Ammo, current events and the efects on your local shooting range/club?

[anothernewb]

It was the annual meeting for our club last night. The outlook is grim for us. out of the 500+ members we had registered at one time. just 25 showed up last night. Zero respondents online.

This is also the time of year that we renew the annual memberships. A few have renewed online and at the shop over the past weeks, and I'm sure a few more will trickle in in the coming weeks as well.
I'm projecting we will have less than 200 renew at this point. probably closer to 150.
At that level, our minimal operating expenses for the next year have exceeded our revenue.

At the meeting it was nearly universal commentary that no one plans to do any shooting during the winter season, citing lack of ammo availability - or a prohibitive cost to do any more than simply bank their supply for an emergency. The indoor range fees usually balance out the cost of the building, but this year might be different. The entire meeting was severely bleak and rather depressing.

To whit the board has assigned all (board) members to do some brainstorming about advertising and increasing awareness of the club by the next meeting date. The idea being hoping we can drum up some awareness and possibly interest. Despite the high original membership numbers, it appears that no one in the local area really knows we exist, or interest is severely flagging.

The one bright point is that our junior rifle program seems to be fully staffed and has a few new recruits this year. Thankfully the 22 supplies are in good shape thanks to the program.

Just wondering if others are possibly seeing the same things?

 

[jr_watkins]

I'll answer from a different perspective, not from the business, but from the clientele. I don't owe your business success. What did you do during the ammo crisis to motivate me to come to your range? Did you jack the ammo prices right away at the start of the shortage or wait until your costs went up? Did you do anything to help the shooter get reasonably priced ammo? Did you impose restrictions on the type of ammo (steel) so you could make an easy profit on the spent brass? Point being, did you provide alternatives to lower cost ammo? Or did you sit back and expect business as usual even though the situation had changed? What did you do when things were tough (expensive) to keep me coming back when things get better? I remember how you acted in tough times (think 'Cheaper Than Dirt' price gouging, won't ever get another look from me).

An add campaign isn't the answer. I expect you may be reaping what you sowed last year or two. You have to earn my business, not just capitalize on it.

I say all this with the best intentions and I don't mean any disrespect. I live in Texas and so not even close to being a potential client. If your business did act in an upstanding way throughout the past few years, I apologize for insinuating otherwise.

 

[bassjam]

As of June my club had a 3.5 year waiting list to join, so I doubt we're going to have issues with membership yet.

That being said, through last year whenever I'd go I'd always see or hear several other shooters at the various ranges even if I'd go in the middle of a work day. The last couple months though I might only see one or two or have the whole place to myself. I just went last Friday after work which was always a busy period and I only saw 3 other people where there'd normally be 10-20 at that time.

Edit, I'll add that I've noticed with some clubs it's difficult to find the information needed to join. There's only 2 ranges within 45 minutes of me and luckily both are within 5 minutes of my house. One has a website with the information clearly laid out regarding the different ranges/disciplines, rules, how to join, etc. The other had nothing except for a handful of pictures and through digging I eventually found the email for the board director. I emailed the second one and they wouldn't tell me anything through email and insisted I needed to come to their next board meeting to find out information. Call me lazy, but I decided to join the club that is going to tell me everything up front.

 

[anothernewb]

I can see where things might be misleading. Actually the club doesn't sell ammo or anything at the range. It's a local non profit, open to the public. The only fees collected are annual membership, and per visit shooting fee for the indoor range. The only ammo sold is 22 for the youth 4 position rifle program. and there we use club funds to provide ammo at 50% of the club's purchase price. (membership benefits are reduced shooting fees) We maintain a local indoor and and an outdoor shooting facility. We also provide concealed carry courses, run a Junior and Senior rifle program as well as a handgun familiarization classes on demand. Everything is staffed and run on a volunteer basis. There has been no changes to membership or shooting fees in almost a decade. The only restrictions we have is that the indoor is a non-magnum pistol calibers only. The backstops are not capable of withstanding magnum or rifle rounds (other than 22). We actively encourage recycling and reloading of brass Anything left when we clean up goes into a bucket anyone can grab from.

perhaps I could have worded the question better. I was mainly citing what we're experiencing and wondering if anyone else found their local groups and clubs similarly affected.

 

[jr_watkins]

anothernewb, I see I misunderstood your situation, I was thinking gun range/gun shop rather than shooting club. My mistake.

 

[gonoles_1980]

My range bought ammo to keep in stock, kept their same profit level on it, but their suppliers did jack up prices. One of the RO's told me they had two bricks of 22lrs, but expect they'll eventually have to eat them. He doubts they will even sell for break even, but they wanted them there in case someone needed some. I stay a member, as does my wife, but she hasn't shot in a year. I go once a month usually, though have missed a month. I have enough primers to last close to two years, when those run out, I'm probably done shooting. Not paying 10 cents a primer. I have noticed the range is about 75% of the shooters that are normally there.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Very low numbers on the private range I belong to. Some days I have the range to myself. We also have about 500 members and I expect the next round up will be bleak. When I joined about 7 years ago there was a 2 year wait. Last year there wasn't any wait, just join during the annual membership enrollment. About the only people shooting these days are reloaders. I did notice a few BP shooters last week. Probably tuning up for deer season.

Our club dropped the NRA membership requirement this year. I suspect that had something to do with declining membership.

 

[Axis II]

No new membership for my club either. Rarely anyone at the range too.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I belong to two gun clubs, neither one sells anything other than memberships.
No daily shooting fees either.

The last year or so, there have been very few days times when there were more than a couple of people shooting when I was there.
My son and I go to one or the other of the clubs just about every Sunday to shoot for several hours.

The only time I see any number of members is on renewal day.
I suspect either they can't get ammunition and reloading supplies or are conserving their supplies.

 

[Sniper66]

Membership in my club, a not-for-profit organization, is growing steadily with a waiting list. It is an outdoor club with no indoor ranges.....a big plus in my book. And it is affordable. I have not noticed a substantial decrease in shooting. But then, I really haven't been looking much. Maybe a decrease in pistol shooting as I think about it. I recently sponsored a good friend who wanted to join. He had to wait 5-6 months. We've built several new ranges and opened a 600 yd range this year, along with several pistol ranges. The only thing we don't have is a dedicated rimfire rifle range, which I am hoping for. One of our best income streams, besides our 2,000 members, is an arrangement with local law enforcement. Both city and county do all their practice and qualifying shooting at our range. We built dedicated LE ranges that affords them uninterrupted access. We are very lucky to have such a facility.

 

[e rex]

I live in the country so I don't need a club. However I only shoot a fraction of what I used to because of the shortage of reloading supplies and ammo. When I retired 20 years ago I shot 30-50 rounds of 38/357 a day, now I shoot 6-12 rounds a week and will quit that if I can't get more spp.
In our Walmart this week they had less than a dozen boxes of 12 gauge steel shot and that was it. Stopped in my LGS last week and the owner said he was getting a small trickle of ammo and no reloading supplies though he did have a few cans of powder on the shelf. I cast my own handgun bullets and have a little powder but it has been over a year since I found primers and NO I won't pay the damn scalpers price! I expect I'm not alone in cutting shooting until things settle down. Yes, I'd rather be shooting but I'm not one dimensional, I can also fish, travel, etc. and I save back enough that there is always 6 in the wheel.

 

[Shanvanvocht]

I shoot at a free public range about 15 minutes from home. There is a 25yd pistol range, a 100yd rifle range, a shotgun field, and a dedicated archery range, all under the supervision of RSOs who are State Conservation Officers. I have not noticed a great decrease in the number of people using the facility, but most, myself included, have reduced the time spent per visit, mostly due to the cost and availability of ammo/components.

 

[George Dickel]

I am in my 2nd year as a member of a local gun club. When I joined, the range staff said that in the winter when snow birds are here the range is quite crowded but not used much in the summer. Last winter when I shot at the rifle range there were only 2 or 3 others there. The pistol ranges hardly had anyone.
The club has a number of organized competitions, cowboy, metallic silhouette, rimfire benchrest, skeet and a military service rifle match. The service rifle shoot had been put on hold during most of the early months of Covid. I joined them when the matches started up again. Pre Covid there were 25 to 30 competitors at each match, right now we do good to get 8 or 10. I have heard the other competitions have suffered attendance also. I believe Covid, because the majority of shooters are older people, and the scarce/expensive ammo adds to it.

 

[twarr1]

I haven’t really noticed a decrease of use of our non-profit, outdoor club range. Maybe a little busier if anything.
What I have noticed is the number of members who show up just to scavenge cases and lead. We don’t have any rules concerning brass, just pick up your brass, take it with you or dump it in the brass barrel.
The scavenger’s even dig jacketed bullets out of the berms and separate the metals. I personally don’t care, I save my own brass and don’t use pick-ups, but everyone has to be extra cautious that nobody’s on their hands and knees behind the 300 yd gong mining for lead.

 

[Waveski]

"My" club is closed for several weeks , but not due to ammo shortage ...

Just so happens that the club is immediately adjacent to Whistling Straits , site of the 2021 Ryder Cup. The company that owns the world famous golf course made us a very generous offer of compensation if we were to close the range for a period of time spanning the tournament. Being the good neighbors that we are , we agreed to cooperate.

Talk about a windfall ...

(Yes , I'm off topic but I thought that some might find this tidbit interesting.)

 

[mmb617]

I haven't noticed any real difference due to the ammo shortage at my club. Well they are allowing .22's in the IDPA classes that used to require 9mm minimum caliber but that's about it. Our club has a lot of black powder guys and those supplies haven't been affected nearly as much as other ammo supplies.