Went to the Gun Show today at the Irving convention center. Nicer than I thought it would be. Figured that the venue being brand new wouldn't be that much of a draw for vendors because of other established shows in the area, but the vendors were plentiful and there was a great selection of things to help the good RKBA exercising. Anyone else go?
Anyways... about local ranges in the southern half of DFW:
For a good outdoor range in Dallas, I would also recommend Elm Fork Outdoor Range. Over the last two years, they've made some really nice improvements and added some variety for shooters. Alpine Range in/near Kennedale is another decent range, but the restrictions on shooters takes the recreation away from the experience unless you are primarily focusing on a more serious practice. Plus, like previously mentioned... it gets crazy and unorganized. At Elm Fork, each time I've been there they've had full-time ROs, and they are flexible within reason to let you have some fun (three-shot rapid fires with two second breaks) as long as you clear it with them first (sometimes they won't, but it's a judgment call not so much on you, but the type of shooters you might influence). I have no reason to suspect Alpine ROs might be reasonable like that too, but the times (albeit few) I've been there, ROs are either invisible or not there, and we shooters have taken the initiative to call a cease fire to let new arrivals get set up, especially on weekends.
In summation, both Elm Fork and Alpine are decent outdoor ranges with my personal preference being the staff at Elm Fork. Alpine has a decent facility and the gun shop staff are great people, but the range staff (if around) are very strict and it might be off-putting in case you have to deal with them. Elm Fork is a larger shooting area, so weekend crowding gets mitigated pretty well, but the full-time ROs helping facilitate space/shooting lanes are what really redeems the experience during crowded moments.