Shooting ranges...how busy are they now?

[fortyshooter]

I haven't been to a public range in 8 yrs and was wondering how busy they are due to shortage of ammo?

[Sir Henry]

I haven’t been in a few weeks but when I was there it seemed rather normal. Very busy on the weekends and only a handful of us retired people that shoot mid week.

I suspect it effected the weekend shooters who work and might not have the ammo inventory some of us life long shooters have laying around.

[John E Davies]

I haven’t been to the one I joined lately, but I hear shots all the time when the wind direction is right, it is about two miles away as the crow flies. A lot of the more “mature” members don’t go there to shoot, they just hang out in the lounge area, drink coffee, stare into space and gossip for hours on end. It is a really old club, started in 1916. I think some of the original founding fathers still go there to nap.

I guess it is Shooter’s Heaven, where bent, arthritic gun enthusiasts go to die..... That kind of social activity never appealed to me very much.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[JEBar]

the trap ranges I've visited seemed to be operating pretty much as usual .... rifle/handgun ranges weren't very busy

[leverjc]

After the initial boom a couple months ago my local range seems to be about normal or a few less shooters. Haven't been there in a couple of weeks because of knee surgery.

[bandit1250]

Our club range seldom has anyone there but my shooting partner and my self with occasionally my wife gets to go if time is available. We never shoot there on weekends or holidays. My friend and I have taken half dozen or more rifles each and spent almost eight hours there shooting and never had another shooter stop in. I sweep the concrete deck where the benches are every time we shoot there before we leave and clean up all empty casings. If I go there the following day there will be no sign there was another shooter had used the range in the evening. I think folks in the club got caught by surprise on the ammo shortages they are seeing again. My wife and my friend and I have shot nearly 30,000 rounds since last November but will slow down now with hunting season coming up very soon. We finally got a Sept. start to squirrel season in Pa. this year. Maybe not the best year with the abundance of rattle snakes there has been this year. I feel the ranges will get more shooters there as they get ready for the fall seasons. Some don't like the primitive ranges with no bathrooms and carry out every thing you brought in. Here is our club range. Nothing fancy here. 30--50 and 100 yds.

We do have a gun rack.

[Vaquero]

Don't do public ranges so I have no idea.

RP

[North Country Gal]

We've stayed home this summer doing most of our shooting in our backyard with the air guns. Our neighbor, though, is a board member of our local club range and he reports things have been pretty normal over the summer.

[RanchRoper]

Normal for us. Hardly anyone there...

[BigAl52]

I see some fancy there Bandit. Those 22 rifles are some fancy in my book.

[Vaquero]

What Al said Bandit, what is the one on the left?

RP

[bandit1250]

What Al said Bandit, what is the one on the left?

RP

The rifle on the left is my Remington 512X. It was made in '65 and had the dark red/brown mud finish from the factory. I refinished it with Tru-oil. Has some nice wood for a rifle that was probably mid fifty to sixty dollar range new. The other two rifles are my CZ Grand Finales. Here is the other side.

[fortyshooter]

Interesting replies and thanks for sharing.

Nice rifle collection Bandit!

[Vaquero]

Thanks for the reply Bandit, I knew it was older one, I do like the refinishing, you can find some really nice wood under those ole plain finishes. I did my little H001 here a while back. Looks so much better than the original.

We all know CZ puts some outstanding rifles out.

RP

[Cofisher]

At the Leadville range, a couple weeks ago, there were two other groups there when I arrived. I waited them out and finally had an entire range to my self. The local Denver area range was close to my daughters house, and I heard shooting daily.

[Hatchdog]

I haven’t been to the one I joined lately, but I hear shots all the time when the wind direction is right, it is about two miles away as the crow flies. A lot of the more “mature” members don’t go there to shoot, they just hang out in the lounge area, drink coffee, stare into space and gossip for hours on end. It is a really old club, started in 1916. I think some of the original founding fathers still go there to nap.

I guess it is Shooter’s Heaven, where bent, arthritic gun enthusiasts go to die..... That kind of social activity never appealed to me very much.

John Davies
Spokane WA

I’m a member of this range John mentioned. I was there a few weeks ago and I found it to be a bit busier than normal. This was in the morning on a very hot day so I expect like me folks were trying to get their shooting in before the heat. Adding to this the range removed every other shooting bench in order to follow social distancing guidelines. Seems like every time I go there I see the same 3-4 guys who shoot black powder and the same 4-5 guys John mentioned sitting inside shooting the breeze instead of outside shooting targets. This was the 100 yard line and after shooting there for a few hours I moved to the 200 line to zero my long range rifle and had it to myself.

[dasmoeturhead]

Haven't been to a public or club range for years, but my range hasn't been used much lately. Once a week I guess I do some plinking.

[Scottso67]

Ranges here on Long Island have been really busy. The old timers own the early am hours and the kids sleep late so I go around 11am-1pm. Covid has also put a every other bench policy at some and that slows things up a bit.