Indiana shooting ranges?

[DonP]

As a prisoner of the "Pipples rebublik of Illinois" I need to go shooting in the fair state of Indiana this weekend to try out the Enfield #4 Mk II, K-31 Schmidt-Rubin and zero the new M4gery.

I'm down in Will County and have shot at Willow Slough in the past. Nice area, nice stands and fairly close to get to (40 minutes or so).

Is Jasper-Pulaski a better spot and worth the extra drive? More people, less people? Any other pluses or minuses? Or am I totally overlooking another range I don't even know about?

As always, any and all help and suggestions are appreciated.

Don P.

 

[CatsDieNow]

There's a nice new one at the Kingsbury Wildlife Preserve, which is a little further North. Costs a few dollars to shoot, has range officer.

J-P is free, but nothing special.

 

[kudu]

There is Tri-county Fish and Wildlife area at North Webster. It is south of Syracuse by lake Wawasee. That's about three hours from Chicago.

 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Jasper Pulaski is a nice range. It has firing positions that range from 25 yards to 225 yards. There's usually a DNR officer on duty, who keeps things neat and tidy and can kick out particularly unsafe or obnoxious shooters. Most of the time he leaves you alone and simply falls asleep in his truck.

I've also been to Tri-County, up in northeast Indiana, near Lake Wawasee. It's a nice range too, but quite a bit smaller than J-P.

The range at Huntington Reservoir is a mess. It's a good place to go if you want to, say, ventilate an old television set. The firing positions "feature" massive concrete sewer pipes that you are required to shoot through, which is a huge inconvenience. They'll fine you $100 for shooting over the tubes rather than through them. (Ask me how I know...) I usually avoid that range, in favor of J-P or Tri-County.

Since you're coming from that repressive state next door to Indiana, I'd suggest J-P. It's not far from the state line, and would be considerably closer than any of the other ranges in the northern half of the state.

 

[c-bag]

Headless Thompson Gunner, I live less than 4 miles from the Huntington (or now Roush) range and I"m happy to report it's now closed.
That is until October when it re-opens after it's $1.4 million renovation. According to the local paper there will be 33 rifle and pistol ranges, a voice activated trap range, a concrete baffle system, bathrooms, and possibly even concessions.
I will miss lightin' up disobidient appliances though

 

[nipprdog]

heres the Jasper range rules

 

[El Tejon]

Don, if you head south, be sure to contact El Tejon for shooting at Wildcat Valley Rifle & Pistol Club, just north of Lafayette. We have a website site thingy so you can check it out.

Range fee is free to THR members, however there is the matter of the sushi after a day's shooting.

 

[Bix]

or, should you head north, there is a nice range just across the border in Bristol, WI run by the Conservation Club of Kenosha County. I make it in just over an hour from downtown Chicago. The facility has a large rifle/pistol range from 25 to 200 yards -however- shooting fees for nonmembers are pretty steep at around $15 for the day.

 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Headless Thompson Gunner, I live less than 4 miles from the Huntington (or now Roush) range and I"m happy to report it's now closed.
That is until October when it re-opens after it's $1.4 million renovation. According to the local paper there will be 33 rifle and pistol ranges, a voice activated trap range, a concrete baffle system, bathrooms, and possibly even concessions.

I will miss lightin' up disobidient appliances though

That's nice to learn. Huntington is the closest range to me when I'm home from school (i.e. all summer). What exactly is this "concrete baffle system"?? Will we still have to shoot through tubes? POINNGG!!! I hate those tubes...

I'll probably miss shooting up appliances too, somewhat. However, I won't miss tripping over their dead, decaying ("rusting") corpses as I walk downrange to post targets. The range will surely have a much different atmoshpere after cleaning up that mess of broken glass, rusty scrap metal, cuircuit boards, broken skeet, wiring, beer cans, bowling pins, plastic jugs, and musty, decaying Osama bin Laden targets. Ahh, the good times that mess represents...

 

[c-bag]

Headless Thompson Gunner, by baffle system I meant that the range would be constructed so that stray rounds cannot exit the range. I think the backstops will also be of the centrifugal type that "catch" the bullet, slow it down, and allow them to be recovered before they have a chance to contaminate the ground.

A picture in the local paper showed one of the other DNR ranges in the state and said the Huntington range would be similar; it looked very nice.

The stations will be covered from the weather and WILL NOT HAVE TUBES!!!

It will also be gated and have a range officer; first-timers will have to go through a short orientation.

 

[DonP]

Hey guys, thanks

All the suggestions are good.

I'll print this thread out and put it in my file for the next weekend or so when the weather drys out a bit.

I'll do a map quest to J-P and give it a try.

With the exception fo the Buffalo range out West of me, there is no where to shoot a rifle caliber in Illinois that I've found close enought to do in a day.

... and I can fill up the old Explorer on that economic Hoosier gas

El Tejon,

I may just take you up on that invitation at some point this summer. My youngest is back from Iraq now (Army) and is coming home around the 4th from his stateside billet in AZ. He wants to do some peace time shooting while he's in town and I said I'd set something up for us. I told him he'll have to use one of the Garands or my Enfield's, no chain guns allowed.

Thanks again guys.

Don P.