Looking for good shooting range in Minneapolis area

[sam700]

I’m planning on moving to the Minneapolis area in April and was wondering if anyone knew of any good shooting ranges in the area. I’m looking at moving to the south side around the Eagan area.

I’m not looking for a super fancy place. I’d prefer a club to a public range. I like the idea of having a key and being able to show up whenever I want. I like shooting long range, so if there is any place I can shoot 600 yards or so, it would be ideal. Ideally, I’d like to find a 600 yard range within 2 hours of Minneapolis and have a 200 yard range within 20 minutes or so away. Does any one know of a good place like this?

 

[cat_IT_guy]

Some members and I put this mashup together a few weeks back - I checked the map, and didnt see too much by Minneapolis. There are a couple in your area, but if you could update the map if/when you find more, we would appreciate it!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109042920345861658252.0004401881cddafad502a&ie=UTF8&ll=37.370157,-84.638672&spn=52.381764,116.894531&z=4&om=1

 

[dispatch55126]

Indoor/Outdoor, Handgun/Rifle/Clays?

For the winter, you can't beat Bill's Gun Shop. You can fire rounds up to 3000fps in their 50 yards HEATED indoor range.

Bald Eagle Sportsman Club Is Hugo is the cheapest. $8 on Saturday only will get you unlimited range time up to 100 yds.

Metro Gun Club in Blaine is a year round sporting clays range right off of 35W. They also have an indoor range but its VERY expensive.

 

[bear71]

Welcome to Minnesota, sam!

Eagan is situated in the southern metropolitan area and rather close to what I would call ruralesque agricultural areas. This would be my suggestion. Talk with the guys here and in the shops and see if you can't latch on to a generous shooter willi ng to share his private land for shooting excercises.

Bill's is a nice range, it's located in a suburb called Robbinsdale in a strip mall. I'm pretty sure the Bill's range in Circle Pines is longer but I may be mistaken.

Send me a PM when you get to town, if you're not afraid of a 70 minute drive and aren't an axe murderer, I'll take you up to my own 130 acre parcel for some shooting. Lunch is on you!

Good luck with your move.

 

[dispatch55126]

I shoot at the circle pines range and it 50 yds. Good group of people work there.

 

[FireArmFan]

I do almost all my pistol shooting at Bill's Gun Shop and Range in Circle Pines. It is an awesome range. Metro Gun Club in Blaine is great for Trap/Skeet shooting, they also have a 25 yard pistol range but I'm not too fond of their set up for that. Oakdale Gun Club is a private range but they also have a little time set aside for the public. They have ranges out to 200 yards I think. Possibly 300 yards. Not 100% on that without double checking. They also have skeet and pistol shooting, everything is outdoors there. There are a few other places but those are the one's I generally shoot at. Depending on where you're moving kinda depends on what you're closest options are. I'm north of the cities and these ranges are all pretty close.

ETA: I just now noticed you said Eagan. I'm not sure of any ranges near Eagan. The ones I mentioned would be a bit of a drive.

 

[bofe954]

I joined Oakdale gun club 2 years ago and have been pretty happy with it. They have trap, 25yd, 50yd, 100yd and 200yd ranges. They also have some space for air rifles and bow hunters. It is $85 a year (the first year also has an initiation fee).

You also need to be an NRA member and work there for 18 hours a year. You get a key to the gate and can go there whenever you want between 8AM and sundown. There are USPSA, bullseye, informal military gas gun matches and sillouette matches there.

During public hours it can be a little busy but on the private days it isn't. If you go out there on a day when it is closed to the public you can have a range to yourself pretty easily.

I wish they had a 600yd but they don't. I know there is a Gopher range up north in Harris (pretty far north of Eagan) that has one.

It is a pretty nice range and has somewhat enclosed places to shoot with benches and bags. I wouldn't say it's "super fancy" but you won't be shooting up a bunch of propane tanks there either.

 

[wrench]

Here's a few to get you started, one for indoor pistol, close to eagan
http://www.bvpistol.com/
Here's oakdale gun club, mentioned by a previous poster-nice place, I'm a member there too.
http://www.oakdalegunclub.org/
Here's Gopher rifle and revolver-further out of town, but l-o-n-g ranges available
http://www.grrc.org/
Welcome to the Twin Cities!

 

[sam700]

Thanks, the Gopher club in Harris looks like a pretty good deal. Does any one know if they have a long waiting list or if you can get in pretty quick? I'm not moving till April so if there is a bit of a wait, I might start trying to get in now.

Also, how far is Gopher from Harris. If it is near Harris, Mapquest says that it is only an hour from Eagan. Currently I'm driving almost two hours to get to a 600 yard range in my area.

 

[Father Knows Best]

I belong to Rainbow Sportsman's Club, which has rifle up to 300 yards and is a smokin' great deal at just $35/year. Unfortunately, it's in Cokato, which is a long way from Eagan (Cokato is about 45 minutes west of the TC).

I used to belong to Oakdale, but dropped my membership. It's a decent facility, but expensive and busy. The long rifle range is only 200 yards, and it only has three or four shooting stations. It's also a trench, so it feels like like shooting in the chasm on the Death Star.

I just joined Bald Eagle Sportsmen's Club in Hugo, and I'm excited about it. It's a really nice facility, with shotgun sports to complement the rifle and pistol. It's north, though, so it would also be a long trek from Eagan.

 

[wrench]

I think an hour from eagan to harris is optomistic, maybe a little more than that. I'm not a member at Gopher rifle, but I was talking to some guys from there at the last gunshow, and seem to remember them saying a year or two waiting list????? Very nice range.
Oakdale you can pretty much get into every year, this coming year is full, however, so the soonest would be march, 2009. And expensive? $85 a year for 365 days sunup to sunset? Yeah, there's a work requirement, but almost everyone has that. Can you tell I like Oakdale??
BESA, (bald eagle) used to have a l-o-n-g waiting list, I think I was on it for 4 years. This year they took a lot of new members, so maybe the list isn't very long anymore. Dunno.

 

[mpthole]

If you're looking to shoot 600 yard NRA matches, both Eau Claire, WI and La Crosse, WI hold several matches during the year. Check the Wisconsin Rifle & Pistol Associatoin website for schedules.

 

[dispatch55126]

How did you get on Bald Eagle!?! There is a two year waiting list to join.

 

[bofe954]

Sam700-There is also a range in Pine Island, Minnesota. I haven't been there yet and know nothing about it other than USPSA matches are there. It may be worth looking into as it is south of the metro and would be an easy drive as far as traffic.

check this out:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/shooting_ranges/index.html

That DNR site is worth looking at anyway if you hunt.

 

[wrench]

dispatch, I got in at Bald Eagle this year, also-like I said earlier, I think they took a lot of new members this year.