Is this all there is in CT?

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A45acp1911

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I recently moved from Northern Virginia to Shelton CT. The range choices here are terrible. I see per hour charges of $15, $17, $18, $20, $22. Some are closed Saturday until 11:00 and then Sunday all day (ensuring in my mind that the range is going to be quite crowded Saturday morning). Some of these ranges literally have $500 membership fees, multiple hundred dollar initiation fees, etc.

As a point of reference, the state of the art NRA range is $12 per hour, and Shooters Paradise is $10 per hour. No limitations on ammo (no lead only, etc.). No requirements to buy ammo, targets, etc. Memberships for under $300. No increased prices for rifles (even though the CT ranges still only permit the use of handgun calibers and prohibit jacketed ammunition???).

Is that just how it is in CT? Truly, I don't even see how you can enjoy shooting here knowing that you are being gouged so mercilessly. Can anyone in CT afford to go to the range, or is it dry fire on Saturday mornings and save up to go to the range every couple of months?
 
Welcome to the Northeast.

Wooster Mountain in Danbury isn't terrible. It's $20 (including target frame) but there's no time limit. It is, however, only about 75 yards.

The Bridgeport Shooting range is relatively close to you. I paid $15 for an hour plus three targets last time. It's a pretty good indoor range, allows shotguns, and has a simulator on site if that interests you. Parking can be tight and be mindful of the hours you go. You could get as much trigger time in the parking lot as the range in that neighborhood.

Forest & Field is a very nice range but if you can stand the people, you're got a high tolerance than me.
 
Join a private club, they are everywhere.

I lived In Springfield, Ma. Within half an hour there were at least 15 clubs, likely close to 50 within an hour. And those are indoor clubs, as I was shooting indoor bullseye. Everytime I turned around, I'd hear about another club,or a club resuming operations...
 
Do a Google search for "shooting ranges" and you will find a host of sites with all the information you need. There are a lot of ranges in this state, it is just a matter of finding them. Most private clubs are reasonable in their fees. I live in the Hartford area and I need to drive about 5 miles to 1 club and about 30 to the other. Enjoy the sport.
 
I appreciate all the responses, but based on the suggestions I've received, I think that you/we are getting gouged, and just don't realize it.

For example, look at Wooster Mountain. One visit a week at $20 per visit would be more than a grand a year!!! One thousand dollars???!!! Is this outside???!!! Doesn't this strike anyone else as ridiculously overpriced. You can get indoor, automatic target set up at the NRA for 1/3 the price, and you can go whenever and as much as you want. You're not limited to a little more than a work week total of training time.

Bridgeport Shooting Range is even worse. One hour of rifle time is $22 (including their lead disposal fee or some such). Check out the website if you are unsure. So for a single, one hour trip each week, that's well over a grand for about fifty hours of shooting in a year. Let's say you actually want to build some skill, and stop in after work once a week as well. Now you are paying almost twenty five hundred dollars for one year of range time???!!! All that, and the range doesn't open before 11 on Saturday AM. Again, compare to the NRA range, where you can shoot the same amount of time for 1/8 the cost! One eighth! You can sign up a football team for memberships at the NRA for the cost of one person going twice a week to Bridgeport.

Forest and Field is $450 a year (50% more than comparable premium ranges throughout the country. I wouldn't be happy to pay 50% more for my car, my groceries, or my clothes in CT, why should I be happy to pay 50% more for range time???!!!) Without a membership, Forest and Field charges $22 per hour! Twenty two dollars - does a concierge pull the trigger for you??? What's sad is that in comparison to the other ranges, $450 a year seems reasonable. Just don't bring any centerfire rifle (prohibited), but that doesn't really matter as the long half of the range (7 bays) is only 75 feet. Further, MK implies that the people there have an attitude.

Unfortunately, I've searched on the private clubs, and can't find anything suitable. Multi-hundred dollar initiation fees and surcharges, open for a few hours on the weekends, limit to non-FMJ ammunition, etc.

Is there anybody here who shoots at least one to two times each and every single week, or is such a thing just out of reach of the common man in CT???

I thank all for their comments, but it is looking to me that the unfortunate shooters in CT just don't realize how bad they have it.
 
High Rock Shooting Association

High Rock Shooting Association (HRSA), Naugatuck, CT runs a pistol and rifle shooting range in the Naugatuck State Forest on weekends. ...

High Rock Shooting Assoc. Inc. "A Place to Shoot". Welcome to the High Rock Web Page ... For more info contact: HRSA or call the Range Phone at 203-879-4658

They label themselves "The least expensive public range"...

I'm not from your part of the state, but generally there's plenty of affordable, private clubs. How far are you willing to drive? Naugatuck isn't too far, maybe some local guys can give you some good tips on which clubs to check out.

http://www.hrsa.nu/

Have you tried to locate any ranges/clubs through the NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation)?

http://www.nssf.org/
http://www.nssf.org/shooting/index.cfm?AoI=shooting
 
Scott Moss, xenophobous gun dealer

I know that gun dealer, SCOTT MOSS. He is a XENOPHOBOUS, unbalanced individual.

Last year I saw him calling a client "foreign bull****" multiple times, just because the customer -who happened to be Hispanic- found a malfunction in a product and wanted to return it.

A few minutes later the police arrived, and the officer told him to apologize in public or he would be ticketed for RACIST SLANDER.

As a neighbor, I'm appalled to find racist people selling guns in Norwalk, CT.
 
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but did you ever take a trip to High Rock? I find that as long as you can follow simple instruction (general rules of gun saftey, that most know anyway.) You will have an enjoyable and plesant time for 5 dollars the first hour and 4 after that. There are days (Sundays) that they are cowboy shooting only, but generally sun up to sun down, sat and sun. In addition they offer the week to members only. (Usually, or last time I checked it was 125 or 150 and your range due's. Range dues's being range duty 2 shifts, morning or night, every quarter of the year (3 months) if I'm not mistaken. Down side of the range is the 100 yards or less they have to shoot. Still my favorite range around, hands down. Lots of good people around at all time.
 
Do not go to Scott Moss/forrest and field. The people who run it have serious attitude problems.
 
Welcome to CT, join a club thats what I did.

I joined Wallingford Rod and Gun club. The range is only 70 yards but its nice, and its almost always empty. I feel like I have my own private range.:D

I forget what the dues are, $500 a year if you don't work at the club, about $150 less if you do.

Wooster Mountain and Naugatuck are probably the best public ranges. Blue Trails is horrible.

IMHO Hartford Gun club is probably the nicest in the state, I would join if I was closer.
 
You need to make friends with a local farmer and if the attitude is presented in a positive way, he may ask you to help with pest eradication and then you can get some rifle time in too. I grew up in CT, joined the Marine Corps at 17, after 20 plus years I retired and moved to Vermont. I'll have to say the gun laws had an influence on my location for retirement. I have friends and customers that come up from MA and CT and get a kick when I tell them they can come to the house to shoot, I have 12 acres and live in an rural area. I hope you find a deceant club, from this thread I know what clubs not to visit when I go to CT. Good luck.
 
MKll, not welcome to the northeast. I can shoot on any land I want to as long as its not posted. Also range fees in NH are not that high. I can pay an annual membership fee for the local range and shoot all I want for not one penny more. Vermont and Maine are pretty much the same. I can even shoot in my own yard. Don't try to make all Northeast states sound the same as CT.
 
Yeah, pretty much any state south of the VT,NH border and west of VT are pretty anti gun. I attended a factory armorer's course and a couple of MA and CT state troopers were in the class and bagged on VT,NH and ME because of the gun laws, then when I made the comment that only LEO's and criminals own guns in MA,CT and NY, they read me the riot act about how law abiding citizens have the right to own a firearm with very liberal restrictions. I still can't comprehend their comment. They must of thought I was talking about airsoft guns.
Today, I stood on my pourch and test fired a customer's firearm. 50 yard range on one side and a 100 yard range on the other. God I love Vermont.
 
I'm not too happy with the range situation here in CT either. The two clubs I've joined at $500 for the 1st year(+work hours), near me plain stunk(I'm not going into all the reasons here). Now, I am stuck paying crazy($22/hr) hourly rates for the public ranges...and one does not even allow double taps...the other requires I buy their ammo to shoot there + pay the hourly rate.
I'm in the process of finding a decent club that fits my needs/budget but it is not easy.
 
crossrhodes said:
Yeah, pretty much any state south of the VT,NH border and west of VT are pretty anti gun. I attended a factory armorer's course and a couple of MA and CT state troopers were in the class and bagged on VT,NH and ME because of the gun laws, then when I made the comment that only LEO's and criminals own guns in MA,CT and NY, they read me the riot act about how law abiding citizens have the right to own a firearm with very liberal restrictions. I still can't comprehend their comment. They must of thought I was talking about airsoft guns.
Today, I stood on my pourch and test fired a customer's firearm. 50 yard range on one side and a 100 yard range on the other. God I love Vermont.
Click to expand...
Any VT farmers want to be my friend? lol Yeah, I feel your pain Crossrhodes, I don't know what they teach those guys in state trooper school, but they must brain wash them into thinking everyone who owns a gun is a criminal or potential criminal. If I wasn't divorced and didn't have three little ones I loved so much living with my ex in CT, I'd be living in VT right next door to you. But of course if you were shooting in the direction of my property, I'd have to charge you a range fee. :)
 
trecedelemos said:
I know that gun dealer, SCOTT MOSS. He is a XENOPHOBOUS, unbalanced individual.

Last year I saw him calling a client "foreign bull****" multiple times, just because the customer -who happened to be Hispanic- found a malfunction in a product and wanted to return it.

A few minutes later the police arrived, and the officer told him to apologize in public or he would be ticketed for RACIST SLANDER.

As a neighbor, I'm appalled to find racist people selling guns in Norwalk, CT.
Click to expand...
LOL, yeah they really are "characters" there. They have a paper sign on the front door now that says "English only will be spoken in this store. Anyone speaking anything other than English will be told to leave". No lie! And the reports of them having attitudes is so true. I went in there several months back to check it out and after waiting for about 15 minutes without anyone even looking at me, the owner looked up at me and in a nasty manner asked me "what do you want?" and when I told him what I wanted to look at, he snapped at me "well, you'll just have to wait, I'm busy!" and that is when I did a 180 and walked out the door and will NEVER step foot in that place again. And people say it's better now than it was when the last owner was there...he has since departed. God, I can't imagine how they keep customers!
 
crossrhodes said:
clarkkentakasuperman. Any time your heading up this way PM me and I'll show you some nice ranges to shoot at. It won't cost you anything.
Click to expand...
That would be great! I love VT and go up to see my sister in Burlington quite often, so you may hear from me real soon. Thanks for the offer.
 
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