I’m an ex-Marine infantry officer (and I don’t want to hear any of the B.S. about Ex vs. former as I left it behind, OK?).
I’m proficient with firearms and was intent on helping a neighbor get in to the sport.
I’m proficient with chronographs and offered to go with my neighbor to the range, measure his MV and then generate, through external ballistics programs I own, some range, and sight adjustment tables (at present he prefers irons). My wife, also a member of USCCA logged on this site and looked up ranges which had rifle range distances greater than 100 yards. She found on about an hour away from our home and we drove out to evaluate the range.
It was a series of bulldozer cuts through nearby hills where a shooter could fire into a berm made by the bulldozer vs. a professional range. There were no benches. There were not overheads. There were no range officers. There were no range regulations. AND, THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO SUPERVISION OF THE SHOOTERS OF ANY FORM ALONG WITH NO SAFETY MEASURES AT ALL IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT.
The “range” was in the middle of nowhere Texas and their only claim to being a rifle or pistol range was a sign.
What the heck is USCCA allowing advertising of such obvious farces on their website? Is there absolutely no qualification procedure at all at USCCA for advertisers? Is paying an advertising fee all the qualifications that a farcical claim to be a rifle range requires in order to be published in the USCCA magazine or have a spot on the USCCA website?
That farce was a great place to get hurt or killed.
I’m thinking USCCA does no qualifying whatsoever for advertisers. I’m ashamed FOR you.
David W. Walters, Lorraine Dong (my wife) both long time members of USCCA.
This could go south pretty quickly. Even when I lived on the west coast most of my Army friends liked going out to the desert east of LA and find out own shooting area and set up our targets by ourselves. No range managers, only friends with their 308, 270, 243 and a few others like 25.06 and 6.5. I have been watching a boat load of videos about long range shooting, 1000 to 2500 yards and you know what they didn’t have? A range officer, built in benches or on site medical services.
What I am trying to say is some of us like our shooting area somewhat more primitive. The area you mentioned sounds pretty good to me. But then Texans can be more independent than than ex officers from the big city that think the rest of us are bumpkins. The range you described sounds a lot like the M60 range at Fort Ord in the late 60s. But we did have a Sargent or two yelling at us but no offices to speak of.
By the way, Billy Goat Gruff was a good story when I was a child. Still works today.
Have seen lots of “ranges” in the West and even a few in the East that were just spots designated by state or federal land agencies as a place to go shooting. No improvements other than a safe backstop. I personally prefer spots like this to an organized range where your training is very limited by a bunch of rules and bunch of other people present. However, if I get to one of these “ranges” and other people are there then I usually move on to another suitable spot, especially if those other people are acting like yahoos.
Provided everyone there was being safe, that doesn’t sound inherently bad.
I used to go to a range in MD that did not allow silhouette targets, because they did not want to give the impression that people might actually shoot someone.
My long distance range is a farm in NC. I have a measured 1K yard line and the far tree line is 1 mile from the shooting tower which straddles a drainage ditch. If I back up to the road I can get 2500 yards. No medical, no range officer, no cell phone service. The tree line ends at the 1K line and we fly Bravo flags and put up saw horses appropriately marked at that location to warn anyone coming in from the fields behind the trees. I haul in my own shooting bench and shade. I leave it better than I found it and have never had an issue. The local Sheriff stops by on occasion as do the local city SWAT Snipers and we hold classes there for certain groups and individuals in need of our particular services. We cease fire for deer in the impact area, coyotes, ground hogs and feral pigs are always fair game as impromptu “movers” if the shooter is inclined. That said it is not open to the public. There is much to be said for an un-regulated range if all hands are onboard.
Sorry you consider yourself an EX Marine you must have parted on unfavorable terms, I was a Doc.
Hey @David670 , I understand your concerns but all ranges are different. Some have no RSO’s on duty and some are very very regimented. Back when we lived in Ohio a handful of the state parks had firing ranges with no RSO. I enjoyed these the most as I could do what I wanted. If there were multiple shooters, we’d all yell out and agreed to a cease fire prior to going down range.
The range I own is self managed as well, but, you can only go to the range if you have taken a USCCA course from me. You have to call/text that you will be at the range starting at X time and text/call again when you depart. Folks have a debit card on file and we just charge them for the day use. There is a brass bucket but no trash can (must take snack wrappers and cans with you).
It is open range with no neighbors for miles behind the shooting berms. We have a 3 station pistol range, 4 station rifle range (200 yards) and a 3 gun course.
We have an IFAK with CAT, chest seals, and blood stop gauze velcro’d to the inside wall of the shooting shelter.
We have USCCA range safety posters on the walls.
Sure there are multi million dollar facilities in Austin 50 miles away, with massive safety rules, no presentation from holster or even from High Compressed Ready, and multiple RSO’s standing all over the place. But, this really is only good for folks who just wish to maybe poke 50 holes in a piece of paper and text their friends on how they had a 2 inch grouping at 3 yards. Not to say that’s wrong, but everyone has their own thing.
The range you’re talking about, the only thing that would make it dangerous would be if the backstops were inadequate or a a substance that could cause close range ricochet injury . “Know what’s around and beyond your target”.
I’ve actually received many responses to my post that have enlightened me to the fact that some shooters, perhaps very responsible shooters, just want to shoot and be left alone. I get it now.
However, I much prefer a more structured shooting environment especially when I’m trying to bring a novice shooter into the shooting sports.
Each of us must choose their preferred poison, I suppose.
