First time at an indoor range today

About a month ago I shot at an indoor range for the first time ever. I belong to a club that has multiple outdoor ranges all the way out to 300 yds. It's never really busy and I can pretty much always have one of the ranges to myself but I did sometimes wish there was somewhere to shoot indoors in the winter. A new indoor range opened in town and it's only 2 miles from my house so I had to check it out. For a $40 enrollment fee then $15 per month I get unlimited range time, so at that price I felt I had to join. It only goes to 25 yds so I'll still be doing all my rifle shooting at the club, and on nice days I'll still shoot my pistols outdoors as well but it's been nice having the option to shoot indoors during the winter or other bad weather days.

I've found that by going to the indoor place on weekdays in the early afternoon I'm often the only one on the range. I never have to worry about clear lenses as the glasses I wear all the time are sun sensors that clear indoors, and I always have my ears and some ammo in my range box that goes with me to either range, and I keep some targets in my vehicle all the time so I don't forget anything I'm going to need.

The first thing I noticed was how much louder it is indoors, but not uncomfortably so. There was a guy shooting an AR a couple lanes down from me one day but it was suppressed so not very loud at all. It's nice not having to spread my tarp and having the brass just fall at my feet on the concrete floor for me to collect. Having the targets come to you instead of having to hike downrange to hang them is nice, but not really a big deal at pistol ranges. Too bad they don't have something like that at the club's 300 yd rifle range. That's a bit of a hike.

I know there are some holes in the ceiling at the indoor range and I can't figure out how that happens. I thought it might be people with big recoil handguns cranking off a second shot before they recovered fully from the first one but the counter guy said it's the AR guys who are the worst offenders. If I couldn't fire my AR on a 25 yd range without hitting the ceiling...

It sure doesn't take long to run through ammo. Since I have unlimited range time I don't rush at all and normally I shoot 2 mags through my 9mm and 1 mag through my .45 each trip, so 40 rounds total. I'm on the range maybe 10 minutes. I spend a lot more time when at the outdoor range as I set up a tarp and have to walk down to set and retrieve targets, and I usually do some shooting there from much longer ranges.

Indoor and outdoor both have their pros and cons so I'm glad I'm able to access both as needed.

Howland937 said:

I've both forgotten guns and forgotten ammo when heading to shoot. Fortunately, where I shoot outdoors is about 3 miles from my house.

If I forget ammo, I typically always have some stashed away under the back seat of my Jeep.
I did well remembering guns, ammo, hearing protection, targets etc...just not clear safety lenses.

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I forgot my key to the lock on my revolver's case and didn't realize it until I got to my assigned lane. Pretty embarrassing.

Howland937 said:

Fortunately, where I shoot outdoors is about 3 miles from my house.

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Yeah, me too.

Howland937 said:

If I forget ammo, I typically always have some stashed away under the back seat of my Jeep.

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Ha! Ha! Once when I got to our "range" (a county gravel pit) I got all set up to chronograph some new loads, but when I opened up the chronograph, I discovered that I'd left it switched on from the last time we went shooting. I used my cell phone to call my wife and had her bring me a new 9V battery. Now I keep a spare taped inside the chronograph. Of course I've never forgotten and left the chronograph switched on again.

I used to shoot at an indoor range all the time until I traced my high blood lead levels to shooting there.
(I decided to stop going there)

Indoor ranges can be done right, but it seems like a lot are not.
I have nothing against them as long as they are safe to shoot at.
I would urge anyone who shoots at an indoor range very often to get their blood lead levels checked.
Mine were sky high, (chelation level high), I still felt fine and would not have known if I had not had them checked. (or they got worse and I got sick)
I asked my doc to check them and he thought I was nuts but did anyway, good thing we did. He now advises his patients who shoot indoors to have them checked every now and then.
Most insurance will pay for it, I am sure some won't however. No idea what it costs if you have to pay but worth doing IMO.

Lead poisoning is not a joke and can have dire consequences.

Dudedog said:

I used to shoot at an indoor range all the time until I traced my high blood lead levels to shooting there.
(I decided to stop going there)

Indoor ranges can be done right, but it seems like a lot are not.
I have nothing against them as long as they are safe to shoot at.
I would urge anyone who shoots at an indoor range very often to get their blood lead levels checked.
Mine were sky high, (chelation level high), I still felt fine and would not have known if I had not had them checked. (or they got worse and I got sick)
I asked my doc to check them and he thought I was nuts but did anyway, good thing we did. He now advises his patients who shoot indoors to have them checked every now and then.
Most insurance will pay for it, I am sure some won't however. No idea what it costs if you have to pay but worth doing IMO.

Lead poisoning is not a joke and can have dire consequences.

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I started getting my lead levels checked after hearing stories such as yours - and I normally do a lot of shooting indoors. So far my levels have remained at a paltry but consistent 3 for several years now (10 is considered the bottom end for dangerous levels last I knew).

Shooting at a GOOD indoor range makes all the difference in many cases. Obviously not all indoor ranges are created equal, nor do we all process lead the same. If you can feel a slight breeze at your back and/or the smoke is drifting downrange, you are likely in good shape.

I have been a member at an indoor range for about 18 years. Small range, only 9 booths, but the membership is only $110/year plus you have to be a NRA member. Hours are from 6 am to 10PM daily, but no range officer. Each member has an electronic key to the range. I take my grands, they all have benefited from the experience, specially my only grand daughter. She is the most disciplined shooter in the family, extremely accurate and really enjoys shooting. She turns 21 in May, and she has been shooting "her" gun for a few months now. It's an Officer's model Colt in stainless, she loves the .45, and she will have that little gun on her birthday in May, along with a range bag, two magazines, 300 rounds of factory and the same of the reloads that she made herself...

I have been in an indoor range twice in my life (I'm in my 7th decade), and shot at one once.

I don't plan to do it again.

The noise was incredible. The fella next to me with the pistol length AR-15, complete with muzzle brake, didn't help.

Rules that I didn't agree with, and saw no sense in.

Cramped conditions, no room on the bench and no shelf upon which to put my bag. All bags on the floor 15 feet back from the shooting spot.

The only good thing: once the RO saw me picking up my brass he started sweeping brass towards me. I left with much, much more brass than I came in with.

Not for me.

One thing that does come to mind thats a pain with an indoor range is getting hit with other peoples brass. I dont know how it was happening today but I had .45acp coming straight down on me. The stalls are well divided with blast partitions so I don't know. Had a few hit my hand as I was holding my gun.

Shooting at a GOOD indoor range makes all the difference in many cases. Obviously not all indoor ranges are created equal, nor do we all process lead the same. If you can feel a slight breeze at your back and/or the smoke is drifting downrange, you are likely in good shape.

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Glad yours is one of the good ones, not all are bad but on researching it it seems like a lot are.

They need to have good airflow and good(clean) filters. (clean filters cost $)
Doesn't do any good if they circulate dirty air.
BTW my levels were over 60
Lab tested them and then had to report the results to the State (so much for HIPPA), got calls from the State.....

I was shooting at the one I went to about 8-12 hours a month. (if I remember correctly it's been a while)
After my levels came down (no shooting until they were better) I continued to reload and shoot outdoors, no issues from that, so I can pretty much say it was the indoor range I was shooting at.

I've shot indoors, but haven't had the pleasure of shooting at an indoor range, probably never will given the nearest one is about a two-hour drive from home.

Cherokee Firearms in Springfield, MO is a full service gun store with an 8 lane indoor climate controlled range. They did it right. Floor to ceiling bulletproof walls separate each lane from its neighbor. I shot next to a fellow shooting a .458 SOCOM on Thursday and was not uncomfortable. I paid $300 for an annual range membership and can shoot anytime as long as I want 7 days a week. So I do. I go at least 3 times a week. I don’t have to shoot a lot of rounds to have fun. I get a kick out of shooting smaller groups with a .22 revolver at 50 feet than the folks who spray and pray rapid fire at 15 feet. It is a great change of pace from working sudoku puzzles and watching Netflix during the pandemic, and it’s a 15 minute drive away from home! Here’s hoping you all have the chance to burn powder at a comparable range.

Pat Riot said:

You haven’t lived until you’re firing your 9mm between a guy firing an AR and a guy firing a .308 indoors. Quite the experience.
5.56 & 7.62 rounds at 25 yards...weird. Not my cup of gasoline.

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I'm sort of surprised an indoor range would allow high-powered rifle shooting; that one must have a helluva backstop. And even so, what's the point of shooting 5.56 and.308 at 25 yards?

Dudedog said:

I used to shoot at an indoor range all the time until I traced my high blood lead levels to shooting there.
(I decided to stop going there)

Indoor ranges can be done right, but it seems like a lot are not.
I have nothing against them as long as they are safe to shoot at.
I would urge anyone who shoots at an indoor range very often to get their blood lead levels checked.
Mine were sky high, (chelation level high), I still felt fine and would not have known if I had not had them checked. (or they got worse and I got sick)
I asked my doc to check them and he thought I was nuts but did anyway, good thing we did. He now advises his patients who shoot indoors to have them checked every now and then.
Most insurance will pay for it, I am sure some won't however. No idea what it costs if you have to pay but worth doing IMO.

Lead poisoning is not a joke and can have dire consequences.

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There's only one indoor range within 30 miles of my house, it's in the basement of a sporting goods store, and 25 yards is max range. Indoor ranges need powerful ventilation systems (read: expensive), and many owners have barely adequate systems. The indoor range near me is terrible by any standard. The owner had to stop going to the range because his lead levels were too high. I quit going there years ago, joined a club with an outdoor range and many more distance options. I also didn't trust most people who went there to be safe shooters, I've seen some hairy stuff and wonder why there haven't been a few deaths there from unsafe practices that the R.O.'s didn't catch because they were also running the counter.

Dudedog said:

Glad yours is one of the good ones, not all are bad but on researching it it seems like a lot are.

They need to have good airflow and good(clean) filters. (clean filters cost $)
Doesn't do any good if they circulate dirty air.
BTW my levels were over 60
Lab tested them and then had to report the results to the State (so much for HIPPA), got calls from the State.....

I was shooting at the one I went to about 8-12 hours a month.
After my levels came down (no shooting until they were better) I continued to reload and shoot outdoors, no issues from that, so I can pretty much say it was the indoor range I was shooting at.

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I remember you posting about all that. I don't have just one range that I have frequented, although things have stabilized in the last 4 years or so. I'd say I had about 5-8 "regular" ranges over the last 10 years as I bounced around the country. Of those only 1 or 2 were not sufficiently ventilated (at least to my standards).

I probably spend about the same amount of time at the range as you per month. I often have so much smoke in front of me I have to stop to let it clear or I can't see the target.

On top of that, I reload quite a bit as well and for a time it was all lead bullets.

Havok7416 said:

Shooting at a GOOD indoor range makes all the difference in many cases. Obviously not all indoor ranges are created equal, nor do we all process lead the same. If you can feel a slight breeze at your back and/or the smoke is drifting downrange, you are likely in good shape.

Click to expand...

There are a lot of indoor ranges near me, but only a couple that I like. I chose to get a membership at the one with modern ventilation, plenty of space, rapid fire is allowed, separate rifle and pistol ranges, and will allow drawing from a holster.

Howland937 said:

So, I'd never fired a gun indoors in my life. Place is

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Congrats on your first time. Mine was in 1992. My friend, a Vietnam War vet, took me. That range trip was about a month after an SD situation I was in. He being a combat vet understood everything I was going through. Anyway one night he packed up a large bag, said let's take a ride, 3 hours and 500 rounds later I felt better, started shooting indoor pistol comp as well as small bore rifle.

Thank you Dick, Richard Pearsall.

bangswitch said:

I'm sort of surprised an indoor range would allow high-powered rifle shooting; that one must have a helluva backstop. And even so, what's the point of shooting 5.56 and.308 at 25 yards?

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It was built to handle it.

In this area going to an outdoor range to fire rifles is a bit of a hassle. I guess the people that built this range thought this could be something people might like to do. And they were right. But, I have no idea why anyone would go there often to shoot rifles at 25 yard targets. I tried it once just to make sure my newly built AR would function and hit paper at 25 yards. There are people that go there to fire rifles weekly. To each his own, I guess.

I’m in the same boat as Pat Riot, indoor ranges are just about the only handy place to go around here.

I could drive 65 miles each way to the nearest open desert shooting area... which is (sadly) populated by a lot of trigger trash who shoot Willy-nilly at their refuse, which they bring out to shoot up and leave.

Another 30 miles out and it’s at least sparsely occupied.

The nearest rifle range, which is only 25-30 miles from home, has no public shooting and a four to five year waiting list for new members.

The local indoor range is literally ten minutes from home. Yeah, they allow AR rifles and slug-firing shotguns which can be a bit much if they’re right next to me. There are 20 lanes in two rooms, but Covid has closed every other lane and doubled-up ears helps. My only real gripe with the place is the lighting. It is a bit subdued inside the range itself, making sight acquisition quite challenging if they’re black on black shooting a darker target.

The place is clean, well run and 15 bucks for unlimited range time. I try to go every other Friday, getting there at ten I’m home before one. I’ll admit it’s not ideal, but sometimes one must make the best with the cards you’re dealt.

Stay safe.

Good ear pro is crucial indoors and I wouldn't do it without doubling up. I also worry about the lead. Ranges are supposed to have proper ventilation for that but it all adds up over time.

bangswitch said:

I'm sort of surprised an indoor range would allow high-powered rifle shooting; that one must have a helluva backstop. And even so, what's the point of shooting 5.56 and.308 at 25 yards?

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Some folks rely on these rifles for home defense, so practicing with them at short range makes sense. It may be the only firearm they own.

Being out of the elements would be nice but I can't get i to just standing still blowing holes in paper. I like to move when I shoot and I like reactive targets. Kneeling, behind cover, prone, sitting, whatever...
Standing still shooting bullseye right in front of me, nah.

bangswitch: about two years ago I convinced a buddy to join the very unusual private club here (many ranges plus AP, Select-Fire, Skeet etc), and quit ShootPointBlank, simply to enjoy the variety and mix of longer distances allowed (up to 600 yards).

ShootPointBlank at that time allowed us to use our imported AKMs: standard 7.62x39 (vs 5.56 or 5.45). You know the 12" barrel (+ required 4" extension) on Hungarian AMD-65s?? Just Awful - Far too loud for true enjoyment.
They seemed to also allow a Mosin Nagant in 7.62x54R (?). R = Rimmed, Not russian.

Nope. None I've been to have been enjoyable. I'll pass thank you. Fortunately with a silencer I can shoot quietly and safely in my yard if I like.

BLACKHAWKNJ said:

Indoor ranges have been the norm for me. It can take a little getting used to when you're firing 22s and the person next to you is shooting 44 Magnums-or a 308. But on a miserable cold day.....

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I got started at the Korean indoor range in downtown LA.

By the way, if you have any Korean driving ranges (golf) near you, GO! they wait on you hand and foot and the machine puts your ball on the tee so you don’t have to bend over.

Anyway, it was nice to be able to push a button for the target holder.

But then one day I went to Tujunga instead, outdoors, and that was the end of indoor shooting for me.

Then I realized, This is California. Just drive outside the city limits to some federal land and wail away. That was the end of shooting ranges for me.

until I moved to Florida. Here we have gun rights, and no place to shoot. Driving out in the woods and shooting is actually illegal if you can believe it

I've shot in two indoor ranges my entire life. Once, when I lived in Arizona and it was too hot, and then here locally in Idaho when I competed in GSSF matches.

Here in deplorable neanderthal country, there is only one indoor range within 100 miles, and a couple of private outdoor ranges.

Growing up in rural Idaho, a gravel pit was considered a fancy range.

So much public land and wilderness close by that paying to shoot was the dumbest thing I'd heard of when I was a kid.