joecil
Member
Well I live in Lexington KY and two years ago there was 9 lanes available in Paris ( a bit of a drive from Lexington) at the original Bud's (internet fame). Now Bud's has moved and built a multimillion dollar state of the art range that would have to be visited to see it all, much of which isn't seen by the general public at all. It would be not only 10 standard ranges for pistol/rifle shooting but another 10 used for private tactical training and general purpose training drills. The also have a reactive range for the general public as well as one for LEO that they can actually train using their cars from as well as set lighting for time of day. All of this is indoors with a ventilation system that can handle black powder shooters without problems at all. Now that covers the range I use most often and it is about 10 min drive for me to get there.
As for the others, one is exactly 4 min from my door to his with another indoor range similar to Bud's original range in Paris Kentucky though 50 yards instead of 25 yard max.
Both of the previous mentioned ranges have public access however range membership takes president over walk in traffic. Now even here where it isn't uncommon to meet gun people, the traffic makes it hard to open and sustain a simple gun range, let alone make a profit on one. Even at Bud's where it is standing room only on a Saturday, Monday through Friday mornings most ranges are completely empty.
Now their are also a few private out door ranges with in 20 minutes of me that also allow the public but real restrictive to times to the point of almost requiring an appointment to shoot.
So with that said the real reason more don't exist is local zoning rules, insurance requirements as well as need areas one can shoot safely especially in regards to out door ranges.
As for the others, one is exactly 4 min from my door to his with another indoor range similar to Bud's original range in Paris Kentucky though 50 yards instead of 25 yard max.
Both of the previous mentioned ranges have public access however range membership takes president over walk in traffic. Now even here where it isn't uncommon to meet gun people, the traffic makes it hard to open and sustain a simple gun range, let alone make a profit on one. Even at Bud's where it is standing room only on a Saturday, Monday through Friday mornings most ranges are completely empty.
Now their are also a few private out door ranges with in 20 minutes of me that also allow the public but real restrictive to times to the point of almost requiring an appointment to shoot.
So with that said the real reason more don't exist is local zoning rules, insurance requirements as well as need areas one can shoot safely especially in regards to out door ranges.
