Indoor Range Improvement Ideas

[Rich Keagy]

The survey thread 'why don't you shoot more' got me thinking.
We're at a pivotal point where gun ownership / use can really take off, or we'll see it erode away to nothing.
I am assembling a list of improvements for my local indoor shooting range. I want more people to shoot there (and everywhere). We have to get shooting for fun and marksmanship is a more accepted element of our society.
I have a short list, but would like to hear from the rest of you regarding your indoor range 'ideas for improvement'. Things like cost, lighting, hours, etc.
In the end, we'll have a list of things that will make an indoor range 'great' instead of 'good enough'. I'll have a longer list, and the rest of you will have a near-complete list of ideas to present to your local ranges.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim_100]

Figure out how to prevent all the bullet holes and marks all over the place including behind and above where you stand. I left the last time I was at an indoor range because of a hole by the door going out to the lobby/service counter area. I know accidents happen but wow!

 

[DrLaw]

We banned alcohol at our club and membership dropped off. Now, you would tend to figure that guns and alcohol should not be mixed, but there were some hard liners/drinkers, that thought otherwise.

On the other hand, we have fewer holes in the ceiling now.

We also had an issue with the police and a training device they were using. The angle of some shots were going through the roof. We figured out how to prevent that, and gave them instructions where to shoot to prevent that. Not too long after that, somebody shot out a light on the ceiling. We were notified of that by some police officers who wanted nothing to do with the instructor at that point and left. The instructor failed to let us know about it.

Of course, we knew, and even though it was only a light and baffle, we were concerned that we did not hear from the instructor or his bosses. So we chose to boot them. Their response was to say that we were not fair and demanded a hearing (mind, they were invited guests using the facility free of charge, and in our Constitution, hearings are for members only). So we had a hearing to be nice about it. They said that WE should have told them if we had a problem with their damaging our facility, and WE were at fault.

Yep, that attitude cinched the deal and they were booted from the facility. Let any citizen damage another's property and they arrest the person doing the damage. They damage something and it becomes our fault somehow.

We still have fewer holes in the ceiling.

The Doc is out now.

 

[RobMoore]

Things I hate about every public indoor range I've shot at

Too dark
Poor air system
Targets must be bought there
No "rapid" fire ( 1 round a second isn't rapid )
No holster use
Limited choices for target distance, because of space or because the poor lighting only illuminates the target at two distances, 10 and 15 yards.
Charging by the half-hour, and too much
Staff who act like you are an inconvenience, and they are doing you a favor by allowing you to shoot there.

 

[oneounceload]

Ventilation is always an issue because it is a major cost factor

 

[SheepNutz]

There are two ranges close to my house, and I had never been to either of them until last week. That's because I do most of my shooting on my parents' farm, but with the cold weather, we decided to range it. We went to the first one last week, and it had good lighting at the 7 yard line, just decent lighting at the firing line, and absolutely no lighting at 25 yards. It was also decently warm for it being below freezing outside, but I didn't notice bad ventilation or anything. We went to the second range today, and it had good lighting at 7 yards and beyond, but horrible lighting at the firing line. You could barely see your sights it was so bad. The worst thing though was the ventilation. It was good, but just too good. At was absolutely freezing, and seemed colder than outdoors (which was about 20 degrees F today), due to all the air flow moving. We barely lasted through our hour range session.

So, I'd probably say that lighting is the most important, because if you can't see your sights or the target, what's the point? A comfortable temperature is the second most important to me. I come to an indoor range to get out of the cold. If I wanted to freeze myself to death, I'd just go back to my parents' farm!

 

[Rotnguns]

From my experience, you get to choose two out of the following three:

Good air flow
Good temperature control
Good pricing

 

[NukemJim]

Something that the ladies I have taken to the range always comment on is the bathrooms and their cleanliness, or lack therof.

Seriously this seems to be a major factor for a lot of females. No jokes, no slams just repeating what I have been told after taking newbie females shooting.

NukemJim

 

[Elvishead]

A good non arrogant staff is a good start. Every year my range go back and forth with good and bad staff members.

Lately they've been rude, but it doesn't effect my shooting. Other than that they have one all day fee, and the range is nice and modern.

 

[S&W620]

Here in Cinci, we have only one indoor range in the city (that I'm aware of).

Every time you go, we are met by a grumpy fella who is seemingly unable to remember "I'd like one hour of range time with 6 small targets and I need eyes and ears" if said all at once. He'll tell you "I do that last" and forgets the number and style of targets at least twice. This is mostly due to the fact his is BSing with one of the many gun store commando's who do little to nothing all day while customers wait for service.

After the goober at the register manages to figure out the calculator and cash register, he puts me on an hour long waiting list. Now, keep in mind, this list is an hour long not simply because so many folks are coming out and shooting, but because the owner of this dump is apparently to cheap to fix the lanes that are out of service, always at least one, sometimes as many as four.

During this hour I'm blessed with the opportunity to hear a steady stream of bs that would make your head spin. I really would love to know how a bunch of guys making 10 bucks an hour could be so versed on Ed Browns and .50 cal Barrett's, but I digress. After your lengthy and unnecessary wait, you enter a poorly lit and hot/cold (depending on the season) range with a ceiling full of bullet holes and no RO. Add into this the fact that I somehow get stationed next to the guy who feels the need to put his 500 mag through its paces today.

This is why I don't shoot as much as I'd like to. How to fix the problem? Fire the goobers, maintain the range and make it a comfortable and safe environment for the customers. Pretty simple right?

On a side note, I think I've figured out the bullet holes on the ceiling. I honestly believe most folks are half drunk when they visit just so they can have a good time while dealing with these issues. Just a thought.....

 

[Xytmnt]

HAAHAA!!!! I see you have been to Tri-County, OH... Isn't that place great!



Independence, KY is the next closest public indoor rangevto Cincy. Last time I was in there they were pretty helpful, the range was nice, and they allow more than your pistol / shotgun fare.

 

[SheepNutz]

Yeah, if you're the Cincy area, Shooter's in Independence isn't bad (it's the first one I'm talking about in my post above), and there's Mark's in Florence (the second one I'm talking about in my post above).

 

[Xytmnt]

That I am... North Cincy really close to the questionable indoor range. Most people I've ran into that I would consider safe and prudent shooters avoid there like the plague.. Too many sideways shooting gansta types and pistol grip shotgun thugs to feel comfy.

 

[JonF]

Regarding facilities, i've noticed that air quality is not always good. Near me is two ranges, one several decades old and one that is 2 years old. Both have climate control issues being hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Not very comfortable bot ok for a hour or two. In one, the filtration and airflow isn't very good and i end up with black snot after only an hour session.

Regarding rules, if you ban steel case and/or aluminum case ammo, stop. One place gets all pissy because its harder for them to sort through the brass we shooters relinquish to them all day. Its should really just be icing on the cake for the money recouped recycling the metal and if you have that cashflow factored into your overall budget, don't whine about a few cases here and there being non-brass.

 

[svaz]

Concessions stand. Simple Circle-K stuff - hot dogs, brats, pretzel, sodas.


Would a Starbucks be asking too much? (that's humor, if you missed it.)

 

[gossamer]

Staff temperament, staff temperament, and the temperament of the staff. I can overlook poor airflow, poor temp control, etc. if the staff is pleasant and treats me like it's my dollars that pay their wages.

 

[frankiestoys]

A better way to hang targets ,that stupid wire system has to go .

 

[Taurus92 in KyleTX]

Everything RobMoore said above to the letter.

Also, an issue at the range in S. Austin is the limited number of lanes- not entirely their fault. But, when deer season is coming up, I stay FAR away (I'm primarily a pistol shooter).

It's not fun (and drives new shooters away rapidly) to be firing a .22LR pistol next to a guy zeroing in his .308 rifle. On the flip side, it's no fun to be zeroing in a .308 rifle when some cowboy is practicing double taps with his Sig 229.

My wife, whose is timid with anything larger than a .22 WILL NOT EVER go to an indoor range.

Maybe have pistol only or rifle only days/times?

Finally, an inherent benefit of an indoor range should be protection from the "elements". If it's 32degF outside, it shouldn't be 34degF inside.

Same company owns one up north, and does a better job of separating pistols and rifles, but it

 

[Jenrick]

Taurus92 in KyleTX: I go shoot at Red's S. all the time and agree big time on staying away when everyone sights in for deer season.

I no particular order:
Appearance, which is a combination of cleanliness, repair, lighting, and to an extent ventilation. As noted most ranges are dark and often dirty. Good ventilation keeps most of the gun smoke and gunk in it down range and off the firing line. Good lighting exposes any problems with cleanliness it also and makes people feel more comfortable when they can see what they're doing. So overall think a good, clean, organized factory floor or workshop. It's not some place to do heart surgery, but you can walk around and not get dirty, and you can see what the heck you're trying to do.

Lighting is normally a function of people being too cheap to put in the good stuff. High powered lights along the length of the range aren't cheap, but neither are good high power lights at specific ranges. So most peoples cheap out and use crappy lights either way. I've always thought that a good set of lights attached to the target carrier would be the best option.

One of the biggest issues, especially for new or infrequent shooters is sound and concussion. I shoot a lot, and some yahoo with a .300 WM in the lane next to me, is not a pleasant experience (shoot it's probably not for him either). I think having better sound insulation between shooters (dividers or what have you), and maybe separate ranges for new or infrequent shooters would help. Nothing bigger then a .45, no rifles except in .22, etc.

Cost, cheaper is always better, but there's a limit in how low you can go. I imagine the insurance premiums are unreal on a range. Hours, I'd love to be able to go shoot 24/7, as I work nights, but I'm not holding my breath. 9 to 9 like they have hear in town is decent for most people with normal hours, but 9-midnight would cover 90%+ or people.

-Jenrick

 

[Claude Clay]

allow for cross lane shooting so multiple targets can be engaged ala IDPA style

target hangers that have timers and rotate 90 degrees

provide shooting trees and falling plates--requires scheduling and probably additional fees or roll it all into membership fees.

 

[gbran]

I don't go to our indoor range when it's cold. Because of the ventilation system for getting the lead out, it's just too cold. The other problem is year-round. The ventilation system blows and hits the hanging targets. Not too bad for short work, but at 25yds, the target dances around too much.

 

[thriftyjoe]

Don't mean to bash but i've seen some unintelligent comments above

Here's what i would like to see at my range:

Obstacle course with a move and shoot situation, around corners, though windows. keep on moving...
Additionally I would like to see an assortment of target's that are as realistic as possible with full color and real life size.

Now let me get crazy:

Pop up targets are great
full man size target that move/run are even better

Most of all i would like to be able to practice real life situations like SWAT training

IMO this will attract a much larger crowed to your range and make it more fun!!!

I'm pretty bored of my local indoor range, they don't allow holster draw or rapid fire... over the years just sitting there shooting 1 shot per second in a stationary standing position get boring.

P.S. i know most of my suggestions are not practical due to safety and other issue's so please unnecessary comments

 

[RobMoore]

You don't need a range, you need a club that runs IDPA or USPSA matches.

 

[mustang_steve]

Lighting is a must...if you cannot see the target clearly and equally well at any distance, it needs remedied. There should also be enough light that sights are easily visible.

The other thing is to quickly remove and ban the people that are a threat to the rangegoers. I stopped going to the range here over this....it's a great indoor range, but the ROs keep letting utter fools do all kinds of dangerous things in there. If someone cannot hold their firearm without dropping it repeatedly, cannot load a magazine without spilling ammo everywhere, nor hit a 2x3ft target sheet in any spot on it at 6 feet....they shouldn't be there until they get some serious training on how to handle a firearm/ammo.

 

[RobMoore]

Yes, so many of us with good habits and capable abilities have to abide by rules meant for inept morons (kind of like the speed limit on the highway).

If range owners would be more observant of their customers, and correct/warn/dismiss those who make hazards of themselves, they wouldn't have to push off the better class of customer with ridiculous rules.