Shooting at your "favorite" range versus "not-so-favorite"

[LookieLoo]

I can understand wanting to shoot at your "favorite" range, but why not shoot at those "not-so-favorite" ranges? Putting any safety concerns aside, you can't really justify shooting in the same comfortable conditions, can you?

I can't imagine anything worse than not being prepared for the unknown by only having experience shooting at one range, and one range only. You need variety -- from lighting, to surroundings, to body position.

Are you sure that one bad experience isn't getting the best of you, and not the range owner as you intend?

Just a thought...

[tbrown]

Are you sure that one bad experience isn't getting the best of you, and not the range owner as you intend?

Just a thought...

You could say the same about restaurants and would be just as irrelevant. I'm not trying to punish the restaurant owner where I had a bad experience. I'm trying to avoid getting food poisoning again. Or in some cases just avoiding paying good money for bad food and bad service.

But getting back to ranges, the ranges I don't like are no loss because they don't help me have a good training experience. They don't allow movement, working from the holster, firing controlled pairs or triples, multiple targets, etc. Or they charge more than their competition without giving me anything in return.

[CEOofEVIL]

Luckily in my area, there is a TON of desert within a 20 minute drive that is free to use. There are a few patches of desert that have been used for shooting for decades and are well known - it either is public land, OR private and no one cares, or is just... well, desert. The well known areas are usually trashed, unless you find an area that has shooters that actually care about it and pick up their trash. I just found another spot recently that is BLM land just across the stateline in NM that is almost at 10 minute drive from me. It's pretty trashed from careless shooters and illegal dumping, but is comprised of a dried out pond or some kinda so it's well laid out for longer range shooting. Since these places aren't really formal ranges, anything goes. That's GREAT if you're like me and like to do your own thing and not be limited by range rules. It's also very bad, because there can be a lot of scary idiots whom do really dumb things out there - I usually try to go out at odd times to avoid this. The last time I went out to this one spot, there was a group of people BBQ'ing RIGHT in the middle of the range, and popping of shots. I stayed far away from them, because it didn't seem like they were acting responsibly (plus there was no room). I honestly thought I smelled weed blowing over from where they were shooting - NOT cool at all. Wrapped it up in 30 min and got the heck out of dodge. That pretty much describes the caveats of well known public land.

On the other hand, I love the indoor range operated by our local community college's law enforcement academy (El Paso Community College). It's affordable, well controlled, has very permissive rules, and lets you shoot pretty much anything you want aside from NFA item's or using AP/Incendiary types of ammo. You can't use the range UNLESS you have proof of training, which they consider as being a LEO, Military, having a CHL, or simply taking their free safety/introduction to firearms class. This REALLY helps keep the scary shooters out of the range, and it contributes to the safe atmosphere, and is also why they don't have silly or restrictive rules (Controlled rapid fire is ok, you can shoot from any position (as long as its safe!), you can draw from the holster, etc). Plus its our only indoor range, is well maintained, has electronic target returns (which go out to 25 yards), and has free targets (heck yes!). Since there is no reason to go past the firing line, you don't have to waste time on cease fires and people checking their groups constantly. My wife and myself do the vast majority of our shooting here and love it. If given a choice, I'll choose this range almost 98% of the time, unless I want to practice moving and firing etc. One downside is that since it is operated by a college, they observe weird-ish hours. That means they are closed pretty much the whole weekend when there is a holiday, and since the main purpose of the range is for training LEO's, it is only open during the evenings during the week.

I digress - I like the fact that I can go shoot by myself out in the boonies when I want to do something different, or just go to my favorite range for all other times. There are other commercially operated outdoor ranges here in town, but they aren't my cup of tea. Having a choice is always good though! We're spoiled in this town for that IMHO.

I'm moving to Austin next month, and am not looking forward to having to find new ranges there. I understand there a number of indoor ranges, but that they can be pricey, busy, dangerous, and have very limiting rules. Ranges like that just won't do for me ("Train like you fight") so I'm really worried about not finding the "perfect" place for my needs. So far Best of the West seems like it's going to be my 'Go-to' range. I really hope is as great as folks make it out to be! I'm going to go crazy (and be really sad!) if the only places available won't let me practice in a manner practical to self defense.

Bottom line: Choice is always a good thing, in my opinion, and so I like to have that when it comes to places to shoot.

[Heartland Patriot]

Luckily in my area, there is a TON of desert within a 20 minute drive that is free to use. There are a few patches of desert that have been used for shooting for decades and are well known - it either is public land, OR private and no one cares, or is just... well, desert. The well known areas are usually trashed, unless you find an area that has shooters that actually care about it and pick up their trash. I just found another spot recently that is BLM land just across the stateline in NM that is almost at 10 minute drive from me. It's pretty trashed from careless shooters and illegal dumping, but is comprised of a dried out pond or some kinda so it's well laid out for longer range shooting. Since these places aren't really formal ranges, anything goes. That's GREAT if you're like me and like to do your own thing and not be limited by range rules. It's also very bad, because there can be a lot of scary idiots whom do really dumb things out there - I usually try to go out at odd times to avoid this. The last time I went out to this one spot, there was a group of people BBQ'ing RIGHT in the middle of the range, and popping of shots. I stayed far away from them, because it didn't seem like they were acting responsibly (plus there was no room). I honestly thought I smelled weed blowing over from where they were shooting - NOT cool at all. Wrapped it up in 30 min and got the heck out of dodge. That pretty much describes the caveats of well known public land.

On the other hand, I love the indoor range operated by our local community college's law enforcement academy (El Paso Community College). It's affordable, well controlled, has very permissive rules, and lets you shoot pretty much anything you want aside from NFA item's or using AP/Incendiary types of ammo. You can't use the range UNLESS you have proof of training, which they consider as being a LEO, Military, having a CHL, or simply taking their free safety/introduction to firearms class. This REALLY helps keep the scary shooters out of the range, and it contributes to the safe atmosphere, and is also why they don't have silly or restrictive rules (Controlled rapid fire is ok, you can shoot from any position (as long as its safe!), you can draw from the holster, etc). Plus its our only indoor range, is well maintained, has electronic target returns (which go out to 25 yards), and has free targets (heck yes!). Since there is no reason to go past the firing line, you don't have to waste time on cease fires and people checking their groups constantly. My wife and myself do the vast majority of our shooting here and love it. If given a choice, I'll choose this range almost 98% of the time, unless I want to practice moving and firing etc. One downside is that since it is operated by a college, they observe weird-ish hours. That means they are closed pretty much the whole weekend when there is a holiday, and since the main purpose of the range is for training LEO's, it is only open during the evenings during the week.

I digress - I like the fact that I can go shoot by myself out in the boonies when I want to do something different, or just go to my favorite range for all other times. There are other commercially operated outdoor ranges here in town, but they aren't my cup of tea. Having a choice is always good though! We're spoiled in this town for that IMHO.

I'm moving to Austin next month, and am not looking forward to having to find new ranges there. I understand there a number of indoor ranges, but that they can be pricey, busy, dangerous, and have very limiting rules. Ranges like that just won't do for me ("Train like you fight") so I'm really worried about not finding the "perfect" place for my needs. So far Best of the West seems like it's going to be my 'Go-to' range. I really hope is as great as folks make it out to be! I'm going to go crazy (and be really sad!) if the only places available won't let me practice in a manner practical to self defense.

Bottom line: Choice is always a good thing, in my opinion, and so I like to have that when it comes to places to shoot.

Sounds like you've had a pretty good deal...able to do lots of things that a lot of ranges (including the one closest to me) won't allow. Things such as draw from holster and controlled rapid fire. Heck, they won't even allow FMJ rifle ammo, due to some thing with insurance from what I hear...I hope you find a good range where you are headed to...as for me, I look forward to owning my own piece of countryside some day in the semi-near future...ah, to be able to plink at soda cans again...a man can dream, anyway.

[Longshot38]

I don't know about others but I make it a point to avoid public ranges as much as possible and their are a few that you couldn't pay me to visit again. And while a change in environment can be a good thing it is much less important then things such as drawing from a holster and accurately placing you shots well in a rapid fashion. Both are things that most public ranges have very specific rules about. These are undoubtedly the most important things when you are forced to use your carry weapon.

The moral is is make friends with you local rancher so you can actually practice and not just shoot. Because when we are forced to fight we will do so like we train. Thus we need to train like we fight.

[steve817]

The range I go to, I don't go to for comfort. I go there because they let me shoot how I want to shoot for the most part as long as I can keep it controlled. I have seen some ranges where they limit you to one shot every three seconds and I haven't been back to them. I go to practice defensive shooting, not target shooting.

[The Annoyed Man]

I primarily use two ranges: Dallas Pistol Club for pistol work, and Elm Fork Shooting Range for rifle/carbine work. At DPC I can work from the holster, I am responsible for being my own RSO in my own shooting bay, and I don't have to shoot right next to some bubba who waves his gun around and sweeps everybody. At Elm Fork, it is a clean and well run facility, and the RSOs ensure that some idiot doesn't mow me down when I walk the 100 yards to my target and back.

I don't see any particular value in deliberately placing myself in situations where I might get shot. That philosophy has kept me alive since 1952.

[g31357]

I choose one range over the other in HOuston because the range marshalls are all over you 24/7 at the other.