Finally in the club!

[JEBruns]

I've been trying to get into a limited member shooting club for a few years now. To join is, let's say, a process that needs attention. Not a fancy club at all. Rifle range out to 200 yards with 10-12 benches, 5 pistol bays. It's very close to my house, probably 2 miles or so as the crow flies. The police range is right next door to them and I often hear them shooting when I'm out in the yard. I'm really excited to have access and really looking forward to volunteering my time and energy. Membership price is quite reasonable too. Much less than I'm currently paying for a yearly membership at an indoor pistol range.

 

[Armored farmer]

Congrats.
It certainly will be convenient. Hopefully you'll get more trigger time.

It takes work to keep a club alive.

 

[buck460XVR]

Good for you. Curious as to why the process to join is so difficult, other than having to wait for a member to die for an opening. Over the years, I have been a member of several "Sportsmen" clubs that provided me with access to shooting ranges. All required a yearly fee and X amount of volunteer hours. While I enjoyed the Spring and Fall cleanups and helping to build target stands and benches, not everyone else did. Still, it was my only option for many years, until my son acquired land that was a perfect setup for a personnel range. I still pay a yearly fee for one of the clubs, mainly because it is so reasonable and secondly because I remember how it was when I didn't have my own. Hope this is a positive experience for you.

 

[JEBruns]

Good for you. Curious as to why the process to join is so difficult, other than having to wait for a member to die for an opening.

Yeah, that's part of it. The membership is capped, so you have to wait for an opening. I don't really want to get into the other issues. I'm looking to build bridges, not burn them. Every member I've met so far is great.

Over the years, I have been a member of several "Sportsmen" clubs that provided me with access to shooting ranges. All required a yearly fee and X amount of volunteer hours. While I enjoyed the Spring and Fall cleanups and helping to build target stands and benches, not everyone else did. Still, it was my only option for many years, until my son acquired land that was a perfect setup for a personnel range. I still pay a yearly fee for one of the clubs, mainly because it is so reasonable and secondly because I remember how it was when I didn't have my own. Hope this is a positive experience for you.

I'm sure it will be. I've been heavily involved in other non-profit recreation clubs over the years. I've been Pres, VP and Treasure of each of them. I'm still the webmaster for 2 of them. I hope to work at least as hard for this group. I fully expect that, like most clubs, the 90/10 rule will apply. 90% of the work will get done by 10% of the members. I fully expect to be part of that 10%. I've already brought all the pistol range stands home to re-weld. They've gotten shot up over the years.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Perfect ....I see much more range time in your future!!!!

 

[red rick]

I once had the opportunity to join a private range like that . It was also hard to join and I can appreciate that . You really had to know a member and he had to recommend you . I meet a guy in my LGS and we talked guys there and had similar interests in guns . He invited me as a guest to his club to shoot . While there he introduced me to a couple of the board members . Later he called me and told me that they had membership openings coming up and asked if I wanted to join . I thought about it , but it was kind of a far drive for me , so I didn’t think I would go there enough to make the membership cost worth it . But it was a nice club and it gave you some prestige to be a member in the shooting community here .

 

[230RN]

Mid 1960s or early 70s a buddy of mine and I used to shoot at an old garbage dump north of Boulder Colorado. Garbage was still burning underground, smoke came up in some spots.

It finally became the official Boulder R&P range with the appropriate improvements.

What with moving to the Golden Colorado area, I kind of forgot about it, found an indoor range on my way to work which satisfied much of my desire to shoot. (Silver Bullet, 5901 W 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80212-7172, Phone 1 720 898 0267).

In talking about the Boulder R&P with Son2 a couple of years ago, he informed me that the membership wait for the Boulder R&P was ten years. (4810 N 26th St, Boulder, CO 80301, Phone +1 303 442 3933)

https://www.boulderrifleclub.com/

Nice looking range, now... A far cry from the smokey old city dump range I had shot at.

There's another range hereabouts (Arvada) but the Silver Bullet was on the way to work. Don't know the Arvada one's lag time.

Terry

 

[Walkalong]

Mid 1960s or early 70s a buddy of mine and I used to shoot at an old garbage dump north

Yea, back in the day no one cared if you just rode outside of town and found a clay bank to shoot into. Those days are gone.

When that started getting difficult, I too joined a range, been a long time ago, am still a member. (CAGC) LA (Lower Alabama)

 

[4v50 Gary]

Congratulations. I have a lifetime membership with a club in Californiastan but have not been there for over a decade. The two-day commute is a killer.

 

[Ignition Override]

JEBruns: Congrats.

And now at least you might have a place to better make use of any trip to the Wannemacher Show in Tulsa? You've probably been much more than I have (just once).

Whatever the situation, you certainly have a shorter drive than we do on the eastern edge of the Memphis area.

 

[PapaG]

Took me three years to get in the club I finally joined in 1980. Still in, serving as a director since 2010, and my son has been in since about 2000. Three traps, 100 yard rifle, ten bay pistol, archery, and a beautiful clubhouse. 130 members.
Never regretted it and only fifteen minutes from home.

 

[entropy]

I'm a member of two good clubs, would join more if I could afford it. One Is a Trap (and 5 stand) club about an hour away, I shoot winter leagues there. The other is 20 minutes away, 2 traps, 200 yd. Rifle, 50 yard pistol & rimfire, archery indoors as well as an outdoor course and practice bales.
Tonight is the first night of Trap leagues at that club, Sunday is the last day of winter leagues at the other. I go to turkey shoots at many area clubs, so I get to see how they operate.

 

[JEBruns]

When I lived in MN, the local range did not cap memberships. It was a decent club. Trap, pistol, archery course and rifle. Nice heated club house. And, like my new club, was very close to home. Which to me is a big bonus. Under 10 minutes, and I'm there.