are the sorts of things I'm hoping to find out about the various clubs. I would not be a happy camper if I paid to join a range, only to learn I would not be allowed to practice in a reasonable fashion. I'm not intending to "John Wayne" or bump fire a bunch of unaimed rapid fire rounds, but would like to be able to practice multiple target engagement drills with a semi-auto. |
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USMCSSGT,
Thanks for the info about match schedules. Do you have any info a out how the various ranges are run? I'm more looking for information about the types of clubs, club rules, problems with range officers, oldfartitis at clubs and so on. Thanks very much. Semper Fi. |
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For your precision shooting, Cascade Shooting Facilities usually runs F-class at 600 yards concurrently with their prone matches. I haven't been there in a while so check the web site and call to confirm. You'll need to know your come-ups before the match (shooting holes in the 200 yd shed is frowned upon), and be ready to pull targets and keep score while the other relay shoots. The match is a great way to meet the folks there and get a look at the range. It's a top notch facility. I'm not sure if they're within an hour of your new place. It's a member only club, with regular public shooting hours. There are strict safety rules, particularly regarding target placement to avoid skipping rounds over the berm. I don't find the rules onerous. YMMV. Now for the down side. They recently implemented a membership cap. If you decide to join you'll have to go on a waiting list. Heh - different range, but I was the one who got told my FAL might suddenly go full auto. I don't frequent that range any more. |
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Knowing the come ups isn't any problem. The 600 yard league I shot in down here REQUIRED that any time you changed your load, or anything with your rifle, that you had to get another 300 yard zero before trying out at the 600 yard line. Their reasons were essentially the same as the ones you give, and I agree with them. The full auto FAL deal....not so much. Who in the holy hell is going to risk a federal felony at a public range with a run away rifle is beyond me...Whether it was intentional or not, a run away rifle for any reason opens anyone up to nastiness from BATFE that I don't need.
Would you mind telling me which range told you about single loading semi-autos so I too can avoid it? The F-class shooting sounds interesting. I could remove the muzzle brake from the 260 Remington I had built and shoot that. The matches sounds like a great way to meet some people. The Central Cascade Precision classes also interest me. Hopefully, within a couple of months I'll find some new places to burn powder. Thanks very much. |
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Kenmore was the spontaneous full-auto nonsense range. I also found the rangemaster rude. (I know, whine, whine) They're probably a few hours away from your new place, so it's unlikely you'll run afoul of them. I wasn't sure if you'd shot beyond 200 before. Since you've shot at 600 previously you should be good to go. Now that I think about it, I shot my first across the course match there using a Garand, and a fellow Garand shooter gave me come-ups the day of the match. I've actually had very good success sighting in at 200, getting chrono velocities, and using free ballistic software (on target) to get come ups. They generally get me on paper. F-class was a very humbling experience. I have a Rem 700 that shoots one-hole groups at 100, thought it was the shizzle, but was nowhere near competitive in F-TR. Welcome to the area, it's a pretty good place to be a shooter. |
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Quoted:
Kenmore was the spontaneous full-auto nonsense range. I also found the rangemaster rude. (I know, whine, whine) They're probably a few hours away from your new place, so it's unlikely you'll run afoul of them. I wasn't sure if you'd shot beyond 200 before. Since you've shot at 600 previously you should be good to go. Now that I think about it, I shot my first across the course match there using a Garand, and a fellow Garand shooter gave me come-ups the day of the match. I've actually had very good success sighting in at 200, getting chrono velocities, and using free ballistic software (on target) to get come ups. They generally get me on paper. F-class was a very humbling experience. I have a Rem 700 that shoots one-hole groups at 100, thought it was the shizzle, but was nowhere near competitive in F-TR. Welcome to the area, it's a pretty good place to be a shooter. If I remember correctly, Kenmore is also a one-round-at-a-time range. |
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I've visited Paul Bunyan once so far to check it out myself. A friend of mine wants to join there. The range is nice enough, the 200yard line is huge, lots of spots to shoot. According to my friend that's been there many times it's never full and spots always open. The 600 yard portion is only open certain days a each month, usually one 1-2 days. There are designated 600 yard practice and match days. Check their calendar.
http://www.pbrsc.org/index_files/Page452.htm As for other ranges, there is Tacoma Rifle and Revolver club range is very nice but small. The range is same setup as Pual Bunyan, 200 yard standard line with 600 yard line open certain days each month. Both places have a separate pistol range. http://www.tacomarifle.org/ The issue you are going to find is any range near a major city will have housing completely surrounding it and thus have a strict "one round per second" rule. There are two main obvious reasons, it's there way to decrease the chance of a round going over the berms, and keeps the housing neighbor's bitching to a low roar. If you want rapid fire, you are going to have to go to a club well out of town. Evergreen Sportmen's Club is the only place on this side of the mountains that I've been too that did not have any rapid fire restrictions. You can load up a full mag and dump it fast as you want. Downside is the place is out of the way, small, VERY busy on weekends (equals wait), and only has 100yards. http://www.shootesc.com/ Lately I've been shooting at Renton Fish and Game and really enjoying it. I think I might join there soon. There range is 200 yards and decent size. http://www.rfgc.org/ Another option that I have not attended yet is Kitsap Rifle & Revolver Club. However they are under heavy fire from the county and might get shut down. http://www.gunsafety.org/index.htm |
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AnthonyL, TNC, and ZeroZero,
Fabulous info, thanks very much. That is the sort of info I'm looking for. One round a second isn't too onerous. I don't mind concentrating on accuracy rather than speed. I usually find that it harder to develop really good accuracy than speed. Besides, if I go too fast, the accuracy goes to hell, and that doesn't help me. I don't mind the 600 yard range only being open for matches or a few days a week. The club where I'm shooting has 600 yard practice on Tuesday evenings after work, and the 3rd Saturday of the month. I'm really interested in clubs within an hour-hour and a half from the Tacoma narrows bridge. Paul Bunyan sounds good, and I'll check the others out. I'm pleased that there seems to be quite a few more places to shoot than I thought. Thanks again. Looking forward to meeting some of you. |
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Didn't want to start a new thread for pretty much exactly the same thing.
I'm working near the Tri-Cities area, and just came into a new 581-series Mini 14 that I'd like to get broken in. Is there some Dept. of Conservation ranges or something near here? I think Madame Dorian has an archery range, but I dunno about a rifle range. Which is closer to me than Tri Cities is, actually. |
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Quoted:
Didn't want to start a new thread for pretty much exactly the same thing. I'm working near the Tri-Cities area, and just came into a new 581-series Mini 14 that I'd like to get broken in. Is there some Dept. of Conservation ranges or something near here? I think Madame Dorian has an archery range, but I dunno about a rifle range. Which is closer to me than Tri Cities is, actually. In the Tri-Cities area you want to check out Tri-Cities Shooting Association. They have one of the very few 1000 yard ranges in WA state. http://www.tcsa.info/index.htm |