San Antonio has an indoor range...and it sucks!

[phantomak47]

Come to Houston where the ranges all suck and the gunshops are way over priced.


The only decent indoor ranger in town is something like $15 an hour , but you Are allowed to bring your own ammo.


As for gunshops , there is nothing reasonable in the whole town, I still cant understand why. When I moved to Houston , I figured they would have a walmart gunstore, yet there is not even a decent store in the whole place.

When I can buy guns cheaper back in Boston, that should tell you something!!!

 

[ORAG]

Shooting their Ammo

Several years ago, the local National Guard Armory indoor range had a good local shooting club using their range a couple of nights a month. I stopped in one day to shoot my .22 and found that one of the gun team members had been shooting some non standard ammo and the metal plats at the back of the range had major holes. I can only suppose it was some AP ammo. If I had to meet the EPA reuirements, maintain the range and make a living, I would want you to shoot my ammo. When we upgraded the range to ensure ventilation and EPA reqs, it was a many thousand dollar deal. No more non mlitary shooters on that range.

 

[BetaShooter]

My buddy signed up for the Thunder Range. He is sorry he did and won't be renewing. I went once with him because he has some guest passes. This free trip cost me more in ammo cost than going to the Bullet Hole. You also have to buy their targets at $3 a pop. The rangemaster (a chubby dude) was extremely anal about safety, I mean over the top. I let my buddy shoot my 1911 and handed it to him in the next booth, slide back (action open), no magazine, muzzle pointed downrange during the whole handover process anyway. The guy gave me a ton of crap about it! I mean a 5 min. lecture on gun safety. I ended up telling the guy enough - ****.

Also, they have somewhat limited times when you can shoot. They have LEO times only and whenver they are teaching a CHL class, members aren't allowed.

I can't see how he will stay open much longer. Oh, you think $12 a box is bad for 9mm, try $26 for .45ACP - that's for 50 rounds.

 

[bender]

I've never been to the indoor Thunder Range. Guess I don't need to go based on the comments here.

Me & my shooting buddy went to Cedar Ridge yesterday, and we also got a 5 minute lecture from the woman there. Like we were gonna shoot each other ??
We both just kept looking at the benches or ground while she was yakking, and were going "ok, ok, ok....".

I hate being treated like a baby, but that's the way it is now.

 

[jason10mm]

I'm lucky that Bracken range is just 5 minutes from where I live. They charge by the gun but they have one open bay so I can practice draws and stuff with my wife. Place to Shoot is nice but a bit of a drive from me and I don't like the fact that the handgun range is unsupervised (at least a few years back). Had some guys next to me playing fast draw cowboy from their holsters once, 5feet BACK from the line!! Never been back since.

Blackhawk is real nice, just don't make it down thre since Texas Tactical moved to Dripping Springs. Same drive either way, so I go north. Bullethole could use a facility makeover, but no complaints when I took my CHL class there.

I remember the big indoor range in the late 90's. Went there one January on the COLDEST DAY OF THE YEAR! We had heaters in the ranges in North Carolina, so I figured they have the same here (new to the state at the time!). WRONG! After standing under the blower for 20 minutes watching my hands turn blue I had to stop shooting. Nice facilities though.

 

[Correia]

Actually $500 a year isn't unreasonable, depending on what you get for that. That works out to $40 a month. If you get 4 or 5 hours of range time for that, you are ahead of most indoor ranges that charge $12-$15 to rent a lane.

Now if they charge $500, and then you still have to pay for each individual lane rental, then that is too high.

And they are only crazy if they don't get it. You might be surprised how many people value their time more than their money who will gladly pay those fees for a place to shoot that is nearby.

From the indoor range owner's perspective, they only have so many hours of available range rentals. There are only so many lanes, and only so many hours in the day. Perhaps they are banking on a smaller number of shooters paying more, rather than having a packed range, and making pennies per shooter.

I've seen both methods work at indoor ranges.

 

[MrMex]

Those are some advantagous prices hes got at thunder. Its already enough the membership fees he charges, but come on, $26 for box of 50...that's just wrong. That right there is why I won't even consider getting a membership.

Bender, where is Cedar range? How are there facilities and do they charge by gun or person?

 

[bender]

Cedar Ridge is on 1863 in between San antonio and new braunfels. You go up 281 north outside of 1604, drive by encino park and all those new housing developments... I'm guessing its maybe 10 miles outside of 1604... turn right on 1863 and go ... I'm not sure... a few miles... its on your right.... I know where it is, but I still drive right past the entrance half the times I go there... and have to do a U-turn back !

you know you're there when you see some high, scenic cliffs on your left while driving on 1863.

Anyway, the range is nice. they let you walk to your targets, and change targets, and stuff. Its kind of "sectioned off' I mean, its not like Braken where everyone is in ONE LINE shooting in one big open range. Cedar Ridge is more like "separate areas". I think it is $10 per person, no matter how many guns you bring.

edit: back in the 1980s and early-90s Cedar Ridge was called "La Paloma". Maybe they changed owners or something.

I'm lucky that Bracken range is just 5 minutes from where I live.

Braken Range is also 5-minutes from my house.

 

[MrMex]

Cool, i knew there was one out that way. I have to try that one out next, just came back from buleethole with my girlfriend...always a good choice in my book!