I live pretty close to MCRD, I have been on base a few times but have never heard anyone shooting??

I would think they would have to have a range?

also if one were in another branch of the service could they shoot a personally owned weapon?

I know its unlikely but I thought I would ask you guys.

I stood in the yellow footprints. I have been there.
To answer your question, there is no range to my knowledge on MCRD San Diego. We went to Edson range on Camp Pendleton for our range week. We shot 500 meters, so to have a range this size would mean they would have to get rid of the S.D. airport for the room needed.

I know that when I brought my personal weapons on to Camp Pendleton,I was required to register them with the Provost marshall, & have them kept in my base amoury. I ended up keeping mine off base, but your best bet is to call the base & ask them their rules, & regs on such things. Camp Pendleton is just north of Ocean Slime, & seems a long way to go just to pop a few rounds off.

On Jan. 1, 1948, Recruit Depot, San Diego, was once again re-designated. This time, it was named Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. This step had been taken 13 months earlier when Marine Barracks, Parris Island was re-designated Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, according to Guillemete. The rifle range detachment, where recruits were taught to fire the rifle, was re-designated as Weapons Training Battalion, located at Camp Matthews, La Jolla, Calif.  

"Usually if Parris Island made a change, the Depot would make the same change just after," said Guillemete.  

When the Korean War began, once again, recruits began to pour in. The Recruit Training Command grew from three to eight battalions and over 700 Quonset huts were constructed to house the additional recruits.  

President John F. Kennedy visited the Depot in 1963 to inspect the Sea School Honor Guard. He stood on the yellow footprints outside Recruit Training Regiment Support Battalion and the set he stood on was later plated in gold. A person can see them shine from a mile away, according to Guillemete. Kennedy was assassinated later that year in Dallas.  

The firing ranges were moved from Camp Matthews to Edson Range, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif., in 1964, because the residents of the area wanted to use the land for other purposes. The land that Camp Matthews occupied is now the University of California, San Diego.  

Wow I am suprised they don't have a range on site.

How much range time did you get in?

The Navy bootcamp next door (now closed) had a 50 yard indoor shooting range.

We were there for a week of snapping in, classes, & range time. We spent the week just learning marksmanship, & going to the range, & finally qualifying with our brand new out of the box M-16 A2's. I, of course shot expert.[bow]every time. But I really don't remember how much range time we got each day. I just remember the pace of training in the Corps was always grueling. We spent a lot of hours snapping into our firing positions, & dry firing at white 50 gallon drums with little black circles painted all around them.
I remember we were all really aiming at our DI's when they were on the other side of the snap in ring from us. You could hear the click, followed by the whispered "I hit him in the head, click I got center mass on his chest , center mass on his balls click. I'm not making this up either. I understood right away, why they searched us all for live rounds everyday after range time was ended.[kill]

[:)] they "found" a spent brass casiing in one of my mag holders..  

quarter decked for a while on that one..

I  know damn well that it was not there when we left the range..  < this was a "random" search back at the barracks..
< random myass... >

To this day I know I was being fu¢ked with for something I said earlier... < about a DI to another rec >
the whole time on the deck I was just thinking... "damn this chicken shit sucks"... [:)]

The closest military ranges are over on NAS North Island.  Trap and Skeet and Small Arms (100yds?), they used to be available for service members at certain times.  (Reserve units shoot there on some weekends.)  Most bases require that persons living in BOQs and BEQs (or whatever they are called these days) keep personal weapons at the armory.  Family housing might be different, depends on where you are.

Miramar also had ranges.  Been 20 years since I shot there, not sure if they are still there, east of the freeways.

All the MCRD firing is done up at Pendleton.

Miramar ranges closed.
North Island ranges closed except for actual military training.
You are no longer permitted to bring your personal weapon on board the station.

Just an FYI:

There is the Sherrif's range on east Miramar. It somehow escaped the fires. I haven't shot there yet, but heard citizens can shoot on Satudays??? But don't take my word for it.

The Marines have plans to build a rifle range at Miramar in the next year. But who can use it will have to be determined.
Also, they are going to build some sort of shooting range at Coronado, but I would assume that it would be indoor and avail to NavWar guys only.

They could put one, actually several, on the strand, build up some berms and shoot toward the ocean.  Might nick a windsurfer or two, but that's what yah get wandering around down range when Maggies Drawers are up.