Rampart Range Colorado Springs

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Zundfolge

Zundfolge

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I seem to remember someone here saying the road up to Rampart Range had been repaired and you could make it with a regular old passengar car.

Is this the case?

I've got an opportunity to take some people shooting for the first time and really don't want to take them out to Dragonman's, and I don't have a 4x4.
 
I was up there yesterday Zund, and its ok. When I went up last time they must've just did it, as it was totally smooth and graded over with loose dirt. Yesterday I realized that the loose dirt was gone and I could see a whiteish mixture that the had poured over most of the road. There was two spots on the lower part where I had to slow to around 20mph, but past those it was smooth sailing. Its still ridiculously better than it used to be.

I would say go for it. You definitely don't need a 4X4, but OTOH, I don't know just how low or nice your intended vehicle is. I was driving a little Dodge mini-van which rides pretty low...

You gonna print out a few targets and enter the September Virtual Match?
Go to the sticky at the top of the Competition forum for link to targets, and rules etc..

Good shootin'!:)
 
Even 11+ years ago, one could do Rampart to Woodland in a regular car - long as it wasn't "winter." There's some spots that are less than ideal, but anyone capable could get around those.

Far as I'm aware - being out of the Rampart Loop for 10+ years easily, but w/a contact or two, there's only the public range to shoot on. Everything else is at least "1/4-1/2" off the road - even though it's Nat'l Forest ....

The public range is, what? about 6-7 miles up the hill from GotGs?

{whimsically remembering 20 yrs ago} ... taking Rampart back home to Woodland when Ute pass was closed due to ice storms .... ahh! those were the days. ;)

Actually used to 4XD in The Garden itself .....prolly best that's been curtailed tho' ....
 
Rampart Range Road - is that the one that heads north and eventually winds up back of Denver? It's been a long time...
 
It does eventually end up just west of Denver.

Starts at Garden of the Gods @Co Springs, to just east of Wooland Park & up to west of Denver - lots & lots of side-trails betwixt.

'Course 'the start" could just as easily be from the north .... just never did it that way myself.
 
Thanks, labgrade. That's the one. I got lost up there once. Went wandering (in my Audi Fox - NOT a good choice) and got THOROUGHLY lost. I don't know to this day where I ended up. All I know is I found myself down a blind canyon, looking at some very tall chain link fence and the business end of an M-16, held by an Air Force security type. :what:

I was 'asked' to leave, and forget where I was. No problem - I didn't KNOW where I was! :D


I wandered for hours after that before I found my way out.

Great way for a young private to spend his Saturday!
 
Still wondering why you two continue to dork around with Rampart Range when Frontier is so much nicer.
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:D Gotta get that NRA membership a'fore I can join. Couldn't quite swing it back when I ordered my Bushy, and now it'd only last until February then dues'd be due again so I'm waitin until then to get a full year.

I made the trip on RR rd all the way to Denver once when me & the Mrs. was out mushrooming. Just kept driving and voila', Denver, and mucho shrooms.

There is another range albeit smaller and no tables up there. A few times when the range was just packed we went there. As you are heading up RR rd, its about one mile past the big range on the left. May not be sanctioned but I've never been tossed out or hassled there.
 
Still wondering why you two continue to dork around with Rampart Range when Frontier is so much nicer.
Click to expand...

3 reasons:

1. I ain't a member yet :p
2. Aside from paper we're going to shoot at "stuff"
3. Its Free!


I will get my membership to Frontier as soon as budget allows ... but for tomorrow it's going to be Rampart. And even afterward, any time I want to shoot "stuff" I'll still have to go to Rampart ... and its still better then Dragonman (especialy when you're taking a couple of people who where raised in Connetticut who have never shot before).
 
Having grown up around Woodland Park, Id say Quartus ended up at the AFA training grounds...they dont like visitors, especially ones that hike in.

If you dont want to go to Rampart but want to shoot for free, the Nat'l Forest is not far north of Woodland Park and we shoot there all the time...at targets and 'stuff'.

When soon to be father-in-law finish the 100yd range we are building, we can go there.......it's 45 mins ENE from CS in Elizabeth, CO.


c):{
 
I would lean towards the Nat'l Forest.

I have only visited RR twice...and both times I was too scared to leave my vehicle.

Almost everyone I know has a story about unsafe shooters at RR.

I have seen people shooting from BEHIND another group!
 
Edward, I reckon I'll lay off then, since they don't pro-rate. ;)

Mike, you calculate the gas used and the alignments you'll need after visiting RR 5 times and you'll spend more than what you would with a membership at Frontier.
 
Can somebody post the details about Frontier (or PM me), ie how long is the wait list, how much does it cost, where is the range and what does it have? thanks.
 
Mike, you calculate the gas used and the alignments you'll need after visiting RR 5 times and you'll spend more than what you would with a membership at Frontier.
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After driving up Rampart Range Road today I can tell you that you can drop the alignments from that list ... the road is excellent now. And the gas isn't going to be significantly greater then what the drive all the way out to Falcon will be for Frontier (I live in the shadow of Cheyenne Mountain, so both RR and Frontier are a little ways away). Plus the view cannot be beat :)

At any rate, the $160 for the first year's membership plus the $35 for a one year NRA membership (will I also have to renew that every year in order to stay a member at Frontier?) is a little more then I can come up with at the moment.

As soon as I can I'll get the Frontier membership (probably before I would go to RR 5 times).


At any rate, my wife and I took a couple we've been hanging out with who are originaly from Connetticut shooting for the first time. These people are the typical New England Eloi who couldn't understand why I would want to own guns, let alone carry one.

By the end of the day, they where ready to consider their own gun (especialy with the help of stevesmith7's Hammerli Trailside w/red dot sight ... oh yeah, we ran into stevesmith7 up there).

There where no real idiots or dangerous people there, everyone was polite and helpful, and we even met a guy who had brought his friend visiting from Ireland (they shot up all their ammo and had a pumpkin left over ... they let us have it to shoot).

There was also a guy there with a full auto AK47 ... what's Frontier's policy regarding full auto?
 
It was a fun day. I usually bring way more ammo than I need and carry a bunch home.
Today all I had left was a few .380s and the tail end of a brick of 22s.

Important lesson: When shooting pumpkins and all you have left is 380, 22hp, and
40 S&W there is only one effective choice.

Lesson two: A 22 pistol with a red dot turns first time shooters into converts.
It's just like a video game.

Mike, I was just as bad the first time with the P32. It's an acquired skill.

The new road work cuts off 10-15 minutes on the drive :)

Steve
 
Well I'm definately going to have to get myself a .22 pistol of some sort. The Trailside was nice.

I think I'll pass on the P32 :p but I'm still amazed how light and tiny it is.

Only downside of the day was the rear sight falling off my Mak ... now I'll have to re-zero the darn thing :(

I found a little tube of locktite in my junk drawer, so I'll make sure that doesn't happen again.
 
Having grown up around Woodland Park, Id say Quartus ended up at the AFA training grounds...they dont like visitors, especially ones that hike in.
Click to expand...


Awwww, THAT'S no fun! Here all these years I thought I'd found a super-secret missile facility! Phooey.


:D



Sure is nice country, though.
 
Now y'all got me missing the 'Springs

Lived there from '93-'99, and spent many trips rattling up the RR road in my F250 with limited slip rear end- made the rear end skate around. Nice place to shoot at "Stuff" during the week, but not a safe range on a gun show weekend:uhoh:
Long's Drug in OCC/Manitou Springs, what a goldmine of ammo. Now I have to drive 40 miles to get any of the premium stuff.
Anyone ever use the range up on Old Stage Rd? A long drive at best.
Now, I can shoot my .300WM from my kitchen window (But won't for obvious reasons) have backstops at 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300yds and a 1" steel plate gong at 500yds BUT [Sniff!!] I still miss the 'Springs.
 
Due to location FA isn't allowed at the current Frontier range, but the "annex" (roughly a 1 sq mile area) that we are developing will allow it, and will have a fully outfitted 1000 yard range with pits and 300 foot firing lines.
 
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