Empty gun club...

Out west here I was shooting at our local range yesterday (Sunday). Every bench space was full. Everything from .22 cal to .50 BMG was being shot. I did notice that there weren’t any 5.56/.223’s being shot at neausem like in years past. Read that to mean large capacity mags being emptied as fast as you can pull the trigger. I’d say close to half the guns were bolt action hunting rigs being ops checked for the upcoming elk season.

I can't say for sure what the range looks like as I'm one of those that hasn't been visiting as often as usual. Ammo shortage has definitely curtailed the amount of shooting I do. I have it stacked deep but I'm hesitant to dig into it seeing I expect this shortage to last easily into next year

I think it's pretty simple. Depending on what part of the country you are in, people may be husbanding their resources. Ammo shortages, lack of money to buy ammo (because of unemployment), and fear of COVID may all be playing a role. And people are worried about unrest following the election.

BTW, I initially misread the heading of this thread as "empty-gun club." That is, a club made up of people with unloaded guns. Just goes to show how a hyphen (or lack thereof) can change the meaning.

I thought this was going to be a thread about best guns to use as a club when youre out of ammo.....

My favorite indoor range is a bit slower than normal. They are rationing the ammo sold there to two boxes per person and will only sell you that if you rent a range lane.

Another perspective here, I thought the op was referring to going to the range and finding out he had the gun but no magazines or ammo. I also haven't been back since March, didn't help that NJ closed down indoor ranges until July.

It’s hit and miss for me at my local range, I usually go there every other Friday... but recently it’s been every three weeks or so.

Two trips back I couldn’t get in because the line was 10-deep and half the ranges were now closed off.

Trip before last I had the place to myself for two hours.

Last week I waited 20 minutes to get a range lane, but once I left there weren’t folks waiting in the lobby or outside.

I will say people aren’t walking in with a backpack full of ammo like I do (I’ll shoot 3-5 different calibers and/or loads when I go). Most have a box of 50 (two boxes max) and they’re done shooting their semi-autos in 15-20 minutes.

Seems like my taking the single-action revolver slow road the past few range sessions has made the trip a bit more worthwhile.

Stay safe.

Our range had good number of shooters on Saturday. The average range time seemed no more than 20-30 minutess. We are shooting more revolvers and 22's.

There's normally a line at the LGS to get on the indoor pistol range. Last saturday (prime time) it was empty.

Pretty normal at my Rhode Island club week days. Week ends are busier but no by much. You didn’t mention how many members, mine by charter is limited to 300 dues paying with possibly another 50 honorary and life. We’ve always had a waiting list. I shoot Mondays and Wednesday’s and more often than not me and my buddy are the only ones.
Who knows how many member's are shooters, not all for certain, the sign in sheet shows almost the same shooter week to week. Guess people join gun clubs for more reasons than shooting, mine has a trout pond and archery, a rifle and pistol team. Many are hunters and fall will see an uptick in use as hunters start sighting in for the season.

Our ranges seem to have less activity as well. I’ve not seen them empty, but folks don’t seem to be spending as much time as normal.

357 Supermag: normal numbers of people appear to be the situation here, at the (pricey) large private club. Most of the members I chat with have been around guns for many years. They were already aware of past panics when this craziness began.

In the Action Pistol lane next to me yesterday,
....a former Army Ranger (arms like tattooed firewood) was there with a Marine who had fought in Fallujah. I felt humbled in their presence.

As civilians now, They would never be caught without a good ammo reserve.

Lots of activity here; I’ve been to a couple ranges a half dozen times in the last month. Old shooters, young shooters, women shooters, family spend the day shooters, bullshooters, the whole works.

When an F-16 or F-35 flies over doing touch and goes at AFB, and we are all shooting, it really is the sound of freedom. Come and try to take it, not a chance.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

I thought this was going to be a thread about best guns to use as a club when youre out of ammo.....

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Hi point all day long. Heavy, rough edges, and so cheap want matter if its lingers in police custody for years.

375supermag said:

Hi...
Just about every weekend my son and I spend several hours at one of the two gun clubs where we have memberships.
There are always other shooters there but very rarely is it crowded.
This past Sunday we arrived at the gun club just about 9:15AM. We were the first ones there because the gate on the access road was still locked.
We spent nearly four hours shooting handguns and pistol caliber rifles on the handgun range.
Nobody else showed up by the time we left around 1:30 in the afternoon. Nobody on the handgun range and the rifle range is right beside us to the right on the other side of a 15 ft high block wall. Nobody ever showed up on that range either.
I can only assume that the ongoing shortages are causing people to conserve ammuntion because the weather was sunshine with temperatures in the 60s.

Have others been noticing the same lack of shooters at their local gun clubs?

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I am absolutely tickled when I get an entire shooting session uninterrupted. Especially if I've brought along a friend or my wife and daughter. I don't mind when a friendly like minded person shows up now and then, often times we swap guns and chat about gun stuff but most times I prefer to have the place to myself.

I still bump into people but I rarely see people who shoot the way I do. I usually see somebody come up with one or two pistol cases and a couple boxes of ammo and they shoot a few mags and treat their guns very nicely. I show up with 4 or 5 rifle cases, 4 or 5 pistols and a couple ammo cans, paper targets, stands, steel plates, etc... and I'm flinging magazines around and running my guns fast and hard. Not always though, and less lately. Lately I've been bringing 1 or 2 rifles and a couple pistols. Trying to conserve and it's a pain schlepping all that stuff back and fourth every time. It was different when you could drive right up to the pavilion but now they have the entrance blocked off for foot traffic only, about a 50 yard walk from the truck.......

Sounds like a normal day at my gun club which only has outdoor ranges. I'm almost always alone there, but then I'm retired and go on weekdays. It's probably busier on weekends. And if by chance there are other shooters I can always find a range that I can have to myself as there are multiple ranges there.

I still go once a week but I now have a self imposed limit of 120 rounds total per visit in recognition of the reloading component shortage.

One outdoor range that I'm a member of, went to being open only Friday, Saturday and Sunday and no other week day. My wife and I went last Saturday morning about an hour after opening and man was it crowded. Pistol range was almost full and people were waitng for a lane on the rifle range. An RSO told me it's pretty much that way every morning but becomes less crowded later in the day. I went to the indoor ranger I belong to last Wednesday (hand gun caliber only) and it was half full when I got there and almost empty an hour later and by the time I left (about 2 hours later) It was 3/4 full. People are not staying long. Probably due to ammo shortage. I saw some people stay only long enough to run about 2 magazines of ammo through their pistols

Arrived at the outdoor range yesterday at about 11AM. Weather was terrific. I was the only one there. During the next few hours two guys arrived. We all left at the same time and the range was deserted again

Great to have the place to myself. Range officer did tell me that last Monday the place was packed. I have no idea what is going on.

Local public outdoor range is requiring that you book time in 75 min increments and every other lane is closed. It's run by AZ Fish & Game, so I suspect they're being extra careful. I went last Friday at 9 AM, seemed like it was pretty busy considering. I don't know about later in the day as we were looking at a high temp of 106F.

Local range for me is an outdoor DNR range. Traffic is definitely down on both rifle and pistol sides. I go on weekdays so I don’t know what the weekends look like. I assume folks are rationing their ammo.

I would suspect that COVID at an outdoor range is a minimal issue and that ammo availability is a major issue and that finance is a neutral issue (always money for beer, cigarettes, cell phones and ammo). In general, range volume will be lower because of what is happening around us - different than before so behavior will be different (exceptions are noted).

I personally have been doing very little shooting, as every time I pull the trigger I worry about components sent downrange with no idea when I will be able to replace them.

Outlaw75 said:

Local public outdoor range is requiring that you book time in 75 min increments and every other lane is closed. It's run by AZ Fish & Game, so I suspect they're being extra careful. I went last Friday at 9 AM, seemed like it was pretty busy considering. I don't know about later in the day as we were looking at a high temp of 106F.

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Yes, and they have not been allowing access to the competition ranges by yellow range card users, either. What is up with that garbage? (BASF) My alternative range is much more user friendly.

Poper said:

Yes, and they have not been allowing access to the competition ranges by yellow range card users, either. What is up with that garbage? (BASF) My alternative range is much more user friendly.

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What's "yellow card", not familiar with that. I've only ever got day passes.

I compete in rifle silhouette. Because I am a member of the Hassayampa Rod and Gun Club (hosts for the Rifle Silhouette matches) I can get a yellow card that allows access to the Rifle Silhouette Range for practice. Not allowed any more due to the Covid Panic. AZ G&F has taken the fear and their authority to new extremes. I am much closer to the Rio Salado Range than you are to BASF, so I have switched even though not as nice a facility and I do not have access to the RS silhouette range. Helps keep my irritation level manageable.