Help me find a range.

[scythefwd]

All, I'm constantly looking for a range closer to me than my current one. Right now, I am using Clark Bros. Nice range, though the roof bounces the report back at you. Open 6 days a week. Ranges out to 100. Must buy ammo from Clarks (or components).

The problems... it takes 1.5 hours to get there from Ruther Glen, VA.

I have these requirements for a range:
No membership fee
Outdoor range out to 100
Open all year
Open 5 days a week with rifle shooting every day
Prefer it to be free (4-8 dollars an hour is more than I'm willing to pay)

Google doesn't give me many prospects. Of the ones with rifle ranges, they are members only or pay 8 dollars for the first hour, 16 dollars an hour after that, or they are in Northern VA or on military bases.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

I'd love to find such a range as well. I'm out in Charlottesville and everything is either a private club or either pistol-only-indoor/park-land-open-half-the-year-and-always-busy. If you don't me me asking, could you pm me the location of an outdoor range that charges the fees mentioned? I'm so desperate, I'd be willing to pay every once in while.

This probably doesn't help you much, but as far as I've discovered they're the only real free, public ranges...they do tend to get busy though. WMA I'll be watching this thread closely hoping to spot something. If a range would open with cheap fees in central VA, they'd probably make a killing as it's rather a vacuum. Good luck!

 

[Sam1911]

O.k... I gotta ask. You want a FREE range, with no membership fee, that's open year round, 5 days a week, etc?

Heck, I want to find a restaurant with 5-star food, 200 beers on tap, private seating, great atmosphere, a friendly and intelligent wait staff who remember me and make recommendations of foods and beers I'd like, and I'd really prefer they pay me to eat there ... if it's not too much to ask.

Seriously, private shooting clubs are usually the answer to this kind of need. I don't know about central VA, but central PA is full of them. Ours is $55/year with a lot more facilities than you asked for. Open 7 days a week, 365/year, etc. Why are you opposed to private clubs?

What makes you choose that list of requirements? (I'm not sure I've ever heard of a commercial range that only charged $4/hour!)

 

[scythefwd]

Sam - Right now I have one that only has the requirement that I buy the ammo or components there. That's less than 8 an hour on the range for me.

There's a hunting club that is 300 a year right here in Caroline County. There is Clarks Bros up near Warrenton. There is Fred. rod and reel club that is 300 membership, + sponsorship, + background check.

Sam - I'd settle for a wma that's open all year. For the time being they are only open sep - march.

 

[Sam1911]

Well, $300 a year is pretty steep. Background check to join a gun club? Wow.

Well, good luck!

 

[scythefwd]

Sam - Thats what I'm saying. I only shoot 3-4 times a year, but it's for a couple hours at a time. If it was closer to 50 a year I'd be all over it. Same if the per hour charges weren't $24 for two hours. i'd pay at The Range for handgun, but I want to shoot my rifles every now and again.

 

[Sam1911]

That stinks. It was a little tough like that in MD. My club down there was only 30 min away, but it cost $250/year. (Or $500 to join as a full member, then $100/year.)

But up here the clubs are much cheaper and much more accommodating. A lot of guys are members of several clubs -- one for practical shooting, one for long-range, one for skeet/trap/clays, etc. I'm at our club something between 20 and 30 hours a month and only pay $75/year, including family membership fee.

It surprises me that PA and VA would be so different about this. I'd have bet good money that once you got out of the DC suburbs, the two areas would have similar opportunities.

Sorry to hear that isn't the case -- but best of luck to you finding something decent!

 

[jcwit]

May sound crazy but I'd see if I could make friends with a farmer or knock on some farmers doors. Worse thing that can happen is to turn you down, bout like asking for a date with the class queen. Female queen that is.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

Sam1911, I also have no problem with the idea of joining a private range, but I'm here in central VA for another 6 months or so and thus it's not really an option. They do tend to also be more expensive around here with the cheapest fee I've seen being over $100 a year. The main local, private range in Charlottesville also requires a background check, and you have to be recommend by existing members. If anyone knows any reasonably priced open to the public ranges with rifles allowed, please let me know. I wouldn't mind paying for a few times in the next 6 months until I move.

 

[jdietz]

I belong to Triangle Sportsmans club in Bluefield, VA (southwestern VA) and our dues are $45.00 annually. We have a 100 yard, a 200 yard, 28 atation bow range, 4 dedicated pistol bays, covered shooting benches on the 100 & 200 yard ranges, picnic shelter, and shelters at each shooting bay.

http://triangleonline.org/

 

[scythefwd]

Jdietz - thanks but that's a little far for me to drive. Appreciate the info though.

Sam - it's not to bad... if you don't mind shooting in the snow or paying a few extra per round for stuff bought at the range... At least they sell some ok stuff (federal, win, etc.)

 

[MAKster]

You could go to the NRA headquarters range in Fairfax. There are also numerous Izaak Walton League clubs in Virginia with rifle ranges. Also, here is a list of ranges in Virginia.
http://www.wheretoshoot.org/Find_Range/wts_subresults.asp

 

[scythefwd]

MAK - The range in Fairfax is close to 1.75 hours away, IF there is 0 traffic, construction, or delays. It really is a 80 mile commute from my house to get there. Clarks is closer to 50, it's just slower roads to get there.