Posted: 3/28/2011 10:24:58 AM EDT
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Just moved to Charm City and would appreciate any recomendations on shooting ranges/clubs. I like to shoot handguns, hunting rifles, 22s and deadly assault rifles :). I have participated in 22 silhouette and IDPA events. I'm also into reloading.
Thanks |
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Best range facilites are at the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore over in Marriotsville. You will need to be a member of one of the clubs to use the facility.
There are several indoor shooting ranges that will handle pistol caliber stuff, like Select Fire in Glen Burnie, On Target in Odenton/Severn, Continental in Timonium. There is an indoor range that will allow use of lead free rifle ammo up in Bel-Air called Horst & McCann, someone mentioned another one is going to be opening soon IIRC more on the NE side of Baltimore. There is a public range (Handgun & rifle) up in Northeast at the State Forest (it should be in one of the tacked threads). |
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If there is a commercial range of any kind within the city limits, I don't know of it.
Forest pretty much covered it. Continental Arms is pretty popular. On Target is fine but really nowhere near Baltimore. For rifles it's Marriotsville or the trek up to Elk Neck. I will always go out of my way to bad-mouth Select Fire. They may have changed or you may have a different experience but the place is run by assholes and I will never return there. |
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Best range facilites are at the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore over in Marriotsville. You will need to be a member of one of the clubs to use the facility. AGC is outrageously priced in my opinion... way to much money for this working man to spend on range fees. 
Continental Arms does have a nice range and it isn't too expensive. You can also shoot your shotgun there as well (buckshot only) |
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I haven't been to Select Fire since before my son was born (and he's 13). Last time I was there the shelves looked very empty. The good things about the range were you could shoot shotguns, MP5 rentals, and they would allow me to shoot my 7.62x39 uppered AR with their plastic core ammo. Last time I was there to shoot the MP5 they had no more plastic core and they wouldn't allow shotguns anymore due to idiocy of some clients.
On Target is ok. It's closest for me, so if you live in the southern part of Balitmore it's an option. Horst & McCann is the nicest of the indoor ranges that I've been to. It's also the most expensive. The facilities at the AGC are nice, but there are rules to follow and limits on what kind of targets you can shoot and at what ranges. Fine for marksmanship, zeroing or load developement. Plinking is limited to paper target, Newbold plastic targets, or for .22s (and .22s only) steel targets at 100y. If you are into shotgun they do have public Skeet Wed nights and Sundays. They hold variouse marksmanship competitions (no IDPA or ISPC type stuff though). The Elk Neck range is ok, distance is only 100y. and those benches really make it a PITA to shoot anything from kneeling or prone. Oh there is one more rifle/pistol range. It's a public range in the Carroll County Landfil (Hap Baker Range). About the same distance as Elk Neck from the city but without the toll bridge. Again only bench shooting, but the range is longer. Fine for zeroing rifles. I haven't shot there since before the fire and saw no reason to go back as use of my Chrony was impossible and I could only shoot from the bench. |
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Best range facilites are at the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore over in Marriotsville. You will need to be a member of one of the clubs to use the facility. AGC is outrageously priced in my opinion... way to much money for this working man to spend on range fees. [img] People keep saying that and I don't understand. $150 for a range badge for the ENTIRE year and you can bring guests FOR FREE. Continental is $8 for a half an hour. A one hour range session is $16! If you go once per month by yourself you'll spend more. Want to bring a girlfriend or wife? Add another $10/hour. For guys like us that live in HoCo (I'm assuming you still live here) you'll burn twice the gas and have to deal with the beltway. No Thanks. And you can't shoot your rifles at ANY price. My family and I spend a few hours at the AGC just last weekend, but let's see what this range trip would have cost had we gone to Continental: 3x16 = $48 just for me. 3*10 = $30 for each family member I brough - that's another $90. So the other times I shot there this year (and for the rest of the year) are basically free. Did I mention you can even reduce the cost of your range badge if you volunteer to work on one of the volunteer projects at the range? |
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Best range facilites are at the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore over in Marriotsville. You will need to be a member of one of the clubs to use the facility. AGC is outrageously priced in my opinion... way to much money for this working man to spend on range fees. [url=http:// People keep saying that and I don't understand. $150 for a range badge for the ENTIRE year and you can bring guests FOR FREE. Continental is $8 for a half an hour. A one hour range session is $16! If you go once per month by yourself you'll spend more. Want to bring a girlfriend or wife? Add another $10/hour. For guys like us that live in HoCo (I'm assuming you still live here) you'll burn twice the gas and have to deal with the beltway. No Thanks. And you can't shoot your rifles at ANY price. My family and I spend a few hours at the AGC just last weekend, but let's see what this range trip would have cost had we gone to Continental: 3x16 = $48 just for me. 3*10 = $30 for each family member I brough - that's another $90. So the other times I shot there this year (and for the rest of the year) are basically free. Did I mention you can even reduce the cost of your range badge if you volunteer to work on one of the volunteer projects at the range? Interesting... I always thought that the range fees were much more expensive. Perhaps its 150 for the badge and then other fees to join a club that is associated with the range? And, I have been looking for a place to shoot my rifles. I'm going to have to look more into this. IM sent as well |
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Best range facilites are at the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore over in Marriotsville. You will need to be a member of one of the clubs to use the facility. AGC is outrageously priced in my opinion... way to much money for this working man to spend on range fees. [url=http:// People keep saying that and I don't understand. $150 for a range badge for the ENTIRE year and you can bring guests FOR FREE. Continental is $8 for a half an hour. A one hour range session is $16! If you go once per month by yourself you'll spend more. Want to bring a girlfriend or wife? Add another $10/hour. For guys like us that live in HoCo (I'm assuming you still live here) you'll burn twice the gas and have to deal with the beltway. No Thanks. And you can't shoot your rifles at ANY price. My family and I spend a few hours at the AGC just last weekend, but let's see what this range trip would have cost had we gone to Continental: 3x16 = $48 just for me. 3*10 = $30 for each family member I brough - that's another $90. So the other times I shot there this year (and for the rest of the year) are basically free. Did I mention you can even reduce the cost of your range badge if you volunteer to work on one of the volunteer projects at the range? Like you, I continuously remark about how cheap it is for what the facilities offer, and it's two miles from my house to boot  We should get an arfcom shooting night together and start a rimfire league.
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Anne Arundel Fish and Game (just West of the Bay Bridge off 50/301) is an outdoor club. Not sure what the membership requirements are, but they host a LOT of IDPA matches there. Get on their IDPA e-mail distro for announcements and sign-up. A pretty good group of guys (and ladies).
For just target shooting, I usually hit On Target. Their annual membership is something around $225. That basically gives you unlimited time on the indoor range. It is pistol caliber only, but I can deal. I agree with the above statements regarding Select Fire. They make it very difficult for a customer to actual want to part with their money there. To date, I have not given them a dime and probably won't. I can buy my Class III stuff and shoot at plenty of other places without a large asshole leaning on the counter. Getting farther away, but worth mentioning. The NRA range is located in the basement of the HQ building just off of Rt 66 in VA (maybe an hour drive?). Reasonably priced and VERY nice. Indoor, well lit, 50 yards (yes Fifty yards) and they are rifle friendly. Not sure what caliber they top out at, but everything I own can be shot there. As a plus, the NRA museum is right about it and that is like candyland to gunlovers. Pack a lunch, make a day of it. Other IDPA, Sanners Lake Sportsmen Club in St. Mary's County (way South on Rt 2, about 100miles from B-more). But a fun time. They also do sillouhette and shotgun. There is USPSA at the York IWL, just across the border in PA. They shoot once a month and it is always a good time. A few times a year they will run a multi-gun. Only about 50 miles from B-more, straight up 83. Hope to catch you at a few. -David |
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Interesting... I always thought that the range fees were much more expensive. Perhaps its 150 for the badge and then other fees to join a club that is associated with the range? Yes you will have to join a club. Club fees vary wildly so find one you like (and are willing to pay for). The club I belong to has a $2 initiation fee and $10/year dues. Even if your costs are around $200/year (a more expensive club) that is still pretty cheap on a per month basis. |
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We should get an arfcom shooting night together and start a rimfire league. We used to have ARFcom / MD-AR15.com shoots there monthly - till some idiot decided not to follow the posted directions and called up the range master to ask about it - which screwed it up for everyone. |
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Other IDPA, Sanners Lake Sportsmen Club in St. Mary's County (way South on Rt 2, about 100miles from B-more). But a fun time. They also do sillouhette and shotgun. They used to put on killer 3-gun matches. Seems like they don't offer them anymore.
That facility is some 90+ minutes from Columbia, so figure 2 hours from Baltimore. |
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Horst & McCann is the nicest of the indoor ranges that I've been to. It's also the most expensive. . I bought 2 custom rifles (about $4K each) from out of state. I was looking for a dealer to use to for a transfer. Horst/McCann told me that all firearms that are transferred into the state of MD have sales tax charged on them. They were clear. This is a lie. I guess they were going to pocket the money? I I just used Freedom Armory in Glen Rock for the transfer. -dan |
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AGC is apparently much improved over years past; good to hear they allow steel at 100 yards an nubold targets - there is no reason to ban either one. Time was they became terrified of steel due to the horse farm behind the 100 yard range and they over reacted in my opinion. But, I understand that now they own that land too (that was the right solution). Hope they bring the silhouete steel back to the 200 yard range if they haven't already.
Nice trap facilities up on the hill; I enjoyed that range too. Plus, if you join the Mt Washington club in AGC, the ploice range on York Rd is open to club members for 1/2 day every month (at least it was when I was last a member). |
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AGC is apparently much improved over years past; good to hear they allow steel at 100 yards an nubold targets The newbold targets have been allowed for some 15 years. I got myself on the rules comittee specifically to make that change back when I was a Trustee. The steel targets are a relatively new thing. I know there have been discussions on the issue for the last 10 years or so (starting back when they had Summer Biatholons). Glad to see the some of the more enlightened Trustees push through that improvement. Time was they became terrified of steel due to the horse farm behind the 100 yard range and they over reacted in my opinion. But, I understand that now they own that land too (that was the right solution). Hope they bring the silhouete steel back to the 200 yard range if they haven't already.
AKAIK That has always been allowed for sanctioned matches, not sure if they would allow it for individuals (though it would be great). Even if it was steel on the 200y line only that would be a nice addition. |
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Another option would be to join a small range right over the border into PA called Littlestown Fish and Game Here
Cheap to join/belong. Facilities aren't that fancy, but they're black rifle tolerant. Another used to be good range around southern PA was Jefferson Sportsmen. But they were instituting some pretty retarded new rules like no more than 5 rounds in the magazine, and when I was last a member 5 years ago it seemed like the Fudds were trying to force us black rifle folk out. |