Holiday in the States, which ranges to visit?

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Furious Pilgrim

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Morning all,

Just got married and for our honeymoon we're going back to the states (we live in the UK).
Last year we went to a range in NC, PSR range 37 I think it was called, and it was excellent! Static target shooting, but also what would probably be called action/practical shooting? Essentially moving and shooting.

This time we're travelling from New York, driving through DC, VA, KY, TN, GA, AL, MS and finally LA.
We'd like to visit a range or 2, but am a bit lost at which ones?

They need to be friendly, allow visitors to rent etc...

Any suggestions? If it helps I can get a Google map up of a rough route we might take, but nothing is set in stone.

Cheers :)
 
the NRA has a nice indoor range (and firearms museum) in Northern Va. should you get to stop in.
 
Since you will be in Kentucky I recommend Knob Creek range if you will be in the Louisville area. It's an outdoor range.

Unfortunately they do not rent machine guns, which I found surprising since they host a fairly well-known machine gun shoot semi-annually. They do rent other guns.
 
Since you are coming down I-95 south, you will pass close to Targetmaster in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. It has a good indoor range with a decent selection of rental guns. They also rent machine guns, though I do believe that they are a bit iffy about renting machine guns to first time visitors.
 
Nashville Armory has a nice setup and rents full auto guns. It's about 3 miles off of your route through Nashville, TN.
 
By the look of your intended route you will be on I-65 thru Birmingham, Al. Right off I-65 in Hoover is a "Hoover Tactical" which has one of the largest showroom I have seen. Plus they have a indoor shooting range for both hand guns and long guns with weapon rentals. My visits there have always been on the positive side.
 
+1 on Targetmaster. Used to shoot there regularly. Folks were friendly and helpful. Is your wife is joining you? I found there was no condescending "how cute; the lil lady is gonna try to shoot" attitude there.
 
May I suggest that it would be beneficial to see if you can arrange to have some locals host to show you around the ranges? It would be a good meet & greet and a great travelogue post here at THR
 
Cheers for the replies folks, I'll fire off some emails and see what comes back. Just the way the trip is, there will probably be fore time available towards the end, so any after TN would probably work out better. That said, we should be able to work things around.

Should of said, we're catching a train from NY to DC where we pick up the car, so can't stop off before then unfortunately.

If there was someone who did pop out to say hi, that would be cool! My wife intends to shoot, although she's not into it as much as me. She's happy when I'm happy kind of thing.
 
Furious Pilgrim, I find it great that you want to come to the US for vacation cum gun range shooting.

I lived in the UK for eight years, had my license, hunted pheasant, partridge, rabbits, hares, pigeons, all the niederwild, but my Brit hunting friends always told me how lucky I was to have the opportunity to live under the American system of gun laws. They understood the problems associated with onerous predator-lenient gun laws.

All the best on your trip.
 
I live well outside your trip parameters but wanted to offer my congratulations on your nuptials and wish you and your bride a safe and happy visit to the USA.
 
Furious Pilgrim-
I'm sorry you're not visiting New England; I'd be very pleased to take you shooting at my range.

You'd also be an honored guest at our town's re-enactment of the summer of 1814 when HMS Nimrod sailed up the Wareham river and burned down half our town. Bring your own Congreve rockets!

But no hard feelings!
:D:D:D

Tinpig
 
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Since you're coming from Asheville to Knoxville I'd be happy to take you and your spouse to the new Bud's Gunshop range in Sevierville and a couple here in Knoxville. I can help ensure the two of you get some time with a variety of firearms, including selective fire.:D
 
Wow, that's a really nice offer. I will check our dates when I get home, and see when we're likely to be in the area.

Thanks for all the comments, even tinpig :D
 
JERRY said:
the NRA has a nice indoor range (and firearms museum) in Northern Va. should you get to stop in.
Click to expand...
This is a must see, even if you don't use their range! Free admission, free parking, easy access. The collection is unbelievable, and they have a nice store to boot.

(WARNING: SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC. …And while you're in the neighborhood, if'n you're interested in aviation even a little bit, the Udvar-Hazy Center is another uncrowded, easy-on/easy-off stop with plenty of parking, that is not to be missed.)
 
Have you considered the Czech Republic?

I know that you are asking specifically for US, but taking into account the cheap price of flights from UK to the CR, I would recommend considering also ranges and courses here.

That could make for a nice long weekend, for example this: http://www.obos.cz/kurzy-obranne-strelby (their EN page seems to be down, please run it through google translate). You need to register quite in advance though, since the courses are usually sold out.
 
Speedo66 said:
If you're going to pass through Cincinnati OH (next to KY), this range lists the guns they rent, which includes an MP-5 submachine gun at the bottom of the page.

http://www.targetworld.net/therange.htm
Click to expand...
I looked at his new route in Google Maps and he's not coming through KY anymore. But I only live an hour away and I might go rent their MP-5 sometime, so thanks for the info!
 
Don't know how pressed for time you are, but I see you're taking 81 south, which parallels Skyline Drive / Shenandoah National Park.

If you have some time to kill and want to relax and enjoy the scenery a bit, you might consider getting on Skyline Drive (starts at Front Royal, VA, ends at Waynesboro, VA.).

It's 105 miles long, the speed limit is 35 mph, has numerous places to eat & stay (Skyland Resort, Big Meadows Lodge), and visit a little history / wildlife.

Looks like it would fit in your route nicely, but if time is an issue?

http://www.visitskylinedrive.org/Home.aspx

http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm

If you're feeling a bit rushed on your trip, and need a little time to decompress, you might find the drive enjoyable.
 
Already got that on the list, did it last year and loved it, so we're doing it again. If fact, it's the reason we're stopping over in Front Royal. That, and the canoe-ing.
 
if you want to do some canoeing, TN is a good spot for it. google canoe the ocoee river and caney fork river

depending on the dates, i could let you shoot some rifles in TN
 
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