Bellingham/Western WA Shooters Here? Shooting Ranges/Spots

[Evergreen]

Anyone know the situation about being a firearm owner in Bellingham? I know it's a very liberal city and doesn't seem to host a lot of gun ranges. Is there any good rifle/pistol ranges in the area? I am looking for a place specifically that has an action rifle/pistol range. It seems one major problem here in the Pacific NOrthwest is that a majority of the gravel pits and other shooting spots in the National Forest are being shutdown because too many imbeciles are trashing them. Is there a lot of places in the Bellingham area outside town that are safe and good for shooting? My goal would be to find safe places to shoot outside town.

I am told the best shooting range in Western Washington is Cascade Rifle in Ravensdale, WA. However, I see that it is a far distance from Bellingham. Does the range in Ravensdale have action pistol bays where you can practice practical/action style pistol shooting?

A lot of people told me the Plantation Rifle Club is too restrictive and is not open for man hours during the week. I don't know what to make of that club. You would think with all the wilderness in the area there must still be some good place to shoot.

Also, how do most people in Bellingham area feel about the town? I am told its uber-liberal and don't know how hard it is to connect with other pro-2A people in the area. Any opinions of Mount Vernon or other cities in the area?

I also notice British Columbia has some nice looking shooting clubs not far from Bellingham. Unfortunately, it looks like Canada has some crazy gun laws and it would take a letter from your police department and priest of 20 years to get approval from the Canadian government. Anyone have experience with the Canadian PAL license? Can you use relatives (non-spouse) as a reference? Gosh, after reading the criteria for the Canadian PAL, I am so glad to be an American. Poor people up there. Although, I have to admit, it would be cool to have a PAL and be able to shoot guns in Canada.

 

[bonza]

Plantation is a real nice range, though their odd hours are frustrating. As far as shooting in Canada, there's no major problem if you're going up there for an organized shoot. I've always done it with a temporary permit (for the duration of the shoot), & if you're only taking long guns the paperwork can be done at the border. If handguns are involved you have to get the paperwork preapproved a few weeks in advance. Not sure how a non-resident PAL would work for multiple re-entries, or if such a thing is feasible.
Marysville Rifle Club (located in N. Lakewood) is pretty good, but only open to the public on Thursdays, but they do hold organized shoots there for IPSC-type shooting on the weekends I believe that you could look into.
When I lived in the area I did most all of my shooting at the Everett Sportsman's Club, which is a nice range, but it's pretty basic & they don't hold any competitions. Just a nice place to go & shoot rifles, shotguns, & handguns in a safe setting. They are only open Friday, Saturday, & Sunday noon-4pm (5pm during daylight saving).

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks for the info.. I was told that people from the USA can acquire a Canadian PAL and that people near the border get them all the time. I was told it is a long and rigorous process though. Perhaps the Canadian PAL will be a good topic for another thread in the Legal forum. I was thinking of doing some backpacking or hiking in the British Columbia and Alberta wilderness and also wanted to learn what I had to do to be able to carry a shotgun with me for protection. However, I thought it would be nice if I come transport guns to and from Canada to go shooting at their ranges, rather than having to get the temporary permit each time, which is another major hassle.

I haven't heard about the Marysville Rifle Club or Everett Sportsman's Club, but will do some research about them.

What is your opinion about shooting out in the wilderness near Bellingham? Is there not many places around there where you can shoot in the National Forest? What is your opinion about the safety of shooting in those areas? In Oregon, most places are either closed or a bit sketchy to go shooting. There is a lot of druggies and illegal immigrants hanging in the woods in the Portland, Oregon area which is another reason I don't like to go out there alone to shoot.

 

[XTerminator]

Hey Evergreen,
If you go north of Bellingham on I-5 to exit 270 and go east about 2 miles you will find the Custer Sportsmans Club.

http://www.custersportsmensclub.com/

I think it is just what you are looking for; 200 yd rifle range, action pistol bays etc.

Steve

 

[71firebird400]

Custer is great, except you're limited to 200 yards. But overall, it's an awesome rifle range with a lot of pistol bays and lots of shooting benches. Plantation is decent, and runs some fun matches; but like already mentioned the hours are limited.

Easy enough to find long distance on BLM land up the Mt Baker Highway, but it will be 45 mins - 1 hr to get up there.

 

[Evergreen]

Does Plantation have action bays? I am not really doing any long range rifle shooting as of now, so 200 yards should be good enough for now. However, I would like to do lot of tactical type of training with my pistols, shotguns and rifles at close range and I think it would be great to find a range where I can shoot action style. Some ranges limit you to bench type of pistol shooting and it does not appeal to me. I go to Tri-County range in Portland, Oregon right now and it has action pistol bays. However, I am not allowed to shoot rifles or shotguns there which really is too bad. Anyway, I'd be interested to know if there is any ranges in Bellingham that have this setup. If Plantation has action bays where you can shoot pistol and rifle, I'd like to know. I'd be satisfied enough with just having action pistol bays, but really would miss a lot of the training I'd like to do.

Considering, I don't go shooting everyday, I have no problem with 45min drive to go shooting. In Portland you have to drive very far to find any real nice spots for shooting. Most of the shooting spots are closed and seem to attract somewhat sketchy people. Most of area where I live is high regulated National Forest and seems to suffer from overuse and inconsiderate people trashing areas. Also, it is hard to know what land is Private and what is public around in the Portland area. I'd be interested to learn more about the BLM land around Mt Baker Hwy; I didn't know there was any BLM land around there. Sounds interesting.

 

[NavyLCDR]

You can find a bunch of other gun folks to connect with here:
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?131-Washington

I am in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks for the link NavyLT. Can you tell me what your opinion is about the rifle/pistol club in Oak Harbor? Are they accepting new members? I do see lot of nice places for rent in Oak Harbor and I have considered possibly going to Whidbey Island, as well.

 

[NavyLCDR]

I am a member of Central Whidbey Sportsman's Association, which is in Coupeville, about 20 miles away. I hear the North Whidbey Sportsman's Association, in Oak Harbor isn't as good. The reason I didn't join North Whidbey, even though it is a lot closer, is because they wanted me to pay them to do a background check on me. I have a Top Secret military clearance and a Washington Concealed Pistol License - I am not about to pay them to do another worthless background check on me. So I joined CWSA instead which only requires NRA membership (for insurance) and an indoc meeting. Dues are $65 per year + NRA membership.

 

[Evergreen]

That membership sounds pretty cheap for CWSA. Do either of these ranges have a place where you can shoot action pistol, rifle and shotgun? I would like to be in a range where I can practice shooting free-style. I don't particularly like being confined to the bench. I'd be interested to know what both ranges on Whidbey have available for the tactical/action type of shooting.