Southern California shooting ranges

[ChronoCube]

I'm visiting Southern CA this coming weekend. My friends and I want to go shoot near LA or San Diego. We know several of the ranges there. Most don't allow steel cased ammo (we want to shoot milsurp ammo) -- it seems to be a fairly common prohibition. Why is that? It seems like they're turning away a lot of potential business.

Also, suggestions for steel-case-friendly ranges are welcome. Thanks.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Steel cased ammunition is not reloadable. Many ranges in California and elsewhere send the brass to ammo manufacturers like mine to be reloaded for them to sell to their customers. If you shoot and leave brass behind that they can't use, you are creating extra work for them to sort it out. Most brass scrappers won't sort the brass so the range has to do it. When you have to sort through 2-4 tons of brass every month, it gets old. If they send their brass to me, we sort, inspect, clean, and reload in house so we pick out all the steel cases (with a huge magnet).

All depends on what they do with their brass and how they go about it.

 

[ChronoCube]

That makes sense. Of course, there's plenty of non-reloadable brass out there too, like 7.62x51 surplus.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Why would it be non-reloadable?

 

[ChronoCube]

It's Berdan-primed. I thought Berdan-primed cases are non-reloadable.

 

[3pairs12]

Where are you going to be in So. Cal? There is a gun range in Morongo Valley they have out to 300 yards. You can shoot steel case there. It is about 2-2.5 hours from San Diego. I10 west to Hwy 62. There is also a lot desert that you can shoot on in San Bernidino County.

 

[damien]

so we pick out all the steel cases (with a huge magnet).

How does this work for Blazer which has aluminum cases?

 

[freakshow10mm]

It doesn't. Our case processing machine culls them for us.

We have one machine that sorts cases by size (caliber). We separate nickel/aluminum from the brass, run the brass through the processing/inspection machine, then load the brass on the loading machine. While the brass ammo is being loaded, we run the aluminum/nickel brass through the inspection/processing machine and it culls the aluminum cases. We sell the aluminum for scrap and make a second run of ammo with the nickel plated brass.

On our machines, we take raw, dirty brass to finished product in about 40 minutes including sorting, inspecting, cleaning, loading, polishing, final inspection, packaging, and putting on a pallet to ship. We put about 200,000 rounds of ammo per pallet. Our average range ammo order is for 150,000 rounds a month.

 

[musick]

Check out Project 2000 Shooting Range in El Cajon. I was there early last year and they had no issues with me shooting Wolf. I would contact them to be sure though.

Otherwise, you can drive to Indian land and shoot anywhere you want. Totally free, but VERY hot this time of year. Bring water for sure, and anything else you might need as there is very little out there store-wise. You can camp overnight as well (free).

 

[ChronoCube]

My friend did mention Project 2000. That's the only one we've found so far that allows steel casings. But he tells me that they charge by the hour and have cease fires at the same time. So we're basically paying $$$ during cease fires.

Which Indian lands have you been to? This is the closest I could find to SD:
http://www.sycuan.com/

It seems like a resort rather than a place to shoot...

 

[musick]

Yeah, Sycuan is a casino. A good place to bring your $$$, but not your arms.

Since this range is in danger of being shut down due to the enormous amounts of trash being left behind by irresponsible shooters, I wont post directions in an open forum.

PM sent, but please dont disclose location in any public forums please.

 

[BSlacker]

I go to most of the outdoor ranges in the SoCal area. I don't know of a one that prohibits steel case ammo. The prohibition is on projectiles containing steel. Not the steel case ammo with copper jacketed non steel bullets. I think you are confused. This is a fire prevention thing.

 

[Bwana John]

Otherwise, you can drive to Indian land and shoot anywhere you want.

You better check that "fact" out closer.
It is not true on most Reservations in AZ.

I recommend BLM land.

 

[musick]

You better check that "fact" out closer.
It is not true on most Reservations in AZ.

You sir, are correct. "Anywhere" was a poor word choice. BLM land is best, and is what I told ChronoCube.

 

[ChronoCube]

You're right, I got the two confused. The prohibition is on steel core ammo, which is the case for a lot of milsurp ammo.