No CHL at new Frisco Gun Club

[Bartholomew Roberts]

If you bring a handgun to shoot, it must be unloaded and in a case or they won't let you shoot. Apparently they figure it is better for NDs to happen in the parking lot instead of the range. Also $20/hr to shoot

I don't know if that is a recent thing after their RSO shot himself during their grand opening or a planned policy; but its one more reason I'll drive 45 minutes to shoot somewhere else.

 

[bigfatdave]

Wow. I appreciate my conservation club more every time I read one of these.

I also appreciate not shooting with people that need adult supervision to operate a firearm.
I don't know what we're doing special at the club, but so far just having members take a few minutes to demonstrate safe gun handling, and then giving them 24/7 access to the range, has resulted in trouble-free shooting.

 

[dogtown tom]

Bartholomew Roberts ....Also $20/hr to shoot....

I bought the Platinum membership today.......if I go once a week that works out to less than $9.00 a trip.....not an hour, per trip......rifle or pistol or both.
vs.
$15 a trip to the Garland Public Range (which may not be around much longer after that $1,000,000 judgment this week)
would cost me $780 a year.

 

[rbernie]

Bart - I wasn't aware that their policy was any different than any other public range in the area (namely that non-CHL folk need to keep their firearms cased and unloaded when not on the firing line, CHL folk needed to keep their firearms out of sight, and nobody gets to practice from leather). I've been contemplating a membership - can you put your experience in that context?

Tom - I have heard nothing about the judgement (and was planning on shooting clays and pistol at GPSR tomorrow). What specifically do you know about the judgement?

 

[Twmaster]

Tom, that really is not a bad deal. I spend about that on my membership to another local range between the member fees and reduced price range fees. I average one trip per week. If Fricso were closer I'd be inclined to join ya.

 

[SC Shooter]

My gun club is private and is also a "cold" range. In other words, there can be no loaded weapons unless you are on the firing line and the range is "Hot". This rule is for everyone including those holding a CWP. The only exception is law enforcement, and they must be on official police business. It's strict, but we have been chartered since 1947 and have a spotless record.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

rbernie, that is what I assumed the policy was since it is run by the same people as Bullet Trap and that was the policy at Bullet Trap last time I was there. However, according to the clerk, you may not bring your loaded CHL to the firing line even in a holster. Unloaded and cased only.

I'm puzzled by this since they apparently seem to think it is less safe for a CHL to walk to the firing position, remove the gun from the holster and set it on the bench pointed downrange than it is for a CHL to unload his carry piece in the parking lot, put it in a case, carry it to the firing position, and load it again. If this process is somehow supposedly safer, I'm missing how that works.

dogtown tom, I'm surprised you don't go to Bullet Trap if you are in Plano. It is right off Park and K Street and run by the same people that run the Frisco range. I don't go there either though for about the same reasons.

It's strict, but we have been chartered since 1947 and have a spotless record.

It strikes me as a poorly conceived policy for any range since it moves unloading/loading into an unsecured area where a negligent discharge is more likely to cause harm. I would suspect your status as a private range as more to do with your unblemished safety record than the poorly thought out policy.

 

[Twmaster]

Oh. Wait. I somehow missed the Frisco range being connected to The Bullet Trap.

I'll avoid them as I refuse to step foot in TBT after getting jerked around by the owner when I first moved to Texas.

 

[rbernie]

The Bullet Trap was owned by Matt and Traci (after they bought it from Traci's dad) until they sold to Christian and started (after a period) GunGearToGo. After buying BT, Christian was going to go into a joint venture on the Frisco shop with the owners of DFW Gun Range until they had a falling out, and he ultimately went at it solo.

My point is that the BT may have been owned by Matt (now GG2G) or Christian (now BT and Frisco) when you had your issues with it.

 

[Twmaster]

This was about January 2012 that they jacked me around. When did these new owners take over?

 

[rbernie]

I'm puzzled by this since they apparently seem to think it is less safe for a CHL to walk to the firing position, remove the gun from the holster and set it on the bench pointed downrange than it is for a CHL to unload his carry piece in the parking lot, put it in a case, carry it to the firing position, and load it again. If this process is somehow supposedly safer, I'm missing how that works.

My only guess is that if you shoot yourself or someone else in their parking lot, then it's on you. If you do the same on the firing line, then they're legally more implicated. Dunno. My EDC isn't unholstered during my range visits, so (assuming that concealed means concealed) it's unlikely that I'd ever fall afoul of their ROs. I haven't been there yet, so I can't say for sure how I'd feel about this.

dogtown tom, I'm surprised you don't go to Bullet Trap if you are in Plano. It is right off Park and K Street and run by the same people that run the Frisco range. I don't go there either though for about the same reasons.

BT doesn't have but a 25yd rifle line, and they don't allow offhand shooting. If you wanted to shoot rifle regularly, I can see how the Frisco shop might have some appeal.

This was about January 2012 that they jacked me around. When did these new owners take over?

I can't say for sure, but I suspect from my recollection of the timeline that Matt and Traci had sold by then and that it was the new owner (and owner of the Frisco range) that you were dealing with.

 

[jmorris]

Living in Plano for 38 years I am glad I now live where I can have my own range out back.

Jacobs plain gun club is a bit of a drive but you don't have the nanny's to deal with. If you can get memberships DPC or NTSA are ok but can be as long of a haul, depends on where you live.

The Red Zone Ranch in Anna showed promise but only lasted a few months. I would think after all of this time it is dead for good but they still have the website up.

 

[Twmaster]

@rbernie

Thanks for the info. It's a shame really. Bullet Trap has some nice stock of firearms.

I'm lucky that I on occasion have access to some private land up by Wolfe City to shoot on with one of the 'custodians' of the place. Otherwise about the only outdoor range I like around the metro-mess is Quail Creek over in Roanoke. And even they have some restrictions.

For indoor I've been shooting at Targetmaster's in Garland. They have a 50 yd indoor rifle range. Great for function testing and sight in on ARs.

I'm just saving my money so I can buy some land out in the country to build on someday.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Honestly, the DFW area could really use a "grown ups" range. Something where you had to qualify or demonstrate knowledge to use it but could then be treated like a knowledgable adult. I'd rather have that than a restaurant in the range.

 

[rbernie]

For indoor I've been shooting at Targetmaster's in Garland. They have a 50 yd indoor rifle range. Great for function testing and sight in on ARs.

Targetmaster is great for 50yd offhand work. Sadly, their ventilation is so poor that I rarely go there anymore. I like the attitude there, but the place really needs some maintenance work to be adequate for regular use. I cringe at what my bloodwork would show if I shot there every weekend as I do at GPSR.

Honestly, the DFW area could really use a "grown ups" range. Something where you had to qualify or demonstrate knowledge to use it but could then be treated like a knowledgable adult. I'd rather have that than a restaurant in the range.

No kidding - I agree completely. My sense is that Frisco intends to do that, but only for the 24hr VIP side (and that is just too rich for my blood).

One of my biggest issues is the lack of informal clays ranges in the area. Elm Fork has the formal courses if you have the budget to pay per round, but very few ranges have manual mechanical throwers available for casual and low cost practice....

 

[dogtown tom]

rbernie Tom - I have heard nothing about the judgement (and was planning on shooting clays and pistol at GPSR tomorrow). What specifically do you know about the judgement?

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/24208824/homeowner-struck-by-stray-bullet-wins-more-than-1m-in-gun-range-lawsuit

 

[dogtown tom]

Bartholomew Roberts ....dogtown tom, I'm surprised you don't go to Bullet Trap if you are in Plano. It is right off Park and K Street and run by the same people that run the Frisco range. I don't go there either though for about the same reasons.

Like Twmaster I had a couple of less than stellar experiences at BT when I first moved to Plano in 1999.

The main reason I don't shoot at BT used to be cost vs Garland (and I prefer outdoor) BUT........Garland raised their fee from $10 to $15 and doesn't let you shoot fmj on the rifle line.

FGC is the same distance from my house as GPSR, less restrictive and has longer hours. And my Platinum membership lets me shoot at the Bullet Trap as well.

 

[jmorris]

There are a bunch of us that used to compete at Target master every Wednesday night about 10 years ago. One of the DAPS members came up with high lead levels and as everyone else got checked out, all of us that shot the indoor matches at TM were high.

 

[ahtoxa]

TargetMaster left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

For pistol I go to Eagle Gun Range in Lewisville. For rifle, I go to Elm Fork, where you can shoot steel core and FMJ's, but only on the 50 yard range.

 

[rbernie]

Can you shoot offhand at Elm Fork's rifle lines?

 

[rbernie]

Tom - I spent some time chatting with the guys at GPSR this AM and they expect an appeal to be filed over the fact that the judge allowed the Rowlett injunction issue be presented by the plaintiff....

<sigh>

 

[photosaurus]

...Jacobs plain gun club is a bit of a drive but you don't have the nanny's to deal with...

What's up with Jacob's Plain? Thought they closed for good. The facilities got a little run down after Joe died, but I appreciated their tactical bays and non-restrictive rules. The range/membership fees had escalated so much toward the end, that it was almost unaffordable, though. Sure wish they'd reopen again with a solid business plan.