It's official....I'm moving to Waco

[DigMe]

Well, last Thursday my wife and I just found out where a computer decided that we'll live for at least the next 3 years. My wife is graduating from medical school and she had to rank her top choices of residency programs. Those programs interview the interested candidates and rank their top choices from the med students. Then a computer tries to match according to preference. My wife and I liked Waco and they liked her I guess so now we're moving there in May or June. So...let's hear it...lay out the good gun shops, pawn shops with good gun deals and local shooting ranges.

I'm currently living in Temple so it's really not that big of a move and I've spent some time in Waco and had friends there so I'm a little bit familiar with it. I've never been to shooting or gun shopping there though.

One more thing...we just put in an offer on a new house that's currently being built out near China Spring (in Cougar Ridge III). It's a nice little community. The builder is Summit Homes (i think the owner's name is McNamara) and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with or has experience with that company and can comment. Anyone? Anyone? That would be a huge help. Thanks in advance!

brad cook

ps - Oh yeah...one more thing...I need a job!!!

 

[hd1.]

The American Derringer Company is located in Waco.

American Derringer Corp.
127 North Lacy Drive
Waco, TX 76715-4640p .

1-254-799-9111

Phone:
254-799-9111
Fax:
254-799-7935

Store: 254-799-7419

Who knows, maybe they need help.

 

[Detachment Charlie]

I'd suggest joining a VERY MAINSTREAM church.
Waco, thanks to the Batmen, doesn't seem to have a very good track record of dealing with religions that might be considered "on the fringe" of the ordinary.

 

[DigMe]

Oh yeah...I thought of something else. I'm kind of interested in getting involved in some competitive pistol shooting or a gun club once I move. I've never done anything like that before but does anyone here shoot IDPA or something similar in Waco?

brad cook

 

[TechBrute]

Tiger Valley is near Waco.

 

[MrMurphy]

The only range actually near Waco is the Centex Rifle and Pistol club. About $47 a year, rifle out to 200, pistol from 0 to 50, both bench style and action-type (open bays). Shotguns with slugs and blackpowder allowed, shoot all day every day if you want (private club) just pay your dues once a year. No rentals or anything.

IPSC is supported at that range, but personally I'd take IDPA (nearest is Austin or Dallas).

Praco Gun & Pawn is the only "gunshop" in town that really is a GUN shop, not pawnshop with some guns. Praco is a Gunshop that has a pawn side. Prices are good, selection is quite nice (everything from Hipoints up to Beretta 686s and Ruger Red Labels and Remington 700 PSS's.....AR-15s, etc). and they can order anything. If you can, deal with Brad (the boss) or Bob (retired Marine) though the others are good too.

Over off the 84, exit Hewitt drive in Hewitt or right on the border is a TrueValue Ace Hardware that has an excellent small gun section as well (physically small, but a very good selection of long guns, medium good selection of pistols) they also stock SureFires and good knife brands (Emerson, other high value brands). I bought a .38 there, they do well.

China Spring is ok, though a bit out there. Just stay out of West!! I lived in Waco for three years and Temple a year before that, and as a news photographer for NBC (Channel 6) you very likely saw the majority of my work. I can suggest areas of Waco that you definitely stay out of, as I know all the bad neighborhoods and which ones where you'll draw fire.

 

[DigMe]

IPSC is supported at that range, but personally I'd take IDPA (nearest is Austin or Dallas).

Temple has an IDPA chapter. I just never joined because I knew I wasn't going to be here that long and I didn't yet have the proper equipment. I did email back and forth a couple of times with the head guy though.

Where is the Centex range? Sounds like a good deal.

Thanks for the info!

brad cook

 

[Smoke]

China Spring is ok, though a bit out there.

Hardly. China Spring is a rapidly developing suburb. There are other places in that vacinity that are Crawford school districts, be sure you ask what ISD the property is in.

CenTex is a decent range, they have a reciprical agreement with Waco trap and Skeet (skeet and trap?).

China Spring will be a good choice of locations as it's close to both Hospitals - espicially Hillcrest. (you didn't say which one)

If you want to get "Out there" MacGregor, Valley Mills, CLifton, Crawford, Moody, are all nice small towns that are easy driving disance to Waco. (there are others too) Lots of people do the commute.

La Fiesta has the best Mexican food in town. Ace Hardware in Hewitt are the best to order a gun, Praco is the best all around gun shop. You can't get a really good steak anywhere, you can get a good steak lots of places.

What else you need to know?

Smoke

 

[4v50 Gary]

I've only been to Waco once and I know there's the Texas Ranger Museum with plenty of guns there. Dr. Pepper museum is there too but I'll pass on the carbonated prune juice. Make mine Coke please. In nearby Fort Worth BillyBob's the place to go.

 

[DigMe]

Smoke,

She'll be working at both hospitals and we've driven the distance so she's cool with it. The other area we were considering was Woodway and Hillcrest is just as far from Woodway as Prividence is from China Spring. She'll only be spending about a third of her time at Providence though with the rest spent at Hillcrest and the resident clinic. It is in the China Spring school district. We made sure of the district because we definitely did NOT want to be in the Waco ISD so that the house will be easier to sell when we move.

We got the house by the way...builder accepted the offer.

brad cook

 

[mec]

Cooger ridge is about 3 miles from the Centex Rifle and Pistol club range(Membership Required). There are some guns in a hardware store a rock throw from the housing devepment. Parnell McNamara, the famous US Marshall lives right across the street. His son just put up an apartment complex out there.

Many residents of China Spring move there for the highly rated school system. The waco isd is among the worst and people avoid it.

Woodway is a fairly old but still upscale community and the area between there and McGregor has also grown in response to flight from the WISD. There is a Gunshop in Hewitt- close to Woodway called Hewitt Guns and Gold. They have a fairly good selection of guns and periperals as does the True Value Hardware on the same main street through Waco's Industrial Park and Hewitt.

 

[MrMurphy]

I bought some ammo from Guns and Gold but selectionwise it's about like Webers though not as expensive. Praco is better.

Never heard of Cougar Ridge, though the Centex range is quite nice. Good selection of shooters, everyone from tactically minded people like myself to once a year deerwhackers, and service rifle competitions.

90% of the trauma cases within several counties go to Hillcrest, basically unless they request Providence that's where they go. As a news photog the bunch of us sort of had a running joke where one would ask "Transported to where?" and before the cop/paramedic whoever could answer we'd all chime in "Hillcrest!" and we were very rarely wrong!

30 miles isn't very far to drive for IDPA, so just go back to Temple for that. Targetshooter from Glocktalk lives in Temple, off Ave. R somewhere near S&W Hospital, he shoots in that group. About 5'9, brown hair, 30s, slight stutter. Good shot though.

 

[mec]

Centex doesn't do idpa but is heavy into IPSC. Sectional matches are heald there and there is an active core of local shooters.

 

[DigMe]

Cooger ridge is about 3 miles from the Centex Rifle and Pistol club range

Ok...the value of my house just went up (at least in my mind)! I'm liking the sound of this Centex range more and more. I think I'll be joining pretty soon after I move there. Only problem is I won't be able to afford ammo with all the move-in costs and new furniture that we'll need.

I bought some ammo from Guns and Gold but selectionwise it's about like Webers though not as expensive.

Cool..that's my only complaint about Weber's. Too expensive and they do NOT negotiate.

If any of you are members at Centex and want to get together and shoot sometime after I get to Waco then PM me and I'll save it for future reference. I've already received one PM.

brad cook

 

[mec]

I've just e-mailed the telephone number for joining the club. There is a pretty successful eatery-convenience store right across from Cooger ridge and from there, its a straight shot nw to the range.