It sounds like the established rifle ranges/ shooting clubs have a lot of similarities. Ours is a very worthwhile and enjoyable facility but it requires a strategy to use it.
Ours has a paying membership that fluxuates between five and six hundred. the weekends are given over to the match shooters-about 40 people who are not necessarily members. You can theoretically shoot on ranges not currently hosting a match but it's best just to stay home on the weekends.
the club property is paid for and the matches tend to support themselves. Members dues go to taxes, insurance, proper maintenance and such. The big money draw is IPSC and these guys work like oxen setting up the shooting stages. There is also 50/50- a 22 rimfire bench rest contest, NRA short course rimfire pistol. DCM or whatever it's called now, Hunter rifle, and a home grown breed of Cowboy shooting. Every now and then, the local chapter of the second amendment sisters have a weekend meet and there is a thing called the Junior Club that also hits the place on weekends. (the local school district, one of the worst in the state, loudly proclaims that they are not in support of the Junior Club.) The club maintains a safe full of .22 rifles for them and such Baptist Summer Day Camp participants as have an interest.
A month or so before deer season, all the deer hunters come and bring their friends. this continues into the deer season with deer hunters returning to try to figure out why they missed the deer. Deer hunters come out seven days per week and overflow all the ranges and tend to make routine pistol practice unpleasant if not dangerous. this is probably ok since the major portion of the membership joins only to sight in their deer rifles once a year and help their friends ( who number 108,532 ) to do the same.
best to stay home around deer season.
Other times, it's pretty handy for the general membership. all have the gate combination and the pick of several rifle and pistol ranges.
Iron targets are usually restricted to the matches-as are other hard and/or richochet- prone things. One local range tried to leave out pistol/rimfire silhouettes and they were quickly shot to pieces by people with center fire rifles.
Ours has a paying membership that fluxuates between five and six hundred. the weekends are given over to the match shooters-about 40 people who are not necessarily members. You can theoretically shoot on ranges not currently hosting a match but it's best just to stay home on the weekends.
the club property is paid for and the matches tend to support themselves. Members dues go to taxes, insurance, proper maintenance and such. The big money draw is IPSC and these guys work like oxen setting up the shooting stages. There is also 50/50- a 22 rimfire bench rest contest, NRA short course rimfire pistol. DCM or whatever it's called now, Hunter rifle, and a home grown breed of Cowboy shooting. Every now and then, the local chapter of the second amendment sisters have a weekend meet and there is a thing called the Junior Club that also hits the place on weekends. (the local school district, one of the worst in the state, loudly proclaims that they are not in support of the Junior Club.) The club maintains a safe full of .22 rifles for them and such Baptist Summer Day Camp participants as have an interest.
A month or so before deer season, all the deer hunters come and bring their friends. this continues into the deer season with deer hunters returning to try to figure out why they missed the deer. Deer hunters come out seven days per week and overflow all the ranges and tend to make routine pistol practice unpleasant if not dangerous. this is probably ok since the major portion of the membership joins only to sight in their deer rifles once a year and help their friends ( who number 108,532 ) to do the same.
best to stay home around deer season.
Other times, it's pretty handy for the general membership. all have the gate combination and the pick of several rifle and pistol ranges.
Iron targets are usually restricted to the matches-as are other hard and/or richochet- prone things. One local range tried to leave out pistol/rimfire silhouettes and they were quickly shot to pieces by people with center fire rifles.
